Back in 2020 when we were all turning to our gardens for respite, one woman in Overton dared to think bigger.
She wanted to create a kitchen garden big enough to supply the whole village with nutritious vegetables, delicious berries and gorgeous fruit. So, Chris Truscott set about getting some people together to make her vision a reality.
In 2021, when we were able to meet up again, a small group of us got together to work out how we could start a kitchen garden in the heart of the village. We finally secured a site in 2022 and it was the wasteland up behind the Red Fort restaurant. If you are local, you know exactly what that space looked like before the kitchen garden troupe took over.
Although we have done a huge amount of work on-site to get it cleared and prepared to be able to grow produce, there is still a lot to do and we need all the help we can get. This spring we are very much hoping the site will start to resemble a real kitchen garden with beds, paths, a shed, water butts and – not least – plants.
Besides the weather being very wet and unpredictable, our main obstacle has been funding, but that is set to change with the awarding of the Pride of Place grant for 2024.
The kitchen garden is run entirely by volunteers and the aim is to use a no-dig, sustainable system for the benefit not only of the environment, nature and wildlife, but also the local community itself.