A trio of green-fingered godesses who helped bring a neglected nursery back to life are hoping to share the fruits of their knowledge in a new book.

Karen Liebreich, Jutta Wagner and Annette Wendland have spent five years transforming the once forgotten Chiswick Kitchen Gardens into a community hub.

The introduction to their book The Family Kitchen Garden, which was launched this week, reads: “Five years ago one of us climbed over a wall and discovered a secret garden, overgrown and neglected for decades.”

Since then the volunteers, joined by hundreds of schoolchildren from the area, have transformed the nursery into a fruitful and cared for working garden to be enjoyed by people of all ages.

The book is packed with their instructions on growing vegetables, fruit and herbs and month-by-month advice on what to do and when to do it.

Aimed at encouraging the whole family to get involved, the book includes child-friendly recipes, using homegrown fruit and vegetables, and projects such as building ladybird nesting houses.

Mrs Liebreich said: “It’s been a lot of hard work but we’ve all got our favourite bits and it’s nice to have it all in there. It’s for all people not just serious gardeners.”

The authors will be at the Wholefood Supermarket, Kensington, tomorrow, where they will be holding a kids’ club at 10am followed by a book signing from noon until 3pm.

During the 1980s and 1990s Chiswick House Kitchen Gardens served as a nursery for Hounslow until it was no longer needed.

In January 2005 volunteers began to clear weeds and debris and take over cultivation of a small section to work with children growing fruit and vegetables.

Their work went from strength to strength and from November 2005 the Chiswick House Kitchen Gardens Association was established.

The Family Kitchen Garden is available from bookshops now.