Gardening Against the Odds 2012: The winners' stories The sign outside reads: "You're welcome to help yourself to the tips and shoots, but please don't pull out the plants." Although this is a small-scale, low-rise and nicely landscaped estate, the threat of vandalism and evidence of dogs is everywhere. We entered the garden through padlocked steel gates, but inside, small beds, originally planted with prickly pyracantha bushes - beloved by urban landscapers - are now packed with coriander seedlings, spinach and large red radishes, cheek by jowl with sage, rosemary and fennel. A butt traps precious water but tools must be carried in for each session. Where swings and roundabouts once rooted, big builders" bags full of strawberry plants, sweet pumpkins, amaranth (whose young leaves and stems are eaten cooked like spinach) sweet potatoes and sweetcorn grow. A passionate gardener, Sajeda has inspired other residents to join her: a friend, Saleha Bibi, helps when she can, (but is eager to tell me it's Sajeda who is really in charge); an Iranian neighbour helps occasionally, and an Iraqi lady with MS gives them access to her water supply. They hope to persuade others to join in and enrich their lives by growing for the community pot. Thanks to Groundwork, a local initiative that empowers residents to garden on unused corners of housing estates, Sajeda and her neighbours were encouraged to start their vegetable plot with funds for tools, compost and the help of a community gardener to seed the project, but it is Sajeda who has taken the initiative and grown the garden. It has been a hard year for all vegetable growers, and gardeners" grumbles are the same all over the world: Sajeda apologised for the weeds and gaps in planting caused by light-fingered visitors, but with ailing parents in Bangladesh and caring for two of her children disabled with muscular dystrophy, time spent outside is precious. She loves to garden and divide up the produce: "sharing makes you happy," she says, as she busies about weeding and harvesting radish, amaranth and coriander seeds for next year's crop. When Sajeda first came to Britain, as a teenager, she remembered village women gardening, growing food and keeping chickens, but as part of a generation of women here who were expected to stay at home and seldom be seen, she felt imprisoned, unable to communicate and discouraged from leaving the house. In a society where mothers are often blamed for the illnesses and disabilities of their children, the burden carried in isolation must be almost unbearable. Though her children feel part of life here, and five-year-old Nuha often joins her mother in the garden in her wheelchair, thanks to this project Sajeda has made contact with other gardeners on the estate, is supported by the services manager and now feels at home. Walking back through the estate, Sajeda proudly points out runner beans, tomatoes and sweetcorn growing in neighbours" front gardens - signs of hope - and as she makes tea she shows us chillies grown from seeds brought back by her mother from a visit to Mecca, and urges us to take home bags of vegetables. She is an inspiration to her community and to the rest of us, by her example. Runners up The churchyard around St John the Evangelist in Waterloo has always been a favourite spot for rough sleepers, dog walkers and students, so Jonathan Trustram and his band of volunteers garden against very obvious odds. Somehow they have managed, in the past 10 years, to turn this ex-playground into a perfect spot for locals, office workers and tourists to while away their lunch hours or wait for a train. It's not that the previous inhabitants have been ousted, they are welcomed and encouraged to help maintain the plot, thanks to St Mungo's. Transformation: Jonathan Trustram and his volunteers from St Mungo's have turned the churchyard at St John the Evangelist into an oasis of peace in the heart of the city Several former homeless people have joined the volunteer force who sweep and tidy, prune and weed these beds with far-from- usual park and garden planting. Robert, Stephen and others who come several times a week to learn and get out in the fresh air as a break from hostel life all say that the garden is a special place that gives their lives a peaceful centre. Trustram is the key to this transformation from virtual dereliction to award-winning garden. He allows plants to self-seed when they've been vandalised; discourages diners from feeding the birds so they forage among the berries and grows a wide range of garden plants, some exotic, some common, that give the garden a tranquil atmosphere. St Mungo's has served the homeless population for the past 40 years: its Putting Down Roots project develops skills, offers therapy and provides opportunities in public parks and at its own allotments, to help the homeless along the path to a better life. So, if you're passing, make a detour and support these gardeners, and marvel at the results of their labours. Talking to Niki Preston about gardening, and the first thing that strikes you is her boundless enthusiasm, not just for her garden, but to inspire others to have a go and "give them a light at the end of their particular tunnel." Born with physical disabilities, she shares her advice in a blog (nikipreston.com) and is trying to encourage tool manufacturers to design better and cheaper products for the disabled. She has also written her first article, which appears in Amateur Gardening magazine this week. Niki Preston, right with husband, James, and dog Bailey, is always looking for new challenges (MARTIN POPE) Niki's family and three twentysomething children support her aim to be independent, and next year's plan for a raised front garden full of drought-tolerant plants is at the design stage, but she loves to experiment with exotic plants - saffron crocus bulbs are about to flower and provide that vital ingredient for her husband James's favourite dishes. Her in-laws, who live next door, adapt tools and gloves for her to wear, while her shed, greenhouse and garden have been specially altered for use with her mobility scooter. And border collie pup Bailey - trained to help and fetch and carry all she needs - is her latest under gardener. She is growing from seeds and cuttings and loves flowers for their beauty and scent, but it is vegetables that provide the real challenges. Niki is constantly pushing herself to overcome challenges and encouraging others to do the same. "If you love your garden," she says, "there's always a way to keep going. If it goes wrong - so what? There's another chance next year.