Over 200 gardeners can now grow their own fruit and vegetables as a disused train platform has been turned into a community garden.

The railway platform at Kensington Olympia station is now home to 89 individual garden plots and more than 30 fruit trees after the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Maighread Condon-Simmonds joined officials from Network Rail last Tuesday (September 16) to open the Commmunity Kitchen Garden.

The garden was prepared in June and now some 200 residents from the borough are growing a variety of fruit and vegetables, with pepper and tomato plants proving particularly successful.

Kensington and Chelsea Council has also employed two part-time gardeners who run workshops and offer advice to the vast majority of plot holders who are new gardeners.

Mayor Condon-Simmonds said: “Looking around at the vegetable plots thriving with green beans, tomato plants and herbs to name just a few, it is amazing to think that at the start of the summer this site was an unused platform, home to just nettles and dandelion plants.

“Now it is a vibrant community garden where residents are getting to know each other and are able to enjoy eating their own home-grown produce, while benefiting from the physical activity that gardening gives.”

The raised beds have been specially made so they are movable in case Network Rail need to use or access the platform.

Will Gould, one of the community gardeners, added: “Once people start seeing things appear they quickly get addicted to gardening. Plot holders like to grow all kinds of food plants from Moroccan mint to Malabar spinach, but stalwart crops like tomatoes and climbing beans proved very popular over the summer growing season.”

To get on the waiting list for a plot at the free Olympia Station Community Kitchen Garden e-mail environment@rbkc.gov.uk or go to the council website .