> and chances are you’ll find the area marked with dozens of allotments, before they were swallowed up by urban sprawl
This hits close to home. My maternal grandparents were given, and still live in, a council house built over a market garden in Devon. It's a shame about the market garden, of course, but they were living in a caravan, even if they could have gotten a house often people were living crammed into dwellings with earthen floors, no plumbing, etc. But in their early 20s they were given a place with all the amenities of the time, for very little rent, and were able to enjoy that prosperity, raise a family, and go from farm labourers to people working behind laptops in three generations. My grandfather still grows vegetables in the large garden they have, but once he passes, that generational connection to the land will be Gone. But I don't think either he or any of his descendants would choose the life of a farm labourer, wheelwright, or farrier living in those conditions with what we have now. I hope there will be a happy medium someday.
I don't think I'd choose that life either. Or at least, specifically horticulture. But as you allude, there are plenty who do or who want to! I love the outdoors and a bit of gardening but every now and then I hear of someone's picture of utopia, where everyone's growing their own veg, and I almost shudder.
I have no interest in movements that link growers direct to consumers. What I want to see is food grown to the same hight productivity that people get out of their allotment's and home gardens. These are the real centres of intensive agriculture, with every weed destroyed, every plant watered at the first sign of drought, and fertilisers applied continually. By comparison farmers operate on a very hands off way.
So my question is how can these very intensive methods be expanded to cover all of agricultural production? Is there a way of tunning farms so that every weed or wild flower is destroyed as soon as it germinates, and every single square meter of land is under production with a strict demarcation of the wild from the garden.
We have several around Hebden Bridge and are looking to set up more but one of the big problems is availability of land. Also cost of set up etc. Your piece is great but would be interested to hear what you have to say about the finances?
> and chances are you’ll find the area marked with dozens of allotments, before they were swallowed up by urban sprawl
This hits close to home. My maternal grandparents were given, and still live in, a council house built over a market garden in Devon. It's a shame about the market garden, of course, but they were living in a caravan, even if they could have gotten a house often people were living crammed into dwellings with earthen floors, no plumbing, etc. But in their early 20s they were given a place with all the amenities of the time, for very little rent, and were able to enjoy that prosperity, raise a family, and go from farm labourers to people working behind laptops in three generations. My grandfather still grows vegetables in the large garden they have, but once he passes, that generational connection to the land will be Gone. But I don't think either he or any of his descendants would choose the life of a farm labourer, wheelwright, or farrier living in those conditions with what we have now. I hope there will be a happy medium someday.
I don't think I'd choose that life either. Or at least, specifically horticulture. But as you allude, there are plenty who do or who want to! I love the outdoors and a bit of gardening but every now and then I hear of someone's picture of utopia, where everyone's growing their own veg, and I almost shudder.
I have no interest in movements that link growers direct to consumers. What I want to see is food grown to the same hight productivity that people get out of their allotment's and home gardens. These are the real centres of intensive agriculture, with every weed destroyed, every plant watered at the first sign of drought, and fertilisers applied continually. By comparison farmers operate on a very hands off way.
So my question is how can these very intensive methods be expanded to cover all of agricultural production? Is there a way of tunning farms so that every weed or wild flower is destroyed as soon as it germinates, and every single square meter of land is under production with a strict demarcation of the wild from the garden.
Good to hear though I’m yet to be convinced that anyone can make money out of a market garden alone
I'm yet to see it too, though as we know the same is generally true of farming more widely
WHAT A WONDERFUL READ THANK YOU HUGH
you are welcome
We have several around Hebden Bridge and are looking to set up more but one of the big problems is availability of land. Also cost of set up etc. Your piece is great but would be interested to hear what you have to say about the finances?
Finances: not great. A few I’ve come across approached a farmer who wasn’t using a corner of land. But you probs tried that?