Edible Brighton and Hove is a programme of work to maximise food growing in the city.
This is a key priority of the city’s food strategy action plan.
We want to celebrate our existing community gardens and edible spaces, encourage more market gardens, get local people interested and excited about growing their own food and share knowledge around growing, cooking and eating edible plants.
Edible Brighton and Hove is part of the Incredible Edible Network.
The benefits
The benefits are multiple
- Gardening is great for your physical and mental health
- More people will have access to healthy, affordable, fresh food
- Children will have a greater understanding of where their food comes from
- More people will connect with nature where they live
- More plant biodiversity supports local wildlife
- Community gardens can help the city become more climate resilient by reducing flooding, extreme heating and carbon capture.
Current work
Brighton & Hove City Council passed a ‘Right to Grow’ motion to make it easier to create community gardens for food and nature on public land.
Through the Cultivate Project, funded by the European Union, perennial edible planting landscapes have been established in Hollingdean, Preston, Saunders and Stanmer Park and new edible gardens have been supported in Whitehawk and Woodingdean.
The Mile Oak Road housing development offers a unique opportunity to pilot an “edible neighbourhood”. As part of the New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme, it will integrate green community spaces to promote sustainable urban food growing systems and community wellbeing. Currently at design stage, this approach is expected to inform at least two further projects in the pipeline.
The Bite-Size Biodiversity study explored the edible biodiversity (of crops and varieties) in Brighton’s community gardens and allotments, and how these growing spaces connect people, land and urban ecosystems. The study recorded a total of 208 unique crops and almost 700 varieties of edible plants within these growing sites.
Get involved
Want to get growing? Here’s some ideas and resources.
- Come to our Seedy Sunday events in February to swap your seeds and get inspired to grow.
- Search for a community garden near you on our local directory map
- Read our monthly tips on growing your own food
- Get food growing tips and resources from Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group and Brighton and Hove Allotment Federation
- Watch our series of allotment videos
- Help set up an edible garden in a school close to where you live
- Start a street farm
- Make your own compost at home
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, REA or UKRI. Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.
