Growing your own food

Allotments

District and parish councils have allotments for rent. Many offer half plots which can be more manageable or you could consider sharing with a friend or neighbour. This is a rewarding and cost effective way to grow your own nutritious fruit and veg whilst getting fresh air, being active and connecting with nature - good for you in every way! Visit the district webpage links below for more information:

Ashfield District Council
Bassetlaw District Council
Broxtowe District Council
Gedling Borough Council
Mansfield District Council
Newark & Sherwood District Council
Rushcliffe Borough Council

Volunteering with a community garden

Nottinghamshire has an increasing number of community gardens and growing spaces. These span from large, well established community gardens with a wide range of activities, to groups who tend small growing spaces in housing estates. Community growing spaces are lead by local people who give their time, energy and knowledge to help support each other. The volunteering opportunities and skills needs are varied so there is something for everyone.

To find out more about volunteering at a community garden in your area, visit Notts Help Yourself or email foodenvironment@nottscc.gov.uk

Nottinghamshire community garden network

Nottinghamshire Community Gardens Network is an umbrella group that supports community gardens and food growing spaces across the county. It provides training on a variety of topics, sharing information and mutual support through monthly meetings. Hosted by Feel Good Gardens , the meetings are friendly and informal. Community food growing groups can share learning, knowledge and support each other to build vibrant and inclusive food growing in local communities.

For more information contact Feel Good Gardens 

Composting

Composting your food waste means that instead of your leftover food going to landfill, you can use it to improve your soil  to grow plants and flowers. Not only is making your own home compost good for the environment , it's good for you. Research shows that 6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year, costing the average family as much as £60 a month. It’s simple to do and you don’t need a huge garden or allotment to be able to make your own compost. 

Wormeries

Vermiculture (worm farming) is the process of using worms to break down organic matter (e.g. food waste, plant products, cardboard) into nutrient rich fertiliser (worm manure and liquid). Known as 'black gold', gardeners love it because it is so rich and not much is needed to provide plants with the nutrients they need. The process particularly lends itself to the urban environment with small-scale indoor, low tech and low cost systems. With 83% of the UK living in cities, an urban worm farming movement is essential for future food security and it provides easy solutions for our kitchen waste.

Wormeries are a fantastic opportunity to teach children about the importance of biodiversity in our food systems and many schools across the county are using wormeries in their school food growing spaces. 

The Urban Worm are a Nottinghamshire organisation that provides many opportunities to build wormeries in your garden, schools, businesses large and small. Sign up to their newsletter for regular updates.