Edible York - Clifton Parish Church

The idea for a community garden at Clifton Parish Church has been around for a few years, but practical planning started in the Autumn of 2013 with a view to preparing beds over winter.

The Parish Church at Clifton Green kindly agreed to our plan and allowed us access to start making raised beds in February/March 2014, which were then sown and planted in the Spring. We were able to get some advice from one of Edible York’s network meetings.

We have a small committee of 4 or 5 people at present, who decide what goes into the garden and plan future developments. Working sessions are organised when there is a specific job to do, otherwise people weed & tidy when they have time. We try to have someone at the garden on a Saturday morning in the growing season to answer questions (while tidying up!).

We have had a grant for seeds & plants expenses from City of York Council Community Development on 2013/14. A plant sale early in the season raised some more funds.

We grow any edible plants for which there is a demand; mostly vegetables and herbs

We have been encouraged by the response in our first year, both directly from local residents and by the amounts of produce which are used. We are looking at the development of at least one extra bed for next year.

Any expressions of interest in support or volunteering or just for information, to:

John Hamilton, johnhamilton54@gmail.com | 01904 652805

Edible Map

At Edible York, we’re working with the community to provide every local and organic food growing opportunity available. This also includes highlighting and pointing out areas where wild produce is already ripe for picking and areas which are ideal for foraging for delicious natural treats.

There is a world of goodness outside your home and with a simple look at our Edible Map; you’ll soon see the vast array of naturally growing wild produce just waiting to be enjoyed. In addition to mapping out all the public food growing space that are known of across the York area, Abundance, York’s urban harvesting group is also hoping to collect details of private fruit and vegetable sources. The map itself shows only publicly available areas.

Across York, the Edible Map highlights a vast array of wild fruit trees, ready for their fruit to be harvested and enjoyed, without a polythene bag in sight. From sweet chestnuts to wild apples and damsons to blackberries, the fruit available across York may surprise some people, who weren’t previously aware of the extent of wild, natural produce available. The Edible Map is collated by members of the Edible York team but also accepts submissions from readers who have spotted something interesting.

As well as fruit trees and bushes, plucky foragers have spotted many naturally occurring herbs and spices amongst the hedgerows of the area. The map shows sites growing of garlic mustard, horseradish and even edible roses. With the vast array of natural produce growing, our work at Edible York can only serve to help the community build up from this great starting point and further develop the sustainable food sources in the area.