Katherine has developed a hands-on education project bringing back a disused area of land to be a productive ‘edible’ garden growing fruit and vegetables. Working as a demonstration and training garden for schools and the local community, ‘Grow with Cambo’ provides work experience and volunteering opportunities for the local community with sustainable practice at its heart. Volunteers of all abilities are welcome and can learn practical skills to employ at home or take to other local growing projects, with produce shared with the local community fridge initiative.
The project teaches horticultural skills including growing fruit, vegetables, and salads, and shares methods for zero waste processes, composting and climate friendly gardening. The management of the site has included the development of ‘dead hedge’ areas, cordoning fruit trees, scything and many other traditional and modern rural skills. This is shared with 15 regular volunteers and groups from four local secondary schools as well as groups from the Scottish Refugee Council and Fife Gingerbread.
The project has provided learning opportunities for pupils at four secondary schools in north east Fife alongside SRUC students and another six local organisations. In the past 12 months the gardens have welcomed 24 young people and 15 adults.
The project's development is based on a circular economy and brings a disused area of land into productive use with sustainable processes. Paths have been laid with surplus wood chip from a local tree surgeon, beds have been created with recycled cardboard from our Visitor Centre using the pioneering ‘No Dig’ method championed by Charles Dowding, while compost has been created using green and coffee waste from our café mixed with wool and poo from a nearby Alpaca farm.
The edible garden is a fantastic demonstration garden enjoyed by visitors, learners and volunteers and supplies our on-site vegetarian café. The help and support offered by local partners has improved the site enormously, illustrating how cooperation can reduce waste and provide mutual benefits.
This project has been developing over six years, slowly improving the site each growing season. Covid set the project back as volunteering sessions were unable to take place, causing the site to become ‘weedy’ and in need of additional work. However, the site has since returned to its former glory with the new grant support provided by the NE Fife Food Growing Fund.