Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Welcomes Ripple Effect for Team Day to make Keyhole Garden

Earlier this month, we welcomed volunteers from Ripple Effect to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm for a team volunteering day focused on sustainable growing projects.

The group spent the day helping our own team with two key tasks: building a new keyhole garden and planting pumpkins for this year's Pumpkinfest.

Building a Keyhole Garden

The volunteers worked together to create a keyhole garden, a circular raised bed designed to make efficient use of water and compost. The garden features a central composting basket that helps return nutrients to the soil, making it a practical example of sustainable food-growing methods.

The project reflects the work of Ripple Effect, an international charity that supports farming families across Africa by sharing sustainable agricultural techniques and helping communities build long-term food security. Using materials like browse (which our animals eat!) soil, rocks, pumpkin seeds and weeds – we’re looking forward to watching our keyhole garden thrive.

Preparing for Pumpkinfest

Alongside the garden project, the team also helped plant pumpkin seedlings that will grow throughout the summer ready for harvest later in the year.

PumpkinFest has become a popular part of autumn at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, with thousands of pumpkins grown on-site each year. The additional support from the Ripple Effect volunteers helped prepare the crop for the busy growing season ahead.

Working Towards a More Sustainable Future

Volunteering days like these provide an opportunity to share skills, support practical conservation and sustainability projects, and strengthen connections with organisations that share similar values.

We're grateful to the Ripple Effect team for their hard work and support. Their contribution will help us develop our growing spaces and support another successful pumpkin harvest this autumn.