The Get Growing Trail returns for a June event in 2023 with 29 growing sites opening to the public for the weekend. The trail offers everyone the chance to explore the city’s community allotments, orchards, smallholdings, mini market gardens, city farms, productive parks and even a unique berry maze!
It will be the first time since 2019 that the Get Growing Trail has taken place in June. For the last three years, the event has taken place in September, or as an online event, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Running the trail in early summer allows visitors who get inspired to get growing, enough time to get planting now and to reap the edible rewards from this growing season, rather than having to wait patiently through the autumn and winter for the next spring to come.
Bristol Food Network, which organises the trail, is welcoming some old-favourites back to the event. The New Roots Garden opens for the trail for the first time since 2018, Horfield Organic Community Orchard and Metford Road Community Orchard are joining for the first time since 2019. Fishponds Community Orchard, The Haven and Sustainable Westbury on Trym (SuSWoT) are also happily back on the trail this year after a two-year absence.
Trail highlights for 2023
- Explore Bristol’s first dementia-friendly allotment as seen on Gardeners’ World: Alive dementia-friendly allotment, Brentry. Find out more about community growing projects and therapeutic horticulture at Alive on Sunday 4 June, 2–4pm.
- Check out some of Bristol’s wonderful community orchards where local people come together to plant and cultivate local and unusual varieties of fruit trees. Fishponds Community Orchard,Horfield Organic Community Orchard and Metford Road Community Orchard are opening their gates for the trail this year. Look out for rare Gloucestershire varieties at Fishponds Community Orchard and events at all orchards later in the year to celebrate Apple Day in the autumn.
- Tour the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, discovering more about the exotic vegetables grown there on Sunday 4 June 11am. Entry to the Botanic Garden is free on production of thetrail leaflet at the Welcome Lodge.
- 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 plot is at Ashley Vale Allotments, open Sunday 4 June, 11am-4pm.
- Make your mark stenciling on the shed at Knowle West Edible Gardens on Sunday 4 June, 10am-4pm – look out for other kids’ activities across the different Get Growing Trail sites.
- Forage berries at the Malago Berry Maze, including – if you are lucky – highly sought after yellow raspberries! Saturday 3 June, 10am-1pm.
As well as a nature-friendly focus and plenty of garden tours, this year’s trail includes activities for children such as quizzes, treasure hunts and free berry foraging. 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.
There are so many examples of nature-friendly garde¯ning across the trail, showing that it is possible to share the city’s precious green spaces between people and wildlife, and to continue togrow productively.
Some examples include:
- Blaise Community Garden has a woodpile left undisturbed for bugs and mini beasts, plus there are beehives that focus on pollination rather than honey. Open Saturday 3 June, 10am-2pm.
- Easton Community Garden collects their own water and makes compost and plant feeds, as well as uses permaculture methods. Open Sunday 4 June, 11am-3pm.
- Filton Community Garden is adapting planting for dry summers. Meet volunteers on site Saturday 3 June, 11am-1pm to find out more.
- Knowle West Edible Gardens (Sunday 4 June, 10am-4pm) is growing wildflowers to encourage all kinds of insects and birds, with pollinator-friendly perennial flowers also grown at St George Park Community Garden (volunteers on site Saturday 3 June, 10am-12 noon).
- The Golden Hill Community Garden boasts a solar-powered pump supplying water to the allotment and has a straw bale eco house. Open Sunday 3 June, 10am-1pm.
- Many of the growing groups are using the ‘no dig’ approach to avoid disrupting the soil structure, for example Redcatch Community Garden are using this approach, along withorganic principles and their own compost and liquid feeds. Open Saturday 3 June, 10am-1pm, Garden Tours at 11am and 12 noon.
Bristol Food Network (BFN) has been working to highlight these connections between urban growing and good food (food that is good for communities, climate and nature). The connection between community, wellbeing and growing is strong at many of the sites, for example The Haven (open Saturday 3 June, 12-5pm) was set up for people with lived experience of addiction, mental health issues, life trauma and social isolation. Participating in urban growing activities has a positive impact on adult wellbeing and mental health.
The Get Growing Trail is part of Bristol Food Network’s mission to help people in Bristol navigate,celebrate and participate in the abundance of good food activity taking place across the city. For more ways to get involved in good food visit bristolgoodfood.org to find local food events, news, stories, and resources, covering everything from where to access good, affordable food to how to get involved with community growing groups across the city.
Full details of all 29 garden openings can be found at https://www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/blog/get-growing-garden-trail and Trail maps are available across the city.
