Dig for the future in Todmorden

Mary Clear spots evidence of 'guerilla gardening' in Todmorden

'Local food for local people' is the message in Todmorden as the town's inhabitants embrace the idea of growing produce on their own doorsteps.

The idea's simple, really: to get as many people as possible to grow their own food.

"If a kid can see that a carrot doesn't grow at the supermarket then that'll make our day!" says Pam Warhurst from Incredible Edible Todmorden.

She believes this 'back to basics' approach is vital for the future.

Pam explains: "If you only buy your carrots from the supermarket, they're immaculate, clean and cold. Who'd ever know they come from the mucky ground? Kids don't know that...We're concerned that we've become detached from looking after ourselves and our families and feeding them."

The time's come to put a bit of common sense back. Pam Warhurst, Incredible Edible Todmorden

Incredible Edible Todmorden's supporters are encouraging everyone to get down and dirty and grow their own - getting them back to their roots, perhaps? Whether it's vegetables or herbs, rhubarb or raspberries, there are signs across the town that this new-but-old idea is being wholeheartedly embraced.

Every spare bit of land in Todmorden is being eyed-up as possible mini-allotments - even the big stainless steel flower pots at Fielden Wharf. Mary Clear, another of Incredible Edible Todmorden's growing band of supporters, explains that nowhere is ignored: "Fielden Wharf is a lovely pull-in for canal boats and we've got what we call our 'washing machines' - great big steel containers that used to be full of petunias and begonias.

Pam Warhurst: Supporter of Incredible Edible Todmorden

"But now, we've got blackcurrants, raspberries, peas, beans, Swiss chard, lettuces and globe artichokes. We keep a salad crop in here all year so, rather than the boaters getting out and going to a supermarket and buying a bag of salad, they can just cut it from here."

Just round the corner from Fielden Wharf, Mary points out another location where various crops are now peeking out from among the flowers: "Here's a little piece of car park, a little bit of council garden and what have we got? We've got thyme, dill, fennel, celery, sage, apple, rhubarb, Swiss chard, gooseberries, mint...and beautiful leeks. We've got all this and it's not hurting anybody."

Mary calls this 'guerilla gardening', but doesn't want anyone to get the wrong impression from that description: "It's about an unloved, neglected, dirty place. Someone can come along and pick up the drink cans, broken glass and think, 'How can I make this a greener, cleaner, safer space?' It might sound sexy and deviant, but it's a really good thing."

Flowers, herbs and veg in a propaganda garden in Todmorden

But could Todmorden eventually become self-sufficient in vegetables? Pam Warhurst says these small areas of land dotted around the town - 'propaganda gardens' as they're known - are symbolic of a much bigger plan: "People say there's not enough land, well, there's plenty of land. You just need to have the will to do it and to show people by these propaganda gardens that you can grow stuff in the South Pennines."

With everything from rhubarb to leeks growing on street corners and in small, previously-ignored plots of land across Todmorden, Incredible Edible has so far attracted 'hundreds and hundreds of supporters', according to Pam. Whether it can really translate into a 21st century version of the famous World War Two 'Dig For Victory' campaign - which turned flower beds and gardens across the nation into allotments - remains to be seen.

But in these times of recession and fears over global warming, Pam Warhurst says what's going on in Todmorden has to be taken seriously: "There's no Plan B and we need to look after ourselves. And then, can you imagine, instead of flying beans from Kenya wouldn't it be great if Kenyans could eat their own beans? The time's come to put a bit of common sense back."