The YMCA Community Garden provides fresh fruit and vegetables ‘grown by the community for the community’. The space is managed a voluntary group called YGrowers. The project began in January 2018 and has been an ongoing development made in collaboration with local community members and young people at Discovery College.
Food grown in the garden is distributed to local people in crisis via foodbank Provide Devon based in Burrington Way.
As well as this, the garden hosts outdoor education projects and therapeutic workshops to support people’s mental health.
See how we developed the second phase of our garden in this short video below!
What’s in the garden?
The community garden grows seasonal produce all year round and has already planted 21 trees and over 33 varieties of plants, shrubs, vines and herbs.
What are we growing?
Pear, cherry, almond, plum and apple trees.
Kiwi, fig, blackcurrants, strawberries , blueberries, garlic, onion, sprouts, cabbage, courgettes, broccoli, potatoes, rhubarb, parsley, coriander, basil, lavender and a variety of flowers.
Outdoor Classroom
Our Community Garden also hosts with an outdoor sheltered learning space with benches and is suitable for up to 15-20 people. This space is available to hire along with using the rest of our garden. Please contact us for more details.
Mayflower 400 Mural
In 2021 a large artwork was installed in the garden as part of the Mayflower 400 celebrations. The artwork was made to embody the elements of the garden as well as the Mayflower 400 celebration themes of Humanity, Freedom, Imagination and Future.
The artwork was produced with ideas from young people and the community produced in workshops led by KG Design for Living. The final artwork was then painted by local artist Marcus Nodwell.
A garden that gives back…
YMCA Plymouth have a partnership with a local foodbank where produce grown in the garden is donated to Provide Devon.
Provide Devon give emergency food hampers to people facing crisis.
Find out more about Provide Devon
How to get involved
Visit the garden
Our garden is open to the public on selected days.
Please contact us for more details.
Hire the space
If you are interest in using our garden to run a project or for any other work purposes, please contact us.
Sign up to an activity
We have various workshops and programmes involving our garden space throughout the year.
Please contact us to find out more.
Volunteering
Anybody is welcome to volunteer to help maintain and look after our garden. Tasks you can get involved include planting, weeding, sowing seeds and other general work within the garden.
Complete our volunteer application form below, or contact us for more information.
Contact us
To get involved please email us at vic.h@ymcaplymouth.org.uk or call us on 01752 201918
