Giving hope through organic growing - Kitchen Garden Magazine

A food growing project launched two years ago by Garden Organic is now bearing fruit

In 2016, Garden Organic launched an inspirational new project in the London Borough of Southwark. Funded by the Hirschmann Foundation, it set out to train Master Gardeners and Food Buddies to go into the most deprived wards in the borough and teach residents how to grow and cook their own organic food.

Southwark volunteers being shown around the Glengall Wharf Garden in Peckham. Pictures: Garden Organic

Southwark was chosen for the project because it has a large percentage of social housing and a significant number of residents at risk of food insecurity, often because of low incomes relative to disproportionately high housing costs. The borough also has a childhood obesity rate of one in four – the national average is one in ten. Very few residents have access to a garden or allotment, or even a balcony or windowsill – but, says Debbie Mitchener, Garden Organic’s Project Co-ordinator, “That doesn’t mean that people aren’t able to enjoy the experience of growing and eating organic food. It’s our job to show them what they can do with what they have.

“I was approached by a gentleman from Somalia, who came to the UK as a refugee. He was telling us about all the fantastic crops he used to grow in Somalia, but how now all he has is a small room with a mattress on the floor and nowhere to grow. He was struggling to adapt to his new situation and was in desperate need of help.

Article continues below...
Advert

“We convinced him to sow some seeds in a pot made from old newspapers and explained how he could grow it by his window. He walked away with a huge smile on his face, carrying his pot, and said, ‘At least I have something I can look after now.’

“Gardening isn’t just a support in terms of putting organic food in your belly, it’s giving you hope. Growing allows you to see further than what’s right in front of you. It makes you think to the future.”

Christina, one of Southwark’s new Master Gardeners, says, “When I heard about the Garden Organic project I contacted Debbie as I wanted to have the confidence to be able to teach people and get them excited about growing.

Article continues below...
Advert

“I now run a school gardening club – I would never have imagined that possible. Garden Organic has given me that confidence. We’ve gone from the children telling me the green tomatoes were apples, to them growing a big range of vegetables to make into soup. We have 40 children on the club waiting list now.”

The funding for the pilot project ends this month, and Garden Organic is appealing for donations to allow it to continue. Go to https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/supportsouthwark to find out more and lend your support.

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Sign-up to the Kitchen Garden Magazine Newsletter

Enter your e-mail address below to see a free digital back issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine and get regular updates straight to your inbox…

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.