Page 49 - ALG Issue 1 2017

Leicester City Council, Food Plan & Groby Road Allotments “Goodness Garden” 2016
In spring 2016 Groby Road Allotments in Leicester joined forces with Leicester City Council to help reduce food poverty and food waste in Leicester.
We began by cultivating a vacant half plot and started growing produce to donate. Using grant money, the small group of volunteers bought a polytunnel and installed some raised beds made from waste timber and plastic crates. We planted every spare plant donated by Society members. Two heritage apple trees were
and Bishop Street Church in Leicester will
be receiving squashes for some weeks to come. Three varieties of kale have been lling carrier bags now for three months and are very popular with the Red Cross especially. The broccoli plants have just gone into the gaps left by the pumpkins for more winter produce to harvest.
“There is never enough fresh produce donated”, the Red Cross Co-ordinator told me, so our Goodness Garden helps to give
thrive for another year, and help us to help Leicester City Council banish food poverty in our City.
We entered our small plot, as well as the Quiet Garden and Heritage Orchard and Wildlife Areas in this year’s Britain in Bloom, In Your Neighbourhood Scheme. We were very proud to receive the RHS award, “Level 4 and thriving” for our gardening efforts. So, we will be trying our best next season to continue the progress.
Chris Bradley, Groby Road Allotment Society, Leicester.
planted along the central path, with sage and lavender plants to create an entrance. Onion sets and chive plants lled the gaps.
Our potatoes were the rst to crop, and were donated to the Red Cross for families in crisis
vital nutrition and “5-a- day” over the season. In our rst year, our
little plot has produced much more than anyone imagined it would. We will be adding some soft fruit bushes this winter and more raised beds for planting in the spring. Hopefully, we will be able
Our potatoes were
the rst to crop, and
were donated to the Red
Cross for families in crisis.
A month later, we had a healthy crop of beetroot, salads, cucumbers and tomatoes which all found grateful homes. During October the pumpkins and winter squash harvest were exceptional, and the Red Cross
to continue donating some more kale and leeks throughout the winter months, as well as home-made chutney, relish and pickles made by our members. We are hopeful that the Goodness Garden will continue to
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