Garden Folk CIC is a creative and collaborative community of artists, growers and local people working to cultivate connections with the land and seasons around us. Together we exist to nourish and sustain all folk as we sing, dance, garden, create and celebrate our way towards a more resilient future.
Based at Purple Patch, a market garden in the heart of Bristol, our work focuses on promoting and facilitating collaboration between people, land and the arts.
This work involves the growing and creating of: a diversity of fruit, veg, salad and flowers; seasonal folk-inspired events; educational and engaging workshops.
the story
Garden Folk CIC has grown from the work, experience and imagination of Alex Goodman, Vivien Martineau (‘V’) and their friends and supporters at Purple Patch.
Established by Mary Conway in 2015, Purple Patch is a regenerative market garden in the heart of Bristol and is located at Watercress Farm, a smallholding which has been under cultivation ever since the mediaeval era.
In 2021 Mary handed the garden over to Alex who at the time was working with V at The Community Farm in Chew Magna. V joined Alex as assistant grower in 2022 and while keeping up with growing the
produce for veg boxes and salad subscriptions, they developed the idea for a community interest company which incorporates community, creativity and folk traditions into food, farming and land practices.
Today, as Garden Folk CIC, we are continuing to manage the land at Purple Patch in ways which help it and our community of people, plants, wildlife and microbes to thrive.
Find out more about The Garden and The Folk and our produce, news and events via the links below!
Find out more about the garden, what we’re growing and how you can have a share of our weekly harvests.
Learn all about the folk of the garden - the people, the plants, the animals, the soil life and the stories.
