Allotments

Annamoe99

I have recently received a gift of a small parcel of land (about 3 acres) near Roundwood in Co Wicklow.
I was considering setting up allotments on the site.
Do you think there would be much interest in this?
Is there anybody who could give me some help/advice on how to go about this?

Minder

Allotments are usually managed by the local council - you could lease the land to the council. Give them a ring.

Reyman

Roundwood wouldn't be a great place for growing vegetables. Very short growing season with the height above sea level

inishindie

There are more and more people interseted in allotment growing.

I wrote this recently fo our local newspaper, you are not alone.....

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 where I live.

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.

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. 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…

sevenstar7

Annamoe99 wrote: »

I have recently received a gift of a small parcel of land (about 3 acres) near Roundwood in Co Wicklow.
I was considering setting up allotments on the site.
Do you think there would be much interest in this?
Is there anybody who could give me some help/advice on how to go about this?

Greetings Annamoe99,

Check out Huntingbrook Gardens in Blessington. They have just started offering Allotments to the public. They may be able to help you. Many people are getting back to growing their own fruit and veg and you may be just what they are looking for. Good luck

Sevenstar7