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Growing to eat – cultivating wellbeing in Glasgow

Over the past two years, the RHS, in collaboration with the NHS Green Team, started a grow your own programme in Glasgow in response to urgent food insecurity

The ‘Grow to Eat’ programme, created by RHS Community Outreach Advisor Angela Smith, recognises the challenges local residents are facing as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and the impact of food poverty.

Angela set about empowering people in Northeast Glasgow with the skills and knowledge to grow their own produce, with the intention of supplementing their diet with fresh fruit and vegetables. She also hoped they would gain a sense of community and shared experience with others that might improve their mental health. ‘Grow to Eat’ has become much more than just a few gardening workshops. For many, it’s a way of guaranteeing a meal on the table and of feeling more resilient.

We come down in the evenings to harvest what we can to make a meal for our supper, as we are in dire straits. Thank you for teaching us how to grow our own, this is a lifeline for us and for many more families too.

Grow to Eat participant

Make one, take one – sharing gardening knowhow

Monthly sessions aim is to increase self-esteem and opportunity in an area of multiple deprivation
The group shared skills, knowledge and produce with one another
Participants were provided with growing kits, planters and crafting materials to kick-start their gardening journey. Angela ran monthly sessions at Cranhill Community Garden, which was set up by Cranhill Development Trust, aim to increase self-esteem and opportunity in an area of multiple deprivation, through community-based activities and services. Angela taught them everything from seed sowing to harvesting, and even cooking with fresh produce. The group shared skills, knowledge and produce with one another, creating a ripple effect of positivity and support. Underpinning the whole programme was an ethos of ‘make one, take one’, ensuring people could share their skills, knowledge and anything they grew or created with their community.

It is a joy to deliver the workshops. I look forward to meeting with everyone and feel I am helping a little. It’s been a real eye opener and a harsh realisation of the extreme hardship some families are facing out there. The programme has addressed food poverty head on and helped connect people to nature.

Angela Smith, RHS Community Outreach Advisor
The impact of ‘Grow to Eat’ extended beyond the confines of community gardens. The group joined national RHS campaigns like the RHS Big Seed Sow, where they sowed seeds together and celebrated the fruits of their labour. They also worked with the RHS Trials team, to help determine the best beans to grow in community settings.

Documenting the journey through art

Cranhill participants creating floral cyanotype prints
Artist partnership Coulson & Tennant (commissioned by Street Level Photoworks, in partnership with Open Eye Gallery) worked with Cranhill Community Development to document their experiences of learning how to grow food and through photography workshops. Together, they made an informal magazine (‘zine’), co-designed and co-created by participants, showcasing their journey and achievements. In it, Cranhill participants created floral cyanotype prints to accompany recipes and resources for food growing.

The magazine documented skills the group had learned during the workshops, such as plant propagation. Here are their top tips:

Five propagation tips:

  • Compost with good drainage will give the best results.

  • Choose healthy non-flowering stems for softwood and semi-ripe cuttings.

  • Root cuttings cannot be used to propagate variegated plants as the new offspring plants will have plain leaves.

  • Propagation techniques should not be carried out in hot weather as cutting material may wilt and never recover. To prevent wilting, ensure cut plant material is stored in plastic bags to retain moisture. Store the bag of material in the fridge if you cannot prepare the cuttings immediately.

  • Water loss and fungal problems are the biggest problems when taking leaf and stem cuttings. Cut any leaves in half and cover the container with a plastic bag or propagator lid but remember to air the plants frequently to prevent fungal problems.

Easy plants to propagate from:

  • Leaf cuttings – African violet (Streptocarpus) and Begonia.

  • Softwood cuttings – Mint, Pelargonium, Buxus, Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Penstemon and sage.

  • Semi ripe cuttings – Sage, rosemary, Cotoneaster, Pieris and Hebe.

  • Hardwood cuttings – Dogwood, currants and Hedera.

  • Division – Chives, marjoram, Ajuga and clump-forming grasses.

  • Root cuttings – Perennial poppies, Primula, Acanthus, Anemone and Robinia.

Find out more about propagation

What’s next?

Throughout 2024, the RHS will be bringing together both seasoned growers and beginners to create a stronger, more resilient network
The ‘Grow to Eat’ project is being showcased as part of the ‘We Feed the UK’ exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, using the power of positive storytelling to promote regenerative agriculture and community resilience. One of the galleries has been turned into a cinema, showing the ‘Grow to Eat’ films.

Throughout 2024, the RHS will be bringing together both seasoned growers and beginners to create a stronger, more resilient network. Angela and her team are collaborating with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Glasgow City Health & Social Care Partnership, to support the development of a new health and social care hub, integrating garden spaces into healthcare settings.

Through collective efforts, we’re nurturing wellbeing, fostering connections and sowing the seeds of a brighter future for Glasgow communities. Find out more about our Community Outreach work.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.