> 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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> Stories and Updates

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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> Stories and Updates

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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> Gardens

Sunshine on Leith Community Garden

 

Sunshine on Leith Community Garden houses a shared tool shed, community orchards, and 38 raised beds. The site is managed by a Growers Association of around 40 members who live at the site and in the neighbouring community – a lovely group of folk!

The garden is a real beauty – always in full, colourful bloom during the spring and summer months, buzzing with pollinators, and a bright spot for locals.

The group have held a number of workshops over the last couple of years, including fruit tree pruning, and are often brainstorming exciting new projects – whether that be growing rhubarb to infuse in gin, using birch offcuts to grow mushrooms, or growing perennial vegetables – the possibilities are endless with this creative group. Gardener Moyra also recently ran a wee tour of the site as part of our Harvest Event – which demonstrated how tenemental backgreens can flourish, and really inspired other growers.

Fun Fact: This was the last ‘community backgreen’ developed by Edinburgh Community Backgreens Association before it wound up – and unique in that a pathway into the site was installed, opening it up to the wider community. You could say it’s a piece of history in the area!

To find out how to get involved with workdays, contact the group through the SOL Gardens Facebook Page

Get involved

Session times: 1st Sun of month (Apr - Nov)
Contact name: Meg McGregor
Email: sunshineonleithgarden@gmail.com

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Start your own garden

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> Gardens

Redbraes Community Garden

 

Redbraes Community Garden is a gold-star example of how community spaces can become hubs for local people!

Redbraes Tenants Association set up the community garden in 2008, transforming an unused grassy area between community housing into a flourishing and vibrant community area that houses an apple tree orchard, wild raspberry areas, and four raised garden beds with a range of berries, as well as flowers and vegetables.

The garden is popular with local families, community groups, and schools, as it provides lots of opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables while learning about gardening, healthy eating, and teamwork.

They organise a monthly Sunday morning garden day from March-November, and have a voluntary garden committee, with members taking on other roles e.g. grass mowing, maintenance of garden structures – so lots of ways to lend a hand! There’s also an annual open day with a BBQ that’s always a great day for the community.

Fun Fact: Historically the growing site of plantsman James Grieve, the garden was started by a local policeman as a place to bring the area’s Scottish and Polish communities together.

Check out their Facebook Page to find out more.

Get involved

Session times: 1st Sun of Month Apr - Nov
Contact name: Grace Canham
Email: redbraesgarden@gmail.com

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Start your own garden

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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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Our Muirhouse Mural Project is Complete!

October 8, 2024

 

(All credit and a huge thank you to Julie Howden for the fantastic photos. Images courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland.)

It’s been an exciting year in Muirhouse, with the building and opening of its very own Neighbourhood Garden. We’ve been delivering growing workshops to the community since September 2023, which included building growing beds for local people to adopt, and we’re delighted to now have twelve households tending to their own plots. By building neighbourhood gardens like this one on council estates, we aim to create safe, colourful, and inviting spaces where locals can come together as a community to enjoy activities alongside growing and sharing food. This summer, we had the perfect opportunity to collaborate with other local organisations and young people to create something joyful in and for the space – and the result is fantastic!

The Project

While building the garden, we noted a dirty and graffitied wall in need of some TLC on the adjacent disused garages that were being renovated – a blank canvas if you will!

We chatted with Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) who highlighted that a lot of the young people they work with are creative, and so a mural project seemed a great way to engage and support young people, their families, and the wider Muirhouse community to make the garden space their own and build their connection with it for years to come.

To curate lots of ideas and bring the project to life, we needed an artist. Gillian Cullen (MYDG) got in touch with Holly Yeoman at National Galleries of Scotland (NGS). Holly is the Community Development Coordinator for The NGS Art Works project, and put us in touch with mural artist Natasha Russell. We also offered, via Volunteer Edinburgh, the opportunity for a corporate group to help us prepare the wall.

The stage was set, and so the project began!

