About US

Bedford Fields Community Forest Garden provides:

• A demonstration of how Permaculture and Forest Gardening can be a viable alternative to conventional food production systems.

• Volunteering sessions, workshops and skill shares for people and groups interested in gardening more sustainably.

It is managed by Leeds Permaculture Network and is one of the national Permaculture LAND network of Permaculture demonstration centres.

Visiting Bedford Fields Community Forest Garden

The garden is sometimes closed for groups and workshops, at other times you are free to come in and wander around.

You are welcome to walk around, sit in the sunshine and listen to the birdsong. All we ask is that you do not light fires, take any litter with you and respect our neighbours, as we are in a residential area.

All the plants in the Bedford Fields Community Forest Garden are either edible, medicinal or useful in some way. Some of the edible perennial vegetables are unfamiliar and surprising – many commonly considered 'weeds', flowers, shoots, fungi, wild plants are perfectly edible and delicious.

Bedford Fields is not just for humans, it also an oasis for birds, insects, frogs and a rich seasonal feeding ground for bees, not to mention the many small animals that run and shelter in hedgerows.

Bedford Fields supports diversity and sustainability on every level.

See us in action by taking a look at our gallery here.

What is a Forest Garden?

Bedford Fields has been designed and planted along Permaculture principles and demonstrates a variety of forest gardening techniques, making it a fascinating educational resource for children and experienced gardeners alike.

The forest garden is planted in 'layers', as you find in a natural forest – with a mixture of small and larger trees, climbers, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and ground cover.  Because we mix our plant types, they are not in competition with each other for sunlight and root space, so we can grow more crops in a smaller space.

In the garden you will see vines and rambling roses climbing up trees and big narrow plants partnered with small bushy plants and ground cover to create swathes of unbroken, almost weed-free plantings.

Healthy soil is also one of our top priorities and so we have created a carbon-rich soil full of worms, fungi and other beneficial microbes by employing a no dig and mulch system.

What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a design process. It helps design intelligent systems which meet human needs whilst enhancing biodiversity, reducing our impact on the planet, and creating a fairer world for us all.  It has three core principles Earth Care, Fair Shares and People Care.

You can find more information on Permaculture by visiting the Permaculture Association website

Permaculture is not just about making a fantastic garden, it's also about 'people care' and so we take extra care to make the garden a welcoming, safe space where anyone can contribute to the garden and where you can come any time to immerse yourself in the space. We organise tours, workshops, volunteering sessions, social meetings and other events where further insights into this natural and sustainable art of gardening can be explored.

If you would like to get up-to-date news of our weekly volunteering session or other organised activities on site, or would like to arrange a tour for your group please message us on 07738260619.

2025 programme

Volunteering

Public volunteering sessions inside the garden are suspended during our infrastructure work; however we will be running a series of workshops and also working on our new community orchard area just outside the existing garden (in Partnership with Groundworks, Leeds City Academy and Morgan Sindell)

If you are interested in joining our volunteer WhatsApp group please send your name and a request to join the group to 07 738 240 619.

If you are volunteering please dress to the weather and bring appropriate footwear. PPE and and tools are provided. All volunteers need to understand and abide by our ‘earth care - people care - fair share. principles and show respect to both the garden and each other…

Please read our volunteering handbook here.

Permaculture in Action Sessions

From mid April we will be running regular Permaculture in Action events on Saturdays. These will be practical learning sessions where you can get involved in developing your skills and the garden!

Our Wednesday evening volunteering and social evening programme will commence in mid April 2025

JOIN A GUILD

Our garden currently has an area devoted to natural dye plants (the Guild of Dyers), and this has inspired us to add a few other themed areas that many people have expressed an interest in. We are therefore proposing to develop a Guild of Herbalists when we reopen, We will also be hosting a monthly 'Guild of Designers’ where new and established Permaculture designers can meet, share designs and learn together.

If you are interested in joining (or starting) a Guild message us on 07738 240 619 or  contact us via our Facebook page.

Joanna Dornan, who produced the initial Permaculture design for the garden, and  cleared and planted it.

Leeds Permaculture Network, who initially oversaw the development of the garden until the formation of Friends of Bedford Fields.

Ben Lawson, who joined in 2013 and did an amazing job of developing the garden, he also found funding for the garden and ran a brilliant programme of educational courses. Sadly, Ben left us in 2019 to develop the market garden and veg box scheme at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm.

Nigel Lees, who supervised the planting of the wildlife corridor hedge. Nigel is also responsible for the stewardship management and ongoing development of the Woodhouse Ridge woodlands.

Doug Louis, Parks and Countryside Department, and the Education Department at Leeds City Council for securing and developing the project.

Mercia Southon, who first identified the unused bramble- and bindweed-choked site as a possible community resource, sought and gained permission and funding to initiate the project, and created the quarter-mile wildlife corridor hedge that extends from it to the woodland of Woodhouse Ridge. Mercia also led the public campaign to have the path that runs alongside the gardens and the wildlife corridor hedge registered as a public footpath.

Walter Lewis, Lloyd Spencer and Liliya Farzutdinova Lawson, who have taken brilliant photographs that can be seen on the gallery.

Andrew Lambeth, Nat McAnuff and Step Jones who have created this website.

All the lovely volunteers who have helped to create and maintain the Forest Garden in its first decade.