How We Turned Our Whole Street into a Community Garden

Last spring, The People’s Pantry erected and filled 42 planters on Carfin Street. They have been used to grow different vegetables, herbs, and wildflowers, and anyone can come along to pick the produce for themselves. One year on and with their funding running out, we spoke to some of those involved.

Zem Moffat, Local Resident

I’ve lived on the street for five or six years. There’s always lots going on –the People’s Pantry is on the corner with Cathcart Road and people walk down my street with their shopping. There’ll be people out most evenings playing football and then you’ve got those going to the doctors at Govanhill Medical Centre which backs onto the street. So you’ve got a real mix here.

Since the planters have been installed, the infrastructure of the street has really changed. Now people will have a pause on the benches beside them. The street’s being used, and not just as a car park or walkthrough.

One of the big changes I like is the randomness of encounters I experience on the street. When you are out, you will just get into random chats. Whether through gestures or shared language, people will stop and ask about what you can eat. I think that's the lovely thing about it.

Even before the planters came, I was putting plants in my little front garden. From these I’ve learned it takes time for a plant to establish in the same way it takes time for human communities to grow.

I’m not sure that Carfin Street would survive if the funding for Fi’s job went. People are busy with work and childcare. Gardening is also not easy for some of the residents. It is a big job to weed 42 planters and there should be someone who can be paid to facilitate that. We want more people to get involved but will they do it if it’s not gonna be there in September?

Fi Halliday, Growing Facilitator and Project Lead

I got into gardening through community workshops. All my knowledge has come through word of mouth and peer learning. I feel quite passionately about making sure that others can learn that way too.

The project has 42 raised beds so it’s a pretty big job. We first had to get all the compost in before planting all the seedlings that we then have to water and maintain. I like to plant in succession so there’s always something growing and residents can continually harvest food throughout the year.

Aside from the weekly sessions that I facilitate, I know that folk do things off their own back and instinctively check on the beds to keep the space tidy. A lot of the residents have so much gardening knowledge because of their background from places like South Asia and Eastern Europe where growing food is ingrained in their culture and family traditions – like the Czech guy who regularly checks on the tomatoes.

The council and the Green Action Trust gave us a big amount of funding last year, which was great. It paid for the planters to be put in, for me to run workshops and put on a summer of events. But funding guidelines meant it all had to be spent the first year.

The beauty of growing every season is you get another shot at it. And people can develop that seasonal relationship to growing food while learning skills for life. But we can only do that if we have long term funding.

Usman, Local resident (age 8)

Last year, I helped to shovel all the compost into the planters. And I’m always picking up litter. I get my friends to use the litter pickers. If they say no, I say ‘do you want to go to heaven?’. Last year I helped plant potatoes and wild flowers. But my favourite thing to pick is coriander. I always play out the front, not the back, but the back is getting better. My family has put out planters there too. My uncle says he’s seen the difference when he comes to visit now, he says it’s not as dirty and it’s amazing how a small thing like planters can really change the street.

Fi runs Wednesday morning sessions 10-12.

On the first Sunday of every month, volunteers set up a stall with free food from the planters and the People’s Pantry outside Lidl. If you’d like to get involved with the project or help support with any funding opportunities to keep the project going, you can contact Fi on fi@govanhillbaths.com

By Melanie Goldberg

You may all be familiar with the grey squirrels that swarm our parks, or the popular garden plant rhododendron that blooms huge colourful flowers, but did you know that these are both non-native species that threaten our delicate biodiversity?

The native red squirrel has been all but eradicated from Glasgow, as their grey counterparts have brought the deadly squirrelpox to the area. Giant hogweed chokes our native flora in Pollok Park, while Japanese knotweed destroys people’s homes.

Although the entire world is threatened with endangerment and destruction of their delicate biodiversity, small islands are particularly vulnerable, of which Scotland has an abundance.

Purposefully allowing invasive species to thrive in the wild has been illegal in Scotland since 1981. They can drive the loss of biodiversity, threaten native wildlife, damage ecosystems and cost a fortune to tackle.

Originally imported from the Caucasus region in Eastern Europe by 19th century horticulturalists, giant hogweed has become a blight to the integrity of Britain’s biodiversity. Each plant produces approximately 50,000 seeds a year, which can be viable for another 15-20 years, making them impossible to permanently eradicate. The sap of the plant contains phototoxins, which can result in blisters, burns, and even blindness when touched in areas where skin contact occurs.

Giant hogweed, which can be identified by its large jagged leaves and white flowers, has been identified all around the Govanhill area, with firmly established colonies growing along White Cart Water, where warning signs were put up during lockdown. The Covid lockdown halted many initiatives that were there to tackle invasive species. This, combined with the effects of climate change, have allowed giant hogweed in particular to run rampant in Scotland.

Japanese knotweed has also spread around Glasgow. Growing up to three metres in bamboo like stalks, it was first introduced to the country in the 19th century as a garden plant. It can easily destroy the integrity of entire structures and is extremely expensive and timely to tackle.

According to a survey by invasive plant specialists, Environet, there are 111 reported sightings of Japanese knotweed within four kilometres of Govanhill.

Douglas from JBB Knotweed Solutions treats invasive species all over Scotland. He told Greater Govanhill that his company has been called to the area many times to treat giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, and more. Generally speaking, he says its the waterways that are usually overgrown with invasive species and many of the jobs they have done locally have been around the waterways in and around Govanhill.

Glasgow City Council urges anyone who sees it growing on council land to let them know. Where it is safe to do so they will then aim to minimise the risk of it spreading.

Yet there are some signs that Scotland could get a grip on the plight, and not just by using chemical pesticides. Recently, a pioneering scheme from NatureScot saw the use of black-faced sheep in controlled areas. The sheep were found to be unaffected by the toxic sap and were able to digest it without any health implications. The Aberdeenshire based scheme, which has been branded as the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI), has been hailed a success. In its fourth year running, the project has proven the effectiveness of using sheep and how using a bio approach works.

Managing these invasive species may seem like a never-ending challenge, but we all must play a part. Being able to recognise plants like giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed could allow effective, proactive management of infested areas, protecting people’s health and livelihoods.