‘Edible graves’ bring new life

An overgrown church graveyard in West Yorkshire has been transformed into a community garden, replete with orchard and pond – and ‘edible graves’.

A small congregation, Morley Community Church, was gifted a redundant building, adjacent to the main shopping street, in 2021 with a large graveyard, many graves more than a century old. Andy Dalton, the church’s secretary, said it had become ‘an eyesore and a maintenance nightmare’.

For two years, volunteers cleared the vegetation and dug it over; 21 old kerb-stoned graves became ready-built raised beds planted with vegetables, herbs and flowering plants – with more planned.

Some of the flowers grown are used in pastoral visits to encourage the sick, elderly and others in need. Edible produce, including raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, rhubarb, onions and beans, is used in the church foodbank and donated to local Christian social projects.

Thousands of naturalising bulbs have also been planted; a pond installed; a wild hedgerow and community orchard created; and bird boxes, bat boxes and bug hotels installed. The garden is being run sustainably with compost heaps, a wormery and multiple water butts.

The church is using its transformed graveyard for building relationships within the community and ‘imaginative evangelism’. Two benches allow visitors to rest in the garden, along with a small library box containing Christian books.

Dalton said the garden is highly popular, and that the ‘edible graves are now a prominent feature … Local residents and town shoppers come in increasing numbers to enjoy what has now become an enclave of peace and beauty. Many natural gospel conversations have taken place with visitors and volunteers as the work has progressed, and strong relationships have been built with local residents.’