Bute Park Nurseries are working with community growing groups and volunteers in Cardiff on a new ‘Stay Home, Grow Your Own’ project to help encourage residents to grow their own vegetables and herbs during lockdown.

Thanks to funding from Food For Life Get Togethers vegetable seedlings grown at the Cardiff Council owned Nurseries, including ‘Midnight’ Courgettes, ‘Shiraz’ Peas, ‘Goldcrest’ Sweetcorn, ‘Carmen’ Cucumber and more, will be distributed by Splott based social enterprise Green Squirrel to local residents, families and organisations such as care homes, homeless shelters and the Cardiff Deaf Centre via the Edible Cardiff network.

The network includes Eartha in Roath, Grow Cardiff in Ely/Fairwater and Growing Street Talk in Grangetown/Riverside.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “We’re really pleased we’ve been able to provide integral support to this community project and play a part in helping get more people growing their own vegetables.”

“The team at Bute Park do some fantastic work growing a diverse range of plants for Cardiff’s many parks and green spaces, produce honey from their own bee hives and provide growing space for a local social enterprise - this is another great example of how we can support our communities, particularly at this difficult time.”

Rebecca Clark from Green Squirrel said “We've been so thrilled to see the surge of interest in growing your own over the past months and we wanted to do something to support and encourage this in Cardiff.

“Collaborating with Bute Park plant nursery to grow these seedlings will mean that lots of residents and groups across the city will have access to free plants as well as support and resources to build their skills and confidence.’

“We wouldn't be able to carry out a project on this scale without partnering with local groups like Grow Cardiff, Eartha, Growing Street Talk and Flourish to help us distribute these plants to those that need them. “

Green Squirrel will be distributing plants in Splott and Adamsdown. If you live in those areas then you will be able to collect plants for free on specific dates in May, June and July – the first date is Saturday 30th May and you can collect your plants from the front garden of 222 Railway Street at 10am.

More information is available via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/735210727017424/

Collections/deliveries will also be available in other areas of the city, however please be aware that these groups are taking part on a voluntary basis and may not have the capacity to distribute plants to all those that request them.