Growing together

As we celebrate Community Garden Week this month, Elly West looks at how local communities are turning unused plots into green sanctuaries...

Community gardens are thriving across our city, with people getting together and turning what might be an otherwise unused and derelict plot into a green sanctuary. The benefits of such spaces are far-reaching, celebrated this month by a designated Community Garden Week, from 3 –9 April. Greening up our city has an obvious aesthetic appeal, but community gardens are much more than this, providing places to relax, a way to engage with nature, connect with likeminded people, and in some cases they provide a source of fresh food that everyone can freely enjoy.

Around half of the world’s population lives in cities. Community gardens are especially valuable in urban areas where there is a lack of access to open space, and individual gardens might be small or nonexistent. They also provide learning opportunities, a chance to develop self-esteem, job skills and confidence. Many of the larger projects in Bristol have close links with local schools, allowing children to spend time at grass-roots level, get in touch with nature and encouraging them to eat healthily.

Although community gardens are growing in popularity in recent years, they date back at least to the early 19th century, when public land gardening plots were allocated to the poor by the government, allowing people to grow flowers and vegetables in public spaces. RHS Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest community gardening competition, first held in 1963. This annual event sees neighbourhoods across the UK, from small villages to large cities, working to improve their local environment. In 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society set up the first Community Awards, in recognition of the growth of community gardens, and of their particular importance during lockdown as places to relax, engage with nature, meet with others and get active outdoors.

In Bristol, the Incredible Edible project (ediblebristol.org.uk), founded by Sara Venn, has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2014. There are now more than 40 edible gardens around the city, whether in parks, street corners or station platforms, where food is free for anyone to take and eat. Sometimes this may be just a planter box filled with crops, but there are also larger gardens, for example in Millennium Square, the Bear Pit, and Quakers Burial Ground on Redcliffe Way. These are looked after by volunteers, to benefit the community.

Other community projects around Bristol include Blaise Community Garden, a walled garden that is part of the Blaise Estate, and has been restored by a team of volunteers over the last ten years. This special space is open to visitors from 10am-2pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus Mondays from April to October, and features beehives, ponds, raised beds and glasshouses. New volunteers are always welcome. There are various events throughout the year including the annual spring market on 29 April. Visit blaisecommunitygarden.org.uk for more information.

St Werburghs City Farm on Watercress Road is home to a one-acre community plot that has free public access all year round, with a mix of flowers, vegetables and soft fruit. It’s a green city sanctuary, next to Narroways Nature Reserve, and a great spot for a wander and a picnic, or a visit to the café. All are welcome at the weekly social gardening sessions on Thursday mornings. Visit swcityfarm.co.uk to find out more.

Grow Wilder in Stapleton, run by Avon Wildlife Trust and a team of volunteers, is a six-acre urban oasis that’s open to visitors all year round. The aim is to engage and inspire local people to connect with nature and learn new skills, while conserving natural habitats in the city. There’s also a wildflower nursery on site

(avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/explore/grow-wilder).

Redcatch Community Garden in Knowle has been created over the past six years by a group of volunteers, who have transformed a disused bowling green into a vibrant garden, open daily from 9.30am-4pm. The garden brings local people together to learn, socialise, share skills and support mental health and wellbeing, and new volunteers are always welcome. There’s also a café on site. Visit redcatchcommunitygarden.com.

There are also numerous smaller projects around Bristol, gatherings of like-minded people wanting to green up their surroundings. If you’re feeling inspired to create a community garden near you, then the first step is to find a piece of land and contact the local council to find out who owns it, so that you can seek permission for your project. Gather like-minded people, perhaps by speaking to local groups, schools or businesses who may want to get involved, and visit other community gardens to get ideas.

When it comes to designing your community garden, decide how you want to use it, whether it’s for growing food, attracting wildlife, or a sensory or well-being garden for relaxation, or all of the above. Look at the size and shape of your space, the type of soil, how much light it gets and take into consideration any permanent features that you’ll need to work round. Depending on the scale of the project, you may also need to think about water supply, access, storage of equipment and security. Alternatively, you might just want to add a few planters to your neighbourhood or cultivate a small plot to make it more attractive for everyone to enjoy. n

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Now is the perfect time to plant sweet pea seeds outside. They’re easy to grow and will provide height, scent and colour through the summer with the right care and attention. There are lots of colours and variations to choose from, also multi-coloured varieties, and their sweet-smelling blooms will attract bees and butterflies to the garden. The large seeds are easy to handle, making them a popular choice for greenfingered children, but have a hard shell that can impede germination, so soak seeds in water overnight to soften them before planting. Choose a warm and sunny spot where possible, and sow the seeds about 1cm deep beneath supports such as obelisks or a wigwam of canes, or against a fence with some wires or trellis to scramble up. They are selfclinging, so shouldn't need tying in.

The key to success with sweet peas is feeding and dead heading. A high-potash fertiliser such as tomato feed will reap rewards, and pick the stems regularly to keep the flowers coming, otherwise they can quickly all turn to pods and their job is done for the year. They make great cut flowers for indoors, where you can continue to enjoy their fragrance.

and a wonderful attitude to life. As a well known quilter she relys on her hands but in recent years arthritic changes set in throughout her hands, leading to severe pain and inability to make a fist.

In April 22 we embarked on 2 courses of MBST to treat both her hand cartilage and bone marrow oedema in her fingers. She was in the top 30% of fast responders, very quickly being able to close her fist for the first time in years. Her pain diminished and is still doing very well with the occasional top up of laser therapy. A real transformation in a difficult condition to treat.

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