The guerilla gardeners
In 2008, Mary Clear and her friends were feeling shaken by the banking crisis. The future of the world and of their Pennine market town, Todmorden, looked bleak: austerity cuts looming, shop units lying empty, voluntary organisations folding. ‘There was a lot of anxiety about politics, the financial system and the environment,’ recalls Mary.
Their response was inspirational. A group of mainly women, many well into middle-age, called a meeting in Todmorden to ask how ‘we citizens could take back some courage and look after our town’. The result was Incredible Edible (IE), a community gardening project that commandeered patches of land – in car parks, along verges, on waste ground – to grow food that people could freely pick. ‘We chose food because it crosses all ages, classes, creeds. It binds us all,’ says Mary. Without asking anyone (‘Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission’), IE set about its work. Unknowingly, Mary and her co-conspirators sowed the seed for a remarkable global movement. Now, there are over 120 British groups and hundreds more internationally. Over 1,000 visitors hit Todmorden each year to see how IE operates. Locally, 300 volunteers work on several food initiatives, and 44% of residents regularly use IE’S kale, artichokes, rhubarb, bay leaves, sage and such. ‘Herbs cost £1.99 for a sprig. We can grow it like weeds,’ says Mary. There were teething problems. ‘People would pick apples when they were tiny, spit them out and say, “these are disgusting”,’ laughs Mary. IE introduced a ‘traffic light system’ to guide people on the best time to harvest. It’s all about educating and inspiring the wider community. ‘We call it propaganda growing,’ says Mary, now 63, and a full-time activist. ‘If we can grow by the side of the road or make an ugly area beautiful, think what you can do in your back garden.’ incredibleediblenetwork.org.uk Mary’s growing tips ‘Don’t buy good trowels. When you lose them you’ll kick yourself. Buy four cheap ones, then you can afford to lose a few.’
‘Grow suitable plants. In Todmorden, it rains a lot so it’s rhubarb, kale, hardy Japanese greens. Also grow plenty of edible flowers. They’ll look lovely on your plate.’
‘If you’re organising anything in the community, make sure you keep it short and eat together afterwards.
We eat a huge meal after every gardening session. If it’s not fun, it won’t happen.’