Tucked away on a little road behind Church Lane, there is a vegetable box marked ‘Incredible Edible’. I stood there in the sunshine, looking at the plants labelled ‘mint’, ‘sage’ and ‘lettuce’. A few minutes later, Jenny, a volunteer at Incredible Edible, met me, waving and smiling. She was waiting to give me a tour of the wildlife area, but first, the interview commenced.
“The founders are Pam and Mary of Incredible Edible Todmorden. They set it up just thinking it’s a no-brainer… like all of your ‘In Bloom’ groups, let’s grow veg in public places for people to take for free! It’s a bit of a lost art, how to grow (plants).”
Jenny also told me how Incredible Edible started in Garforth.
“Incredible Edible National got started in Todmorden and they said ‘everyone can copy what we do’ and they got a website, and lots of top tips on how to set up your own group. In 2019, somebody called Dan Robinson in Garforth set up a meeting and he invited the Garforth allotments, he invited Garforth in Bloom, and I was one of those other people that thought ‘that’s amazing, I wanna see this.’”
She was quick to tell me about how, alongside care homes and schools in Garforth, many organisations have helped Incredible Edible.
“We’ve been supported by Garforth In Bloom, by the councillors, by lots of different companies as well… Matt Sellars, the Wood Chips Tree Surgeon, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Fast Signs…”
“A big positive about what we do is that it brings people together.”
When I asked about whether the volunteers were all ages, she laughed and told me about the youth groups that got involved.
“(One) was thirteen at one point, who had their own veg bed, but we’ve definitely got younger than that, because I think our volunteers bring their kids. We’ve had groups like Scouts, we’re going to be having, very soon, Brownies and Guides and Rainbows.”
Incredible Edible has also had Duke of Edinburgh and King’s Trust volunteers.
However, there are things that Jenny thought could always be improved!
“The beds… need a bit of community support. We’re not (always) around to keep an eye on them. We just need people to keep an eye out if they’re looking okay. People are also too polite to pick the food that’s grown there. Take a handful! Enjoy it!”
Later on, after the interview, I did pick quite a bit of wild garlic, which I then made into a delicious garlic bread back home.
I asked Jenny about how many regular volunteers Incredible Edible had, and she told me.
“About twenty or so, but some volunteers might come up with fundraising ideas, some might be happy growing seeds at home and not getting involved. It all depends on what people’s passions are.”
“I personally grow the herbs at the doctors’ practice. When I approached the doctors’ practice in early 2020, I said ‘can we grow some veg outside?’ They said ‘Absolutely!’”
Of course, I had to find out how someone interested in Incredible Edible could join.
“Just message us on our Facebook, or turn up at one of our events! There is an email, garforth@edibleleeds.org.uk. As volunteers, we tend to meet once a month, either online or face to face, just to plan out what kind of activities we want to do, what’s growing, whether we need to do fundraising, or anything like that. People would be welcome to come to that, as well.”
Anything else from Jenny?
“We’ve got a little veg library at the doctors’. The other place we have is the little seed library IN Garforth Library.”
Well, there it is! Anyone who is interested in getting free flower, fruit or other flora seeds could visit in order to find something new to put in their garden.
After the interview, I was delighted to visit Incredible Edible’s wildlife area. I was shown around a huge outdoor space, complete with a fire pit, apple trees, a space for a beekeeper, a little pond for hedgehog swimming, an entire field full of wild garlic, and mini tree forts. It was a place for adventure and imagination, Jenny told me. When the seasons changed, Incredible Edible would host apple pressing, Halloween and Christmas events here for children and adults alike.
I wondered whether I should pay another visit in summer- it seemed like an excellent place to sit down and relax for a while.
Maybe this is not the last The Garforth Gazette will see of Incredible Edible…
The Facebook page for Incredible Edible can be found here. Most photos belong to Incredible Edible. More local groups will be covered by The Garforth Gazette in the future!
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