SIGNUP

Welcome to Get Growing Scotland’s quarterly prompt on new resources and support for anyone looking to turn underused land into productive community growing places.

Have you ever looked out your window and wondered about that unused patch of ground in your local area? Could it be put to good use for community benefit? Increasing numbers of people across Scotland are doing just that. Groups take on land when individuals come together with a desire to take action, to see things happen locally in a practical, positive and hopeful way. Access to land and soil is where it starts, with reclaiming land for growing more of what we eat and eating more of what we grow. Connection to the soil, watching it, tending to it, and working with nature to help things grow is how our ancestors survived for centuries. It’s in our DNA, and in times of uncertainty, we are going back to our roots. Growing in communities, including allotments, community farms, gardens, and orchards, school gardens and market gardens, requires appropriate growing infrastructure – polytunnels and water catchment systems, some growing ‘know-how’ and encouragement to succeed. Every community, in any setting, can do it, and get advice from other groups working the soil. If you want support to start food growing in your community, or to grow more food in a community setting, reach out, and we can help. We also offer free support to landowners who wish to share their land for community growing, and to partner organisations that can help facilitate action in the area.

Hub

Get Growing Scotland’s hub and advisory service provides support and inspiration for all communities to grow food together. This month our Spaces to Grow page highlights what happens when folk start small, think big and include food growing opportunities into new and existing community assets, using land at community centres, churches, bowling greens, youth clubs, private estates and new developments. This series for 2025-26 will highlight a range of different spaces in which to get growing. Share your story here with others who are looking for inspiration to develop theirs.

Our Tunnel Tales series highlights the difference growing infrastructure can make to successful year-round growing in Scotland in any setting.

Help

Help@ advisory service, with support from the National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, offers either a one-off conversation to get started on a specific topic, or ongoing support on a range of themes, to help folk with what they need to know, when they need to know it, from finding and accessing land, to identifying partners, and keeping volunteers active, safe and engaged all year round.

Community Land Advisory Service – The Growing in Communities Scotland Land Guide offers a comprehensive overview of the thinking required to unlock and share public and private land, with invaluable templates and free tailored technical support on offer. Have a look and get in touch.

The Community Learning Exchange supports groups to see and learn directly from others with experience to share. We can help you develop your ideas, identify groups to learn from and endorse your application.

Resource

There’s a range of funds from small to large that could support your community food growing. A couple of hundred pounds can go a long way to trial a new approach, buy some equipment or simply start to grow on a part of your site and see how it goes. In other instances it’s a bigger, longer term investment for infrastructure or paid workers. Our advice; test and demonstrate your ideas through small funds, from local sources wherever possible, to get started. Your local Third Sector Interface (volunteer centre) or Climate Hub can be a good place to start.

If you are looking for some investment, rather than small amounts for project delivery, contact us. We are well placed, through working with hundreds of projects and partners, to advise on when and what to apply for, so that you are planning and using funds and other resources effectively

Action Earth offers grants to help urban communities with up to £250 to respond to the nature and climate crises.
Branching Out open to support tree, hedgerow and orchard establishment.
National Lottery Awards for All up to £20k over up to two years to support a range of outcomes that growing together can support.
Co-op Local Community Fund supporting projects that enable people to access food, create opportunities for young people, promote community cohesion, and build sustainable futures.

Our Growing movement needs recognition for its multiple benefits to local neighbourhoods. The Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum Awards for best practice in community regeneration seek to do just that. See the Award criteria and put yourselves out there, if the application form makes you realise your local and national worth it’s time well spent.

and finally

We thank Lochend Community Garden, Edinburgh for their inspiring before and after photo. The Get Growing Scotland Hub is continuously being updated and we need your input, feedback and voice. Whether you are ‘growing local’ or support the movement, everyone can contribute to building and growing more food-resilient, nature connected communities across Scotland. For more in-depth pieces on why this matters, and is increasingly urgent, see the GrowGreen Scotland blog . If you like what you read, please share content with others and reach out for a discussion on how we can work together. We look forward to hearing from you.