The vegetable growing season is nearly with us and those of us who grow our own are thinking about what seeds to buy, where to plant them and where we are going to get our next barrow load of horse muck from. This time of year also makes me think about allotments.
ALLOTMENTS…ARE WE READY?
I have a bit of a thing about these pieces of communal land turned over for the purpose of growing your own vegetables and always sing their praises. I grew up in an area in England where allotments were an integral part of everyday life. There was one coal-mining village called Newstead, (http://www.newsteadvillage.org/) very close to where I lived that was actually designed around the community allotments and were the focal point of the estate as they were in front of you as you walked out of the front door. The collieries around that area, like most industry in Inishowen, have long gone and took away a particular way of life. That might be changing though.
I tend to get my rose tinted glasses on when I talk about the virtues of allotments and although I think they are a great idea, I ask myself, would I use one if they were in Buncrana? The truthful answer is probably no. Why is this?. I think mainly it’s because I am not limited for space in my own garden and don’t need to go out and find a separate plot to grow veggies. Although most houses in Inishowen do have a small patch of green, there are more and more apartments and flats with only a small balcony-if they are lucky.
GLOBAL INTEREST
I am aware of a lot of initiatives around the country that are being set up to start allotments. Irishallotments.net have set up to bring allotment folk together and Gardenplansireland, another web-based forum are also starting up a new site purely for the interest of allotment growing. Their sites have full lists of allotment schemes around the country… although there is no mention of any scheme in the North West so far.
There is an interest, globally, in growing food closer to home especially in cities and places where space is a premium. This interest may be driven by factors such as disillusionment with mass produced food, the growing interest in organic gardening, and the need for localisation and lower food miles. It may be about the related quests for quality, flavour and freshness in food. The need for green space and a quiet environment in ever more populated and bustling towns and cities and the factor of higher density housing with little or no gardens may also play a part.
I TRIED
I did try myself a while ago to set up a community garden in Buncrana. This was to be an area on an estate set aside for allotments and also include a community space for relaxation I consulted the Council and after a bit of negotiating it was recommended that I didn’t pursue the idea. The reasons I was given were many. Insurance. The possibility that someone might build something on the land, then claim it for themselves. Drunken youth. The temptation for thieves in the night to dig up your carrots….. One of the main reasons for the negativity I think was that at the time, most land was being seen as potential development land and the thought of some wheel barrow pushing gardeners didn’t exactly get the tills ringing, especially as this land in question is right next to where the inner ring road will eventually pass.
NEW IDEAS
With the economy changing and the slow down in development, councils and landowners will hopefully see more community potential in land now other than it being used for building potential.
What is needed when planning allotments is a long-term contract, again something that Councils and private landowners might not like initially but hopefully they will see, that inward investment for local communities is where the new positive thinkers are going. The old organic allotments in Carndonagh are now under the new by-pass, so there is no use investing time and money into projects that are not long term. Dublin Council have drawn up allotment areas into their 2006-2010 development plan and other councils are doing the same.
Let's have a look at some of the positives:
The Benefits of Allotments
· Allotments meet the social needs of local people, both young and old. Gardeners enjoy talking about their shared interest almost as much as growing produce. This is an important contribution to strengthening communities. They also swap seedlings and produce which is a good bartering system.
· The home-grown vegetables taste delicious.
· You develop a more self-sufficient attitude and become less dependent on global market prices.
· There is a reduction on imports and pollution from transportation and fertiliser use.
· Fresh air and exercise are seen as increasingly important to maintaining health.
· Allotments are an educational place for children and others to learn about vegetable growing.
· Biodiversity: Because of the wide range of plants grown and habitats created for wildlife, allotments are shown as green oases in a “concrete jungle”.
· Excess vegetables can be distributed locally either by setting up a stall in the local farmers markets.
And the negatives?…. There are none…….
LONG TERM INVESTMENT - IN PEOPLE
Allotments would need to be a long-term investment for the future for everyone in Inishowen. A scheme like this wouldn’t cost much money. Having a long term lease on land and some investment of time and trust for the community. The benefits would not only be tastier food, but positive effects on the health and well-being of whole communities. All that is needed is enough interested people in local areas to get together, lobby local councillors and stress the need for permanent allotment sites that can grow and develop…. organically of course…
