WHO ARE WE
We are a diverse group of like-minded food growers and gardeners who have come together as a friendly network to promote and support community-led urban food growing. We do this by sharing knowledge, projects, ideas and enthusiasm but we are also work together to influence policy and improve access to land, infrastructure and resources. What brought us together was a desire to strengthen our work and the impact we have on the environment and our neighbourhoods. We are passionate about growing fresh produce to share, support biodiversity, reduce food waste and and bringing people together through grassroots food growing and place-making that is already going on all over Dundee.
Set up in June 2022 the network quickly grew from 18 to 30+ community growing spaces which all have their own "personality" different focus (from mental health to climate change, pollinator friendly to medicinal) different spaces and sizes (from a few acres to raised planters in the City Centre), some with a team of staff, others volunteer run - all at the heart of their own neighbourhoods and communities. Download the updated map here.
COMMUNITY-LED
What our gardens feel is unique and so valuable about belonging to the network is that we our leading change ourselves and peer support, motivation and trust underpins everything we do. Gathering every 2 months in person at one of our spaces with food, a tour and updates means we can have proper conversations about what matters to us and benefit from research, training and skill shares that responds to our real needs. We are very lucky to have Nicola, our Network Officer based at the Maxwell, who supports us in all sorts of ways and shares multitude of requests and opportunities!
We know the strengths and opportunities and challenges of each of our community gardens and everybody brings value to the group - we trust, like and care for each other. Joining forces has increased the visibility and influence of community gardens in the city and we get constant requests to share our experience, connect and collaborate with various charities, government and partnerships, local and national as well as a steady stream of new volunteers who we match with a garden that can work for them.
We also organise social opportunities so we can also just be together and we are looking into setting up a Community Film Club that can be shown across our gardens.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
We are supporting Dundee City Council with the review of the Food Growing Strategy and are exploring how the Incredible Edible Right to Grow campaign could be implemented in our city. We work closely with our spin-off Dundee Seed Savers group and recently with Dundee's Permaculture group as we challenge ourselves to follow the principles through a new project for Lazy* Gardeners. We have also collaborated with the V&A Garden Futures, connecting them with local gardens, creating a public garden party, sharing our resources and advising on their committee.
Our funding has come from multiple sources, mostly from the in-kind contribution from all gardens with their time and expertise, from the Dundee Climate Fund, where citizens have voted twice for us to have a Network Officer to facilitate our work and from the Social Action Inquiry who chose us as one of 12 case studies to share what helps or hinders social action (See film here). We use an assembly form to make decisions such as spending an additional budget which we used to take forward members ideas and initiatives such as a shared event resources box, signs, city-wide maps or forest-gardening and seed saving workshops.
GETTING INVOLVED
To get involved you can check out volunteering opportunities and a variety of events taking place in growing spaces across the city, that has a rich history of growing and allotments.
Our wider community of food growers and foragers in Dundee shares resources, events and ideas on the Grow Dundee – Community Facebook group which any grower or group is welcome to join.
If you would like to set up your own community garden or have one and would like to join the network please get in touch and check out this further information about what we do and how we work together, there are such great benefits!
