A group of students at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences will soon be turning the tiled square behind the Nieuwenhuis building into a green oasis. Students will be allowed to grow their own vegetables and hang out.
When the first tiles will be removed still needs to be arranged. But the faculty board has promised the students they can have the garden and even gave them a bit of starting money.
‘A year ago, we asked if we could have part of the old Hortus garden to maintain ourselves’, says Lina Hävecker, third-year student of psychology and one of the people who came up with the plan. ‘But we were told Cathy, the gardener, already had plans for that bit. Then the faculty board came up with the idea that we could use the space behind the Nieuwenhuis building and turn it into a green space.’
Social garden
The students have been given approximately one hundred square metres to garden in. ‘The plan is to make the main part into a permaculture garden’, says Hävecker. ‘Let nature run its course and help it a little where needed. That’s also how Cathy runs the garden and she’ll help us out a little.’
The students also want to create a vegetable garden where students can grow their own vegetables if they want. ‘We also want to make it a bit of a social space where people can comfortably hang out and organise meetings. Since there are already a few benches and tables, we’ll use them and add greenery.’
New experience
Around twenty students are currently involved in the project, says Hävecker. ‘The group now has about twelve people who are more centrally involved in the organisation and then there are the people who want to help with the gardening.’
While none of them have any experience in a gardening project of this scale, Hävecker says everyone is raring to go. ‘There is much work to do, but we are all very involved and excited to get going.’
Students who haven’t joined the group yet but who would like to can sign up here. ‘We’d love more people, because most of us are only here until summer. We also need people to continue the project into the next year.’
Instagram: @projectgreengarden