This castle is a growth area

Serious farming? In the capital? Well, yes. The programme plans to follow a new vegetable growing development in Hackney over the next two years, so earlier this week I went to see it.

The Castle near Manor House was built in 1855 as a water pumping station. The architect had splendidly grand ideas: there are towers, battlements, slit windows; all that's lacking is an urban Robin Hood with bow and arrow. The main tower had a purpose as water was pumped to the top and held there, ready to be let down in a torrent to kick-start the turbines, but the other towers are follies.

During the war, the Luftwaffe repeatedly tried to destroy The Castle as it was the main source of London's water. They failed to score a direct hit but razed most of the surrounding area, now the site of concrete estates.

After the war, The Castle was taken out of use and remained empty until the early Nineties, when Steve Taylor acquired the building and constructed a vast and complex system of indoor climbing walls which can cater to 600 climbers (mostly kids) at a time.

Every two years, he ploughed profits back into The Castle Climbing Centre to create new walls and facilities, but in 2008 he decided to spend the cash making the building sustainable. There will be solar panels on the roofs, recycled grey water and waste, compost loos and rainwater collection. And, of course, the acre of land surrounding the building will become growing space.

Three areas are being created and planted: raised beds to grow veg for the café; 20 plots for staff and locals who will each commit to helping out as well as keeping their own plot flourishing, and the largest area where herbs and salad crops will be tended for Growing Communities, the local Stoke Newington Box scheme, which currently sells 500 boxes a week. It's an ambitious venture, but the army of helpers is legion and Ida Fabrizzio and Ray Eckerman, two of the project's masterminds, have been amazed at the skills among the climbing community: carpentry, tree surgery, horticulture, pruning — and elbow grease for the digging.

Some time ago I wrote about Global Generation's amazing skip garden just outside the door to King's Cross International. It's uplifting see the old skips bursting with vegetables, with the gasworks just behind. If you're interested in seeing the skips and other gardening projects round King's Cross, as well as learning how to grow vegetables in harsh urban environments, there's a day of workshops organised by UCL Food Junctions and Global Generation on Saturday April 24, from 11am to 1pm or 2pm to 4pm, at King's Cross Central Skip Gardens.

In order to attend, please sign up at info@food-junctions.org.uk