ROOTS ALLOTMENTS x GENERATION SOIL: Our Food Forest Market Garden is Taking Shape!

It’s official. The first beds for the Generation Soil x Roots Allotments Food Forest Market Garden are going in over the next two weeks, and we could not be more excited. This project has been months in the making, and thanks to the incredible support of our community, we are finally ready to start building the foundation for a thriving, regenerative growing space in Bristol.

A Big Step for Bristol’s Local Food Future

This isn’t just about planting vegetables. The Food Forest Market Garden is part of a bigger vision, to create a resilient, regenerative, and community-powered local food system. By growing food regeneratively, improving soil health, and encouraging biodiversity, we are working towards a healthier future for people, wildlife, and the planet.

Over the next fortnight, we’ll be laying out the very first six 20-metre no-dig beds, following the pioneering methods of grower Charles Dowding. These beds will be 1.2 metres wide, the perfect size for easy access while making the most efficient use of space. Between each bed, there will be 30-centimetre living woodchip paths, and these paths are not just for walking.

Living Paths for Living Soil

So, what makes these paths “living”? This is where things get exciting. We’ll be inoculating the paths with clover and winecap mushrooms. This combination brings powerful benefits:

Nitrogen fixation: 

Clover naturally pulls nitrogen from the air and stores it in the soil, feeding the crops without synthetic fertilisers.

Mycelial networks: 

Winecap mushrooms will create underground fungal connections that help plants exchange nutrients and water.

Delicious mushrooms: 

And as a bonus, we’ll harvest tasty winecap mushrooms for the community.

This approach fits perfectly with our ethos of regenerative agriculture, working with nature, not against it, and building soil that becomes healthier year after year.

Why No-Dig?

No-dig growing is all about protecting soil structure and life. Instead of turning the soil, we layer compost on top, mimicking the way nature builds fertility. This method:

• Preserves soil microorganisms and fungi

• Reduces weed pressure

• Helps soil retain moisture

• Stores more carbon in the ground

Healthy soil is the heart of a sustainable food system. By starting our market garden with no-dig beds, we’re ensuring a strong foundation for future harvests.

Volunteering Opportunities

We want this project to be built with the community, not just for the community. If you are keen to get your hands dirty and learn about regenerative growing, now is the perfect time to join us as a volunteer.

From laying beds and planting clover to building compost bays and caring for crops, there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm and a willingness to help out.

Drop us a message or leave a comment to sign up for volunteer updates. We’ll keep you posted on upcoming work days at the site.

Thanks to Our Supporters

We wouldn’t be at this stage without the amazing people who supported our Food Forest Market Garden Crowdfunder. Together, you helped raise £1,557 to get this project off the ground. Your contributions are already being put to work buying the tools, materials, and resources needed to make our plans a reality.

This is a powerful example of community action in Bristol, people coming together to create practical solutions for food security, soil regeneration, and climate resilience.

Our August Plans

This month is all about turning ideas into reality. Here’s what’s on the list for August:

✅ Buy tools and materials to get building

✅ Lay six 20-metre no-dig produce beds

✅ Broadfork the beds to aerate the soil without disturbing its natural layers

✅ Create 30-centimetre wide woodchip paths between the beds

✅ Inoculate the paths with clover and winecap mushrooms

✅ Plant the first crops (varieties to be announced soon!)

Once this stage is complete, we’ll be ready to start hosting regular volunteer days so that anyone interested in food growing can get involved.

A Shared Vision for the Future

Our partnership with Roots Allotments is more than just a collaboration; it’s a shared commitment to re-imagining how we grow and share food. The market garden will produce fresh, chemical-free vegetables for local people, with the potential for a Bristol-grown veg box scheme to launch shortly.

But it will also be a living classroom, a space for food system education, composting workshops, and hands-on learning about soil health, biodiversity, and climate solutions.

By integrating agroforestry and no-dig market gardening with composting and community engagement, we are creating a truly circular food system, one where waste becomes a resource, soil gets richer every year, and people feel connected to what they eat.

Why This Matters for Bristol

Food security is an urgent challenge. Much of our food travels thousands of miles before it reaches our plates, and the soils that grow it are often degraded by chemical agriculture.

Local projects like the Food Forest Market Garden provide a different model, one that keeps food production close to home, improves local ecosystems, and empowers communities with the skills to feed themselves sustainably.

Bristol already has a strong network of allotments, community gardens, and local producers. By adding a regenerative market garden into the mix, we can strengthen that network and inspire others to take similar action.

How to Get Involved

If you share our passion for healthy soil, fresh food, and community action, here’s how you can join us:

1. Volunteer at the site – Help build and care for the market garden.

2. Follow our journey online – Stay updated on progress, workshops, and harvests.

3. Join future veg box schemes – Support local, chemical-free produce.

4. Spread the word – Tell friends, neighbours, and local groups about our work.

   
   

This is just the beginning. With every spade of living compost, every seed planted, and every volunteer who joins in, we are building a stronger, healthier, and more sustainable Bristol.

Generation Soil CIC x Roots Allotments invites you to be part of something special. Let’s regenerate our soils, grow amazing food, and create a market garden that will nourish our community for years to come.