UK: Bristol’s urban farm revolution how locals are growing their own food

A new market garden is bringing sustainable food and soil regeneration to Bristol, turning waste into nourishment while feeding the community

By Lewis Clarke
Bristol Post
Mar 25, 2025

Excerpt:

A key aim of the initiative is to provide locally grown fruit and vegetables to the community, with a significant portion donated to vulnerable people in the area. The garden will also serve as a hub for education and community engagement, hosting workshops on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and waste-to-soil solutions.

The market garden, spanning up to two acres at Roots’ site in Abbots Leigh, will be integrated into the wider growing community, which already offers allotment patches to local residents as an alternative to lengthy council waiting lists.

Ed Morrison, co-founder of Roots Allotments, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce this new partnership with Generation Soil. When it comes to partners for our market garden, they truly are a fantastic fit as we share the same vision of empowering communities and driving local food security through sustainable practices.

“I’m really excited to see what the team achieves with the market garden, nurturing and regenerating the soil to grow fantastic produce. This will then create a resilient and sustainable food source for the community, supporting local people and businesses, as well as those who struggle to access quality produce that is full of nutrients and free from chemicals.”

Alex Montgomery, founder and director of Generation Soil, added: “When the opportunity came up to partner with Roots on its market garden initiative, it was one we couldn’t pass up. We want to inspire and empower communities to think differently about waste and food and encourage them to adopt circular food systems that help reduce waste, improve our soil and benefit the environment. Through the growing of quality produce and community outreach, this market garden partnership with Roots is a great way to do this.”

As Roots expands across the UK, including sites in Bath, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stourbridge, and Chelmsford, the organisation plans to establish more market gardens to enhance local food production and improve access to fresh, sustainable produce.

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