What are Community Gardens?

Did you know we have a week in April dedicated to celebrating community gardens? And quite right too. These very important natural spaces give people access to growing plants and food and an opportunity to engage with their local environment, which they might not otherwise be able to.

Not only does this bring people together socially in a shared purpose but can be especially important in urban areas where green space is limited.

Here in our beautiful Herefordshire home we have many community gardens, some of which share more specific missions and goals. For example, the preservation of orchards which have played a vital part in our county’s agricultural history is the focus of Colwall Orchard Garden. They have open events throughout the year including Wassails, solstice celebrations and even h’Art. Why not visit and learn how they are working to sustain this important part of our natural heritage click here for more details. 

On the South side of Herefordshire sits a 19 acre site managed by our friends Growing Local whose mission is to bring together those who grow and those who eat! They sell their produce via a Crop Share scheme that you can become a member of from July 2024, as well as offering educational opportunities for young people. Most excitingly, they are currently building a new cookery school on site where people will learn the joys of cooking with locally grown fruit, vegetables and herbs. Click here for more info. 

Up the road from The Woodee shop in Dorstone is Hayfield Community Garden. Located at Racquety Farm in Hay-on-Wye, this garden was started by a group of volunteers about 14 years ago with the aim of localising food production. Everyone who volunteers here gets to share in the produce grown and any surplus is sold to raise funds and keep the garden growing. Ros & Geoff, landowners at Raquety Farm and trustees of Hayfield Community Garden, also generously donated a polydome. As part of this project, volunteers have piloted a drip-feed irrigation system, which will be taken to Mali to help improve food security there via ‘Jump for Timbuktu’. Click here for more details.

Here at The Woodee we love the outdoors and appreciate any opportunity to get our hands dirty sowing, tending and growing so that we have a beautiful environment to enjoy when sitting around our fire pit. Over the coming months you will be hearing more from us with all things related to that important ‘Room Outside’. However big or small your room outside, there will be something here for everyone so watch this space.

In the meantime, here’s one of our favourite Apple recipes to try at home - baked apples with butterscotch sauce, a showstopper desert for any dinner party or family meal - for the recipe, click here.  We love to cook it on our 600mm stainless steel fire pit and grill, which can be a beautiful addition to any garden.