Allotment diversity

Posted on June 16th, 2009 in Allotments, Discussion, Gardening, Gardening News, Organic gardening by sarah_springham

My allotment borders on two others that are archetypal “modern” allotments – raised beds with wooden borders, bark paths – devoted almost obsessionally with neat and tidy vegetable production.  No weed, wild flower, nettle or bramble, dares raise its ugly head.

I find this quite disturbing.  My allotment is run on a much freer basis.  I have fallow beds every year where wild grasses and flowers grow, and I have a border-come-hedgerow of brambles and nettles.  I consistently have better crops than my neighbours, and my wilderness sections are alive with bees, birds and insects, busy getting on with their lives alongside mine.

I’ve had two warnings about my “unruliness” from the council, but, considering the fragile ecosystem we’re all trying to maintain as responsible inhabitors of this planet, I feel I’m doing the right thing, because, without our widlife colleagues, we’d have sparse pickings in the food department and a lot more pests to battle against.  I’d be interested to hear what other allotment holders think on the subject.

Queen goes green with veg patch – what can we do?

Posted on June 14th, 2009 in Allotments, Discussion, GardenLend, Gardening, Gardening News, News, garden sharing by GardenLend

According to a recent report by Peter Hunt, BBC News’ Royal correspondent, “The Queen is the proud owner of an allotment. The royal sustainable vegetable patch has been dug inside the 40-acre grounds of Buckingham Palace. The capital’s biggest private garden is the setting for the Queen’s annual garden parties and it is also home to a lake, a helicopter landing area and a tennis court where King George VI used to play against Fred Perry. The Queen can look forward to savouring the fruits of her gardeners’ labours.  Soon to be served at the royal table will be a range of produce including runner beans, leeks, beetroot and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called Blue Queen. It is the brainchild of the Queen’s deputy head gardener, Claire Midgeley.”

Which is nice and shows our monarch ‘mucking in’ to some degree – which can only be a good thing.

This does raise the question for us lesser folk who do not have a spare palace or castle to turn over to the land: what can we do?

Following Her Majesty’s example, looking out directly around our various estates, there is quite a bit of green space that is not really doing anything, not even just looking pretty and providing relaxation and solace – ripe for agricultural development.  Step 2 is the really cunning bit: if it is not in your gift to just march in and plant whatever you like, just ask the owner or person entrusted with looking after the said plot if it would be alright to plant some fruit & veg, tend the land and share in the bounty.

This has been the ethos set forth by GardenLend since its inception in 2006: keep it local, personal and sustainable.  If you are still stuck for somewhere to plant, tend and till, then why not join GardenLend and post a message on the boards saying for what you are looking and where you are based?  Similarly, should you have the odd county, field or patch of garden that could do with becoming more productive, why not sign up and post your request for serfs to till the land frustrated gardeners to transform it into a horticultural Paradise?

You will help save the planet, save yourselves a fortune and follow a Royal example.  What could be better?

Full story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8098799.stm

Credit crunch Brits turn to allotments to save a small fortune

Posted on June 7th, 2009 in Allotments, GardenLend, Gardening, Gardening News, News, Organic gardening, garden sharing by IanSpringham

According to the Daily Mirror:

“The humble allotment – once thought of as the preserve of EastEnders’ flatcapped Arthur Fowler – is now digging cash-strapped Brits out of a hole.

Demand for grow-your-own plots hired from local councils means in one area there’s a 40 YEAR wait. This week the first major allotment survey in more than a decade reveals hard-up families are desperate to grow their greens to cut bills.

Research among local authorities shows six million of us would love an allotment, but there are only 200,000 in Britain.

Currently 83,000 Brits are on an official waiting list with an average delay of three years. Camden in North London and Blyth Valley in Northumberland are said to have the longest queues – up to 40 and 30 years respectively.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/06/national-plottery-115875-21418833/

Now, what happens if you are one of those many budding growers on the waiting lists?  Getting anything like this sorted out by one’s local authority in anything less than an ice age would be the greatest triumph of hope over experience.

The alternative? To organise it yourself!

The first place to look is around your home – front and back gardens are a fertile starting point.

No garden? Why not ask your neighbours?  There *must* be someone down your street who has a garden that is just doing nothing apart from just collecting weeds.  Why not ask them if you can turn it into a (sub)urban oasis, plant some fruit and veg & then share the results of your labours with them?

You will be decreasing your food miles, knowing exactly where your food comes from, helping the environment and – quite possibly – providing a useful service to someone who – for what ever reason – cannot tend their garden for themselves.

If you are looking for somewhere to garden or have a garden that needs help to turn it into a thing of beauty and a rich source of nutritious food, please join GardenLend and post your message in the members’ area:

http://find.GardenLend.co.uk