A CASTLE KITCHEN GARDEN

Anna Cairns Pettigrew travels to Fife to explore the grounds of 14th century Kellie Castle and in particular its magnificent walled kitchen garden

- Anna Cairns Pettigrew

A short drive from Pittenweem inFife, you will find Kellie Castleand gardens. Dating from the14th century the castle has seen many occupants, including the artistic Lorimer family, who in 1970 sold the castle and grounds to the National Trust for Scotland who now run and manage the property.

The gardens, which are nestled in a protective walled garden, are architecturally unusual in the fact that they are part of the castle structure, rather than built at a distance from the main house. This makes a visit to the gardens visually interesting as many of the vibrant flowers and laden fruit trees are seen with the castle as a backdrop.

In charge of the walled garden is head gardener Andy Armour, who oversees the work together with produce/commercial gardener Dianne Barrie, gardens apprentice Adam Penman, and 12 volunteers.

Dianne explains that the layout of the garden has stayed relatively unchanged since the National Trust took it over in 1970, staying true to the Lorimers’ vision of a garden that both encompasses a produce garden and a formal garden – a concept which was very ahead of its time, but is now a layout most modern gardeners will recognise from their own gardens.

“Working as a gardener here is a balancing act between staying within the National Trust’s parameters of heritage and conservation and also ensuring we grow productive varieties which we can sell to the public,” explains Dianne.

“Organic heritage varieties are our main focus here, but they often come at the price of a low yield, or take extra TLC to get going.