Get Growing Scotland

“This last Monday, 15 of us skinned our tunnel. It was a beautiful evening. We had taken the old skin off several weeks ago, and it totally changed the character of the field. It was surprising just how much our covered tunnel gives our plot some distinction.” 

“We are a group of like-minded hobbyists,” recounts Peter Long, Chair of Stromness Community Garden. “An Orcadian, I got to 32 and I’m ashamed to say I had no idea how to grow a tattie or a carrot when I joined the group in 2016 and took on my first plot!” 

The 2-acre site was established in 2013 by a visionary former member, under a rolling 10-year lease from Orkney Housing Association (OHAL). Once an open field on the edge of Stromness, the group—with support from the Lottery—installed essential infrastructure: paths, hedging and trees for a windbreak, a tool shed, compost heaps, and a 20×6 metre tunnel. The garden’s mission is “to provide a space where, for a very low fee, people can come and grow their own food.” At a latitude of 58.963809 degrees North, you could say—and Peter confirms—that the large tunnel has proven invaluable. 

Membership ranges from retired couples and young families with children to students temporarily living in Stromness, all seeking a chance to access the local environment and connect with others. Members can rent outdoor plots of about 5x5m for growing hardy veg and 1x2m indoor plots for growing tender plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, and aubergines—“otherwise out of the question with our changeable Orkney weather.” 

“Needless to say, all the indoor space is fully occupied and has been for the last six years.” Peter notes that it probably isn’t a coincidence that the longest-standing garden members all have an indoor plot. A dry, covered working area means they’re more likely to visit the garden even on changeable days. 

“In the past couple of years, we’ve made more of an intentional push to do things together, including allocating more space for communal growing. We’ve taken a Saturday stall at the Stromness Shopping Week Gala to sell excess produce for donations to support our running costs—and it surprised us just how much we enjoyed doing that. So, we want to do more. 

We have always grown for ourselves and shared site tasks, but we’d often not see each other at the garden. Now we’d like to take on more tasks as a community. The necessary permissions and funds for a second tunnel could be instrumental in extending food-growing opportunities to others and working more collectively.” 

Peter reflects on how domestic polycrubs on the island are quite commonplace, but there is little communal green space in Stromness for people to connect and enjoy working together. “We are surrounded by nature here, yet there is no public space to simply lie on the grass. For a rural island farming community, there is a disconnect in how far much of our fresh produce has to travel. It doesn’t take much travel disruption before the shelves of fresh food are pretty empty. Another tunnel accommodating more growers would grow our membership and food community, give us more capacity to do things together, and bring in the wider Stromness community around food. We could gather, host speakers, and promote greater attachment to the site. We’d have a larger volunteer pool for workdays and tasks, more revenue opportunities—and of course, more water catchment opportunities!” 

The group’s vision for the future includes a more community-focused space with the capacity to truly unlock the land’s potential. On the group’s wish list: a welcoming sign, a second tunnel, a water collection system, an established wildflower area, a pond with a boardwalk, a fully functioning compost system, and outdoor plots at full capacity—with no barriers preventing people from starting and continuing to grow food. 

“Somewhere the whole community can visit, participate in, learn from, and benefit from. An asset for the whole community.” 

You can read more about Stromness Community Garden here: 
https://stromnesscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/