> Stories and Updates

Community Gardens As Creative Spaces: Hutchison Craft Day

June 6, 2025

 

Community gardens can serve as wonderful spaces for families, neighbours, and local groups to gather and participate in a whole range of activities – it’s not all about having a plot or growing bed!

Arts and creativity in particular are a huge part of Edinburgh’s culture – just look at our film, book, and Fringe festivals. Community gardens can play a role in fostering creativity across the city by:

  • bringing people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds together to express their creativity and engage with the natural world in free, accessible outdoor spaces
  • collaborating with local artists, creative groups, and arts organisations to deliver fun and educational workshops inspired by the natural materials around us
  • providing families with free, engaging arts activities that spark children’s creativity – particularly during school holidays when there’s added pressure and cost to entertain the kids

Bookbug sessions, mural painting, nature-based crafts – the opportunities for creative fun are endless.

Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden recently hosted a free, nature-based family craft day in collaboration with local artist Claudia, which saw a great turnout, let local children’s creativity shine, and served as the perfect setting for a homemade, shared community meal.

Community Gardener Gaby and artist Claudia were delighted by a great turnout for the event, and kicked off the morning with two workshops for children aged 3-7. They decorated cardboard cut-out hedgehogs with leaves, sticks, and stones they found around the garden, before decorating fox masks with pens. Combining foraging and exploring the garden with fun, creative activities is a fantastic way for children to foster an awareness of, and enjoy what the natural world has to offer.

The garden recently installed a kettle and stove, making it the perfect spot for a cup of coffee and some homemade soup courtesy of Gaby, who catered to everyone by making a gluten-free chicken, pea, and mixed vegetable soup, as well as a lentil, barley, and mixed vegetable soup – both gluten-free, vegan, and especially delicious after a busy morning of crafting!

For the older children and adults, the afternoon was spent creating wall-hangings using more natural materials such as pinecones, and decorating glass jars with pressed leaves and PVA glue to serve as nature-inspired tealight holders – bringing the outdoors into the home as a memorable keepsake of a fun afternoon.

If you’re interested in learning how you can use your local community garden as an outdoor meeting or activity space, find your nearest garden and relevant contact info here, or contact our Community Garden Development Officers who will be happy to help point you in the right direction:

eleanor@edibleestates.scot

stephanie@edibleestates.scot

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Talking All Things ‘The Right To Grow’: Interview With Councillor Hal Osler

May 1, 2025

 

We spoke with Councillor Hal Osler about ‘the right to grow’ for Edinburgh’s citizens, what this means, and how access to HRA land for communal growing benefits individuals, communities, and the city as a whole. Edinburgh councillors passed a motion on the ‘right to grow,’ tabled by Hal, in 2023, and have been exploring and developing next steps and initiatives since.

For you, what is the ‘right to grow’, and if realised, what could this look like in Edinburgh? 

For me, the right to grow is the chance to simplify how individuals can reconnect with and use spare, disused land. From a planning point of view, I mean land that previously had a function, but doesn’t have a class usage currently. We can’t afford to have land that’s not productive, if it’s not given a positive function it will attract negative functions such as fly tipping.

From a person-centred point of view, it’s fundamental that individuals can sustain themselves, we need to reconnect with food as individuals, it’s something I’m deeply concerned with. If you’re only experience of food is supermarket food and ready-made meals, it desensitises you to food’s other functions – community, sharing – in other parts of Europe you see food festivals, you see community olive picking, I’m interested in how we can bring food back to community here.

What prompted/inspired your interest in the issue, and desire to table the motion?

I grew up in the country, in an environment where we ate what we producer, what was fresh in the garden. Our land’s use was to grow produce. In the summer months there was sometimes so much we didn’t know what to do with it all – and that’s the positive thing about community growing, there are many people to share with so there isn’t that waste from over-abundance.

What benefits do you believe the ‘right to grow’ can bring on an individual, community, and city-wide level? 

It’s huge for physical and mental health. Gardening is about nurturing, it stimulates the brain, and lets you destress. It establishes community focus; it gives individuals pride and something to be attached to – there’s nothing like the joy planting a tiny seed and watching it tiny bear fruit. It teaches people patience; it moves us away from the instant gratification of fast food and towards feeling connected to our food. It gives us the chance to sit together and enjoy meals, rather than shoving it down. It should be about getting a sense of achievement from what we’ve grown and then prepping, savouring, and enjoying it.

