Growing your own food is simple, fun and good for you!
You don't need to be an expert gardener. In fact you don't need to have ever done any gardening before.
It's really simple to get started and the Grow Your Own project is designed to help you get started, share knowledge with other members near you and get support from a local "Street Rep" (someone who has volunteered to support members in their area).
The Grow Your Own project, based on the successful "Food Up Front" project in South London, supports people to grow food in their unused outdoor space.
Whether it’s front gardens, balconies, windowsills or back gardens all members are given the opportunity to grow and share healthy, natural food. This helps to reduce food miles and dependency on supermarkets, whilst increasing self-reliance and community empowerment.
Urban front gardens, balconies and windowsills are valuable areas of land that can provide a substantial yield of nutritious vegetables, herbs and salads.
The use of these valuable spaces in this way would allow the community at large to benefit from food with a high nutritional value, an extremely low cost, as well as increasing the amount of vegetation in the urban environment.
And, because the new scheme in Camden / Islington is being subsidised, it makes it even cheaper to grow your own food.
Normally it would cost £20 to become a member, get your starter kit and start growing. However, it will cost you just £5 online to join the new project in Camden and Islington.
(Please note: If you would prefer to pay your local Street Rep for your kit when you collect it, the price is £8)
In order to join, you need to live near one of our Street Rep volunteers (someone who has volunteered to support members in their area).
CLICK HERE to see a map showing the Street Rep locations in Camden / Islington.
Each new member will receive the following:
- Starter Kit: a container**, peat-free compost, and some organic salad and herb seeds (2 types from a choice of 4)
- Basic Planting and Harvesting Guide
- Advice and support from a Grow Your Own "Street Rep" : a volunteer who is local to your area.
- Details of Grow Your Own gatherings and workshops, enabling you to meet other members and develop your food growing knowledge
- The opportunity to share and grow food with your neighbours and people in your surrounding area
** On the
REGISTRATION FORM you'll be given a choice of 3 types of container. The different styles of containers are designed to fit into the space that you have available to grow your own vegetables.
The 3 options are ...
- LARGE - A large, plastic trough. Approx. 70cm (L) x 31cm (W) x 26cm (H).
- WINDOW BOX PLANTER - A plastic trough. Approx. 60cm (L) x 18cm (W) x 21cm (H).
- POTS FOR WINDOWSILL - 5 plastic pots. Approx 10cm in diameter.
To sign up, and become a member of the project in Camden / Islington, just
CLICK HERE
If you have any questions, please contact us at
growyourown@eforests.co.uk