Community growing spaces aren't just about planting seeds; they're about sowing connections, supporting biodiversity, discovering surprising things about nature - and ourselves.
For our latest resource, The Grow Wild Guide, we gathered insights from community growing projects across the UK, and their stories are as diverse and vibrant as the growing spaces they’ve created. Here are some of our favourite community quotes from the The Grow Wild Guide.
We thought we had the landscape all planned but quickly realised we didn’t have enough time, volunteers and money to do it that way, and by accident this area has thrived because we’ve unearthed lots of things that have been laying dormant – pioneer species.
Belfast YMCA
Belfast YMCA created a fully accessible community wildlife garden in South Belfast to be used by local groups to enjoy planting days, workshops and social events. The colourful garden hosts wonderful wildflowers, raised beds, a pond, polytunnel, compost bins and a small orchard.
The amount of people [I’ve met] and connections that I’ve made that I wouldn’t have done, if I just sat in my house.
Joy, Incredible Edible Garforth
Joy joined Incredible Edible, Garforth in 2021, with no knowledge of growing or gardening. Since then, Joy has become a dedicated and vital part of the community group. She is now Project Lead for the wildlife area, which was first developed in 2022 with support from Grow Wild.
We have learnt to give things a chance and support them to see how they turn out. The same principles can be applied to people, and the parallels are surprising.
Headin2Horticulture, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Community group Headin2Horticulture in Belfast aims to improve people’s mental health and physical wellbeing. The group transformed a featureless paved area into a colourful urban garden with fruit trees, wildflowers, and vegetables, providing a safe space for the long-term benefit of the community.
I think it makes sense to deliver fungi education alongside gardening, to build understanding of how fungi fit into the bigger picture.
Stepney City Farm
Stepney City Farm has introduced fungi growing to the agenda, offering workshops to its Greencare therapeutic group for adults with learning disabilities. The group discovered how to grow mushrooms in different ways, made an outdoor mushroom bed, and did bucket inoculation with native oyster spawn.
It’s soggy work for the volunteers but will be well worth it when the whole thing becomes a water garden full of the vibrant colours of purple loosestrife, marsh marigold and water forget-me-not, and the hum of insects and croaking of frogs.
Nick, Wild Roots
Wild Roots Community Garden created a new wildlife area with a pond, native climbing plants and shrubs including ivy, dog rose, foxglove, hop, ferns and willow, and purchased vital tools and a bell tent to provide shelter for community activities.
Bringing together the experiences of community growing groups across the UK, our free guide helps you take the first steps to set up and run your own community growing project. From setting up your project, to making a wildlife-friendly space, to telling the story of your project, we hope this guide will inspire and encourage you to get growing with your community.
Download The Grow Wild Guide for free
Grow your project from the ground up.
