A community garden in West Pilton growing fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs for everyone to enjoy. Come along and get involved helping build and plan the wee garden. Do you like gardening or want to learn? Residents in West Pilton Brae looking out onto the grassland will be the first people involved deciding what the garden could look like and what to grow.
I went door to door last year asking some of the residents views on having a community garden area growing fruit and veg, and what the grassland behind the ‘greenhouse’ is currently used for.
Some of the older residents remembered allotments in the area that were demolished during redevelopment, and most folk I spoke to like the idea and could see the benefits of food on their doorstep but were a bit worried about vandalism.
Dog walkers use the open space so just a bit of the grassland would be used for a garden. None of the woodland surrounding would be touched as the local kids play in it and it is a beautiful landscape feature.
The garden could provide an opportunity for young and old to get together in a healthy fun environment, learning where food comes from seed to plate. The local schools could visit and work there as could local equalities groups. Seasonal gluts in crops could be used for cooking classes and sharing of recipes. And people living in flats without a garden could share the growing space – those with gardens could swap plants and gardening advice.
Tenants and Residents in Pilton meets monthly in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, giving anyone living locally a chance to voice their opinion and be involved with the community garden. We have obtained permission from the council to use part of the grassland for a community garden. A bit of money is available to buy ten fruit trees to start the garden and soft fruits like raspberries and strawberries would grow well.
I will be going around the doors again to ask folk what they think and give anyone interested more information – contact details are below.
I like the gardening quote: “Gardening requires a lot of water, most of it in the form of perspiration“!
Please get involved and help fight food poverty – we could transform the grassland into a sheltered oasis.
Kirsty Sutherland
http://piltonresidents.org.uk/
07504 849 855
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