Friday 31 October 2008

The future - Let's all feed ourselves!!

This is fabulous in every way. Hugh F-W has launched an initiative called Landshare with Channel 4 (http://landshare.channel4.com) - where people who want to grow things can pair up with people who have land that they don't use. It's all about getting us back to growing our own fruit and veg. After the war there were about 1.5 million allotments in the country and we got half of our fruit and veg from them. Now we all rely on the horridness that is Tesco etc, to feed us. Why?
On River Cottage last night, there was a woman who lives in a 2nd floor flat, so she "borrows" someone else's garden to grow her vegetables. In exchange, she gives the garden owner a quarter of what she grows. She hasn't had to buy vegetables since and the whole thing cost her £30.
Such a fantastic idea, we all live under the misconception that we have no space to do things like this. But there's so much land that isn't being used - all we need is access to it.
This has got to be the future. We'd be better off (because we won't being ripped off by supermarkets for vegetables that have been flown in from Guatamala), happier (in our glorious self sufficiency), more relaxed (what better way to de-stress after work/at weekend, than with a couple of hours tending the broccoli).
Here's to growing marrows.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live in a flat in the ghetto and would love 'rent' some garden from anyone in exchange for veggies!!

I can't even put a window box on my ledge and last week my basil plant died in my flat...

Anonymous said...

Perhaps one of South London's celebrity residents"Mr G Ramsay" might like to lend us a small patch from his extensive garden. We could offer up a few potatoes to be served in one of his new openings..

Anonymous said...

What an excellent idea. In fact, isn't he talking about moving to some tax haven somewhere? In which case, he could hand over all of his lovely corner plot skirting Wandsworth Common. That would be enough for at least 20 families to grow their own grub, and donate some spuds to the soon-to-open new Petrus.
Common Gordon, you know you want to.