The search for the Good Life
allotment
Floating farms on the Thames
Not enough land? Grow on water! Retired work boats and canal barges are being used as floating allotments for growing fruit and vegetables on the River Thames.
Land grabs and grow bags: The plot to feed the City of London
The City of London is growing fruit and vegetables in grow bags in vacant building sites to tackle the increasing demand for allotments.
National Trust backs boom in self-sufficiency
The National Trust is showing its support for the grow your own crusade by creating 1000 community allotments by 2012. 74 historic houses across Britain have agreed to hand over land for growing fruit and vegetables. From small parcels of soil for novice gardeners to large areas for community groups or schools, the land is … Continue reading
Business is ‘blooming’
Private companies and businesses are joining the grow your own movement. Offices, factories, hotels, supermarkets and even army camps are now getting their own allotments and roof gardens. Thornton’s Budgens supermarket in Crouch End, North London, now has a green roof of fresh fruit and veg thanks to the project Food from the Sky. The Mint … Continue reading
An edible cityscape: vertical allotments at Chelsea
The eye-catching B&Q vertical allotment garden won gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London this year.
The Green City – London’s secret urban gardens uncovered
I went along to the Open Garden Squares Weekend in London to see how neglected urban space is being used for growing food in the City.
Middlesbrough sows seeds of self-sufficiency
People in Middlesbrough are pioneering the grow your own movement by growing fruit and vegetables in skips, parks, back alleys and roundabouts. 1000 volunteers from local schools, care homes and hospitals have helped build new community growing spaces as part of the council’s 3-year project ‘Grown in Middlesbrough’. The scheme hopes to increase the amount … Continue reading
Escape E.coli by growing your own
Secretary of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Donna McDaid says growing your own organic vegetables can save you from health scares like the recent E.coli outbreak.
NSALG will fight to defend allotments
Secretary of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Donna McDaid says they were “surprised” to find the legal protection of allotments on a list to be scrapped during the government review into reducing “unnecessary burdens” on local authorities. She says the statutory duty of councils to provide allotments must remain otherwise “the foundation of … Continue reading
National Allotments Week
8-14 August 2011 is National Allotments Week! Visit your local allotment, meet the veg experts, and find out what’s growing!
The search for the Good Life 