Incredible Edible vegetable beds

The vegetable beds at Incredible Edible near Totnes are exactly what they sound like - raised growing spaces scattered throughout the town that anyone can harvest from. It's a proper community project, not some manicured Chelsea garden. You'll find courgettes, beans, salad leaves and whatever else locals have planted that season growing in accessible plots around town. The idea is beautifully simple: if you're hungry, take what you need. If you've got surplus veg, add it to the beds.

It works best if you're already in Totnes exploring the independent shops and cafes - you won't trek here specially from Totnes town centre just for this. But if you're staying at one of the nearby glamping spots like Brownscombe or Ashbourne Woods, a wander round spotting the beds makes a pleasant half-hour stroll with kids. They'll actually engage with it, especially if they're old enough to understand the sharing concept. You might pick something genuinely useful for supper, or you might find the beds a bit sparse depending on season and what locals have harvested that day.

There's nothing formal about visiting - no opening hours, no entry fee, just turn up when you like. Late spring through early autumn is obviously peak growing time. It's more about the principle than the produce, but that's rather the point. Totnes itself is worth a proper day out, and this fits nicely into that visit as a gentle, unexpected bit of local oddness.