Obviously your first thought when you hear “edible bus stop” is “Stay away! It was built by witches!” (No? Just me?) But shockingly, the Edible Bus Stop project is not about luring children to bus stops by building them out of gingerbread. Instead, it’s about providing food to the community by turning bus stops into public gardens.
The Edible Bus Stop began as “a guerrilla garden project” alongside a South London bus stop. A small strip of land was being offered up for sale, and a group of locals started growing things in it. The group’s founder, Mark Gilchrist, told The Guardian:
The space was humble and neglected by the council, but rather than see it sold, I rallied the neighbourhood into taking it over and guerrilla gardening it as a community garden for all to share and enjoy.
Now there’s a second Edible Bus Stop going, and three more in the works. The goal is to have a network of community gardens that parallels the bus network. Here’s a lovely little video explaining the concept:
The group relies on volunteers to plant and care for the gardens. They’re also looking for sponsors to help the project grow. Little green spaces like these can make cities just that much more magical — imagine tracking the progress of blooming flowers and bulging squash every day as you wait for the bus to come.
