Growing Green Fingers

The Royal Horticultural Society's National Gardening Week takes place from 28 April - 4 May. To mark the event, we’d like to share with you local community-garden projects (including our own) you can get involved with:

• Yardening - at Save the World Club's warehouse. Learn how to grow and look after plants in restricted spaces. All welcome to drop by and grow something along with us as well as ask our very own Tariq for gardening tips!

• The Kingston Orchard Project - an agroforestry initiative that involves communities in growing food using a range of traditional and experimental techniques. To find out more, or to get involved, click here. (Now a part of us!)

• Hogsmill Community Garden - on Swan Path, Vineyard Close. New volunteers always welcome; see their Facebook page for up-to-date info and their usual opening times.

• Canbury Community Garden - off Canbury Gardens, access via their Canbury Gardens gate near the bandstand and Canbury Secret Cafe. Find out more and get updates on their Facebook page.

• Kingston Environment Centre - if you would like to join their regular community gardening sessions please drop by on Thursday mornings from 10:00 - 12:00. They ask you please wear sturdy footwear and bring gardening gloves if you own them. See the KEC website here. Also make sure to check out their upcoming Seedy Sunday:

• Kingston Edible Forest 2100 - at Knollmead Allotments, Tolworth. The area is planted for the long term with perennial edible flowers, vegetables and fruit. Details on their website here. They are there most Sundays and weekday evenings when there's light. Please contact them to check, as the gates to the allotment site are locked.

• Parkfields Community Garden - based in a north Kingston allotment site, Parkfields offers a space for people to meet, learn how to grow food, create habitats for wildlife, observe nature and have fun. As well as an orchard, the site has a polytunnel, food-growing, skill-share and natural play-spaces. Volunteer sessions are most Wednesday afternoons and some Saturday mornings. Find them on Facebook and Instagram.

To see if any local community gardens are doing something for National Gardening Week, take a look at Transition Town Kingston's newsletter here:

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