To the untrained eye the Tatnam Organic Patch looks like an overgrown allotment.

There are nettles, brambles and various weeds thriving throughout the garden and, in comparison to the well-tended allotments next door, the patch looks like a piece of land that has been left fallow.

However, don’t be fooled by its rough-around-the-edges appearance because this piece of land, which borders St Mary’s Church in Oakdale, is a haven for wildlife, a hotbed of fresh produce and, quite possibly, a glimpse into the future.

A rapidly growing population, global warming and the inevitability that we will run out of fossil fuels threatens food production and water supplies around the world. Acknowledging this Gordon Brown announced earlier this month that Britain had a “moral obligation” to produce more food, but the Tatnam Organic Patch is one step ahead.

Once part of the market gardens which supplied Poole and the surrounding areas with fresh produce, the land was consumed by residential housing and allotments, leaving a small sliver of ground that is now the Tatnam Organic Patch.

“It had been left idle for 20 years and the reforestation process had already begun,” says Andy Hadley, a co-ordinator at the patch. “Brambles, the pioneers in reforestation, had completely taken over.”

The council agreed that the Tatnam Organic Patch Group could have the plot for a peppercorn rent, but would have to clear it themselves.

So with the vision of creating a wildlife-friendly organic garden, the members got to work immediately.

“We introduced different species of plants and trees to try and increase the diversity,” explains Andy.

“Within hours of laying the pond we had waterboatmen.”

As well as providing the right habitat for wildlife to flourish, the team planted a variety of crops, which they would nurture and harvest organically.

Today the patch is flourishing. From courgettes and apples to asparagus and potatoes, there is a wealth of delicious-looking produce growing in the garden.

There is also a greenhouse, which is home to grapevines, tomato and pepper plants. It’s all very impressive considering the patch has no access to mains water or electricity.

“We don’t have that luxury,” explains Andy.

Nor do they have the luxury of time, although the beauty of the patch is that it requires very little upkeep – with nature’s help and a little resourcefulness the patch looks after itself.

“We have an automatic watering system for the greenhouse,” explains Andy, who installed the home-made system.

“The rainwater is collected from the roof and drains into the tubs next to the greenhouse.”

The water then feeds into an old toilet cistern and when that is full it automatically flushes. “This happens about three times a day,” adds Andy.

The devil is definitely in the detail at Tatnam, although it’s not just the members’ ingenuity that’s keeps the produce growing.

The patch is home to a bee colony, which helps pollinate the garden, and plenty of birds, which manage the insect population.

“We put up boxes to attract birds. They eat the aphids,” says Andy.

But what about slugs?

“People often ask: ‘How do you have an organic garden without using slug pellets?’ but slugs prefer dead matter so rather than have a pesticide garden, I leave cuttings on the ground.”

Theresa McManus, a member of the Tatnam Organic Patch, believes that working with nature in this “old-fashioned” way is a case of going back to the future.

“The agriculture industry is massively dependent on oil and when that runs out they will have to return to this way of producing food.

“This is a model that could be used for any scale of garden.

“Creating patches like this would really reduce the amount of miles that food travels and also when people start growing things they are encouraged to cook more.”

Membership to the Tatnam Organic Patch is £7.50 a year for a family. For more details visit tatnampatch.org.uk.