The secret garden hidden in a housing complex that no one knows about

A secret garden is hidden in a housing estate in Toxteth.

The garden began as a project called Growing Granby with an allotment on a site off Kingsley Road. About seven years ago, youth group Unity lost their land to plans by the housing association that owned the land.

But the Steve Biko Housing Association later allocated them a piece of land which they nicknamed their secret garden.

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Julie Smith, the Unit’s youth co-ordinator, told the ECHO: “The Secret Garden was born out of Growing Granby, which was set up on Kingsley Road. We held an assembly at Kingsley School with Growing Granby and our children from the school and planted apple trees throughout the L8 area to establish the Granby Orchard.

“We lost that land to a housing association because they were going to build on it. Then Steve Biko Housing Association gave us that plot of land, hidden in a housing estate, and thus the Secret Garden (SG) was born. of the Growing Granby project)

“Post covid, our youth started organizing cleanup days on SG and raised beds were built to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables and fruit trees on the edges. Some of the children who first worked at him when he moved seven years. ago, they have since become young adults, but other kids still at the club continue to watch over SG.”

There are individual allowances allocated to community members, 12 in total. Unity Kids oversees SG; performing cleanings, supervising the site and reporting problems to staff.

Thomas, 10, said: “I’ve been to the allotment many times, I love growing food and my favorite thing to grow is carrots. I made carrot cake at home with my baby and then shared it with my baby.

“I love growing strawberries and eating them myself. I have a garden at home and sometimes I grow things there, like carrots and strawberries.

“In the future, I’ll grow even more things at home because of the fact that I go landscaping.”

Layla, 10, added: “I like going to the shed because they make bird feed there and the things we’ve grown there we can go back and make things. I planted potatoes and made potato wedges with them.

“My favorite thing to grow is strawberries because they’re pretty and delicious. I eat them and sometimes I make smoothies with them.”

New to the allotment, 11-year-old Hamdi said: “I went once and enjoyed all the different plants. I love that I will be able to plant things in the future, lots of fruit, especially strawberries.

“I’ll just eat and when we get apples I’d like to make apple crumble in the summer. I don’t have a garden at home, but I want to learn as much as I can.”

Hamdi expressed his interest that in the future he can grow things at home using planters. The young people involved have made a plaque which will be placed there once it is varnished for weather resistance.

Nellie, 10, said: “I like to go and when the strawberries are ready I like to pick them and bring them back to the Unit.”

Strawberries are definitely a favorite for many of the kids, along with apples to make crumble. They also plant; tomatoes, raspberries, beans over potatoes and carrots.

Over the years they have built a rain collector as there is no water supply on site. They came up with an ingenious way to catch the rain using a covered picnic area; several large buckets and wheelie bins are used to catch water runoff from the shelter, which was built with the help of children from the youth club.

Youth activity co-ordinator Julie continued: “They take immense pride in showing off what they’ve grown. They eat healthy, home-cooked food here every day (some of it provided by the allowance).

“It’s probably teaching young people skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives, that’s the main thing, and how they can enjoy planting a seed, tending to it, watching it grow, harvesting it and then eating it “.

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