Volunteer and visit us
NOTE: Our Open Garden and volunteer gardening will be taking a break during December and January, resuming on Tuesday 4 February.
Come to our Open Garden, or volunteer with us, 10am – 4pm, every Tuesday, and on the third Saturday every month. Walk in our woodland and enjoy tea and biscuits in the garden. Families welcome. Just drop in.
Tuesday 4 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Tuesday 11 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Saturday 15 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Tuesday 18 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
The garden house is available to book for parties and meetings
New memberships are available for the year ending 31st August 2025
A two-acre oasis of greenery in Islington, north London.
Over time, a herbaceous garden, an orchard, a pond, a series of vegetable terraces, a small meadow and an acre of woodland have all emerged from a railway embankment.
Under an agreement with Islington Council which owns the land, the volunteer-run Charity – Olden Community Garden – maintains the garden area, with the object to promote a community garden for the benefit of people living or working in the London Borough of Islington. Olden Garden gives local people opportunities for education and recreation, with the aim of increasing involvement in the community and reducing isolation.
A self-sustaining garden
We use harvested water, we compost all the green waste and create wildlife habitats from woody debris. There is a fruitful orchard and a flourishing vegetable garden.
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Volunteer days and February half-term activity – Tuesday 15th and Saturday 19th
Could you help with volunteer tasks, including sowing seeds and planting summer bulbs? Come along and join our gardeners Maria and Caroline on Tuesday 15th and Saturday 19th February, any time between 10am-4pm.
We will provide materials and instructions for your family to make bird feeders.
Coffee and cake/biscuits will be provided.
Iris reticulata – some of our spring bulbs
Thank you to the volunteers at our Bulb Planting Day in October
Could you come along on Tuesday 1st February and help with winter tasks in Olden Garden
Come along and join Maria, our gardener, any time between 10am-4pm to help with winter tasks, including:
– clearing leaves from paths and the meadow
– weeding
– mulching and pruning roses
– pruning fruit trees and the wisteria
Volunteer Tuesdays will continue every week throughout the year – everyone is welcome!
Preparing the Garden for the winter months
Our Autumn Gardening Day was a great success! Lots of volunteers came along. We planted colourful winter pansies and cyclamen and gave the garden a good tidy. Thank you to all who helped to sweep and gather the fallen leaves. And our younger helpers did a brilliant job of stomping on top of the leaf piles!
The Garden will go to sleep for a bit during the winter. But keep a watch for the early spring bulbs planted by our volunteers.