We are a self-organised community creation initiative that aims to build shared green urban spaces to grow food and grow communities.

We completed two edible street gardens so far in Vauxhall, London. Now we are aiming to expand the food growing possibility to as many urban streets as possible and provide opportunities for people to co-elevate each other, by starting new communities and by empowering members of existing communities.

It's more than community gardening: it's about sharing knowledge between generations and bringing people together; reconnecting nature to urban dwellers and their environments; contributing to green spaces with a purpose; carving out slow spaces within the continuous fast urban pace; committing to a cause that brings forth care and awareness to people and nature around us and build healthier communities.

In the summer of 2019, the Eat Off Your Street team shared a call-out on the neighbourhood hub website nextdoor.co.uk to offer one nearby community the opportunity to create an edible community garden on their street.

Members of the Albert Square and St Stephen's Association immediately raised their hands and identified an open corner street pavement site between St Stephen's Terrace and Aldebert Terrace.

The core ideas were to create a calm shared community space that maximises sunlight for growing food, and that a small team could construct it over one weekend. We came up with a simple system of stepped timber planters that vary in heights, with integrated seatings and tools storage, and spatially composed to form a semi-enclosed peaceful area away from the pedestrian route.

Builders merchant Travis Perkins generously sponsored all the materials, and a team of 13 volunteers brought their own tools and enthusiasm to build the structures in under 20 hours. The finale coincided with the Mayor of London's Car Free Day in September 2019, and the whole community came out en-mass to help shovel compost and soil to commemorate the start of the edible garden to come.

Fast forward to the summer of 2020, even with four months of COVID 19 lockdown the community continues to maintain a team of rotating volunteers who're super committed to watering the plants regularly. We had a social distanced street party to celebrate the collective contribution and to harvest the rhubarb, strawberries and herbs.

Interested in the possibility of having an edible garden on your street for your community? Join us for the walking tours, and we'd love to hear from you via social media.

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/eatoffyourstreet/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Eat-Off-Your-Street-100901354606285/

News:
https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/05/scheme-builds-edible-garden-carts-unused-spaces-bring-communities-together-10692312/