Nothing tastes better than home-grown fruit & veg, and it’s a great way to get outdoors, appreciate the seasons and learn something new. Youngsters love to dig and water, and to taste what’s been grown. Fellow gardeners can help with advice and swapping resources, and you can help support wildlife by avoiding chemicals and providing different habitats, like compost heaps. Here’s a few local links to get you started:
Seed Potatoes
LADAS usually sell seed potatoes at one of the Linlithgow Artisan Market dates.
Community Gardens
St Vincent de Paul volunteers grow crops to donate to the Trussel Trust, in raised beds at St Michael’s Catholic Church on Blackness Road.
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Linlithgow
St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Linlithgow
1st Step, a local recovery charity, grow fruit and veg to share at their lovely site behind the Longcroft Hall. The group also runs the local food pantries, where surplus harvests can be donated.
Allotments
There are three allotment sites on the outskirts of Linlithgow:
Oakwell Allotments, a privately owned site at Oakwell, are run by the Linlithgow and District Allotment Society (LADAS), plotholders need to live within 5 miles of the site, and be over 16.
Linlithgow & District Allotment Society – LADAS
Muiravonside Community Growing Plots, at Muiravonside Country Park, owned by Falkirk Council & plotholders must live within 10 miles. Contact via muiravonsidegrowingarea@gmail.com
Caulders Linlithgow allotments (previously Rouken Glen) towards Blackness is a private site, and anyone can apply for a plot by contacting Caulders Garden Centres.
Caulders Linlithgow Allotments | Facebook
Orchards
There are community orchards at the Vennel and the Leisure Centre, originally planted by Transition Linlithgow (now part of LCDT) and managed by Burgh Beautiful.
Linlithgow Burgh Trust – Burgh Beautiful
Muiravonside Country Park has an orchard area near the Community Growing Plots.
Advice
The Farmily Facebook group can be searched for information & advice – leggy seedlings were a popular topic!
The Linlithgow and District Allotment Society (LADAS) provide seasonal growing tips on their website and also via the Black Bitch community magazine, which is delivered free to town residents.
Monthly growing guide – Linlithgow & District Allotment Society
There is also a Grow your own Falkirk and Surrounding Facebook group which offers similar support to the Farmily group: