About Us
Building new sites every year
The journey of TaiMet ry started in Spring 2023 when David, who had just finished his PhD in plant sciences, thought that communal gardening in cities could be done much more efficiently. Coming to an entrepreneurship and innovation programme at the University of Helsinki, the idea started to become reality as new team members joined the cause.
In Spring 2024, TaiMet started to build its first public forest garden site on the Viikki campus of the University of Helsinki. The project was possible because of a university grant for sustainable development and a couple of dozen volunteers.
Soon after, the non-profit association TaiMet ry was registered and began to develop urban environment in order to aid the transition towards sustainability and to improve the health of urban residents through communal permaculture.
What is an urban forest garden?
What was this new way of gardening that David was thinking about? Forest gardens. Not a new concept at all!
To put it simply, forest gardens are a mix of nature and human genius put together. They are neither wild, controlled solely by nature, nor completely human-made and managed. It is a mix. This approach ensures that the forest gardens grow faster, are highly biodiverse, and produce more food per square meter than traditional agriculture.
"The forest garden in Viikki was so beautiful that I saw dreams about it afterwards"
-Visitor, end of the first growing season 2024
Forest gardens follow the principles of permaculture. This means the gardens are 'permanent' in that they are long-lived and require very little work. For example, after the first two years, our first site does not require watering any more and is nevertheless quite resistant to dry spells.
The forest garden in Viikki is open for the community to manage at their leisure. People can plant their own vegetables or other plants on the site and just note it on our Whatsapp group. Becoming part of the community is also easy. Join the group, say 'Hi' and that you are interested in learning, planting or building new sites. We'll take it from there!
Making long lasting impact with kindergartens
In the Summer of 2025, a slightly more elaborate raised bed was built for a Pilke kindergarten in Helsinki. This design differed substantially from our forest garden in size and purpose as it was obviously smaller and designed for children. The main purpose of the project was to turn a corner of the kindergarten's yard into a more frequently used area as well as to promote children's (and their parents') touch with the nature (Robertson and Barrable 2023).
Plans for 2026
TaiMet is committed to develop another kindergarten yard during the Summer. Depending on the partnerships and funding this project will include 1-4 different permaculture-inspired mini gardens.
Additionally we are partnering with other pioneering organizations in Finland and abroad to join forces in larger projects. We are always keen on developing small sites as well. Every square meter counts!
If you are interested in collaborating, do not hesitate to contact us:
check our team page for more contacting options