March 26, 2008...12:42 pm
Allotting Allotments
I’ve removed a dead lavender and that’s about it. The weather is still too miserable to want to spend any length of time outdoors. We didn’t even get a proper snow shower, only the odd bout of hail and sleet.
However, there have been some interesting articles in the press as the ‘grow your own’ campaign gathers pace. In The Independent on Easter Monday, there was an inspiring four page article on allotments around the world. Although the crops grown may differ from continent to continent, what motivates gardeners is pretty much the same the world over. I was also, once again, struck by the Australian way of following the principles of permaculture and organics.
The article is currently available online at http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/
planet-earth-how-the-world-went-crazy-for-allotments-799770.html.
The same issue also carried an item on the growing demand for allotments. The Local Government Association is urging local councils to use the Planning and Compensation Act to force urban developers to provide more green areas as 200,000 allotments have been lost over the past thirty years. Apparently there is a waiting list of 3,550 in Yorkshire alone. In today’s local news, Plaid Cymru have also taken up the cause. They want Welsh councils to release public land to provide more allotment space as part of their “innov8” policy proposals. All good intentions, but I hope it’s not just the latest fad.
P.S. Caio Choccy. Not even s/he could sustain another attack of the dreaded Ich. We haven’t dismantled the Bi-orb yet as it still houses the plants, but it’s a bit like a garden without birds at the moment.
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