With plants grown in everything from used mayonnaise pots to old food delivery boxes, makeshift station gardens are springing up around the capital, managed by volunteer staff. Competition categories include best indoor garden, best fruit and vegetables, best hanging baskets and best window baskets.
South Tottenham Station, with Sasha Diamond, whose garden is back on the station’s green grounds tending to the flowers. A pelargonium and a petunia peek through the fence
The District Railway Company started the competition in 1910. Staff were given money to buy seeds and encouraged to grow plants. The planting was more formal (the first winners were St James’s Park, Ealing Common and Ealing Broadway), but by 1925 there were 30 small gardens scattered along the railway, according to Train Omnibus Tram magazine. The article states: “Railway stations, with their hustle and bustle, are not ideal places for growing flowers. In many cases, trains rush back and forth within meters of the carefully designed beds. It is therefore pleasing to think that besides the pride of achievement which only gardeners can know, there are thousands of passengers who, in their daily journeys to and fro, must see the “glory of these gardens” and admire”. Only 45% of the London Underground is actually underground. At Morden Underground station, staff grow a variety of fruit and vegetables including cherries, potatoes, hot peppers and plums on a disused platform. The staff can go there to relax and have a quiet time during the service. In Acton Town, a disused platform has been transformed into a jungle of potted plants, which passengers can admire from the tracks while waiting for a train. Outside Arsenal station and the Elizabeth line station entrance at Seven Kings, Ilford, an eclectic collection of pots flanks the entrances. James Elliot, who works for TfL at Goodge Street station, started planting in a derelict space tucked away from the main platform in 2019. He brought in compost using a suitcase, found planters and boxes on Freecycle and worked in the garden before and after his shift. Today the garden has dozens of plants, including geraniums, marigolds, wisteria, holly, nettles and a wildflower box of centaury and poppies. Vegetables grown at the station are shared among the staff and this year’s harvest included tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, lettuce, swiss chard – and even apples.
Goodge Street Station, where James Elliott (left) and Addil Bakkali gathered a range of vegetables including beetroot, cucumbers, basil and lettuce, all grown on a once-disused site
Elliott waited until the gardens were judged in early August before picking the vegetables. “Harvest is my favorite thing. when you start growing vegetables, you realize how difficult it is. You appreciate the time and expertise that has gone into delivering the food we eat,” he says. The competition recognizes London Underground staff who have helped plant and maintain the gardens, making journeys more enjoyable for others. “When I’m out at stations, customers tell me how much this brightens their day. In some cases they even volunteered to help while waiting for their train,” says Richard Baker, TfL customer and community ambassador for the Elizabeth line. The winners of this year’s competition were: Best Experienced Entry – South Tottenham; Best Fruits and Vegetables – Morden? Best Environment Entry – Acton Town. The best hanging baskets, tubs and window boxes – Neasden Depot? Better Community Entrance – Ruislip? Best Cultivated Garden (Station) – Kentish Town; Best Cultivated Garden (Depot) – Barking Train Crew Accommodation. Best Theme (Jubilation) – Seven Kings; Best Newcomer – Walthamstow Bus Station. Best Indoor Garden – Hammersmith (District & Piccadilly); Art in Bloom – Susan Buck for her depiction of Acton Town Station. Best in Show – Kentish Town.
