Let’s grow together…
@ The Community Garden
About the Community Garden
Gardening has lots of benefits, for our physical and mental health, and our planet. Our Community Garden brings people of all ages together to learn and share growing skills, meet new friends, take some gentle exercise and enjoy the beautiful wildlife and fresh air. Tucked away behind St. Mary’s Church on West Hillbank, our Community Garden is only a 5 minute walk from Kirriemuir town centre. The field is surrounded by hedgerow and mature trees which provide a range of habitats for amphibians, small mammals, and more. We have a newly established pond, which we hope will attract an even wider range of species to the garden. It’s also home to the world’s first 3D-printed log beehive.
Buy Our Produce
In 2023 we grew over 420kg of fruit and veg at the Community Garden. You can buy our fresh produce direct from the garden during the growing season (April – November). Check out our Facebook page for updates on what’s for sale. Our produce is also available to buy from our local zero-waste shop, A Longer Table CIC, on Kirriemuir High Street. An important part of what we do is making good food available to everyone.
Food & Growing
As part of our wider 3-5 year strategy, Sustainable Kirriemuir are taking action around Food & Growing, to help achieve our vision of a sustainable, net-zero community where people and nature flourish. Our Community Garden contributes towards our aims to:
- grow as much local, seasonal, climate-friendly food as we can for our community.
- provide opportunities for learning, skill-sharing and experiencing the benefits of growing food and gardening.
- inspire an appreciation for the value of food, especially local food, including preparation and storage skills, as well as reduced waste.
- promote access to locally grown food to our community.
Volunteer at the Community Garden
New volunteers are always welcome at the Community Garden! Why volunteer?
- Learn or develop your growing skills.
- Discover the diverse range of bugs and animals who call the Community Garden home and help create and protect habitats for them.
- Meet new people.
- Make a difference in your community.
- Spending time outdoors is great for your physical and mental health.
We recommend getting in touch beforehand if you are thinking about coming along for the first time as our open sessions can be called off at short notice due to volunteer and staff availability as well as adverse weather.
Our current session times are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10am – 12pm. Follow our Facebook page for the most up to date information, including what produce we have for sale!
To find out more, contact Zoe, our Food & Growing Project Officer.
Volunteering with SK
I volunteer at the Community Garden because it makes me feel good! I learn, I socialise, I get a blast of fresh air and some well needed exercise. For a small contribution of my time I get the huge pay off of feeling great both mentally and physically.
The Community Garden
I volunteered way back at the beginning, during the setting up of the Community Garden. I already enjoyed gardening at home, but l’ve always enjoyed a garden challenge and certainly got one on St. Mary’s Field! The rewards have been worth it though. Over the years we’ve seen the transformation from a grassy field to one with defined beds and growing areas. The produce is always a nice reward too. Some of the work is now a lot easier, which is good, as different levels of volunteers’ ability needs to be considered, and I’ve found that applies to me. I’m also learning more about gardening, meeting new people and getting out in the fresh air. What’s not to like!
Why Volunteer With Us?
I’ve been a regular community garden volunteer since the early days. I always enjoy the combination of physical work, being part of a team and working to build a growing centre with community at its heart for Kirrie. I’m glad we grow in a sustainable way that gives lots of space to nature and offers folk healthy food that isn’t covered in plastic for an affordable price. I feel a real buzz when I take home a share of the veg or fruit we’ve harvested or deliver some to A Longer Table or Kirriemuir Food Hub for others to access. Great that there are zero food miles too!
Get in Touch
Together we can make good choices and live better, join Sustainable Kirriemuir!
If you would like to know more about what we are doing please get in touch. We are always looking for new members to join our organisation. If you have particular knowledge around climate change issues, or growing, making and mending skills you’d like to share, or just want to know more, we want to hear from you. Everyone is welcome, together we can make a difference.