About
Growing Together is a collaborative project involving many community gardening groups and local organisations across the city of Edinburgh.
Collectively we are working to ensure all residents have access to thriving community gardening and food growing opportunities on their doorstep, and experience the many individual, community, and societal benefits they provide.
Read on to find out more about the project and partners involved…
We support neighbourhoods and local organisations to set up new community gardens, improve existing gardens, and get more people involved.
Working with local people, we build and repair community garden spaces, assist with planting and gardening, and help to create sustainable community organisations that provide spaces and activities that positively impact the wider community.
In 2023, we delivered almost 600 hours of community gardening sessions across the city, and we saw over 100 new residents take part in gardening activities. For more information, check out our 2022-23 Annual Report.
There are over forty community gardening and growing projects involved across Edinburgh. You can see all projects on the map on the homepage.
Growing Together is delivered on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council by Edible Estates; a not-for-profit organisation which has been building and managing community gardens across the city for many years. Growing Together is funded by City of Edinburgh Council and UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and other funders.
Increasing access to fresh and healthy food
Community growing provides environmentally sound, healthy, locally sourced food, readily available to local people. For some, this offers a dignified way to access food they otherwise cannot afford.
Improving individual health and wellbeing
From reducing stress, increasing physical activity levels and fruit and veg intake, to tackling social isolation and improving air quality; the benefits to individual health and wellbeing are significant. GPs and healthcare professionals can consider social prescribing to community gardening activities for health and wellbeing benefits.
Enhancing community cohesion
Community gardens can significantly enhance quality of life for residents providing accessible, enjoyable places to meet and host social events and gatherings throughout the year. Gardens also provide a way for residents to play a positive role in developing the local area and tackle local issues including anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and flytipping.
Increasing biodiversity
Community growing create spaces where wildlife and pollinators can thrive.
Reducing carbon emissions
Growing food locally reduces food miles and carbon emissions and educates people on seasonality of food growing and consumption.
Tackling food waste
Growing food reduces food packing and encourages people to use the food the grow or compost any waste to return nutrients to the soil.
Delivering sustainable urban drainage
The permeable surfaces of food growing spaces contribute to sustainable drainage, as well as opportunities to harvest rainwater.
Improving soil quality
An organic approach to community growing can help to reverse soil degradation and help to reverse the trend in mineral decline in vegetables.
Opportunities for education and training
Food growing spaces provide a learning environment, where young and old can learn about biodiversity, horticulture, food growing, cookery, carpentry, geography, recycling/upcycling, local history and so much more. Gardens provide opportunities for transferrable skill development too, including communication, project management, and teamwork.
Boosting the local economy
From selling excess produce to local businesses, to providing local employment and volunteering opportunities.
If you are a councillor, council officer or funder – if you’d like to find out more or talk to our team, please contact greig@edibleestates.scot.
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