How to Sustain a Community Garden

Community gardens are a valuable community resource for people and planet. Once established, a different set of skills and approaches are needed to reflect the changing needs of communities and individuals whilst helping your garden to thrive.

In this follow-up workshop to the previous session on 'Setting up a Community Garden', we will be exploring how to sustain and grow community gardens, maintain interest and engagement, workshops, events, volunteering, creating value on a shoestring, self-care, community care, resolving conflict, and building resilience. We hope this session will be an opportunity for building skills, creative discussions and the sharing of successful strategies to keep our community gardens flourishing.

Trainer bios:

Poppy George has been gardening with residents of Lambeth for the past 7 years, helping to create and sustain community gardens on housing estates and in schools. Along with Patrick and the Orchard project she has supported her community in setting up Rosendale Gardens Community Orchard, which has now new offshoot gardens on the estate where she lives. Poppy is passionate about growing food with people, sourcing and sharing resources to create spaces, and community engagement. She also has skills in creating herbal remedies, carpentry, and outdoor education. She is currently working for Incredible Edible Lambeth coordinating the Grow Back Greener Mayors fund that has been awarded to 6 Estates in Lambeth to create new community gardens with residents.

She is also in her final year of an MA in Applied Anthropology and Community Development.

Patrick McCabe has been involved in community gardening while living on a Lambeth Council Estate over the last five years. He has a particular interest in orchards, food growing and working with partner organisations to create community growing spaces. Patrick has experience of negotiating with housing officers and recently undertook Gardeniser (Garden Organiser) training with Social Farms and Gardens.

Patrick is also a mental health nurse who has worked vulnerable adults and volunteers who have experiencing issues with their mental health, substance misuse and homelessness.

**UPDATE** Please note the Patrick McCabe will no longer be co-hosting this session as originally planned to due a change in his circumstances.

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This training event is part of Capital Growth's Urban Harvest 2021. Register your garden now with Urban Harvest 2021.

Not already a member of Capital Growth? Join here!