Landshare: For people who want to garden but have no land
Allotments are in short supply but the number of people after one has spiralled. Canny landless gardeners have cottoned on to the ingenious Landshare scheme.
Under the scheme, started by the River Cottage team, people offer up gardens or land they can no longer maintain themselves for people wanting to grow their own veg or get into gardening. And now the National Trust has jumped on board, listing hundreds of sites on the Landshare website. As part of their initiative to create 1,000 allotments by 2012, more than 20 National Trust properties around the UK are running allotments, community gardens and orchards through Landshare.
Since its launch in 2009, Landshare has grown into a thriving community of more than 67,000 growers, sharers and helpers. It has brought together people who have a passion for home-grown food, connecting those who have land to share with those who need land for cultivating food.
With The National Trust getting involved in Landshare it shows that anyone can offer up their land. If you have a plot of land or garden which is becoming neglected, visit Landshare to see if it could be the answer to your maintenance issues. Or, if you’re looking for a plot of land to tend, check out the matchmaking map to find a garden near you.
Landshare has benefited people who:
•Want to grow their own fruit and veg but don’t have anywhere to do it
•Have a spare bit of land they’re prepared to share
•Can help in some way – from sharing knowledge and lending tools to helping out on the plot itself
•Support the idea of freeing up more land for growing
•Are already growing and want to join in the community