To find out what’s going on in your area visit the Permaculture Association (PA) at www.permaculture.org. uk If there isn’t a group as yet – start one! The PA can offer advice and support to get a new project off the ground. Get a video from the PA and organise a showing. Invite other local groups with shared interests such as organic gardening groups, allotmenteers, seed-swapping clubs and local eco-activists like those in the Low Carbon Communities Network or Transition Towns.
If you’re short of ideas get inspired by Hackney’s ‘Growing Communities’ project (www.growingcommunities.org) where residents are growing their own alternative to air-freighted food. Specialising in mixed salad bags and other crops which can be produced without mechanical harvesting, the Growing Communities team run their own fully organic vegetable box scheme. Initially, members worked on a local farm but the success inspired Growing Communities director, Julie Brown, ‘to find land in Hackney by cycling around and peering over hedges and under fences.’ The rest, as they say, is history.
When planning your vegetable plot, make mistakes on paper rather than in the garden – a little forethought will allow you to make the most of your space. If you are building raised beds, it’s important to get the location right – you have to sacrifice an area in full sun – but you won’t regret it when harvest time rolls round though! Cut-and-come-again salads are an easy option for the beginner and a fortnightly sowing of mixed lettuce and rocket will keep you in crisp, peppery leaves until the first frosts. Carrots are another easy choice – sow now for tasty, sweet roots in mid-July to August. Whilst fresh vegetables make for a great harvest, there are other ways to reap the rewards of a community-based project. For starters, the tips and practical demonstrations you’ll get from old-time allotmenteers are second to none. You can swap crops and seeds, borrow tools and pool labour for various projects. If you have a lot of sowing and planting to do, consider contacting the local school or youth club who may be happy to tend your plot – but be ready to part with a few veggies along the way! Finally, if you’ve reached broad bean saturation point why not drop a bowl round to the neighbours?
No doubt you’ve heard the news about the incredible losses suffered by our beloved friends, the bees. They do such a mighty job pollinating our plants and giving us honey, wax and their colourful company. Help them out by creating a hive (www.beeginners.info & www.bee-craft.com) or some bee-friendly areas in your garden. They like Bee Balm, Catmints, Comfrey, Cone Flower, Echinacea, Globe Thistle, Hemp Agrimony, Hyssop, Jacob’s Ladder, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lungwort, Marjoram, Meadowsweet, Mints, Orpine, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme.