In recent years many people have started growing their own vegetables on allotments but the waiting list is long and at times it is next to impossible to find land for your garden. Recently the Guardian explored innovative ways to grow your own vegetables to save on the cost of food.
According to a recent survey conducted by Which, at least 25% of UK households now grow at least a portion of their own food to cut down on the high cost of groceries. Unfortunately, if you live in the centre of the city in a small flat, there just isn’t anywhere to start a garden. As well, the allotment waiting list is already huge and growing by the day. At last count, the list was over 86,000 strong. This figure is released periodically by the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners.
Because of the high cost of groceries, many people are not looking at the free schemes such as Landshare that was initiated by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. This particular scheme is nationwide and currently has 63,000 plus members. Of course there are a great number of local schemes as well where growers can network to find land to set up a patch for their own produce.
The bottom line is, don’t lose hope. Find a local landowner, preferably within walking distance and discuss options for setting up a small garden patch on his or her property. Whilst some people drive clear to the coast to have a patch, it is costly in petrol. Some areas to explore would be the above mentioned Landshare, Grow Your Neighbour’s Own in Brighton and Hove, Edinburgh Garden Partners and Gardenshare.
If you happen to be a homeowner with a bit of extra garden space out back (or even on the sides or front for that matter) you might want to rent out a small patch or two. This helps your neighbour save money on food costs and it can raise a little extra cash for you as well. And if you are feeling particularly neighbourly, let them have a patch for free in exchange for some of that delicious produce you haven’t the time to grow.
