Latest news with #NationalAllotmentSociety
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Experts reveal the hidden health benefits of having an allotment
Allotments offer far more than just a space to cultivate fruit and vegetables. They are crucial for fostering physical, mental, and social wellbeing, according to gardening experts. This profound benefit is the central focus of this year's National Allotments Week, an annual awareness event organised by the National Allotment Society. For anyone seeking a significant boost to their overall health and happiness, these verdant plots present a compelling and holistic solution. They help people connect Gardening expert Kim Stoddart, author of The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden, who began running a community garden project at Creuddyn in Ceredigion, Wales, after the pandemic, found that initially volunteers were struggling to connect. 'There's still a sense of that in the world at large, but communities bring people together and gardens bring people together,' says Stoddart, editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. 'There's such a strong sense of togetherness through the ability to nurture an allotment in a community environment. They are such important social hubs and can help with socialisation, alleviate loneliness and anxiety and worries about the world. They are beautiful places where people can come together and feel that the world is ok.' They encourage healthy eating If managed properly, an allotment can produce enough food to supplement a family's weekly shop with fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year, according to gardening for health charity Thrive. Many allotment holders garden organically and have a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge they've grown the edibles themselves, know how they've been grown and exactly what they are eating. Growing your own also promotes a sense of fulfilment, the charity adds. They tackle gardening guilt 'I always find in the courses I run that people feel guilty that they are not doing things in the right way and that their plots are not like the gardens they see on TV. A lot of people feel that they are not doing enough. 'But actually, we need our gardens and our community spaces to be nurturing right now, to help us cope with things that are happening in the world. So the therapeutic benefit of them is huge.' They encourage kindness 'There's nothing like a good old-fashioned barter and exchange, and community allotments are a very good place for this, but it's also about reaching out to people and the connections you can create with little acts of kindness,' says Stoddart. 'It makes you feel good about yourself, although you have to be aware that you don't want to pass on something that people don't want, like forcing endless courgettes on people just because you want to get rid of them. 'But giving things like cuttings or strawberry runners, or whatever you have a surplus of, feels really nice to engage in that way. It's down-to-earth, grounded and hopeful.' They help people with illnesses Allotments not only support physical health through aerobic exercise such as digging and raking, but can also help improve speech, cognitive and motor skills for people with debilitating illnesses, Thrive says. Being outside in sunlight can also increase vitamin D levels and lower blood pressure. They encourage recycling creativity 'Turning rubbish into the wondrous is an incredibly powerful feel-good action. Take something that would otherwise go to landfill and find something useful to do with it. It feels like you're taking back control,' Stoddart continues. Creating simple things such as old welly planters, or using broken pots to create rockery-like displays which will help protect plants drying out if you have heatwaves, can give people the feel-good factor, she says. 'The community garden was a building site housing a lot of rubble. So, we've used lots of stone and rubble as a mulch around plants, which helps protect them from heat. 'Old windows can be used as impromptu cold frames. We need to carry on growing into the winter and make use of this precious outdoor space when the weather changes, which would also give people an excuse to go to the allotment.' They promote seed-saving 'There's something very sacred about the saving of seed in other cultures around the world. It's like full-circle gardening where you are saving money by saving seed from your flowers and crops so you can sow them next year. It's also a way of creating more resilient seed. 'It's connecting you with the full-circle completion of the plant, it's saving you money and it's a way of taking control back. The hand-eye coordination, the touching, the feeling, the harvesting and seed-saving connects you with the ebb and flow of the seasons and the hope and promise of future food growing in the years to come.' She notes that during heatwaves, for example, the seeds saved from crops which have performed the best will be more resilient in the future, because genetically the seed has coped with the heatwave. ' Lettuce, for instance, is easy to save from, as are tomatoes which will grow true to type, and rocket is a resilient allotment growers' ally. It self-seeds and is great for ground cover, and radish is very good as well.' National Allotments Week runs from Aug 11-17.
