Bristol’s Get Growing Garden Trail 2022

Bristol’s Get Growing Garden Trail 2022

• 30 fruit and vegetable gardens open their doors to the public for a harvest-themed Trail.
• Sites participating for the first time this year include Alive Wellspring Settlement Community Gardening Group, Filton Community Garden, Hartcliffe City Farm and Market Gardens, Herbalists without Borders, Hillfields Community Garden, Inns Court Gardens, Street Goat, and The Edible Bristol Cultivation Place.
• Lots of free family-friendly activities on offer for 2022, the 10th year of the Trail.

The Get Growing Trail is now back to full participation, with 30 groups opening their gates for the weekend. During the UK national lockdowns, increased interest in connecting with family and friends outdoors bloomed, and there was an increased interest in growing. This trend has continued, leading to a surge in community growing in Bristol this year. After a digital Get Growing Trail during the pandemic, and a smaller event for 2021, the 2022 Trail promises to be a wonderful weekend of opportunities to connect with Bristol’s growing communities.

As well as garden tours, this year’s Trail includes apple pressing, mini markets, pond dipping, tree planting, a scything workshop, seasonal produce tasting, and crafts such as making origami seed packets, and drawing. Plus, the weekend offers the opportunity to learn about permaculture systems, no-dig methods, food justice and other aspects of community growing. All for free.

The Trail offers families and friends the chance to explore the city’s community allotments, orchards, smallholdings, mini market gardens, city farms, productive parks and even a unique berry maze!

Full details of all 30 garden openings can be found at https://www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/blog/get-growing-garden-trailand Trail maps are available across the city.

Ramona Andrews, coordinator of this year’s trail says: “Sharing space, sharing the work, sharing produce, sharing ideas… there are just so many benefits to growing with others. Bristol boasts some amazing community growing projects all over the city. The Get Growing Trail offers the chance to have a nosey around some of them and hopefully get inspired to get growing either at home, or with others in your local community.”

Trail highlights for 2022:
¬    Visit Herbalists without Borders, Bristol: a community plot growing all kinds of medicinal herbs. The group uses these in medicines for refugees and asylum seekers. The St Werburghs Medicine Garden will be open Saturday 17 September, 11am–1pm when you can learn about the use of various herbs and try teas made from the herbs.
¬    Explore Bristol’s first dementia-friendly allotment, Alive dementia-friendly allotment Brentry. Find out more about community growing projects and therapeutic horticulture at Alive on Sunday 18 September, 2–4pm.
¬    Tour the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, discovering more about the exotic vegetables grown there on Sunday 18 September at 11am. Entry to the Botanic Garden is free on production of the Trail leaflet at the Welcome Lodge.
¬    Press apples: Have a go at all stages of the process. Royate Hill Community Orchard and Allotment Project will be running an apple pressing workshop on Saturday 17 September, 11am–4.30pm.
¬    Meet the goats: Community-owned goat herders Street Goat welcome you to The Royate Hill Allotments on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September, 11am–3pm, part of The Royate Hill Nature Reserve.
¬    Explore a new Bristol farm: Two Bristol charities, Windmill Hill City Farm and Heart of BS13 took on the lease for Hartcliffe City Farm earlier this year and the Trail offers the opportunity to tour both the new Hartcliffe City Farm Market Garden and Heart of BS13 Flower Farm on Sunday 18 September 12–2.30pm.

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