Grow more food
with others, and nature, close to home
You can enjoy fresh, locally grown food, the company and skills of others, and be part of a growing movement across Scotland to transform under-used land into productive climate and nature friendly spaces.
We know that when we take a positive, collective and active role in our communities good things happen. Growing food in community settings isn’t a new idea, but it is finally getting the recognition it deserves as a tested, and proven way to respond to multiple societal challenges in a positive, cost-effective way. The health and well-being benefits of local connection are well documented; but what’s possible when more of us play a role in creating and supporting local, resilient food places where people can see food growing and have the choice to connect with the production of what they eat. It’s a simple idea, but we know it takes effort, planning, and a little green fingered know-how—that’s why we’re here to help. These pages share top tips, inspiration and learning from others and Grow 6 pages designed to support anyone, group or community worker to get growing something and succeed.
Already growing food in your community? Why not explore new spaces nearby to expand your efforts and grow even more?
Top Tips
- Healthy soil is essential to growing any food successfully and maximising its nutritional value so you will need a compost heap or two .
- Check that your growing space, or container, has optimal conditions for growth.
- Crops need consistent water, not just when it rains. So consider water catchment right from the start.
- With some growing experience, try intercropping (growing quick crops in the gaps) to maximise the use of your space.
- Grow ‘multi croppers’ that can keep cropping over several months, such as purple sprouting broccoli, peas, courgettes, cut-and-come-again lettuce, kale, and autumn fruiting raspberries.
- Stagger your sowing to prolong your harvest and avoid a glut.
- Extend the growing season by warming your soil up from early March to try early sowings in late March. An old shower door, or pane of glass will do.
- Do the same in the autumn months to protect tender outdoor crops such as lettuce and leafy herbs.
- Plan carefully for winter growing- it’s easy to miss the ‘window’ for sowing and planting winter crops when you are busy in the summer.
- Choose your seed carefully, and remember sowing times in Scotland may be a 2-4 weeks behind those written on the packet.
Grow 6
New to growing? Keep it simple; follow Grow6 for seasonal tips and tricks to get you growing, whatever your setting, year-round.
Top crops
Rob Davidson, from Gracemount Walled Garden with years of experience in small scale agriculture and community growing shares his top crops for success.
Tunnel Tales
Growing more of what we eat and eating more of what we grow, our Tunnel Tales series highlights groups across Scotland extending their offer and growing season under plastic.