York House Community Gardens
It's Your Neighbourhood Group

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Click here for our Explainer sheets:
what we do and how we do it

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​Stony In Bloom volunteers have taken over the maintenance of York House Community gardens since covid times to grow vegetables for the King’s Foodbank in Wolverton and the Fullers Slade Food Pantry.

 

Since 2023 we have been producing about one tonne of produce each year. We calculate that this is enough to provide much needed fresh fruit and vegetables for around 25 families. 

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In 2024 our "In Your Neighbourhood" project has been given another "Outstanding" award at the annual RHS Bitain in Bloom ceremony.

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In 2024 we used a grant from Milton Keynes Community Foundation to help us collect and use rainwater, create leaf mould and compost, make a new bed to grow more winter produce, clear the site of non-compostable waste, and develop our skills in fruit tree management. We’ve done all that and are now looking forward to more growing in 2025!

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New developments in 2025!

York House Community Garden It’s Your Neighbourhood Project is thrilled to receive a 2025 Community Garden Grant of £3,300 from the National Garden Scheme. Our bid was chosen from a very large group of high-quality applicants. It will enable us to sustainably increase the quantity and variety of vegetables and fruit that we grow for local foodbanks.

 

The grant will help to fund four development projects over the coming 12 months: increasing tomato yield by creating an indoor bed within the polytunnel; improving yield from existing outdoor areas by repairing all the raised beds and improving soil everywhere; increasing community engagement so that we recruit more volunteers; and increasing production by turning the old fruit bed over to vegetables and creating a large new soft fruit growing area.  We are required to keep a project log with ‘before and after’ photos, so watch this space for updates!

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Join us in the Community Gardens in 2025!

The Community Gardens are behind York House on London Road – just follow the path through the shrubbery on the right hand side of the building. You’ll find us there on the days and times below.

 

Drop in and relax on the seats in the flower garden or orchard and get to see what we do. Or enjoy some fresh air and gentle exercise with a bit of gardening. Raised beds make it easy on our backs and there’s no digging. You’ll get a warm welcome. Parents/carers can bring children to help or play but are responsible for their safety at all times.

 

There’s no need to book - come when you can, for as long as you can. There’s always a variety of things to do, and tools and guidance are provided.

 

Sunday mornings monthly 10.30-13.00

​For new projects and a catch-up on growing, clearing, and maintenance tasks

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* Big Workparty Days (10.00 to 14.00) once a season involving lots of people

 

Wednesday mornings every week 9.45-12.00

For year-round planting, weeding, tidying, composting, watering and harvesting

 

Another way to get involved

If you have your own garden or allotment, would you be able to add fresh produce to our weekly harvest? We welcome all contributions – drop them off at the Community Gardens by 11am on Wednesdays.

 

Want to know more? Email Alison Matthews.

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​Brief History of York House Community Gardens

• 2011 York House Community Gardens opened, having gained a grant from Ecominds Charity, with the help of Alain Welch. He helped provide a plan for the proposed gardens.

• Community Groups were invited to take a plot – including a group of Mind clients; Stony in Bloom (which used the plot as a nursery for winter plants over the summer); Headstart; the WI;  and Youth Groups.

• In January 2014 SSIB volunteers joined York House volunteers to plant up the orchard as part of the DEFRA Big Tree Plant

• September 2014 Agreement between York House and Theresa Wedderburn’s BranchOutMK CIC (A Community Interest Group providing horticultural therapy for adults with autism and learning difficulties) to oversee the maintenance of the gardens.

• September 2014 York House gained sponsorship and volunteering from Mercedes to build the polytunnel, and in 2016 sponsorship and volunteering help from Mercedes to lay down non-slip paths, and in 2018 to redesign the raised bed at the front, and lay turf for a new lawn and astroturf for a basketball court at the back.

• In 2018 Government cuts meant the Mind group lost their organiser and left, and increasingly, BranchOutMK needed to focus on its larger premises out of Stony Stratford.

• In 2020, with the onset of Covid and foodbanks seeing a huge rise in demand from people in need, and with most plots in York House Community Gardens lying idle, Stony in Bloom volunteers approached the Trustees to suggest that SSIB could grow vegetables there for the Fullers Slade Food Pantry and the King’s Community Foodbank in Wolverton. The Trustees were happy to agree and ever since SSIB has been active every week in the Community Gardens.

• We use No-Dig gardening in our vegetable growing – mulching the plots with leaves, chippings and home-made compost – and have found this method both sustainable and productive. We are increasingly making good use of waste on the site, creating our own compost.

• We have also been maintaining the flower-garden, sowing flowers such as cornflowers, ox-eye daisies, marigolds and scabious – encouraging bees and butterflies. We build bug hotels too.

• In 2021, in the RHS National Finals of the In Bloom Competition, York House Community Gardens were joint winners of the ‘Nourishing the Community’ award.

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