Garden

The vegetable garden, occupying a half-acre site at the heart of the Camphill Community, provides Biodynamic (organic) vegetables for our daily meals.

Like all other workshops within the community, the garden purpose is to provide meaningful, therapeutic work for residents with special needs and for voluntary workers alike.

The work can at time be quite 'heavy' and demanding (digging, raking, lifting, pushing wheelbarrows) but at times calls for patience and close attention (weeding, planting, pruning and harvesting). Thus the garden caters for people of all abilities and strengths.

Potential co-workers should not be averse to working outdoors in wet and windy conditions; such is the weather in Ireland. For periods of particularly inclement weather, e.g. during winter months, work is confined to within the polytunnels and glass houses.

It is not possible here to deal with all the types of work and their therapeutic value, but suffice it to say that work is shared as far as possible to ensure maximum benefit and enjoyment to all.


Meet Vincent, the gardener

Vincent de Bruijn escaped from his office cubicle in the midst of the Netherlands, fled North and ended up gardening in Finland. Though very cool (Finnish winters tend to be half a year long), he crawled out of the snow, looking to extend his growing window. 

A move East got him married to his Russian love and with her he flew West to happily stick together into Camphill Clanabogan’s Northern Irish mud.