During my student days, my shared flat in Barony Street used to look out onto a square of neglected back gardens. It was handy when the chip pan went on fire, as we just threw it out of the window, knowing that no one would be there and get hurt. One of my flat mates used to gaze across at the flats on the far side of the green and went in search of one of the inmates whom he later married. But that’s another story. This one’s about back greens and much better ways of using them.