What do we do?

Grow Community – Sopwell are volunteers in Sopwell ward, St Albans, working for the benefit of Sopwell residents. We encourage and support local, sustainable food growing, help to connect communities, form friendships & boost biodiversity. You can find out what we’ve been up to over the past year by reading our Annual Report here.

Interested in growing food?

Want to learn more, or help out? Come and join us at the Berners Drive Community Garden ‘working parties’. Suitable for absoute beginners, and experienced gardeners.

We have raised beds and low beds for growing veggies, herbs, herbal tea beds, fruit bushes, a wild area, and an area for children to play and explore, including a bug hotel.

Abbots Ave Planters

We wanted to cheer up the planters by the shops at Abbots Avenue. So, after getting permission, we cleared them out, tidied up the shrubs, planted extra herbs and leaves for picking and making tea, and also made a wildflower patch.

Care about wildlife?

As well as the wildflower patch at the community garden in Berners Drive, we also have a small dedicated wildflower meadow and bug area in Martyr Close. Wildflower meadows encourage insects to help ‘pollinate’ and fertilise our food plants to make them successful!

We also want to encourage our natural wildlife such as bees, butterflies and other flying insects that pollinate such as wasps and hoverflies. We can’t wait to see a beautiful display of colourful wild flowers on that patch.

Birdboxes and seedcakes for birds

The Ver Valley Society partnered with us for an event making and painting loads of lovely bird boxes, which are now up around the area. Maybe you’ve seen one?