Business Mayor
28-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Business Mayor
Got an allotment? This is how to make it thrive and look pretty this summer
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Allotments are renowned for their abundant harvests, but their functionality often overshadows their aesthetic appeal. However, this doesn't have to be the case. Gardening expert, author, and YouTube star Huw Richards, head judge of the Top of the Plots competition, believes ornamental edibles and fragrant herbs can transform an allotment into a productive and beautiful space. The Top of the Plots competition, a joint initiative by Gardena and the National Allotment Society, celebrates the best of 'grow your own' culture. Gardeners can enter by submitting photos and descriptions of their plots. Here, Richards offers valuable tips for enhancing the beauty of your allotment. Allotments can be beautiful as well as functional (Getty/iStock) Go vertical 'Use a vertical layer. A lot of allotments are quite traditional, in that they'll have their rows of potatoes and rows of carrots, and then maybe on one end, they'll have all of their runner beans, whereas if you created a few pyramid structures throughout your allotment and splitting the vertical layers it creates a warm inviting look and a feeling of 'What's around the corner?' Consider water 'Think about water and reflections. Even finding something like a half an old whiskey barrel, or you could even buy a pre-made little pond and you just fill it with water and plant around it. 'When you've got that reflection or slightly glistening water, it creates a calming feel. It's fantastic for encouraging beneficial insects in your garden to help you with your natural pests and disease control.' Use curves Within your specific size of plot, create a curving pathway, almost like nodes. So you've got your main path and little nodes like keyholes that you step into and you plant each one up. You can have your herb node, your soft fruit node, your vegetable nodes. So you've got like different areas, but, but they're all in circles or edges rather than straight lines, Richards suggests. Play with texture 'I like to play with texture with leaves, so for instance fennel has an amazing leaf texture which contrasts with Swiss chard and maybe something like oca, also known as New Zealand yam. I once grew them all in a bed together and let them grow between each other. It's dancing with the idea of managed wilderness. 'You want to encourage some things to maybe spill over the sides, but you want to make sure that they don't quite take over. It's like stealth maintenance.' Let some of your veg flower 'Break up the green with pops of colour in flowers. If allotmenteers still have a few parsnips and leeks left, leave a few to flower, so you're treating an edible as an ornamental. 'Parsnips produce a 1.8m high, amazing umbelliferous flower. Leeks produce big allium flowers which are bumble bee magnets. This also contributes to having a more vertical layer within the garden.' Carrots also produce frothy flowers and you can now buy ornamental carrot varieties in different colours, Richards says. Make the most of herbs 'I see very few perennial herbs and allotments beyond mint, thyme and rosemary. I'm a massive fan of Korean mint or agastache. You can get flowers in different colours. If you grow it from seed, you will, you will have a really lovely mature plant by mid to late summer that just pumps out flowers until the first frosts. 'It has quite tall flower spikes and you can get it in blues, purples and whites. The good thing about perennials like that is they come really early.' Consider flowers 'Put the tallest (plant) in the middle, so the design is almost like a cone. Or if you just want some pretty flowers, put a selection of maybe three dahlia varieties in the middle and mix of other flowers such as zinnias, borage and bronze calendula around it.' Growing cut flowers on allotments is becoming popular, he says. 'I love growing different types of amaranth because of the beautiful flowers and structural texture. Amaranthus 'Hot Biscuits' is really cool and different. If you want to go for perennials, peonies are fantastic, and you can't go wrong with sweet peas.' Install seating (Alamy/PA) 'To make allotments a nice place you have to have some kind of seating area. A lot of people miss out because they turn the allotment into a chore where there's one job, which is to grow veg. 'Actually, you have an opportunity to enjoy it beyond the single utility of producing wood. Even if you had two logs and a plank of wood over it and a little coffee table, you want a spot to sit and relax and enjoy it. 'Are you someone that likes reading, or to crochet or to journal? If you got an allotment, create a little space for that and plant around it. You could have a simple arbour with a honeysuckle. The more that you get into your garden, the more healthy, maintained and beautiful it's going to be.' Read More Creditors question Adam Neumann's plans for a WeWork comeback How to enter the competition Gardeners can email topoftheplots@ from May 19 with: 1. Six high-quality photos showcasing your garden or allotment2. A short description highlighting your growing journey, plant variety, sustainability practices and maintenance efforts3. Your selected category The awards categories are: Best Allotment, Best Garden Plot; Best New Plot; Kids on the Plot; Best Small Plot; Biodiversity on the Plot; and Best Community Plot. The competition has £1,000 of Gardena products and RHS vouchers. The first 100 entrants will also receive Top of the Plots merchandise and a champion's plaque. Entries close in August 2025, with finalists announced in early September.
