Green Laboratory – Turin – 10th February

10th of February – Green Laboratory working bee – Turin

Green Laboratory organised a day of shared work to finish building a raised bed and we went to give a hand.

This article needs a prologue. I met Matteo at Giardino Morvillo community gardens. He told me about this new project he was starting with other volunteers, a community nursery in the city centre. I loved the idea because it could be a wonderful exchange place: it could collect seeds from community gardens around the city and then share the seedlings around. We chatted a long time and I decided I wanted to give a hand. Matteo said none of the volunteers had any experience in nursery work or seed saving, fields, so we agreed I could share the knowledge I gained in Australia in those fields. In the end, we organised two days of presentations, one about Permaculture, which everybody was curious about. That is how the group got to know me, and that is why Matteo was very keen to have us there for the working day.

Matteo and the other dozen people who take part in the Green Laboratory belong to Torino Spazio Pubblico, a volunteer group organised by the Municipality of Turin. They are all over 65 and they take care of many green areas belonging to the City, but this is a special one. It was a school, not in use anymore, and the covered space, with no heating but with big windows gave them the idea of making a nursery out of it. Around it, a garden where they are carrying out a few experiments. They make compost in the back, both in a compost bin (everybody can request one from the Municipality, and you get a discount on the garbage tax!) and in a compost hip. They are experimenting with coffee grounds that they get from local coffee shops. Green Laboratory is also collecting items that people no longer want, to recycle them in some ways or exchange them or give them away.

Worm farm Eisenia Foetida

They are now going to start a worm farm too: I gave them my worms that for lack of space we cannot take with us in the van. I was sad to see them go, but I am sure that the volunteers are going to take good care of them and learn a lot from them. I realised when giving them away, that these earthworms were the first animals I took care of by myself in my life. That’s something!

And today, the goal was to finish the raised bed. We found pallets, soil, horse poo, leaves, branches, wooden boxes and fresh compost scattered around the area, ready to go.