Author Archives: meadoworchard

iNaturalist 2024: Wildlife Observations & Biodiversity Highlights

Explore the highlights of our iNaturalist Year in Review 2024! This year, our community has made incredible contributions by documenting a diverse range of wildlife, from rare plant species to local animal sightings. With the help of volunteers and nature enthusiasts, we’ve built a valuable collection of observations that showcase the biodiversity in our area. Check out our year-end summary and join us in continuing to track and protect local wildlife in the coming year

Hügelkultur at MOP

Hügelkultur is a gardening method that involves creating raised garden beds using decomposing wood and other organic materials. The word “hügelkultur” comes from the German words hügel (meaning hill) and kultur (meaning culture or cultivation), essentially meaning “hill culture.” Key Features of Hügelkultur Benefits of Hugelkultur Hugelkultur is a sustainable and efficient method of gardening,Continue reading “Hügelkultur at MOP”

Goodgym @MOP 8/1/25 🏃‍♂️

Do good and keep fit 2025 is off to a great start at MOP, we’re welcoming our friends from Goodgym Harringay to Meadow Orchard again this month. We’ll be barrowing woodchip to mulch paths and collecting xmas trees to use for composting on site and as wood for hugel beds. A Big thankyou to ourContinue reading “Goodgym @MOP 8/1/25 🏃‍♂️”

Cob Building: Sustainable Earth Homes

Cob is a sustainable and natural construction technique using a mix of sand, clay, straw, and water. The natural plasticity of clay is used to bind the sand together, straw adds structural fibres to stabilise and reinforce the material. Cob can be used to build walls and can be moulded into bricks, shaped by handContinue reading “Cob Building: Sustainable Earth Homes”

Wood Firing: Unique Handcrafted Pottery

At Meadow Orchard, we’re excited to harvest our yellow London Clay for pottery, perfect for low-temperature wood-fired ceramics. The site, once tennis courts, is rich in clay and ideal for sustainable, locally sourced materials. Our permaculture ethos aligns with using local sustainable materials. We’ve built a clay roundhouse, a natural puddled clay pond, a clay oven, a clay rocket stove and now pottery feels like the next step. In spring, we’ll begin harvesting and testing the clay with local artists and ceramicists. Early test results are promising, and we can’t wait to share the process. Get in touch if you’d like to join us on this creative journey!

Project Proposals @MOP

Help Us Grow: Share Your Ideas! Whether you’re passionate about gardening, sustainability, permaculture, eco-building, ecology or other creative projects, we invite you to contribute your thoughts and ideas. Your input is valuable in helping to shape this space to reflect the needs and interests of our beautiful community. Here’s how you can get involved:

Rocket Stoves: Efficient and Eco-Friendly

A Rocket Stove is an extremely efficient and clean-burning wood stove. It utilizes a tall flue or heat riser that generates a strong draft, ensuring that most of the wood gas, smoke, and particulate matter produced during combustion are burned within the chimney or heat riser itself. The stoves can also be built from aContinue reading “Rocket Stoves: Efficient and Eco-Friendly”

Eco-Building @MOP

We are planning a great programme of events at Meadow Orchard for 2025! We recently built a small COB Rocket Stove and would love to offer this as an activity for our volunteers and visitors. The skills learnt from these activities include, using a shave horse and riving brake, building from green and reclaimed timber,Continue reading “Eco-Building @MOP”

Garden Plans

Help us prepare our community garden for spring and create a beautiful, sustainable space for everyone to enjoy! Jobs for this December Mulch and Prepare beds ready for sowingAdding lots of organic matter and compost really ensures a great crop of produce come harvest! Woodchip paths and edge bedsHelp us spread woodchip to help keepContinue reading “Garden Plans”