> Stories and Updates

Highlights of 2023

December 20, 2023

 

As 2023 draws to a close, we are looking back on what we achieved this year in collaboration with our partners, volunteers, and the local people who participate in growing projects across Edinburgh. Here is a look at some of the highlights!

2023 was marked by the Edinburgh Growing Together project, which is delivered by Edible Estates, funded by City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) as the City’s Community Gardening Framework, and by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSP). The project aims to support community gardening on council housing land.

This is the first year we had a full team working on the project. Our Project Manager and Development Officer have been building relationships with existing garden groups and partner organisations, while starting new resident groups to both improve existing gardens, and create new ones. We were delighted to employ seven community gardeners across the city to support growers to achieve their skills and ambitions. Through this, we have been working to:

  • Increase production of locally grown fruit and veg
  • Create places and activities that bring communities together
  • Improve community wellbeing, skills, and knowledge

We delivered 591 hours of community gardening sessions across Edinburgh in 2023, supporting local communities to enjoy activities together, grow local produce, and improve wellbeing.

Launching the Lend a Hand Project

Launching a new project is always exciting as it means getting to know more local people and supporting them with their goals,  confidence and skills – and this is no different with Lend a Hand! While our Growing Youth project trains young people in joinery, construction, and horticulture, Lend a Hand aims to do so with people aged 50+ that are out of employment. This is a pilot project, which will be run by experienced workshop leaders. We are looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing how the project develops in 2024.

101 people newly engaged in community growing this year, meaning they spent more time outdoors being active, socialising, and learning new skills.

Bringing Greenspaces Back to Life and Getting People Involved

Greendykes Community Backgreen

The Greendykes garden was locked and out of use prior to 2023. Back in January, we met with a small number of residents to hear what they would like from the space, and from there held weekly community gardener sessions throughout the year to teach residents how to grow and establish the garden.  Over the months, the group grew to over ten participants and their families, each taking on a group of raised beds. The remaining planters were used to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs communally. We also brought the adjoining community room back into use for shelter and for everyone to enjoy a cup of tea together during sessions. The growers had a great growing season, regularly sharing photos of their harvests and resulting meals on the group WhatsApp.

I would like to congratulate the fantastic garden that you all achieved. Now it is wonderful to look out the window and see so much life.

– Neighbour, Greendykes Community Backgreen

Hawkhill and Nisbett Courts Garden

This garden has 11 plots, each with tool storage, and there are several home-built greenhouses. When we first met the group, there were only four growers and the site needed tidying. Community Gardener Richard supported in clearing the site of rubbish and spreading compost. With the vacant plots clear and ready to use, we advertised them to residents.

We also ran a six-week Grow Your Own course to support new growers in food growing. We are delighted that as the year ends, all plots are now taken, and looking forward to seeing what everyone  grows next year.

Mount Lodge Green

Mount Lodge Green is in an area of council housing in Portobello. Locals approached CEC and Edible Estates with ideas to develop the disused greenspace on their street, which had been locked for a long time. They were supported to design a space with a central grass space for perennial plants, a wildlife border, and bird boxes. Community Gardener Paul worked with residents in a series of sessions to plant up the central biodiversity bed and perimeter wildflower area.

We are happy to see that after the efforts of everyone involved, the space has become a place where nature can thrive and neighbours come together to socialise and garden.

We installed 7000 litres of rainwater harvesting across growing projects, supporting gardeners to grow more fruit and veg while reducing water waste.

Supporting the Creation of New Gardens

Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden

The Hutchison Garden has been a long time in the making, so we were thrilled to see it come into being this year after lots of community engagement, planning, and scouting for the perfect site!

The community began building the garden in July, supported by Community Gardener Gaby. Happily, there has been steady numbers of participants, who made fast work of raised bed construction, path building, and edging the forest garden. Growing Youth ASLS sessions also run weekly from the site, which has been a nice way to see two projects work collaboratively.

We were delighted to have the garden featured on STV News whereby residents, who have lived there for many years, commented on how they had gotten to know their neighbours. The garden is quickly becoming a place where the community can gather and make positive change in their area.

It’s been great. There’s people that I’d never met before, I knew their faces but I’ve never actually spoken to them. Now we’re getting on fine. It makes a big difference, not passing people in the street

– David, Hutchison resident of 20+ years and garden  participant

Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

After lots of community engagement, residents began building their garden in September, with twice weekly sessions from Community Gardener Johanna. These have been well attended so far, and have also seen lots of conversations with passers by admiring the project. Raised beds have been built, the soil is prepped for the forest garden, and winter crops have been planted – all of which sets the growers up nicely for 2024!

We have also hired new Growing Youth leaders to run sessions at the site, which will provide local school-age pupils the opportunity to learn joinery, horticulture, and landscaping skills. These pupils will assist in the building of the garden and the renovation of the garages. Looking to the future, there are ideas for youth sessions with our community gardeners, and a mural project on the vacant garage wall, with young people and local artists. Watch this space!

