A VEGETABLE garden has sprung up at Tullibody Civic Centre during the coronavirus lockdown.

As a bit of an experiment to test an idea, local historian and community stalwart Chris Calder has sown the seeds for a vegetable garden.

The idea stemmed from a desire to supply the café planned for the centre and could provide a cost-effective as well as low-carbon solution for soup ingredients and much more.

Chris told the Advertiser: "We were on the verge of opening the café at the centre, we used it for different things but we were just about to perhaps employ a person part-time.

"I wondered how good the ground was, I thought it was probably awful, to grow some vegetables for the café."

Luckily, it turned out that the soil was rich as potatoes, sprouts, cabbages, tomatoes, pees, carrots and much more have been happily growing there ever since.

Chris, who has also kept busy as chair of the local history group and as a trustee of Tullibody Community Development Trust, added: "I'm really quite amazed, I don't know what's in the ground because it looked pretty poor soil, but it seems to be much better than I was anticipating."

Meanwhile volunteers have also been busy at Tullibody Community Garden – all while observig social distancing.

They last week started offering tomato plants for local people or as a gift for a gardener who is shielding at this time.

There was a limited stock on offer last week, but people are advised to keep an eye on the Tullibody Community Garden page on Facebook should more become available.