The Painting Process

In July, volunteers from Black Circles spent a lovely sunny day scrubbing, wire brushing, and painting the wall in preparation for the mural, which gave the staff an opportunity to get out of the office into the fresh air, spend time with one another, and support a community project.

Throughout August the MYDG, NGS, and Natasha worked on designing and painting the mural, with lots of gardening skills such as seed planting learned along the way, blending creativity with outdoor education.

‘During the mural workshops, the opportunity for the group to work on creative painting work whilst spending time in the garden felt really valuable and it was lovely to see people splitting their time between watering, potato picking, vegetable tasting, and painting their designs.’

  • Natasha Russell, Lead Artist

The bright colours and interesting shapes of flowers and produce in the Muirhouse garden were the focus of the design, which allowed for lots of exploring. The young people also visited the Botanical Gardens, walked around the neighbourhood, and looked through the NGS’ collection of horticultural artworks for inspiration. Natasha then led several workshops with the young people to come up with the designs, which were cut out and arranged into a collage to make up the final composition.

Natasha also attended community gardening sessions to chat to participants about what they would like included in the mural. Shapes such as the allium flower buds are results of these conversations, which were a great way to involve participants in the project.

‘I loved working with the young people, staff, and wider community to gather ideas, design, and paint this mural together. It’s been great to see how the young people have taken inspiration from the garden’s plants.’

  • Natasha, Lead Artist

It was wonderful to see the young people spend time getting creative and curious in a natural outdoor space, working together, and developing their confidence throughout the process.

The Mural Unveiling

We welcomed residents, lead artist Natasha, local organisations and MYDG’s budding young artists to an open day in the garden on Monday 16th September, and were blessed with some final rays of summer sunshine over an afternoon of tea, cake, and activities – including fantastic botanical art workshops from artists Seamus Killick and Alexa Hare of NGS.

‘It’s been fantastic to work alongside the local young people and wider community on this project. My hope is that the participants have built a long-lasting connection with the garden and continue to make the space their own. The project has shown that community gardens are not just for horticulture but can be spaces for all kinds of activities – arts, relaxation, exercise, whatever you want it to be!’

  • Pippa Lobban, GT Community Garden Development Officer

We were delighted that so many people came together to celebrate the young people’s achievement, a few of whom took part in the mural ribbon cutting ceremony. Each were given a certificate for their amazing contributions to the project, with certificates also awarded to the Lend A Hand team for their hard work renovating the garages themselves. It was a fantastic afternoon and a wonderful way to round off the project!

 

The Final Result

The final mural is vibrant and joyful – a reflection of and credit to the wonderful young people that created it, as well as the Muirhouse community. It’s become a real focal point in the area, with gardeners and local passers-by commenting that it has brightened up the space, and made the garden feel more lived in. It can also be spotted from a nearby roundabout, which has sparked local curiosity and encouraged people to wander up the path to see what is happening – more footfall in and around the garden is always positive!

‘The mural is great, it really brightens up a blank space.  The gardeners love it, it’s made them feel like the garden is part of something bigger and it’s great to see several of the local kids popping in to show their painting skills off to their friends.’

Sylva Atkins, GT Community Gardener at Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

We hope that the young people’s time in the garden throughout the summer has grown their understanding of and appreciation for the space, and encouraged them to use and care for it alongside their family, friends, and neighbours as they grow older, fostering community spirit along the way.

A massive thank you and well done to everyone involved, and here’s to many more creative community garden projects in the future!

A new mural at Muirhouse Community Garden organised by the National Galleries of Scotland was unveiled by some children who worked on it with artist Natasha.

Muirhouse growing sessions run Wednesdays 9:30am-12:30pm, and Sundays 1-4pm, our map will help you find us! Pop in to see the mural for yourself, have a wander around the garden and chat to the lovely group – a cup of tea and a biscuit are always on offer, and Sylva will be happy to chat to you if you’d like to get involved with growing.

MYDG provides opportunities for local young people that foster a positive view of their own future and their impact on the world around them.

National Galleries of Scotland brings together a world class collection of artworks across the National, Modern, and Portrait galleries in Edinburgh.

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