On a city-level, it’s huge because Edinburgh is a small city with a lot of pressure on it. We have an aspiration to be a million-tree city, and the right to grow food plays into that by aiding in biodiversity and flood prevention – grass alone doesn’t do very much.  All our greenspaces should be connected by biodiversity corridors, which encourage pollinators – birds and insects – and in turn lets us grow more. It’s about nature restoration and giving individuals and communities a stake in it is the easiest way to do this.

In what ways do you think the Council and third-sector food growing initiatives can work together to facilitate growing across the city? 

Working together is essential. Edinburgh Council is a good provider and facilitator of services, but we need that connection with the third sector – in a lot of communities they are more trusted and experienced, they’re more embedded and therefore have more understanding of each communities’ needs. People are put off by lecturing and public health jargon, nobody wants to be lectured, and the third sector are able to put things across to their communities in a way that resonates.

Why do you believe it is important for individuals to be more connected with their food and understand where their food comes from? 

It’s important on a variety of fronts. For the simple aspect of health, it’s learning how to nourish ourselves with fresh food, but more than that, everybody understands the joy of seeing the bright colours of natural food. It lets us explore different textures, what foods taste and feel like when they’re raw versus cooked, all of which makes people feel more comfortable and connected with their food – and starting this off with children is especially important, it’s pictorial for them, they can see it, let them explore their taste buds, give them more time to experiment.

I visited Broomhouse Growers and it was a joy to see everyone tasting the artichokes they’d grown – some were trying it for the first time. I got to take some away with me and make artichoke soup at home, which was delicious!

Gardens are just a different space, you hear people say they didn’t know a variety of vegetable would look that way and they want to know the differences, or that you could eat the leaves, fruits and roots of a particular plant, or they’ll be surprised they liked something. Growing encourages curiosity and gives people knowledge.

Growing food communally also allows immigrants to bring a touch of home to their neighbourhood and share the foods they’ve grown up with, creating a better sense of belonging. We also gain something new from that, we get to be curious and expand our knowledge of food, communities can be brought together through sharing food.

What do you think the next steps are in moving towards the right to grow? 

The Council are launching a ‘Grow Your Own’ grant initiative, it’s a pilot scheme where community groups can apply for up to £5,000 to set up new growing projects. We’re also a supporting partner of Edinburgh Living Landscapes, and as part of work with that we should end up with a road map for insects and pollinators. Grass cutting paper, look at biodiversity.

Next steps are no simple thing, it’s about looking at better ways to manage and develop HRA land – looking for alternative ways it can be used rather than limiting access to it. As a Council we can develop an idea and allow individuals to explore it, but a lot of it is about changing attitudes and education, trying to convince everyone this is something we all we all want to be part of, that we can turn a corner by making small changes in our communities that fundamentally make big changes. We need to change how we view our land too – greenspaces are not supposed to be arid deserts, a wild meadow has purpose, Becoming a million tree city benefits everyone, it provides a positive natural environment, and it helps with flood prevention

Growing is such a simple joy. You have this relationship with something that’s living and growing, that will hopefully outlast you. It sustains and brings joy to others, people and wildlife alike.

We have to provide people living in an urban environment with an alternative to over-consumption, it’s about encouraging everyone to slow down and consider the cost of that consumption to themselves and what’s around them.

Do you think there is a lot of interest among the city’s residents to grow their own food/have the right to grow? 

Yes, I do, I believe people want to grow. People are passionate, I’ve talked to different people across the city about what they’ve done and what they’ve not been able to do in terms of growing. I mean look at lockdown, people who had the ability and opportunity to grow did just that, and that’s great for individuals with gardens, but not everyone has access to land – community growing allows for that. It also makes it less terrifying; everyone fears getting something wrong when they start out, growing communally encourages positivity and opens a conversation about what you would like to grow, rather than focusing on what you can’t do.

Community gardens also serve as safe third places that bring together like-minded individuals. In a busy and chaotic life, you need that space with other people. We live in a very divided world, and we need to support people that want to come together to brainstorm and be proactive about improving their environment. Most importantly we need to support it in a way that’s sustainable, so it’s not just a flash in the pan.

Do you see the right to grow as a key player in making Scotland a Good Food Nation

It’s one of the many parts, but personally speaking I think it extends wider than that, its benefits go beyond food too – it’s also a key part of improving communities, reducing issues like anti-social behaviour. I want to end on something key – it has to start from the bottom up, how do we relieve the overwhelming burden of getting started from individuals and just let them grow.

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Dumbiedykes Growers: New Garden Site Transformed For The 2025 Growing Season

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City of Edinburgh Council: ‘Grow Your Own’ Grant Applications Now Open

April 4, 2025

 

As part of their new ‘Grow Your Own’ initiative, Edinburgh Council are offering grants of up to £5,000 for community groups to start up new growing projects.

