Work party on the allotment 1st Sunday every month- ring 07906138466 if you would like to come
Community Allotment - off Russell Drive (near Martin's Pond)
Conventional food production uses vast amounts of fossil fuel. Fertilizers, pesticide, cultivation, packaging, and transport are all dependent on products made from oil and gas. Each one calorie of food energy we consume requires 10 calories of fossil fuel to make its way from soil to mouth. We have become used to cheap food, but as the price of oil rises, we will see massive increases in the amount of money we will need to spend in order to feed ourselves.
One of the best ways to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and increase the resilience of our communities is to grow more of our own food. It's also fun, keeps you fit and the food tastes better than the bland stuff you find in the supermarkets. Everyone can grow some food, whether it's some herbs on the kitchen window sill, an apple tree cordoned up the garden fence, or an allotment full of delicious potatoes.
We decided to start the Transition Bramcote and Wollaton Community Allotment to encourage each other to learn more about growing food. We also hope to offer the allotment as a resouce to local people, and to offer useful courses and opportunities to re-skill for the challenges that lie ahead.
Progress on the allotment
As you can see from the picture, the allotment was in a bit of a mess when we started. There was loads of rubbish lying about as well as all the usual brambles, nettles and other weeds. We do have a good greenhouse which we can use for meetings and rather nice caravan!
We've been working on clearing the area over the last few months. Last year we were helped out by the Middleton cub pack from the 124th Nottingham Scouts who did lots of digging for their community service badge.
We have planted and harvested leeks and runner beans. There are several apple trees on the allotment including a wilding tree that is surprisingly good! We hosted an Apple Day last Autumn for other allotment holders. Lots of apple juice was crushed and pressed.
We have also learned about pruning old apple trees and tried to rennovate the old trees on the allotment so that they will be more healthy and bear more fruit.
So far this year we have harvested lots of courgettes (you can never have too many!!!); onions and potatoes (before the blight completely wiped them out. The birds had the strawberries sadly.
The apple trees are loaded with fruit, so we're looking forward to a session of crushing and pressing in September. We will also be learning about Forest gardening as that might be the way forward for this bit of land.
To see more pictures of the allotment click here
We are going to manage our allotment using the principles of Permaculture.
Permaculture is central to the Transition process. Permaculture is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns. An ecological design system that inspires and empowers us to create our own solutions to local and global problems, it provides ways to design and create healthy productive places to work, rest and play.