With climate change on the rise, Campy Growers believe growing locally is the first step in living more sustainably.
After investing £1m into the Camperdown growing space The Camperdown Growing initiative, also known as Campy Growers, are a community led sustainable food growing group.
Thanks to Dundee City Council the group have a community-building on site which is now a partnership between the two organisations.
Based beside the Wildlife Centre at Camperdown Park in Dundee, the group is made up of 15 volunteers, nine committee members and one part-time staff member, including Project Development Manager Nadege Depiesse (29).
With volunteer drop-in sessions every Friday from 3-5pm there are opportunities to help with all aspects of growing the local fruit and vegetables they produce.
With a polytunnel, outside growing beds, and an orchard the group grows a whole range of items that the local community can enjoy.
Feasibility to food
A feasibility study was conducted in 2019 and organisation for the project took an additional two years, with the first products being grown in 2021.
Nadege said: “When I heard about Campy Growers, I thought it was a great opportunity and something I wanted to be involved in.
“There is a community of local volunteers who are behind the project that are really involved and passionate about it.”
With a part-time job at the Maxwell Centre in their community garden and an education in horticulture and plantsmanship from Elmwood College in Cupar, Nadege used her knowledge to kick-start the growing process.
She said: “We had to do a lot of work to the site before we started growing including looking at the soil and the climate that we live in.
“It’s amazing to see now. We can grow the plants and have created a thriving community.”
What can you grow?
Within the polytunnel the group have managed to grow local and seasonal vegetables including kale, sprouting broccoli and cabbage.
They also have leafy greens such as lettuce and rocket, as well as herbs, beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Outside the tunnel you will find elephant garlic, beetroot and different types of root vegetables.
And with an orchard on-site as well as fruit trees and other plants, the team are able to have seasonal Scottish fruit including apples and pears.
How can I get my hands on free vegetables?
In addition to the drop-in sessions every Friday, volunteers can arrange a time with the staff members to come in and help.
The group also runs a vegetable stall every Saturday from 11am to 1pm where people can pick up free vegetables grown in the polytunnel.
The stall also gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the project and they are also provided with recipes on how to use the produce.
With no experience required the aim is for the space to be a therapeutic garden where individuals leave with the confidence that they have learned something they can replicate at home.
As Nadege puts it, the group is “growing the grower” and educating people about seeds, the climate and be more aware of sustainable ways of living.
Future plans
With their building site currently under construction, Nadege and the team have plans to provide free cookery classes using the fresh produce from the garden in the future.
Other ideas they have had include training in horticulture workshops, conservation projects, DIY in the garden and gardening activities for children.
Based on the season the group will provide events such as how to make wreaths using local goods nearer the festive period.
Plans for 2023 also include providing the option for locals to pay for vegetable boxes containing seasonal produce from the garden delivered directly to their door.
The money from the boxes, as well as any donations from visitors, will help to run the classes and workshops for free.
Conversation