Weed it and reap: why so many Pantries are adding gardens
Many Pantries are adding gardens. We hear of the impact for people's diet, wellbeing and enthusiasm
The garden at Kirkley Church Hall used to be overgrown and largely inaccessible… but not any more.
A small team have turned it into an oasis, laying paths, planters and raised beds, and swapping out knee-high weeds for nourishing wonders.
Today, it’s a welcoming, shared space, abundant with crops and promise, and supporting the community here in Lowestoft, Suffolk. It boasts potatoes and parsnips, beans and berries, lettuce and lemon balm, and more – and many of the crops are reserved for use in Kirkley Pantry, which runs from the hall.
A welcoming garden space, open to anyone
Paulette Holland, pantry coordinator, says: “Over the past few years, a small band of people have turned it into a productive kitchen garden. They provide the Pantry mainly with salad crops, but also a variety of other things.
“The garden is open to anyone. We got the first lot of produce last summer, and we are hopeful of some more this summer. Members really enjoy it and sometimes ask about it.
“It’s a lovely, welcoming space for the community or members of the Pantry and we have some overlap between the gardeners and the Pantry members.”
63% of Pantry members eat more fruit & veg
Kirkley Pantry is one of many in the network that have started growing and sharing more of their own food.
All of us strive to live healthier lives, but doing so is expensive.
Last year, the cost of fresh fruit and veg rose by 14% on average, and there were wide fluctuations, with crops such as swedes, onions and cucumbers seeing huge spikes. This year, we have been warned prices may rise further.
But Your Local Pantry members frequently tell us how much they cherish fresh produce.
In the 2023 social impact report, 98% of members said increasing their household’s fruit and veg intake was important to them, and 63% said they were eating more of it since joining the Pantry.
One member said: “I’m less worried and stressed which in turn is making me a better mum to our disabled daughter. We are all also eating much more fresh fruit and vegetables as these items are becoming very expensive in shops.”
A growing movement across the UK
As well as Kirkley, Hitchin Pantry in Hertfordshire is in the process of adding a garden; St Leonard’s Pantry in Bootle, Merseyside, has a garden on-site including its own polytunnel; Llanrumney Hall Pantry has recently added an allotment; and the new Marlborough Road Pantry opening in Salford later this year will include an allotment as well.
Community Alliance Trust in Craigmillar, Edinburgh, already had a garden, then opened Greenhouse Pantry.
Volunteer Paul Masser says: “I run a couple of gardening sessions a week and anyone can come and help out and get a share of the produce, and we take a lot over to the Pantry, where it is free.
“We try to keep what we grow as varied as possible. We do a lot of potatoes, carrots and onions – things that are always popular, and then there’s stuff like French beans, broad beans, courgettes, squash, cucumber, beetroot, chard.
“Part of it is for people to learn how to grow different things and try things they have maybe not tried or heard of before. There are some things that are very easy to grow, but not easy to find in the shops – so part of what we do is introducing people to things like Swiss chard and kohl rabi.
“The response has been good. A lot of the more unusual veg, and a lot of the greens, are very well received by people from different communities. We have Syrian and Bangladeshi members, and they really appreciate all this stuff, and it’s going down well.
“People often want allotments, but the waiting lists are so long. Having a community project you can dip in and out of is much more accessible for people.”
Gardens, gluts and gleaning in Kent
BeChange runs Aylesham Pantry in Kent, and had a garden through European funding. Now, it has several beds and a greenhouse, even growing their own watermelons last year.
Angela Doggett says: “If we have a glut of something, some goes to the Pantry and some goes to our cooking activities or community lunch. We also have a little kiosk and people who are not Pantry members can take some for a small donation, and that goes back into running the garden, like buying seeds.
“This year our plan is to have a separate plot just for the Pantry. We are trying to work out what will go down well.
“We also get stuff from gleaners. Local farmers have volunteers who go in and pick unpicked produce and it goes to different charities, and we are recipients of that. We want to grow things that we would not get from the gleaners. For instance there are cauliflowers everywhere down here and a lot of apples come in, so we will stay away from those, and try things that are a bit different.
“People really welcome having the fresh produce. In the Pantry, they’re just extras people can have, and people often tell us what they have made with what fresh stuff they’ve taken. It does encourage people to think about veg in their diet, and people enjoy it. It goes really well. In the summer, it’s really nice because people get extra things.
“We have someone employed to run the garden and we have some volunteers who come in, not necessarily just for that. We have just started a gardening course club as well.”
Does your Pantry or church project run a grow-your-own project? Let us know on info@yourlocalpantry.co.uk
These stories are told by Stef Benstead, a social justice campaigner, Manchester Poverty Truth Commissioner, and an expert on the mistreatment of disabled people.