Broomhouse Orchard

Broomhouse Market Garden has been a huge success in recent years, and Broomhouse Community Growers Association (BCGA) were keen to expand into other greenspaces in the area. We supported them to get permission to develop an orchard, which they designed with the help of orchard expert Jon Hancox.

With funding from Scotmid Orchard and Kew Gardens Grow Wild Fund, and support from Community Gardener Faith, the group set about clearing the site of weeds and rubbish, planting heritage fruit trees, and creating a wildflower area. Compost bays and rainwater collection were provided through Community Gardening Framework & UKSP funds.

The group hopes it will provide a new venue for locals to gather, opportunities to grow, harvest and eat locally sourced fruit, and become a natural space for wildlife and insects to flourish. The before and after of the site is fantastic, and we look forward to seeing it in action in 2024.

We converted 2550 metres² land into growing spaces for local communities, and built or replaced 92 raised beds.

 

Making Plans in New Communities

Dumbiedykes

In May, we held a community meeting for residents to share their ideas about growing locally, which saw lots of enthusiasm. Community Gardener Johanna then held weekly growing sessions with residents, and worked with CEC Housing Officers to gain permission to develop and maintain growing spaces across Dumbiedykes. Happily, lots of progress has been made! Growers have now built and planted up wooden planters, and developed some small plots with edible plants and those beneficial to wildlife around the area, adding some lovely spots of colour and life to the community. It has been a positive start to the project, with plans for next year to be discussed over the winter.

Oxgangs

This year we have been exploring the idea of creating smaller growing sites across Oxgangs. We worked with Oxgangs Community Church to host meetings in their Community Hub, and see if local people were interested in getting involved in community growing. These were well attended with lots of ideas flowing. Looking to the future, the plan is to start two growing projects, and Community Gardener Stuart is now leading sessions at 3 Oxgangs Drive to develop a biodiversity border and build communal raised beds.

We are pleased with the progress made in the area this year, and are excited to keep planning with residents in 2024.

Inch Plant Nursery Partnership

Edible Estates partnered with CEC’s Inch Plant Nursery to provide 35 gardens with a variety of vegetable, herb, and fruit plug plants, grown by Janice and the team. A total of 5500 plants were ordered across growing projects! The offer was popular among first-time growers, who will hopefully experience a successful 2024 growing season as a result.

Sighthill Primary School Farm Pupils Winning Gold

School Farmers work hard across the school year to grow all sorts of fruit, vegetables, and flowers, while learning about the natural world around them, so we were pleased that pupils attending Sighthill Primary School Farm were recognised at the Royal Calendonian Horticultural Society’s Spring Show Schools Competition. With support from School Farm Leader Shona, P6 & 7 pupils planted daffodils in preparation for the event, which took place in April 2023.. They selected their best blooms for competition, and were delighted to be awarded gold by the judges!

We hope everyone has a fantastic festive period, and we look forward to continuing work with our staff, volunteers, partner organisations, and local residents in 2024. Stay safe and here’s to 2024!

You may also be interested in…

Project Update: Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Broomhouse Orchard

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Leith’s Citadel Gardeners Are Transforming Their Growing Space

November 10, 2023

 

The Citadel Gardeners in Leith are a group supported by Bethany Christian Trust, and have been gardening together since 2020, when they restored a neglected site which was being used as a dumping ground. Edinburgh Growing Together is supporting the group by providing a Community Gardener to lead workshops, as well as materials to build growing beds.

Over the last several months, they have been busy transforming their growing space with the welcome support of Community Gardener, Hannah. In July, they took part in a series of Grow Your Own workshops, during which they planted seeds and got to know their soil types and textures.

More recently, the group have built four new raised beds. They worked together to level the area, sift the soil, and construct the beds. This will allow the gardeners to access their plots without bending down so far, making them functional as well as lovely to look at when they’re all planted up! They plan to add a polytunnel lid on one of the beds to extend the growing season.

Keep an eye on our socials for updates about Citadel Gardeners. We are looking forward to seeing how they continue transforming their growing space and getting stuck in to next year’s growing season!

You may be interested in…

Project Update: Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Broomhouse Orchard

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Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Edible Estates:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. Read our privacy policy

> Stories and Updates

Craigentinny Community Garden: Completed Upgrade

July 10, 2023

 
We recently worked with growers at Craigentinny Community Gardening Project to design a rainwater collection roof for their shipping container, which was then implemented by our Growing Youth Team. The gardeners are enjoying their new space, alongside a mural they added – it makes for a cheery community space in which to gather, store tools, and collect rainwater!

You may also be interested in…

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Portobello Residents Begin Work To Develop Mount Lodge Green Biodiversity Project

April 13, 2023

 

Residents of Mount Lodge in Portobello recently approached the City of Edinburgh Council and Edible Estates with ideas to develop a disused green space on their street, which had been locked for as long as anyone could remember.