For more info and to apply, click here. Deadline 12th May 2025.

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Edinburgh Community Food: Market Stall Donations

 

Edinburgh Community Food are encouraging local produce growers, allotment owners, and farmers to donate surplus produce to their weekly Market Stall in an effort to reduce food waste – and are happy to offer a donation in return.

Drop-Off:

Tuesdays 8am-2pm

22 Tennant Street, EH65ND

For more info contact:

kmiller@edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk

01314677362 / 07598674378

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Dumbiedykes Growers: New Garden Site Transformed For The 2025 Growing Season

March 30, 2025

 

Throughout the autumn and winter months, Dumbiedykes Growers have worked incredibly hard to create a new garden for locals to use in a central and quiet neighbourhood spot, and with support from Community Gardener Johanna, they’ve made an amazing transformation!

New Site: Before

New Site: After

So far, they’ve planted up their border with currant bushes, herbs, fennel, some bee friendly ornamental flowers like rudbeckias and sunflowers, and have been working on their perimeter mixed bed of edibles.

Looking to the near future, there are lots of ideas – one resident from Hong Kong is keen to try growing choi sum and mooli, while others are interested in planting white turnips – a growing season of trying new things awaits!

Raised Bed: Before

Raised Bed: After

The group particularly enjoyed building the raised growing beds due to the teamwork it involved –  with everyone getting stuck in measuring, sawing, and drilling. Whip dust was used to establish a very professional looking pathway, and they also DIY’ed a cold frame, which is currently home to some early broad beans. Many brought their own tools and got innovative with other fantastic additions, such as a bench that doubles up as storage, and some small seats for people to rest on or simply enjoy the space.

Grassy Area: Before

Grassy Area: After

The final result is a small garden that’s been thoughtfully designed and created by local people, for local people. It’s a reflection of their skills and commitment to making a positive difference in their community by taking ownership of their local green spaces, and a testament to how much you can do with the materials you have.

The group are hopeful to have the garden looking as colourful and abundant as possible over the next few months, with the goal of benefitting local residents, pollinators, and wildlife alike. By brightening up and making productive use of a previously disused area, as well building and providing free, accessible beds for residents to grow fresh produce, they’ve made an outstanding effort to benefit and make a positive change in their community both now and in the future.

Dumbiedykes Growers are a welcoming bunch that are keen to get other local people involved – whether you’d like to be a regular weekly grower, dip in and out if and when you have time, or just stop by for a chat and cuppa! They meet at the fruit trees on Viewcraig Street on Sunday afternoons if you’d like to see what the group are up to. For more info click here.

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Looking Back at 2024: Greendykes Allotment Clear-up

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Looking Back at 2024: New Growing Project in Pilton

November 25, 2024

 

In the latter half of the year, we were approached by some Pilton residents who were interested in making use of an unloved grassy area on Crewe Road and set about carrying out a consultation and drawing up plans on how best to support their aims.

Since then, Community Gardener Sylva has been working with four residents to transform some unused greenspace on Crewe Road in Pilton – two adults and two wee ones, great to see some kids using those green thumbs!

They’re a small but mighty team that have made fantastic progress in building and filling four raised beds so far, with hopes to mow and strim the weeds to create more space for ball games soon. They’d also like to build a tool store and picnic benches for the community to use.

If you live locally and would like to get involved, get in touch with Sylva – sylva@edibleestates.scot

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Looking Back at 2024: Greendykes Allotment Clear-up

 

Members of the Greendykes community were keen to do some allotment clean-up days this year, and come rain or shine, worked hard over several weeks to make several spaces look so much tidier with support from Community Grower Jen.

The time spent working together to do something positive in the community sparked interesting conversations about the challenges they face in communicating as a group and accessing funding. They now have plans to elect a new committee with the aim of addressing these issues – proactive and hopeful stuff showing a real enthusiasm for what they’re doing!

Here’s a rundown of what they got up to:

Week 1: They braved heavy rain to clear wood and junk from the shared seating space, dead end paths, and unkempt plots.

Week 2: Focus turned to clearing  weed seed beside the polytunnel to stop it getting inside when it’s opened. They also moved the bulk of some huge, out of control willows from one plot, which the group really enjoyed.

Weeks 3 & 4: A very busy couple of weeks with some sunshine! The group cleared large tree sections from outside the fence, tidied the entrance paths, and dealt with junk in a few more dead ends. Following that, they moved the location of some fencing and gates to prevent this happening in the future and increase allotment space – more room for fruit, veggies, and flowers! One member also repainted many of the fences to get them looking tip top, while others worked to identify what wood could be stored for future use.

