Your Health Barnet blog

Across Barnet, residents and communities are coming together to grow their own food. Working together to grow our own food is great for our health and wellbeing, lighter on your pocket and good for the planet.

Community Food Growing Leadership training  

Our 8-week Community Food Growing Leadership training is especially designed for anyone who works or volunteers in a community setting, such as a food bank, school, community centre, etc with an existing or potential food growing space.  This training will provide you with knowledge and experience of how to establish and run a community food growing space. Find out more and/or apply now.

Basing Hill Park, Childs Hill, NW11 8QY

• Group 1: weekly sessions starting Monday 28th April -  (excl bank holidays) 9.30-11.30am
• Group 2: weekly sessions starting Friday 2nd May -  4 - 6pm
• Group 3: weekly sessions starting Monday 7th July -  (excl bank holidays) 9.30-11.30am
• Group 4: weekly sessions starting Fri 5th Sept -  10am -12 noon 

Church Farm Open Space, EN4 8XE

• Group 1:  weekly sessions starting Wednesday 23rd April -  1pm-4pm
• Group 2:  weekly sessions starting Saturday 26th April -  2pm-5pm
• Group 3:  weekly sessions starting Tuesday June 1st - 5pm-8pm
• Group 4:  weekly sessions starting Thursday 4th September  1pm-4pm 

Community Food Growing Drop-in Sessions - all welcome! 

Building on the successful community food growing project from 2024, this year we are expanding provision for drop-in sessions.  Anyone can join, no commitment - come when you can!   Meet other local people and enjoy being outdoors and getting your hands dirty.   There will be a community food growing trainer leading each session. 

Hollickwood Park/ Freehold Community Centre, N10 2EY :  already started - Tuesdays mornings 10am-12pm

Montrose Playing Field, Burnt Oak, NW9 5AT:  Starting March 31st Mondays 12pm-2.30pm and Wednesdays 12.00pm -2.30pm, and Sundays 5pm-7pm.    (enter the park from the Freeway and then immediately turn right and follow the paths til you see  the raised beds) 

Basing Hill Park, Childs Hill, NW11 8QY  Every Tuesday starting 25th March from 9.30am-11.30am  

Contact Katherine.carr@barnet.gov.uk

There are many other fantastic food growing projects across Barnet -  why not get involved?

Incredible Edible Barnet

Incredible Edible Barnet is a small group of people growing fruit, veg and edible flowers outside a church in New Barnet. The group grow food in a public place to show the community what seasonal food looks, and tastes, like. They grow organically with nature and the planet in mind to also support the local wildlife.

The group also loves talking about food! Growing, eating, wasting – it all gets chatted about as they tend their plot. What it means to eat seasonally, what it means to protect the soil and what it means for the community to have food security. We believe small things really can make a better world when we grow together.

Community sessions at our garden are fortnightly on Saturday mornings from 10am to noon. Get in touch to check future dates. Facebook: IncredibleEdibleBarnet, Bluesky: @IncEdibleBarnet, Instagram: Haveagrow or sign up to the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ggT4w5

Stonegrove Community Garden and Orchard

A thriving hub for local gardening enthusiasts, our Gardening Club is the perfect place to learn new skills, share tips, and connect with fellow green-fingered neighbours. Together, we’ve transformed the growing space with herbs and flowers, created raised beds and cared for green spaces across the Stonegrove Estate. The community allotment has over 20 raised beds which have a variety of vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit. Our newly planted Orchard has 7 fruit trees and a variety of fruit bushes.  Barnet residents are invited to join the Garden Club and Orchard Project, which meets every Wednesday from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at OneStoneGrove. For more information, contact Poppy Fishman at poppy@sct.london. 

Food Growing at Tarling Road Community Centre  

Last year a small, grassed area in front of Tarling Road Community Centre in N2 was converted into three growing beds. It was a challenge as there was no running water. Now there is a tap installed beside the garden, a compost project and growing is in full swing. The group is looking for new members, so get involved! Contact brown.kate@btinternet.com  

The Roundabout Garden  

A new project will turn the Cloister Road roundabout into a productive and attractive community-driven garden. Local residents and volunteers will plant and maintain the garden and community members will be invited to contribute ideas, volunteer and share in the harvest. The garden will be designed to incorporate a variety of flowers, vegetables, fruit, and herbs, creating a vibrant and diverse green space for the community to enjoy. Get involved! Contact roundaboutgardennw2@gmail.com.  

Barnet Community Harvesters  A grassroots initiative that harvests Barnet’s surplus fruits such as apples, pears and plums, and shares their haul with food banks and community groups. Since 2020, they’ve harvested nearly six tonnes of fruit. Whether you have fruit to share, or want to help pick and distribute fruit, it is a great way to connect with nature and your community. We also run pruning and fruit tree care workshops. Get involved in some fruity fun! Contact: barnetcommunityharvesters@gmail.com 

Hendon Tiny Orchard The Tiny Orchard was planted in December 2024. It is a publicly accessible site transforming a neglected bit of land into something bountiful, biodiverse and beautiful! The design is based on forest gardening and permaculture principles and we have a multilayered mix of plants, trees, fruit bushes and some unusual edibles. We're currently meeting on an ad hoc basis, everyone is welcome. Contact: barnetcommunityharvesters@gmail.com

Updated March 20, 2025.