Our new community dye garden and dye kitchen provides a sustainable local resource for community benefit focusing on nature, creativity and wellbeing. It offers a place to explore the relationships between nature and nature-based solutions to addressing climate change while promoting wellbeing and inclusion across the whole community.

A dye garden provides space for growing plants that can be used for their colour. Everything from onions, heather and willow to marigolds and chamomile can create amazing dyes for fabrics and yarns, and have been used for hundreds of years to dye our clothes.

The environmental benefits of a connection between what we wear and what we grow are well documented and relate closely to our local creative and agricultural industries in Shetland. We want people of all ages and backgrounds to be part of the dye garden and kitchen. You could attend a workshop on creating dyes, or volunteer to help grow plants in the garden, as part of a friendly group. No growing experience necessary!

If you’d like to get involved in the Dye Garden or Kitchen, sign up here.

Planting and Growing Your Seeds