Kitchen Garden Forum

For those new to gardening, encouraging new growers, the trust have allotments small for beginners to large for community projects

http://www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk/

Isn't this just a computer game for kids?

This was just put out for information Alan, no particular axe to grind, and as I am a full time carer, not much chance for me to do the outings suggested, but there are others here who might be interested. If you take the trouble to look more closely it seems to be aimed at all ages, including children, eg

http://www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk/info ... ts-section

http://www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk/info ... /resources

http://www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk/eat- ... /new-ideas

http://www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk/eat- ... al-recipes

Hi NB

I saw those when I was searching for the allotments - which I didn't find.

Alan if you google nat trust allotments you will find several references, over the last few years it looks like they have made plans to release land for this purpose, including some walled gardens

Thanks, NB. Did that and here's a more relevant link

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w- ... spaces.htm

Hi NB and Alan,
Being that the Trust has many thousands of acres at their disposal and many horticulturalists working for them to assist people new to growing. 1000 allotments spread over England, Wales and Northern Ireland seems but a speck in the ocean to what they really could manage. I hope that this is really only a pilot scheme and that if this goes well they will in time extend the scheme. The problem is that these allotments have got to be accessible to the majority of people and although the Trust has an awful lot of land but I fear that most of it is beyond the reasonable reach of the vast majority of those on the allotment waiting lists. Therein lies the problem! Given that the Trust has teams of organizers but are they the right sort of organizers for allotments?
However it is great to think that with The National Trust have initiated such a scheme and hope that there are other land owners that may also persuaded to take the initiative and allow something similar in some secluded corner of their vast holdings of land. I think the ownership ratio of land is 4% of the population own 60% of the land! Mmmm!
JB.

Hi Guys, from little acorns big trees grow.

Hi NB,
Yes and I planted a few this year!
JB.

Oak trees support a lot of wildlife don't they. A high five Johnboy.
We have some very ancient oaks round here, it's mind boggling when you think of the changes they have seen.

They do indeed NB but when they get to around 200 years old they need to be felled and the process needs to start all over again otherwise they start to deteriorate. The trouble is that the conservationists on the local trusts simply cannot get to grasp this fact and have the idea that trees were planted in plantations to be felled and marketed.
They complain hereabouts that the Nightjar has not taken up anywhere in the county for a number of years but every application to fell Oak and any other hardwoods they fight tooth and nail but had we had young plantations then we might see some Nightjars but this they cannot understand. The words amateur and rank come to mind!
JB.