Polytunnel vision

It was a rainy Tuesday at Belfast Walk Community Garden in Knowle West but we had a great day building a polytunnel for this award winning community space. When we first arrived we gathered in the shed to look at pictures of what the site looked like before it was transformed into a community garden by local volunteers. Site manager Simon told us all about how the space used to be overgrown and full of rubbish but now it’s a lovely garden with a pond and lots of trees and growing space. Some residents have dedicated trees and boxes to lost loved ones including a beloved family dog. After that delightful introduction we got the polytunnel box out of the shed and wheelbarrowed it to its proposed location. It began raining at this point so it was a race against time whether we could finish the tunnel before the paper instructions dissolved. We finished the first few steps before lunch and then took a break to have a tasty meal provided by the garden. We had to take a few pieces apart that we put on the wrong way but overall it was a smooth process and we eventually figured it out. The last step was to put the covering on the tunnel and then we were finished. It was really rewarding to see the final product and see everything come together. Overall it was a successful mission and now the community can use the tunnel to grow more food. We will definitely be back to help out again!