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Harvest Celebration 2024

October 25, 2024

 

Photography by Colin Hattersley

Growing Together – it’s in the name! While we support council estate residents to start community growing projects with their neighbours or get involved in those that already exist in their local community, each individual growing project is also part of something bigger. They make up a web of gardens across Edinburgh, connected by shared goals among the like-minded folk that make them thrive – to build community, grow food together, and do something positive for themselves and others.

So, what better way to bring those folk together than with our first ever Harvest Celebration – good food, fun, and lots of rich discussion about community food growing made for a fantastic evening in September.

We kicked off the event with a tour of Sunshine on Leith Community Garden (SOL,) courtesy of participant Moyra. SOL is a tenemental backgreen with a vibrant group of growers that have worked together to create a beautiful garden in and for the community, which made it the perfect place for our guests to get inspired, by seeing first-hand what is possible for their own growing spaces.

Drill Hall hosted us for the rest of the evening, which, after welcoming the great turnout of gardeners and organisations, began with a Challenges of Community Growing Workshop. After discussing the challenges faced by growing projects in the city, each group was tasked with picking a challenge and brainstorming solutions. It was fantastic to see a cross-section of gardens and organisations exchange lots of creative ideas – some new, and others drawn from the wealth of knowledge and experience in the room.

‘Highlight: Meeting so many enthusiastic folk and the positive impact on mental health.’ – Guest feedback

We were also grateful to be joined by community councillor Katrina Faccenda, who gave us an informative and thought-provoking speech about the ‘right to grow’ for communities in Edinburgh, and how Edinburgh Council can facilitate that – a great reminder to contact your local councillor to express your desire for more community growing opportunities in your area.

Following this – it was time to enjoy some delicious food together courtesy of Out of the Blue Café (OOTB,) featuring produce donated by some of the fantastic gardens. Freshly pressed apple juice was also on the menu thanks to those donations, which was such a treat!

Diving into workshop number two, Future Greenspace, everyone discussed what opportunities they saw for more community gardening and greenspaces in their communities – a conversation that was brimming with ideas and will continue long after the event. The gardeners’ enthusiasm and care for their growing projects and communities was palpable here, and it was a real joy to witness their hopes for the future.

‘Loved exchanging ideas with other gardens, lovely film and delicious food.’ – Guest feedback

Our workshop portion ended with First Steps, where we had some great suggestions about how we can start to drive more action and change for community growing and greenspaces using the resources and knowledge available to us.

Edible Estates Growing Together 24 Event, Thur 26/09/2024:
Photography from: Colin Hattersley Photography – cphattersley@gmail.com – (+44) 7974 957 388 – www.colinhattersley.com

To round off a great evening, we wanted to celebrate the achievements of the gardens, beginning with the premiere of a film put together by Glenda Rome showcasing the amazing things taking place in community growing projects across the city – there was a real sense of pride in the room while watching!

‘So inspiring seeing what is happening in other community gardens. Exciting to think of the possibilities!’ – Guest feedback

Then, from creating a community orchard, securing funding, or making a garden more accessible, to beekeeping sessions, new compost bays, and a spectacular wildlife pond – every garden received a certificate and a Golden Trowel to mark all their fantastic efforts. Keep your eyes peeled for a full list and photos of the winners on our Facebook and Instagram.

With that, the celebrations ended, leaving us all with lots of ideas, inspiration, and things to consider moving forward. Feedback from our guests suggested this relaxed forum was a great way to bring community gardeners and local organisations together to support one another through the exchange of knowledge and resources, with suggestions for improvements to future events taken on board. As the year draws to a close and we begin to reflect and plan for 2025, we’re looking forward to highlighting and exploring the themes, challenges, and solutions discussed in the event’s presentations and workshops on our blog over the coming weeks. Here’s to many more events like this in the future!

‘It was super inspiring to have so many community minded folk in the same room! The evening showed the power of celebrating together and sharing learning. Here’s to much more of that!’ – Pippa Lobban, Garden Development Officer

A massive thank you to OOTB for the delicious community meal, Moyra and SOL for the garden tour, and of course to all of the gardeners and organisations who came along and made for such a positive, engaging evening.

You may also like…

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Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden: Community Gardens Are About More Than Growing Food!

 

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> Gardens

Calders Plinth Garden

 

Calders Plinth Garden was built by City of Edinburgh Council, is next to Dunsyre House in The Calders. There are eight plots which local people use to grow fruit, veg, and flowers.

If you are local to the garden and would like a plot of your own, get in touch with Pippa to find out if there is one available!

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Contact name: Pippa
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549 431528

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Craigour Gardens

 

The plots at Moredun Multis were established by City of Edinburgh Council, and have recently been refurbished to be  become wheelchair accessible. The site is coordinated by the local residents group, with plots allocated to those who live in the surrounding buildings – please get in touch if you’d like to get involved.

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Greendykes Community Backgreen

 

Greendykes Community Garden has been transformed from a disused space after it’s closure during lockdown, to a working community garden – all thanks to some enthusiastic (and very productive!) residents. There are 20+ raised beds for residents to take on and get growing, with around 13 currently in use – so get in touch if you’d like to adopt a bed.

Throughout spring 2023, a group of neighbours were supported by Community Gardener Paul to get the site straightened out, which included days spent braving the cold to weed and prep the site, before taking part in workshops on tree pruning, composting, and growing produce – with lots of new skills learned! The space looks fantastic, and is a great example of what community initiative and determination can do.

Get involved

Contact name: Pippa Lobban
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549431528

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Hamilton Wynd

 

Hamilton Wynd Community Garden is a small garden of eight raised beds, originally developed by City of Edinburgh Council, and more recently renovated by the Growing Youth team in 2023 to make them more accessible for those with mobility struggles – a real asset to the space.