The Independent
28-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Got an allotment? This is how to make it thrive and look pretty this summer
Allotments are renowned for their abundant harvests, but their functionality often overshadows their aesthetic appeal. However, this doesn't have to be the case. Gardening expert, author, and YouTube star Huw Richards, head judge of the Top of the Plots competition, believes ornamental edibles and fragrant herbs can transform an allotment into a productive and beautiful space. The Top of the Plots competition, a joint initiative by Gardena and the National Allotment Society, celebrates the best of "grow your own" culture. Gardeners can enter by submitting photos and descriptions of their plots. Here, Richards offers valuable tips for enhancing the beauty of your allotment. Go vertical 'Use a vertical layer. A lot of allotments are quite traditional, in that they'll have their rows of potatoes and rows of carrots, and then maybe on one end, they'll have all of their runner beans, whereas if you created a few pyramid structures throughout your allotment and splitting the vertical layers it creates a warm inviting look and a feeling of 'What's around the corner?' Consider water 'Think about water and reflections. Even finding something like a half an old whiskey barrel, or you could even buy a pre-made little pond and you just fill it with water and plant around it. 'When you've got that reflection or slightly glistening water, it creates a calming feel. It's fantastic for encouraging beneficial insects in your garden to help you with your natural pests and disease control.' Use curves Within your specific size of plot, create a curving pathway, almost like nodes. So you've got your main path and little nodes like keyholes that you step into and you plant each one up. You can have your herb node, your soft fruit node, your vegetable nodes. So you've got like different areas, but, but they're all in circles or edges rather than straight lines, Richards suggests. 'I like to play with texture with leaves, so for instance fennel has an amazing leaf texture which contrasts with Swiss chard and maybe something like oca, also known as New Zealand yam. I once grew them all in a bed together and let them grow between each other. It's dancing with the idea of managed wilderness. 'You want to encourage some things to maybe spill over the sides, but you want to make sure that they don't quite take over. It's like stealth maintenance.' 'Break up the green with pops of colour in flowers. If allotmenteers still have a few parsnips and leeks left, leave a few to flower, so you're treating an edible as an ornamental. 'Parsnips produce a 1.8m high, amazing umbelliferous flower. Leeks produce big allium flowers which are bumble bee magnets. This also contributes to having a more vertical layer within the garden.' Carrots also produce frothy flowers and you can now buy ornamental carrot varieties in different colours, Richards says. Make the most of herbs 'I see very few perennial herbs and allotments beyond mint, thyme and rosemary. I'm a massive fan of Korean mint or agastache. You can get flowers in different colours. If you grow it from seed, you will, you will have a really lovely mature plant by mid to late summer that just pumps out flowers until the first frosts. 'It has quite tall flower spikes and you can get it in blues, purples and whites. The good thing about perennials like that is they come really early.' Consider flowers 'Put the tallest (plant) in the middle, so the design is almost like a cone. Or if you just want some pretty flowers, put a selection of maybe three dahlia varieties in the middle and mix of other flowers such as zinnias, borage and bronze calendula around it.' Growing cut flowers on allotments is becoming popular, he says. 'I love growing different types of amaranth because of the beautiful flowers and structural texture. Amaranthus 'Hot Biscuits' is really cool and different. If you want to go for perennials, peonies are fantastic, and you can't go wrong with sweet peas.' Install seating 'To make allotments a nice place you have to have some kind of seating area. A lot of people miss out because they turn the allotment into a chore where there's one job, which is to grow veg. 'Actually, you have an opportunity to enjoy it beyond the single utility of producing wood. Even if you had two logs and a plank of wood over it and a little coffee table, you want a spot to sit and relax and enjoy it. 'Are you someone that likes reading, or to crochet or to journal? If you got an allotment, create a little space for that and plant around it. You could have a simple arbour with a honeysuckle. The more that you get into your garden, the more healthy, maintained and beautiful it's going to be.' Gardeners can email topoftheplots@ from May 19 with: 1. Six high-quality photos showcasing your garden or allotment2. A short description highlighting your growing journey, plant variety, sustainability practices and maintenance efforts3. Your selected category The awards categories are: Best Allotment, Best Garden Plot; Best New Plot; Kids on the Plot; Best Small Plot; Biodiversity on the Plot; and Best Community Plot. The competition has £1,000 of Gardena products and RHS vouchers. The first 100 entrants will also receive Top of the Plots merchandise and a champion's plaque. Entries close in August 2025, with finalists announced in early September.
BBC News
24-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bradford: Rent-free allotment move could revive overgrown plots
Residents in Bradford could be handed rent-free allotment spaces for one year as part of proposals aimed at reviving overgrown 286 plots currently unattended across the district, Bradford Council is considering giving prospective growers a free second 12 months if they restore the offered space. The proposal is part of a wider shake-up of the district's allotment service, with a petition accusing the cash-strapped local authority of neglecting the green spaces. While £300,000 had been pledged to restore seven allotment locations, officials said its current policy had "served its purpose" and was "in need of updating". A report set to be presented to a council panel reveals it costs about £2,500 to bring a single abandoned plot back to "tenantable use" - or £715,000 in total if all overgrown plots were allotment officer managed all 29 allotment locations across the district, the report said, covering 1,186 plots. A partnership with the Probation Service is helping to make "good progress" in clearing two overgrown locations, the council Somerville, who runs a women's allotment project in Manningham, said: "I'm really pleased the council is taking the petition seriously and has come up with some interesting plans."Some sites are in such poor condition they may take years to become fully viable, so people need time to clear the land before they can even begin growing."Mike Farrell, Yorkshire spokesperson for the National Allotment Society, urged officials to encourage fuller community ownership. "If the council gives a lease to a committee to run it as indirect let, then that site is eligible for grants," he suggested. "They can give [communities] the freedom to self-manage." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
