Rosie Boycott unveils Capital Growth garden at Hampton Court Show to inspire Londoners to 'grow their own'
Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, today (Monday 6 July) called on Londoners to get out into their gardens, roof terraces and balconies to grow their own fruit and vegetables, as she revealed the 'Edible Spaces with Capital Growth' garden at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
The garden, devised jointly with the Royal Horticultural Society, features three small gardens and six balconies designed to show urbanites that anyone can grow food, no matter how small their outside space is. The garden has been coordinated by Ida Fabrizio, who works for Sustain, the charity which manages the Capital Growth project. The garden is full of practical and innovative ideas for Londoners to copy.
Children from local primary schools have got out of the classroom and helped create the garden, St Matthew's Primary School in Surbiton has grown herbs to contribute to the garden and Trafalgar Infant School, in Twickenham has grown radishes in old baked bean cans and carrots in glass milk bottles for the garden. Both schools are growing food in their schools as part of Capital Growth. Compost made from City hall's food waste has been used on the garden and containers from City Hall's caterers have been used as recycled vegetable pots.
Boris Johnson said: 'I hope people who visit the Capital Growth garden will leave feeling inspired by the ease of growing food as well as the benefits and enjoyment it can give. I am delighted that our garden is featuring at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which is to me a great family-friendly celebration of all things green-fingered and I am looking forward to visiting on Friday.'
Rosie Boycott said: 'No space is too small to start growing, whether you have a big garden, a roof top or space for a window box, all you need is imagination and the will to grow. Our garden has been inspired by a mixture of ideas by diverse growing groups across London and hopes to highlight the possibilities, and fun you can have growing fruit and vegetables on a low budget.'
The six balconies that form part of the garden are directly inspired by Capital Growth plots being tended by a diverse range of community gardening across London.
The garden features a balcony inspired by the Arcola Theatre in Stoke Newington's roof garden. Props from their last show are being used as containers to grow vegetables. There is a 'freecycled balcony' which is made from materials foraged from London's streets, offices, homes and restaurants. There is a space designed by Bohn&Viljoen Architects with Hadlow College using 'hydroponic' technology, which allows intensive food growing in places without soil. There is a medicinal herb garden devised by expert herbalists, The Community Herbalists who teach their skills to local community groups in London. There is a 'Town and Country Balcony' which features shelving custom designed by Mark Fossick .
Capital Growth was launched in 2008 by Rosie Boycott and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to boost grow your own in the capital by creating 2,012 community food growing spaces by 2012. It now has nearly 100 spaces already being cultivated across the capital in a diverse range of places including, canal banks, schools, roofs, private gardens open to the community and parks. For more information, visit: https://www.capitalgrowth.org/
Ends
Notes to editors:
- The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show runs from 7-12 July and is the world's largest event of its kind, attracting around 160,000 people.
- Both schools with pupils taking part in the photo call have won a School Food Matters competition by making a film about sustainable food production. Both school allotments are now Capital Growth Spaces. For more information on what the schools are doing: visit: www.schoolfoodmatters.co.uk/index
- The front gardens in the Capital Growth garden are designed by three designers; Adam Frost, Matthew Biggs and Chris Myers.
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Published Wednesday 8 July 2009
London Food Link: London Food Link brings together community food enterprises and projects that are working to make good food accessible to everyone in London to help create a healthy, sustainable and ethical food system for all.
