Artreach Nik

 

February 10 – 26

The Common Kitchen Garden at Nikolaj,

Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center

At the show ARTREACH at Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center Nikolaj The Common Kitchen Garden will present a proposal for a new design of the yard behind the library at Blågårds Plads. It will turn the backyard into a permaculture garden with an orangery and a chicken coop. The plan is set to be carried out in 2012.
The description and edrawing is carried out by Tony Andersen from Firma Mentha.
See the drawing here
See also the text by Morten Bencke and YNKB for the ARTREACH catalogue here

RAINWATER HARVESTING
Systems to harvest rainwater will be set up in the greenhouse by placing two big tanks by the downspout at the north end of the house. And two tanks by the
downspout next to the basement driveway.

GREENHOUSE
The greenhouse is planned as an orangery along one of the walls. It will be constructed
with a rainwater harvesting system in one end. With two long beds, one along the wall and one along the front. There will be room for tools as well as chairs and tables in the
southern end.
Tomatoes, peppers, melons, and pumpkins are some of the plants that could grow in the greenhouse. Grapes and a couple of trees like peach or fig could grow along the wall.

CHICKEN COOP
The coop and yard is meant to accommodate 12 chickens. The possibility of having a
rooster must be discussed with the neighbours. If a door was made in the fence the
chickens could run into the neighbouring yard. Then they could be there while work is
going on in the garden.
Beans can grow on the fence from a narrow bed in front of the chicken coop. And lupins
can grow at the bottom of the bed and in an enclosed area in the yard.

TREES AND SHRUBS
We suggest that the 3 Robinia in the backyard, as well as the two small bushes in the
beds, should be cut down. In their place we suggest to plant some new fruit trees in the
southern end of the beds, and two inside the yard of the chicken coop. Furthermore
smaller fruit trees will be planted and espaliered along the facade of the building. Fruit
bushes will be planted in the northern end of the beds.

RAISED BEDS
The existing raised beds will be kept and used for perennial crops such as rhubarb,
horseradish, new zealand spinach, along with flowering perennials and herbs.

BEDS
To be commissioned for annual vegetables, mostly root vegetables such as celeriac,
Hamburg root parsley, parsnip, and beetroot. Also lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots,
onions, and leeks. In my opinion potatoes should not be grown here.

GROUND COVER
As ground cover in all of the beds we will keep the wild strawberries and add subterranean clover.