About
Jock Tamson’s Gairden is an open green space, which is home to community gardens in a beautiful, small parkland setting. The roots of this Gairden are in the diligent labours and enthusiasm of a team of volunteers and groups drawn from the community of Edinburgh. The name comes from that well-loved Scottish saying ‘we’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns’ or in English ‘we’re all John Thomson’s children’ and celebrates the egalitarian nature of what we do here: it is a garden for the whole community welcoming everyone regardless of age, ability, sexuality or background.
Commitment to sustainability
We grow produce using organic methods; no pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers. We use companion planting to encourage beneficial insects, plant mixed native hedging to encourage wildlife and maintain wild margins to preserve our border with Duddingston Loch SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Fertility comes from composting weeds and crops residues and from leaf-mould composters. We have a no-bonfire policy but instead are moving towards chipping all of our woody waste onsite to produce materials for path surfacing and mulching.
We aim to raise organically-grown produce; vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit which we sell at our on-site stall, supply to Edinburgh Community Food and for free donation to our local community food larder.
We’re achieving these goals
- Using local suppliers, Reducing food waste, Reducing plastic packaging, Using local and/or organic produce, Actively working to reduce carbon emissions