All in all, an extremely productive few weeks, with the group completely clearing the previously abandoned allotments.

Fantastic to see such a lovely group of folk coming together and dedicating their time to maintain the area’s growing spaces. Looking to the future, they have plans to install additional compost bins plus rebuild their existing ones, and are looking forward to having a shelter and improved polytunnel courtesy of the Growing Youth team.

If you live in the area and would like to get involved contact: pippa@edibleestates.scot / 07549431528

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Looking Back at 2024: Dumbiedykes Growers’ Wildflower Patch

 

Dumbiedykes Growers, like Oxgangs Growers, community grow across various different sites in their area, brightening up spaces for all residents! This year they undertook a wildflower project and set about planting up the grassy area by their fruit trees on Viewcraig Street.

 

The flowers came into abundant, beautiful bloom in the summer months, tended all the while by the dedicated growers. They became a haven for pollinators and the subject of many a passer-by’s photograph, with several people commenting on the way the sea of colour brightened up the neighbourhood. The wildflower patch was also a stop for Out and About’s Bauks View nature and wellbeing group back in May, during a stroll around the neighbourhood – a great example of how local community groups can benefit one another!

To encourage neighbours to get involved, the group created ‘Sam,’ and asked locals to paint colourful rocks and pop them among the wildflowers – fantastic to see the community engaging with their greenspaces in creative ways.

It was lovely to see the growers proud as punch of the project, and we can’t wait to see the area bloom year after year.

The group meet at this spot on Viewcraig Street every Sunday from 1-3pm with Community Gardener Johanna, and they welcome anybody to drop by for a chat, whether or not you want to get involved is up to you!

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Looking Back at 2024: Before & After Transformation in Oxgangs

November 23, 2024

 

Oxgangs Growers are a fantastic group of community-minded folk who have made it their mission to restore a sense of pride in their local area by making communal greenspace areas more welcoming for residents – and this year they did just that with some inspiring work!

With support from Community Gardener Stuart, they set about clearing an unloved, overgrown plot next to The Chip Inn on Oxgangs Rd North. Throughout several months of Saturday gardening sessions (10 – 1pm,) they worked hard to remove rubbish, weed the area, and plant it up with biodiversity friendly plants and sensory area. The space is now a bright spot in Oxgangs, and has become a relaxing communal space that’s been well received by local folk, with plans to install benches so local people can meet while waiting for the bus.

Residents of residents of 3 Oxgangs Drive also created a biodiversity border brimming with plants that attract a wide range of creatures and brighten up the area, and built several wooden raised beds to grow fruit and veg (with help from Crumble the dog!)

The welcoming group meet and communicate regularly through gardening sessions, and have forged friendships along the way, often enjoying a bring and share meal together after sessions in the being in the Oxgangs Community Church Hub.

We wanted to acknowledge their dedication at our Harvest Celebration, and presented the group with a Golden Trowel Award to celebrate their successes!

Looking to 2025, they have set up Oxgangs North Tenants and Residents Association to tackle wider issues in the area, and will be getting together to plan their growing activities for next year’s growing season over the winter months. If you’d like to get involved, contact pippa@edibleestates.scot.

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Looking Back at 2024: Hutchison Summer Fete

 

On Saturday 3rd August, the sun shone for Hutchison’s first annual summer fete, a joyful afternoon celebrating one year of growing at the Neighbourhood Garden (July 2023.)

Preparations began after the usual weekly Saturday work session (9:30am – 12:30pm,) with everyone mucking in to hang bunting, assemble the gazebo, and get the BBQ fired up for what was a great turnout, which included some furry friends.

There was a bring and share picnic – and what a feast it was, everyone went above and beyond! With 13 different nationalities participating in the garden, there was a delicious array of delicacies: homemade biryani, salads, samosas, and pickled beetroot (grown in the garden of course.) Alongside this, our participant chef, Aron, cooked up a feast including BBQed octopus – it’s safe to say everyone was well fed. It was lovely to see everyone chatting amongst themselves and getting to know one another while they ate.

After recovering from our food comas, it was time for activities. Susie ran a Bookbugs session with stories and singing for the wee ones, who also really enjoyed getting creative in the craft tent. Meanwhile the adults were tested on their horticultural knowledge in a garden quiz organised by Gulnaz organised a garden quiz – everyone was delighted to win a prize!

There are plans for many more seasonal events at the garden in the future, and the group welcome any ideas – the garden can be a space for a whole host of activities after all! If you want to get involved come along to sessions on Thursdays & Saturdays 9:30 – 12:30 or contact Community Gardener Gaby on gaby@edibleestates.scot

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