SLOTTSTRÄDGÅRDEN (The Castle Gardens)
Behind Malmö museum, next to the old Slottsmöllan mill is Slottsträdgården (The Castle Gardens), an organic garden open to the public all year round.
This green oasis in the middle of the city was a plant nursery for most of the 20th century, but stood barren when the transformation of 12 000 square meters of hard, overgrown surface to blossoming oasis begun. More information about the lush flowerbeds, vegetable patches, herbal- and themed gardens of Slottsträdgården is available at https://malmo.se/Uppleva-och-gora/Natur-och-parker/Slottstradgarden.html.
The Garden
The initiative for planting an organic garden in Malmö was taken by Lisa Isling, inspired by Rosendal Garden, "guerilla gardening" in New York an increasing general interest in organic gardening.
Ragnar Nilsson donated an unused cottage to the newly minted Slottsträdgårdens vänner, Association of Friends of Slottsträdgården gardens. The cottage became an important focal point. A café was opened and together with the sale of vegetables from the growers of the Association of Friends, it became an important source of revenue.
A breakthrough was made when the Association of Friends got a sizable donation from Malmö Förskönings- och planteringsförening (a society for the beautification of the city of Malmö). John Taylor, an English gardener with a passion for organic gardening, was hired.
Slottsträdgården (The Castle Gardens) was inaugurated in May 1998 and raised an interest with gardening enthusiasts from the start. The growth of the gardens and the café drew many an interested visitor.
After the garden bridge was built in 1999, the number of visitors increased further and five years later it was clear that the Castle Gardens was a great asset to the city, that took over management from the Association of Friends.
The onslaught of guests made it impossible to manage the café without trained staff. Malmö city took over management and expanded the small cottage to a bigger structure. 2009, well-known chef Tareq Taylor was hired to head up operations. He ran the café for eight years before handing it over to the current tenants.
The Association of Friends dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the garden and the events in it. The access to allotments for members of the Friends became an important part of the focus, and the choice of courses and outings with a gardening theme increased. Membership went up.
From a rock hard wasteland to today's fecund oasis, The Association of Friends have long contributed to the nurture and development of the Castle gardens – and will continue to do so.
SLOTTSTRÄDGÅRDENS VÄNNER (The Association of Friends of the Castle Gardens)
Slottsträdgårdens vänner (Friends of the Castle gardens) was formed in 1998 with the aim of developing an organic garden och spread knowledge about it. The Friends have more than 300 members and collaborates with with the City of Malmö and the gardeners to make the garden one one Malmö's best loved places.
The Friends arrange classes, lectures and outings with themes relating to gardening and organic cultivation.
Last but not least, the Friends dispose of 60 cultivation allotments, managed by some of our members.Are you interested in becoming a member? Read more about what we do and how to become a member under "Friends Association" and "History".
The allotments:
The Friends dispose of three fields of grower allotments. As a grower, you are expected to take an active role in the Friends association. It means that you regularly meet with other growers to maintain the space, take part in meetups to exchange experiences and be involved in events arranged by the Friends. Seed swapping days and seedling markets for example.
Queuing up for an allotment is no extra charge besides the membership fee. Unfortunately, the queue is quite long at the moment and is therefore closed. When it reopens, an offer to join the queue will be found on this website.
Would you like to become a member?
As a member, you will be informed of what happens in the garden continuously, via mail as well as the opportunity to take part in the events of The Friends Association.
The membership fee is 150 krona a year
Family fee (Max two adults and two children under 18) is 200 krona
Grower allotment is an additional 200 krona
Use the “JAG VILL BLI MEDLEM” button on the Swedish page!
