Tuk Tuk Grow and Go is a mobile community food growing and cooking initiative for families in Edinburgh. Using our tuk tuk and soup bike, we’ll visit neighbourhoods, community spaces and schools to deliver hands-on educational sessions that make growing and healthy eating easy, fun and accessible. 

We’ll begin with short sessions that engage families in thinking about what they could grow at home – focusing on simple, low-maintenance options like herbs and easy to grow vegetables that work well in small spaces. We’ll explore what would be practical and enjoyable for each family, considering their needs, available space and interest. 

At each location, we’ll display examples of plants grown from seed and offer Growing Survival Kits – simple starter packs including compost, pots, seeds or seedlings, and easy-to-follow instructions. These kits will be tailored based on family feedback, supporting people to feel confident and capable of growing their own herbs and vegetables at home, all year round. 

Each session will also include a food component: hot soup or a dish using the same herbs or vegetables being promoted. We’ll serve this using our branded soup bike, and share easy, family-friendly recipe cards and optional take-home ingredient packs. 

To connect participants with wider growing opportunities, we’ll offer optional tuk tuk visits to nearby growing sites, creating positive experiences and potential new links for families. 

By bringing everything directly to communities, Tuk Tuk Grow and Go reduces participation barriers and makes food growing visible, social, and engaging. It encourages small but meaningful actions that support climate goals, health, and community resilience. 

We would like to develop the outdoor farm area of Longstone Primary School.  We have so far constructed 5 large raised beds for growing vegetables and further space is available around it.  We would like to add fruit bushes and plants to this.  The area will help develop the children's understanding of where our food originates, allow them to learn how we can grow our own and then enjoy the reward of picking and eating it.  Our goal is to provide further outdoor learning opportunities and a space that the children can be proud to take care of.

How do we hope to spend the money?

We would like to purchase and plant a selection of fruit plants, including raspberries, blackcurrants, strawberries and rhubard.  We would also like a supply of seeds and seedlings for the vegetable area, including herbs for a sensory area.  We would also purchase some child-sized gardening equipment, including gloves, small trowels/forks and watering cans.  Other gardening supplies such as compost, seed pots and growing supports/trellises would also be needed.  We would also look to purchase a folding fire pit and safety equipment so that small groups could be involved with outdoor cooking.

Who will benefit from this project?

The site is accessed by 300 children - 250 from the primary school and 50 from the attached nursery.  This project would provide garden areas accessible to all of these children, giving the option for teachers to incorporate outdoor learning into their classes.  It would also be available for use in extra-curricular activites with a gardening club.  This project is coordinated by the parent council so would also provide volunteering and social activities for the parents and carers willing to help.