🌱 The Children’s Food Forest Garden
The Children’s Food Forest Garden, located in the Old Witney Road play area, is open for everyone to enjoy throughout the year. It is a community project — created by the community, for the community.
🌿 How the Idea Began
The idea began in 2021, when Milly was serving as an Eynsham Parish Councillor. The site had just been returned to the Parish Council after its use as an allotment ended, and at the time it was covered in weed membrane.
Inspired by a visit to Martin Crawford’s Food Forest Garden in Dartington, Milly saw the potential for a local “food forest garden” — a way of growing food sustainably by working with nature. As a member of food team at GreenTEA, an environmental group in Eynsham for sustainable living, she saw how naturally the concept of “food forest garden” aligns with the sustainable food goals.
🌳 What Is a Food Forest Garden?
A Food Forest Garden mimics the structure of a natural woodland, with layers of plants to maximize space and create a thriving ecosystem:
Fruit and nut trees — the top layer
Berries and shrubs — the middle layer
Herbs and perennial vegetables — the ground layer
Also like a forest, the plants in a Food Forest Garden are perennial. This means they stay year after year, reducing the need for re‑planting and avoiding constant disturbance of the soil. This allows plant roots and the wider soil ecosystem to grow stronger with each passing season. Food Forest Garden is designed to be self-sustaining once established, like a forest.
🛠️ Building the Garden
Getting to that point, however, required a lot of work. The first steps involved replacing the broken fence and removing kilos of weed membrane. Since 2021, Milly has been organising community working sessions in spring and autumn to add new edible plants. These sessions have been well supported by local residents, including children and parents from Eynsham Primary School.
We are especially grateful to David, our local gardener, who has been generously sharing his expertise to support this project. Our thanks also go to Sam for repairing the water collector, to Jamie for kindly providing water when needed, to Fay for designing our logo, and to Cllr Ross for kindly supplying wood chips.
🌼 How the Garden Looks Today (2026)
The garden is now starting to flourish:
Top layer trees — apple, pear, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, fig, and heritage medlar
Middle layer berries — raspberries, jostaberries, thornless blackberries, and currants
Ground layer perennials — Welsh onions, Chinese chives, thyme, and more
The plants are still young and need regular care. A dedicated group of volunteers — Victoria, Jen, Peter, Nic, and Milly — share weekly watering and weeding in-between the Spring and Autumn community sessions. We are also grateful to Ben and Jeremy, who kindly mow the grass each month.
🌻 A Community Effort
The Children’s Food Forest Garden exists because so many people have given their time, energy, and enthusiasm. A heartfelt thank‑you to everyone who helps in every way - from joining our community working sessions, to donating plants, to sharing skills and support. Your involvement is what makes this a truly community space.
🍃 A Place for Children to Explore
Please do pop in and see how the area changes with time and through the seasons. Little ones from the nursery have already enjoyed nature walks there, spotting plants and wildlife. Children from Eynsham Community Primary School have planted marigold seeds and made visits to help care for the Children’s Food Forest Garden.
We hope this becomes a space where children can connect with nature, learn where food comes from, and enjoy tasting fresh produce — perhaps a bit like Alice in Wonderland, only this time an edible wonderland.