Aside from four mature cherry trees placed in each corner, Mount Lodge Green is an otherwise empty area of mowed grass. Following a community-led survey investigating how local residents wanted the area to be used, it was identified that improving biodiversity was a priority. The residents were then supported to design a plan, which included developing a central grass space with perennial plants (some of which will be edible,) a wildlife border, and bird boxes – all with the view to improve biodiversity. Led by Community Gardener, Paul, residents have been supported to put these plans into action by preparing and planting the site in a series of four workshops.

The first gardening workshop in March was well attended by residents both young and old, some of whom were meeting one another for the first time. Everyone got stuck in to mark out and dig areas ready for planting, and erect two handmade bird boxes. Another workshop on the 1st of April saw residents dig compost and begin planting up the biodiversity circle in time for spring.

We’re delighted to see residents gain access to and make use of a previously unused space in a way that fosters a sense of community. We wish residents the best of luck with the project going forward, and will continue to support the group as needed. We look forward to seeing how the space develops over the coming months!

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Edible Estates Launches Community Garden Work Programme 2022-23

November 1, 2022

 

Following the completion of our Community Garden Survey (CGS), Edible Estates has launched its Community Garden Work Programme 2022-23.

The programme will be delivered by us on behalf of Edinburgh Council and be comprised of both passive and active support packages. The two types of support will ensure that each of the 46 gardens reviewed in the CGS can benefit from the programme regardless of their support needs and current condition. 

The passive support package will be available to all community gardens on Housing Revenue Account Land and will encompass a range of on-call support, including advice, online management tools, and networking opportunities. 

The active support package will be provided to the community gardens in need of additional support as identified in the CGS. The support will be tailored to the individual garden’s specific needs, as directed by, and in liaison with its volunteers and/or management groups, council officers, and local third-party organisations. Support will include the provision of a Community Gardener, who will aid in restoring and renovating the site, installation of water supplies, and membership capacity building. 

Additionally, the CGS also identified Council estates where there are little to no provision of community growing spaces. As part of the programme’s active support element, feasibility studies will be conducted for those estates, with the view to constructing and establish gardens for those areas. 

To learn more about the CGS, click here. To stay updated on the community gardens receiving support, sign-up to our monthly newsletter here. 

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Edible Estates to Deliver Community Gardening Service Across Edinburgh On Behalf of Edinburgh Council

September 9, 2022

 

At the end of 2021, Edible Estates CIC won the tender to provide community gardening services across Edinburgh’s council estates on behalf of Edinburgh Council’s housing department.

Throughout 2022, we have been carrying out a Community Garden Survey to investigate the condition of all community gardening and community growing projects on Council housing land.

We have identified forty six growing sites in all – from small ones with a couple of raised beds outside a tower block, to large ‘neighbourhood garden’ with growing beds for seventy or more growers.  While a number of the gardens are considered best-practice, some have fallen into disrepair over the years. We have surveyed the gardens and met with the gardeners to find out what kind of support they would benefit from.  

Additionally, using resources provided by the Council, the survey identified areas of council housing where there is currently little to no provision of community gardening opportunities where new gardens could possibly be created. 

The survey will provide the basis for the delivery of a multi-year programme of support for existing gardens, and the delivery of new gardens which will start this autumn.  These support services will be delivered by Edible Estates on behalf of the Council, in liaison with council officers, supporting third sector organisations, and the groups managing each garden.

Greig Robertson, Edible Estates’ Founding Director, said the following;

We are really pleased to have developed this relationship with the Council. Edible Estates have been working independently in Edinburgh’s council estates for some years now and have developed a wealth of knowledge and resources that can make for a successful community garden. We’re keen to share that knowledge, but also to learn from other gardens across the city that have developed other approaches.  

Community gardens are a valuable resource to communities, they support individual and community well-being, promote physical activity, create new connections between folk, and of course grow fruit and veg. They are a ‘place’ and an activity, and play an important role in the move towards establishing 20-minute neighbourhoods across the city. They are helping support communities facing the challenges of food insecurity and the cost of living crisis. 

The Community Garden Survey has highlighted that gold-standard community growing projects can and do exist across Edinburgh, and showcases the potential for many more to develop with the right support provided through the Community Garden Framework. We are looking forward to continuing work with and supporting the fantastic organisations, groups, and volunteers behind each of the gardens outlined in the report, and more so to seeing how each garden develops over the coming years.

Going forward, you will see regular updates about these community growing projects across Edinburgh on both our blog and social media channels, as well as in our monthly newsletter. To sign-up for our newsletter and stay updated, click here.

You may also be interested in…

What Role Do Community Growing Projects And Food Hubs Play In Creating A Good Food Nation? 

Why Greenspace Projects For Children Are Important On An Individual And Community Level

The Positive Impacts Of Community Gardening: How Our Community Projects Benefit Social Wellbeing Across Our Communities

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