This month we’d like to throw the spotlight on two of our member gardens, both of which are based within Lambeth parks.
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses is a well-established community garden and registered charity, which utilises the Victorian greenhouses at the heart of the park, for the benefit of the local community. As well as the historic greenhouses which give the garden it’s name, there are a huge variety of different growing areas and habitats, including vegetable beds, fruit trees and soft fruit, sensory beds, a herb garden and a large wildlife pond with a dipping platform. In addition, a beautiful wooden barn was built in 2022, after years of fundraising efforts, which serves as an indoor education and events space, and is available for private hire. The garden is maintained by groups of volunteers who take part in sessions on Thursdays-Sundays. They are involved in all aspects of garden maintenance from propagating, weeding and watering to harvesting and selling produce and plants. Volunteers help to run the shop which is open from Thursday-Sunday, selling all kinds of homemade jams, pickles, pestos and cordials. This helps to draw new people into the garden and also forms a very important income stream.
We visited on a beautiful autumnal day in late October and met Jody Gillett, the community garden manager. She is inspired by sustainable gardening practices and permaculture to develop the garden and demonstrate what’s possible in an urban setting. Jody is passionate about making the greenhouses accessible to all, and is looking at ways to recruit new volunteers from diverse backgrounds by partnering with local organisations such as IEL.
Agnes Riley Gardens Community Garden
Based in Agnes Riley Gardens, next to the Poynders Gardens Estate, this is a small community garden run by a friendly and dedicated group of local people. We met Harriet Hall, who has been a volunteer at the garden for several years, on a grey and drizzly day in late November. The garden has a food growing area with raised beds, a well-established orchard, a forest garden, polytunnel, and home-made wildlife habitats. They don’t have individual plots but work collectively to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. They work collaboratively with the Friends of Agnes Riley Gardens and put on joint events to help attract new people to the park, although finding new volunteers is often a challenge. The group communicates via Whatsapp so if you’re interested in getting involved then please do send a message and ask to be added to the group.
