Community Allotment

Building a Successful Community Allotment

Growing Your Own Vegetables – Reconnecting to nature, by learning to grow at least some of the fruit, vegetables and herbs that we eat, sharing resources and developing a sense of community. It is about attempting to find an organic way of life, rather than simply applying organic techniques to growing fruit and vegetables.

Even though there is a return to “growing your own” vegetables due to the increased interest in “Going Green”, concern about food source, economic times etc. there is still a problem in applying this in a practical way.

For example in England where there is a waiting list of over 100,000 people waiting for for allotments to grow vegetables, a considerable percentage of allotments already rented by people are either overgrown, underused or badly kept.

There are a number of possible reasons for this:

the plots are too big
loss of skills
a lack of community experience at the allotments
the wrong people holding onto them.

The main aim of the scheme is to help those who are interested, but who have little or no experience in growing vegetables. To grow organically, with minimum till of the land

The farmland in question is extremely stoney, so basically the most effective low cost solution is “no till” and to add topsoil, mulch, compost on top.

Basic Plot size – 20 feet (6m) x 4 feet (1.2 m)

Why so small? Small enough to be manageable – a person can always be assigned more plots if they a manage one plot well, or well as need and experience.
Why 4 feet wide? Maximum width you can easily manage from one side with a hoe. Room is left for a narrow path between each plot.

Cost – Charge per plot includes:

tools, hoe, rakes etc.
Water supply
Seed, seedlings
Digest/Manure from farm
Mulch/Compost from farm
Hands on practical help and advice

Participants

Growers
Volunteers – help maintain lots, pathways, composting toilet, picnic area, greenhouses, parking lot and composting site.
Surplus product sold to produce funds for community to develop further.

To maintain a well maitained community allotment, mostly

PYO scheme helps people to see how the fruit, vegetables and herbs they eat are grown, and get a regular supply of locally grown fresh produce straight from the land. It also helps raise funds by turning surplus produce into cash.