The Power of Food Festival takes place next weekend 16-17 June 2018.
The full programme of events in 23 community gardens across Edinburgh as far as the Pentlands is now on their website.
One of those gardens is the Calders Green Shoots garden in Wester Hailes. They have taken part in the festival since it began as Ruth Currie told me when I visited. And now you can visit either on Saturday or Sunday (or both!) and they also have some vacant slots for people wanting to do some gardening there.
It was a beautiful summer’s day and we could hear the bees buzzing around the flowers which are only planted to keep them happy. Otherwise the plants are mainly vegetables and herbs for use by the Healthy Living Centre in Wester Hailes or by the members of the Community Garden.
Ruth explained that there are about 28 members and 68 plots or beds. These are not like allotments, as the area is much smaller and it is more of a communal effort. A bed is much the same size as a double bed, and so keeping it planted and tidy is not too much work.
She said : “I have been involved since the beginning – about four years ago. We have various plants and vegetables, from herbs to tomatoes in the greenhouse, potatoes, various Chinese plants, apples, pears and strawberries. We have raspberries too which have taken over the garden. We need to deal with that!
“People pay a fee of up to £15 a year to be a member here. They can grown anything they want and outside the garden there are pears and apples which anyone can help themselves to.
Ruth goes to her garden about twice a week where she grows lavender and herbs at the moment. Why lavender? She explained : “Well I am growing it mainly for the bees, and I like it to put in my cupboards at home.”
There is a wooden shelter in the garden put up by Edible Estates where the tools are stored. Most of the tools which the gardeners use have been donated.
Ruth continued :”We hope to show what a community such as the Calders can do in this part of Edinburgh. People are very welcome to come along. On the Saturday there will be a Bioblitz from the RSPB. There will be bug hunting butterfly identification and bird watching. There will be soup, tea coffee and drinks.
“On the Sunday there will be hair braiding for children when we will serve cakes and coffee and tea.
“The earth and the sea are two things that I just love. I have to be near them.”
The garden is put to bed for the winter as it gets quite icy up there and is not so welcoming.
The Power of Food Festival is a wonderful weekend of celebration of the transformative power of community food growing, from tackling loneliness and social isolation, to helping volunteers develop skills and confidence, and providing access to delicious fresh produce in the middle of neighbourhoods, community gardens are addressing many of the challenges of today and the Power of Food Festival seeks to shed light onto that.
Twitter: @PoFFest
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Facebook: @EdinburghPowerofFoodFestival
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
