Growing Together – A Morning at Reeth Community Vegetable Garden
This morning, I wandered down to the Reeth doctors’ surgery garden, where a wonderful little project is quietly flourishing. Tucked away behind the surgery, the Reeth Community Vegetable Garden, run by the tireless efforts of Sustainable Swaledale, is proving to be so much more than just a patch of soil. It’s a place where food, friendship, and community spirit grow side by side.
The first thing that caught my eye was the garden plan chalkboard, sketched out with neat boxes for herbs, vegetables, fruit bushes, and even a section for the local schoolchildren’s beds. There’s something heartening about seeing a garden mapped out like that, it tells the story of intention, care, and shared vision.
Leeks and onions stand tall in their raised beds, their green blades catching the morning light, while nasturtiums add a cheerful splash of colour at the edges. Wheelbarrows, tools, and watering cans sit ready for the next pair of willing hands. It’s not the kind of polished perfection you might see in glossy gardening magazines, but rather the honest, lived-in look of a space that is worked, loved, and productive.
A sign at the entrance welcomes everyone to come and be a part of it. That’s the beauty of this project, it isn’t fenced off or hidden away, it’s open to the whole community. Anyone can stop by, lend a hand, or even just take a moment to admire the progress. Children from the local primary school have their own patch too, a small section proudly labelled in their handwriting, proof that this is a place where learning takes root alongside the vegetables.
There’s a special sort of magic in community gardens. They’re not just about growing food; they’re about growing connections. Sustainable Swaledale has created a hub where people of all ages can come together, share skills, and feel part of something grounded in both tradition and future-thinking. In an age when so much of our food feels distant and disconnected, there’s something deeply reassuring about pulling a potato straight from the soil or picking beans that have been tended by neighbours.
This morning’s visit left me smiling and not just because of the produce. It’s the kind of project that reminds you how resilient, resourceful, and caring a community can be. The Reeth Community Vegetable Garden may not make headlines, but in its quiet way, it’s changing lives. And to me, that’s something worth celebrating.
