About

In 2025 a handful of local people started working to bring the former Debdale Eco-Centre in Debdale Park, East Manchester back to life as a community garden. The large site has mature fruit trees, raised beds, poly tunnels, a pond and cabins next to Debdale Reservoir.

So far we have been working hard to bring the garden back to life, we have cleared the site and planted new crops, more volunteers are joining every week, and we have ambitions to make this a sustainable resource for the whole community.

We're not there yet and you are welcomed to join us by coming along to our weekly volunteer sessions to get involved and become part of our community.

Illustration of people gardening, harvesting vegetables, and preparing a meal with fresh produce including tomatoes, carrots, radishes, and leafy greens.

Our Vision

As it develops our vision is that the garden will work across four connected areas of activity. Together they create something greater than any one strand could achieve alone.

GROW
A Productive Community Market Garden
Organic food production using regenerative permaculture methods. Free community meals. Volunteer-led growing sessions open to everyone. A café and kitchen serving garden-to-plate food.

HEAL
A Medicinal and Wellbeing Garden
A physic garden of native medicinal plants grown in clean soil. Free harvesting for local residents. Herbal workshops on identification, preparation, and safe home use. Green prescribing sessions for people referred by GPs and social prescribers. Therapeutic horticulture for those experiencing isolation, anxiety, or poor mental health.

CREATE
Culture, Art, and Making
Annual residencies for artists, writers, and researchers responding to the garden and its ecology. Public workshops in pottery, printmaking, natural dyeing, and creative writing. Seasonal events, campfire suppers, live music, and shared meals. An outdoor space for rotating installations and commissions.

SUSTAIN
Ecology and Stewardship
Active habitat creation and management. Such as bat and bird boxes, ponds, wildflower meadows, and pollinator corridors. Composting at scale. Citizen science and biodiversity monitoring with local residents.

A circular diagram with interconnected circles labeled Grow, Heal, Create, and Sustain, each representing aspects of a community garden focused on productivity, healing, culture, and ecology.

See our vision document for more information