Strathkinness Community Garden

The garden is tucked into the outskirts of the village, easily accessible by foot. It hosts a variety of community use spaces that work towards serving the varied interests and needs of the people that utilise it. For instance, there is a fenced-in plot for use by the local nursery, who visit weekly, as well as a woodland play and learn area used by the local primary school and after-school growing group. The site hosts a variety of plots, including individual allotments (small but well-equipped), and communal orchard and indoor, outdoor and caged community growing areas for fruit and vegetables. There is a cut flower garden utilised by a team of keen volunteers, a subcommittee who have developed a robust water collection system, a lovely communal shed with a woodburning stove – and more besides. 

In speaking with Bob, who was kind enough to show me around, I attempted to parse out some of the secrets to their success. Certainly Bob himself (though he is a very modest in regards to his skills and ability) is a vast resource to the group, having spent time as head gardener at Teases Estate. His knowledge of fruiting trees and soft fruits seemed unending – never in my life had I seen trained gooseberries, what an eye-opener!

Another key strength was the diversity of their provision – a mix of small allotments that are placed centrally in the community garden, alongside community growing spaces and community use spaces. There’s a bit of something for everyone, and it seemed that community members were given the autonomy to explore their personal interests within the group setting.

Also of note is their connection with their community at large – the garden is managed by Strathkinness Development Trust, which oversees a mixture of community assets under one common umbrella. It think this goes a long way toward integrating the community garden into the general fabric of the community. 

Strathkinness Community Garden is an inspiring place to visit, and it could be tempting to want to take it whole cloth and replicate it from town to town throughout Fife. But the community garden in 2023 is very different now from when they started up thirteen years ago; like everywhere else, they began with an overgrown field and some big hopes and dreams. They have grown slowly and steadily over the years, responding to community needs and wants, at a pace that is sustainable for them. We would advise that groups looking to replicating Strathkinness’s success keep in mind the slow and steady nature of these things, and work towards attaining success at a smaller scale before attempting a whole cloth replication.

Many thanks again to the team of Strathkinness for the lovely visit! Bob is always keen to show people around, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch youself!