If you’re a berry lover – this garden will be heaven! The group have hosted several fruit planting days, with the garden now home to a number of different fruit bushes – raspberries, red currants, gooseberries, blueberries, white currants, which have given the gardeners plenty of delicious harvests, perfect for home baking or to enjoy as a treat while enjoying the space.

There are some raised beds available for residents that want to use their green thumbs, and the group are keen for local people to use and look after the space, including the wildlife area, fruit bushes, and flower bed. Get in touch if you’re interested!

Get involved

Session times: Typically Thursday afternoons
Contact name: Pippa Lobban
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549431528

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> Gardens

Hawkhill and Nisbett

 

Hawkhill and Nisbett courts are home to a small but lovely community of twelve gardeners that grow a range of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in plots originally developed by City of Edinburgh Council for residents.

Experienced gardener Rab, who we chatted to in this blog post, is a real asset to the group and local residents, both for his gardening knowledge and advice, and his talent for growing all sorts of produce and sharing it among neighbours to use in home recipes – his tomatoes are particularly famous!

‘I’m a very relaxed person and I think that’s in part due to being outside all the time, the garden gives me another space outside the home so I’m not stuck indoors.’ – Rab, Hawkill and Nisbett Court gardener

All plots are currently all in use, but don’t let that stop you popping in for a chat with neighbours if you live locally, there’s a number of benches perfect for getting together with a cuppa to enjoy the garden.

Get involved

Contact name: Pippa Lobban
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549431528

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> Gardens

Oxgangs Growers

 

There is a growing group of around 27 like-minded, enthusiastic neighbours who have come together to improve greenspaces across Oxgangs – with wonderful results so far!

Community Gardener Stuart has supported residents of 3 Oxgangs Drive to create a ‘biodiversity border’ brimming with plants that attract a wide range of creatures and brighten up the area for local people. They also built wooden raised beds to grow fruit and veg (with occasional help from Crumble the dog.)

‘Being a part of the gardening group has been good for my mental health and has got me into the garden more and talking to people as they pass by.’ – Lesley, Oxgangs Growers.

Perhaps their biggest achievement to date was the amazing transformation of a previously unloved space by The Chip Inn on Oxgangs Rd N. The group cleared the space of weeds before planting it up with wildlife friendly plants and a sensory garden. It’s become a welcoming, colourful entrance to Oxgangs and a nice spot for the community to gather, all thanks to their enthusiasm!

Along the way the group have fostered friendships, often bringing homemade goods to enjoy together in BYO picnic style after gardening sessions – delicious food and good conversation after some fresh air on Saturday mornings, what more could you ask for?

They hope to inspire other neighbours to come together and improve their local areas, and are a really welcoming bunch, so get in touch if you’re local and want to make changes to your greenspace!

Get involved

Session times: Saturdays 10 - 1pm
Contact name: Pippa Lobban
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549431528

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> Gardens

Dumbiedykes Growers

 

Dumbiedykes Growers are a welcoming bunch of around ten folk that have really shown you can be creative in how and where you community garden, as they’ve gotten busy beautifying and transforming greenspaces all over their estate throughout 2023/4.

The group have met every week, come rain or shine, and fostered a lovely neighbourly spirit as they’ve worked with Community Gardener Johanna to establish an orchard, plant a wildflower meadow that looked spectacular and was a hit with bees and butterflies during the summer, and renovate existing raised beds, which were planted up with an abundance of produce.

‘Dumbiedykes in bloom’ – the words of a resident after spying the vibrant wildflower patch!

At the moment they’re working on creating a new growing space, turning a disused patch of grass in a central but quiet spot into a small garden for locals to use – which is coming along nicely.

While the group has regular growers each week, others dip in and out if and when they have time, or just stop by for a chat and cuppa – which the group welcomes! Meet at the fruit trees on Viewcraig Street on Sunday afternoons if you’d like to see what the group are up to.

Get involved

Session times: Sun 1 - 3pm
Contact name: Dumbiedykes Growers
Email: dumbiedykescommunitygrowers@gmail.com

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Crewe Road

 

Crewe Road is a new project with a small but mighty team of four residents working together with Community Gardener Sylva to transform a large grassy area behind their homes into a space for the community to grow food, enjoy events, and play. So far they’ve made great progress building some raised growing beds, and are keen to build picnic benches and a tool shed in the future – watch this space!

If you live locally and would like to get involved in making this a great space for the community, please contact Sylva.

Get involved

Contact name: Sylva Atkins
Email: sylva@edibleestates.scot

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Mount Lodge Green

 

Residents of Mount Lodge in Portobello approached the City of Edinburgh Council and Edible Estates with ideas to transform some unloved greenspace on their street, which had been locked for as long as anyone could remember.

Keen to make sure the space reflected the community, they put together a survey to find out how they would like the space to be used, and improving biodiversity was highlighted as a big priority. The residents were then supported to design a plan, which included developing a central grass space with perennial plants, a wildlife border, and bird boxes. The residents worked alongside Edible Estates Community Gardener, Paul to prepare and plant up the area, and spent a series of workshops coming together, getting to know one each other, and enjoying time outdoors.

Since then it’s provided blueberries and currants for locals to enjoy as they pass by, become a haven for bees and butterflies, and even housed a nesting pair of blue tits – showing how local people can band together, achieve community goals,  and transform greenspaces in their area for the better!

Find out more about the project in this blog post.

Get involved

Contact name: Pippa Lobban
Email: pippa@edibleestates.scot
Telephone: 07549431528

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