Good Bugs and Giant Vegetables!

The first ever CityHarvest festival took place at Spitalfields Market on Sunday October 4th, 1998. Louise Davey, who worked on the project in the hectic build up to the event, reports on the tremendous success of the days fun and activities.

Judith Hanna of the Permaculture Association with an encouraging message

To celebrate the surprising quantity and range of food grown in London this season, organisations as diverse as City Farms, Allotment Societies, Community gardening projects and Support organisations attended the first ever London CityHarvest Festival. Here they proudly exhibited their produce, including a whole variety of fresh home-grown, and wild vegetables as well as jam, honey and wine made from grapes grown in London.

As well as having fun, the organisations were there to promote gardening as a means of stress relief, education and conserving the environment as well as an affordable way of obtaining good quality nutritious food. Alongside them were innovative individuals who did not own a garden or allotment, but did not let this deter them from growing food. Raised beds, window boxes, and grow bags, in places such as roof tops and balconies were some of the imaginative ways used.

As well as produce and information, there were a number of activities throughout the day. Cooking demonstrations by Olivia Watson, former Chef, used foods grown locally to create delicious dishes. Martin Smith, Chairman of the One Tree Hill Allotment Association, demonstrated home composting and Patrick Robinson impressed the crowds with his wine making talents - clearly a good man to know! There was a theatrical performance to highlight currrent concerns about Genetically Modified Organisms. And to top the day 'Heathens All' performed lively jigs powered by volunteers pedalling on generator-cycles !

Katherine Starke of the Dulwich Horticultural and Chrysanthemum Society with some of the fruit trees on show

Part of the display of organically-grown vegetables from Becontree Organic Growers

Children could have their face painted, stroke the animals which included a sheep, a goat and some ducklings. To sum up, the festival was a real celebration of food growing, cultures, education and the environment, in London, by Londoners. Hope to see you there next year!

For more information about the NFA/SAFE CityHarvest project, contact Lucy Gillie on 0171 837 1228.