Emma O’Neill is the Head Gardener at Garden Organic , an organisation define up with the aim of encouraging more gardeners togarden in a more sustainable and eco - friendly way .
In her role , Emma is responsible for managing and caring for the garden , lead garden tours , and marshals a dedicated grouping of Volunteer every week .
I spoke with Emma about all things Garden Organic – what it means to betrulyorganic in your gardening feeler and the type of employment gardeners should be doing right now .
watch over the full conversation between Mollie Brown and Emma O’Neill here :
Can you share a little bit about your background into horticulture and how you then came to work with Garden Organic?
“ I started analyze in 2000 after I realised that I actually preferred to be outdoors , so I leave my occupation in finance and went and did the NVQ Level 2 at a local college , ” share Emma .
“ This Book of Job add up up , it was in a slightly different form at the time , they had in reality contracted out the gardens , so I hold to the contractile organ to be the Head Gardener here .
“ One of the reasons I require to come was because I visited here when I did some further study with Perthshire College , and it was sort of the beacon for organic gardening at the time .
“ It had been through quite a lot of changes and a reduction in faculty , so it looked like a really challenging opportunity – and so I took the Book of Job ! ”
For Those Who Might Not Know, What Kind Of Work Does Garden Organic Do? What Is The Whole Project About?
“ In a nutshell , its main role is to get as many multitude gardening organically as possible and they do that in a number of ways , ” she share .
“ Not only have we contract the demonstration garden , we also conduct citizen science and inquiry . We ’ve father the Heritage Seed Library here , which is really important as that make the National Collection for Heritage Vegetables .
“ We ’ve also got lots and lots of community undertaking going on and compost is a cornerstone of that , so it ’s quite a wide - reaching organisation . ”
Can You Explain A Little Bit About What It Means To Garden Organically?
“ Most people would say it ’s about not using synthetics or chemicals , such as pesticides or weedkiller , but it ’s more than that really .
“ It ’s seek to work with your territory , so seeing that as a living , breathing thing and helping keep that healthy . And the chief affair is if the grime ’s salubrious , the plants are going to be healthy , so it ’s key to get that aspect right-hand .
“ Also , it ’s about using plant food and feeds that are from industrial plant - based bloodline , as fight back to synthetic substance . ”
Can You Explain A Little Bit About Your Role At Garden Organic?
“ I only have two actual employee here at the present moment and the garden has interchange a lot as it got rebuild during the pandemic , ” Emma explain .
“ It consists of a potager , an decorative garden and it also holds the NationalComfreyCollection , a title we ’ve just managed to find from Plant Heritage . Then , we ’ve get our working area , where I superintend a team of just about 15 volunteers that come in Tuesdays , Wednesdays or Thursdays , and we could n’t do it without them .
“ I make out the garden , so I do get stuck in and am very workforce - on . I ’m always try out to keep abreast of what ’s new in horticulture . We grow as much as we can ourselves , so all of our veg is always farm from seed , primarily from the Heritage Seed Library . ”
What Kind Of Jobs Are You Doing At The Moment In The Garden At Garden Organic?
“ We ’re doing a lot of planning , so it ’s always a dandy chance as things quiet down , even though it ’s never that quiet ! ” she jokes .
“ When project , you want to think about what went well , what did n’t go well , if you want to adjudicate other things . We also order our germ at this time of yr and will be institute some of our spring bulbs , such as daffodils .
“ We run to release our compost dozens around this time too , as we do that once a month . The more often you turn them , the quicker they ’re going to decompose .
“ Soon , we will get to that stage where we will be cutting thing down . We do seek to leave as many things that are utilitarian as possible . Anything that seem architecturally attractive will get left on , so that ’s thing like orbicular artichokes .
“ Anything that produce seeds for birds or other wildlife or plants that furnish gravid habitat get leave too , for example , our grasses . But anything that really does n’t have what I look at a specific purpose , we will then be cutting those down now . ”
Do You Have Any Exciting Projects Coming Up For The Garden Organic That You’d Like To Share?
“ I mention earlier we ’ve just been awarded the National Comfrey Collection , so we ’re going to be doing lots more signage to do with that and will hopefully be baffle more of those industrial plant to widen the assemblage , ” explains Emma .
“ We ’re hop to work up another show garden this year , as we did one last twelvemonth at Gardeners ’ World Live in Birmingham , so we ’re hope to do that again this year .
“ One of the other things that ’s in all probability the most important matter that ’s materialise is that our Heritage Seed Library will be publishing their new seed list soon . So , if anybody wants to get their men on some heritage veg , go to thewebsiteand sign up as a member and then you’re able to get some seed ! ”
What’s One Piece Of Gardening Advice That You Would Give To Your Younger Self?
“ longanimity , ” she says but .
“ I ’m impatient . I remember when I first start , I sowedsome carrotsaccording to the packet and these carrot did nothing , and I remember phone up my coach and saying : ‘ I ’m severe , I ’m going to get the dismission ’ !
“ He say you require to get more in tune with the weather . It ’s too cold , so they ’re not going to produce , and also you want to be more patient . And that ’s what I ’ve learnt that sometimes , there ’s no such thing as exigent gardening . ”
