Get Growing Scotland

“I wouldn’t go back to not having a tunnel. It’s a crucial part of growing veg in Scotland.“

Growing Beardmore began in 2016 when founder Rose Dorman approached the landlord Link Housing looking for a small piece of land to grow her own vegetables. The tenant participation worker suggested starting a community garden on a small, unused patch of housing association land at the end of the close. Rose and a few other tenants reached out to the nearby Bellsmyre Community Garden, went for a visit and came back full of ideas and inspiration to turn the small overgrown patch of land into a productive community space.

With administrative support from Link Housing, the group signed a 15-year lease on the land and have never looked back. Funds from The National Lottery allowed them to install a perimeter fence and gates along with raised beds—West Dunbartonshire’s preferred growing method due to the area’s industrial heritage.

In the early days, meetings between a small team of local volunteers rotated between flats, and spring seeds grew on windowsills until the group installed their first small polytunnel.

“We started our first tunnel because we wanted to try growing tomatoes and other tender veg. We were all novice growers back then—we still are, really. Every day is a learning journey, but we wouldn’t go back,” recounts Rose. “Our first tunnel was small—when it rained, we all piled in like sardines! It’s windy up here. Sheltered growing just makes so much sense in Scotland and means we can get together and grow food all year round. We soon realised we needed more space.”

Last year, the group approached Link Housing to expand the garden area and were awarded funding from West Dunbartonshire Community Voluntary Services (WDCVS) for our much larger tunnel, a whopping 20×6 metres.

“We now have a proper meeting space, a hotbed, and room to work together—or quietly by ourselves. We’ve even moved our two cherry trees indoors, and they’ll fruit this year. Our goji berry looks much happier too, and we’ve just planted our first vine. We’ve loved experimenting with more exotic veg, last year we managed to grow a loofah. Over the years, our children have left home and a few of us have become grannies, we’ve now got the next generation of young gardeners joining us. Our old tunnel is now used by the local nursery children.”

The bigger tunnel has helped raise the garden’s local profile. Located beside the canal, you can’t miss it on The Kiltwalk and it’s become a local landmark enjoying night-time lighting thanks to nearby streetlamps. With more space and shelter, the group regularly welcomes new volunteers or simply invites locals to enjoy the peaceful community space.

“There is so much scope for engagement; a recent volunteer is really good with knots, he’s tied in our tomatoes, just now we are using dark green netting donated by the next door salvage yard to shade the tunnel in this heat; another tenant hooks us up to their outdoor tap when our water collection system runs dry. Our small garden has become an amazing oasis for supporting mental health, sharing and learning, and building community. We’ve recently welcomed a young Syrian family who bring us lovely things to eat. Some of the volunteers have to use local food banks—this space allows people to exchange time and skills for some fresh food.”

Rose’s advice to others:

“Accept that you’re learning all the time. Someone will always pop in with skills or knowledge that’s useful. Keep things simple at first—choose what you want to grow, and remember you can grow food all year round. Once you feel a bit braver, try something more adventurous—we’re thinking about a peach tree next!