Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project, has called on local councils to "rip up asphalt" and create community gardens where young people can grow vegetables. Smit, who opened the iconic biomes in Cornwall in 2000, has designed an "edimental" garden for the Chelsea Flower Show alongside landscape designers Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis. The garden, which will be exhibited next week, features edible plants like cabbages and strawberries intermingled with traditional ornamental flowers.
Inspiring Change in Town Centres
Smit hopes the garden will inspire people to grow their own fruit and vegetables at home and provide a template for councils to transform urban spaces. "When you look at towns, you realise you could dig up a lot of the asphalt and put up a lot of large growing boxes all over the place," he said. He believes this would encourage healthier eating and pave the way for farmers' markets in town centres.
Preserving Heritage Varieties
Beyond the Eden Project, Smit restored Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan, which boast 300 heritage varieties of edible plants. He has been exploring fruit and vegetable varieties that were common before commercial farming. Many are "on the verge of extinction," he noted, as they have been replaced by higher-yielding or disease-resistant species. He described a traditional strawberry variety: "If you crush one across the top of your palate and let the juice run over your tongue, you'll never forget."
The Eden Project's Legacy
The Eden Project, built on a sterile clay pit, now features two huge geodesic biomes housing plants from around the world, along with 8 hectares of outdoor gardens. It has attracted 25 million visitors since opening and injected an estimated £2 billion into the Cornish economy.
Political and Environmental Views
Smit once supported former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and expressed enthusiasm for the party's current performance under Zack Polanski. "All our life, voting Green was a wasted vote, and it's very interesting to see how many people in the country do share green values," he said.
Engaging Young People
Smit hopes the Chelsea garden will spark interest in the outdoors among young people. "I hope they get interested and through understanding they might start a garden club or get an allotment. I wish more young people had access to land," he said. He lamented how humans have been "denatured" by lack of access to land, noting a growing movement of young people seeking land to grow food, not just for themselves but for others.
Redefining Gardening
Smit aims to end the stereotype that gardening is "twee" and unimportant. "Gardens and gardening are often completely diminished in their importance as it is seen as a lifestyle choice. It's seen as middle class and twee but that's rubbish; it is a really fundamental and life-changing thing," he stated.
Future of the Garden
After the Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be permanently relocated to Eden Project Morecambe, becoming part of a 1.5-acre community space for learning, gathering, and stewardship.
