Businesses based in and around Bristol’s Harbourside are being encouraged to take part in a groundbreaking urban allotment scheme to grow free food in flower beds.
The At-Bristol science centre has partnered with Almondsbury Garden Centre and local food group Incredible Edible Bristol to transform the raised beds in Bristol’s Millennium Square into fruit and vegetable plots.
Almondsbury Garden Centre has donated around £6,000 worth of vegetable plants, fruit trees and herbs and is also providing volunteers to help with the planting. 
Ultimately the five raised beds near At-Bristol’s iconic silver Planetarium dome, which have been filled with ornamental plants, will sprout edible plants.
Organisers want firms located near Millennium Square to take part in the project, with staff volunteering to tend the plots.
At-Bristol head of estates Ellie Hatto said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people to see where food comes from.
“We’ve got a great partnership with both Almondsbury and Incredible Edible Bristol and with their help we’ll be able to transform Millennium Square into a wonderful array of foodie goodness.”
The scheme ties in with an exhibition called simply Food! starting later this month in At-Bristol which follows the journey of food from plot to plate to palate with fun, hands-on activities.
The first bed, planted last month will produce crops of sprouts, kale, marrows, squashes and pumpkins in time for Halloween.
The second bed will be planted on July 26 to coincide with the opening of Food! together with a world record attempt in Millennium Square to create the longest-ever string of popcorn.
The final three ‘edible beds’ will be completed in the autumn and organisers are hoping local businesses will join a special gardening club to look after them.
Richard Truscott from Almondsbury Garden Centre said: “Supporting At-Bristol with their latest adventure is extremely exciting for us. We love to offer continued support to groups who want to inspire a generation and what At-Bristol is doing is a perfect example of how we can help to get projects, large or small, off the ground.
“At-Bristol's enthusiasm and ideas have made creating this bed such great fun. The very fact that At-Bristol have shown such support just highlights how important grow-your-own is to not just us but to our neighbourhoods as well.” 
Sara Venn from Incredible Edible Bristol added: “We’re very excited to be collaborating with At-Bristol and Almondsbury Garden Centre on this ground-breaking edible project in Millennium Square. Our hope is that people will see the raised beds and be inspired to recreate similar projects within their communities, and hope that Incredible Edible Bristol will be able to support them in any way they need to do so.”
Incredible Edibles is a network of more than 200 towns worldwide that join communities together to learn about growing and cooking food within their urban environment, working with local businesses as well as schools and colleges to create communities of growers.
For more information on the project or the new exhibition, email At-Bristol on food@at-bristol.org.uk
