Photos: Marienberg Community Garden Opens in Tallinn – First Community Volunteering Event Lays the Foundation for the Community and Its Future

A new green space is coming to life on Maarjaheina Street, next to the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds – the Marienberg Community Garden. This urban gardening project is located on the site of the future Marienberg City Park and aims, among other things, to gauge the level of interest in community gardening among local residents. The first community volunteering event took place in early May, bringing together both new community gardeners and the Metro team. A total of 23 people took part in the event, including 18 adults and five children. ‘We assembled 15 raised garden beds, lining the sides with geotextile to help them last longer,’ described Herdis Pärn, Head of Marketing at Metro Capital, outlining the work carried out during the volunteering event. Branches and dried leaves collected from the surrounding area were placed in the beds for natural drainage and organic matter. The beds were then filled with BIO garden soil enriched with Matogard compost. In addition to the gardening areas, the nearby beach volleyball court was also cleaned up to get it ready for the season. It is an old and neglected court of the Estonian Fair Centre that Metro rediscovered and restored to playable condition last year. ‘You wouldn’t host professional tournaments here, but it’s perfect for recreational play,’ said Pärn.

The Marienberg community garden has been established in co-operation with the City of Tallinn.

At the first meeting, the guiding principles were set and participants had the opportunity to get acquainted. During the volunteering event, the first meeting of the community gardeners also took place. The plans for the season were discussed, expectations were shared and the community garden best practices were introduced. One of the key principles is organic gardening, meaning that chemical fertilisers are not allowed to be used in the garden. ‘We ate pizza together and got to know each other,’ recalls Pärn, describing the lively start. Among the participants were people from the Song Festival Grounds area as well as Pirita, Kadriorg and Sibulaküla. The event attracted people of all ages and nationalities, from grandparents to families with young children.