News from Edible York, it's growing!

Report from Edible York, by Chloe Smee

Urban Horticulture: Can You Dig It?

A workshop on Urban Horticulture, held by Edible York and the University of York Centre for Lifelong learning.

Edible York and The University of York’s Centre for Lifelong Learning this month inspired a roomful of people to think about urban food growing in a whole new light. The workshop, designed as a taster session for the Centre for Lifelong Learning’s new course in Urban Horticulture (beginning in October 2010), attracted people from diverse backgrounds – from social work to nature reserves and everything in between.

The day began with participants grouping up to plan micro-gardens on publicly donated land. The groups were encouraged to think with a view to ‘maximum yields’ – not just of crops, but community benefit, biodiversity, aesthetics, education, and even economic opportunities.

This exercise included one group examining the possibilities for a plot that has recently been planted by Edible York. Their ideas will support York’s first public vegetable bed as it grows.

After an overview of the broad range of modules that the new Urban Horticulture course will incorporate (including: a historical perspective on growing; the global economic and policy context; and a practical campaign planning session), the group looked at two very different urban contexts (the City of York and Ames, Iowa) to think about how to mainstream urban growing.

Much of the inspiration for these discussions came from the tangible experience of dynamic community project Incredible Edible Todmorden. The project has not only created an impressive (and visually stunning) array of public vegetable beds, but has worked with schools, food producers, the local Council and other public bodies to develop policies and practices which will embed local food growing into the future. A great many ideas were identified for helping York to move forwards, including a spatial planning designation for food growing space and simple routes for community requests for neighbourhood veggie gardens.

The day finished with a tour of the Museum Gardens, led by Head Gardener Sjaak Kastelijn. Sjaak encouraged the group to think creatively about how the Victorian formal gardens might be turned over to public growing. Undoubtedly, there exists a block in many people’s minds between public and private space. But, with more Urban Horticulturalists stepping forward every week, supported by organisations such as the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Edible York and Incredible Edible Todmorden, the future for local food growing is bright and leafy.

just as a footnote, part of the accompanying email….

York now has its first public veggie bed! There’s been a lot of press interest and IET has been mentioned widely – it was amazing how many people referenced Todmorden while they walked past us planting it up!

All Incredible and Edible, great work York, more power to you.