Community Food Growing Areas

Hazel Grove Estate In Sydenham has it's own Community growing food garden, that has been going along nicely for the last year and a few months.

Founded by local resident Jean Beckford, she is a force to be reckoned with.

She has stuck to the idea of Social Cohesion and is doing a wonderful job, at any given time in the evenings or lazy days Jean is usually out tending the gardens, surrounded by a group of children digging, planting, weeding, and even eating. They grow seasonal fruit.

The Idea of Community food growing gardens are to build stronger communities, and come about as part of  http://www.capitalgrowth.org, this newly formed organisation want to have 2012 Community food growing areas by the year 2012, it's aim to teach about growing traditional foods. 

It has been determined that gardening is very good for the mind and we have another wonderful gardening project in Sydenham. 

//http://www.sydenhamgarden.org.uk/supporting-us/volunteering this organisation caters for people who are in need of peaceful therapy. What could be better than gardening to soothe the mind

The green in the middle of the small flats on Hazel grove Estate, on the Burghill Road side, was just a grass patch with not much happening, but after Lewisham Homes gave the Green a face lift it has been completely transformed, there are bench's and tables, logs to clamber on, and a basket ball pitch for the children and young adults. 

It is a nice area now, children playing out, mothers out watching and chatting,  people walking their dogs, and everybody knows each other, in these times it's nice to have somewhere nice to sit and chill. 

The day I visited it was quiet, I sat at a bench listening to the birds, it was very peaceful. The Community growing garden is abundant, there are Pak Choi, Courgettes,Tomatoes, Pumkins,Green Beans and quite recently Strawberries.  The Residents are encouraged to help themselves to food and I'm pleased to say that people are respectful, there has been no vandalism and I believe that is because nearly everybody in that community helped build the garden and it would almost be destroying themselves to ruin it. There is still respect in the community.  Sometimes people moan and say all the fruit has gone, but that's good isn't it, that means the children are eating fresh fruit and enjoying it. Not all city children are indoors on computers and scared of life. 

A lot of children are out and happy growing and eating there own fruit.

If you are interested in starting your own Community food growing  Garden, you can contact Capitalgrowth on 020 7837 1228 or on the link provided.

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