Students have always loved the Osadni dorm in Prague for its beautiful loft apartments, views of rooftops, and the music club in the basement. But the space in this former ham factory – constructed primariy with iron, concrete and glass- seemed cold. So this semester students brought energy and life into the building by creating a community garden on the sunny – but underused- terrace.
Early in the semester, everyone living in the dorm could adopt a box for their own plants.
At a workshop led by professional gardeners, the students chose from a variety of plants – cactuses for those who didn’t want too much responsibility, herbs for those who like to cook, or flowers for the romantics. As each box can take about 3-4 plants, the students had to learn which ones could grow next to one another and how to make them thrive – “It’s a bit like living in the dorm,” explained building manager Darima Batorova. “We need to figure out how to live different people in one box, how we can grow successfully together. “
These plants are annuals- they only live for one season- so when the students are gone, the plants will be gone too. Next semester, we can start over again – new students, new plants.
So far, the plants are thriving, and students are spending a lot more time on the terrace. “It smells wonderful up there. And everyone has his or her own names on the boxes, and now it feels like the space belongs to the students,” Darima notes.
What do the students think? “It’s really satisfying to see the progress of the plants. My plants are doing well – I’ve eaten most of my chili peppers,” reports Marilyn La Jeunesse (2016).