Divergent growth

Divergent growth Neurodivergent-led land, healing, and growth.

19/06/2026

Just a quiet morning this week, getting jobs done around the garden.

It’s always amazing to see how much growth can occur within such a short space of time.

It’s much the same way that we grow ourselves. We can go for extended periods feeling like we are not getting anywhere and then all of a sudden, when we least expect it we realise that, like the garden there has been an explosion of growth and abundance.

Sometimes it’s about sticking with it. Even when we cannot see immediate results, growth is happening and one day we will be amazed at how far we have travelled.

This is why we love being in natural spaces. They serve as a metaphor for our own personal struggles and how we can overcome and ultimately grow into the person we know we can be.

Big thanks to Groundwork NI for their continued support and letting us use this space

Johnson-Su Bioreactor UpdateBack in February, during our composting workshop, we built this Johnson-Su bioreactor to exp...
18/06/2026

Johnson-Su Bioreactor Update

Back in February, during our composting workshop, we built this Johnson-Su bioreactor to explore a slower, biology-focused approach to composting.

Since then, the system has required very little intervention beyond monitoring moisture levels and ensuring the air channels remain open.

One of the challenges with a system like this is that there is no turning. Unlike a traditional compost heap, much of what is happening takes place out of sight, so observation becomes especially important.

This week I checked the material and decomposition appears to be progressing well. The compost has a healthy earthy smell and, perhaps most encouragingly, a noticeable sweetness.

That sweet smell is often a sign that the biological community within the heap is developing as intended.

Patience is an important part of this process. Sometimes the most significant changes happen beneath the surface, long before we see the finished result.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the material develops over the coming months.

12/06/2026

Productive morning 🌱♻️

Started collecting bits and pieces for the mud station through thrifting and recycling, along with a bit of repotting and getting some pumpkins planted into the hugel -kultur mound.

The mound acts like a sponge, helping to hold moisture while slowly feeding the soil as the organic matter breaks down.

The compost steam speaks for itself.

Happy Friday! 🌿

Big thanks to @ Groundworks for their continued support and letting us use this space

10/06/2026

Currently obsessed with filming bees. 🐝

A gentle reminder to slow down and observe the world around you. Nature is full of little moments that are easy to miss, but often it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. 🌿

Big thanks to Grow for their continued support and to Gairdín an Phobail for giving us space to grow

# small things

Update! The forest garden is now halfway through its second season and is beginning to come together.In many ways, this ...
30/05/2026

Update! The forest garden is now halfway through its second season and is beginning to come together.

In many ways, this little 7 x 4 metre plot is the flagship design for Divergent Growth.

It represents the culmination of seven years of frustrations, failures, observations and experimentation, alongside the emergence of a design approach that began asking a different question:

“How can we work together?”

This space became an exercise in letting go of control and entering into negotiation with the living system itself. Instead of forcing outcomes, the focus shifted towards understanding what the space needed in order to thrive.

There have been failures, and there will continue to be failures. But when taking an adaptive design approach, failure is not something to avoid. It is information. Every success and every setback becomes feedback that helps guide the next step.

Every element that remains has earned its place within the system.

The goal is not to create a perfect design, but to steward a resilient and healthy one.

The design is evolving, not towards completion, but towards adaptability.

This small plot has taught me more than I ever expected. It showed me that meaningful ecological change does not require acres of land. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to observe, listen, and respond to what a space is telling you.

This little Forest Garden continues to shape the way I think about ecological design. Thank you to Growfor supporting, encouraging and believing in my work over the years.

The LORAGremediation pilot is off to a flying start.Since laying the first berm and woodchip layer, the team have now ad...
28/05/2026

The LORAGremediation pilot is off to a flying start.

Since laying the first berm and woodchip layer, the team have now added two further berms and sown a range of green manures.

Just two weeks later, the first green shoots are already beginning to emerge.

These are the early stages of using ecological processes to help heal contaminated land. Getting a diversity of roots into the soil is important for kick-starting the biology within the soil layers. Green manures are particularly effective at this. They germinate quickly, establish fast and rapidly signal to the existing soil biology that conditions within the system are changing.

The woodchip is one of the key players within this remediation pilot. Over time, fungal networks will begin colonising the layers beneath the surface and contribute to breaking down hydrocarbons within the soil profile.

Coupled with microbiology and selected plants, the growing mycelium effectively becomes nature’s Hazmat team: working collectively to restore and regenerate the land.

Over the coming months we will continue observing the plot closely, learning what works, what doesn’t, and adjusting the system as it develops.

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