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Monday Dec 14, 2009

A land of random vegetables

I don't mean heart-shaped lettuces or carrots with two legs and a head, though I am tempted to attend the Feeding the 5000 event in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday, a free food event featuring odd-shaped veg that would otherwise been thrown away for not being a uniform size/shape. 

No, Transport for London (TfL) is joining the Capital Growth scheme, providing more land for food growing projects like mine across London (and hopefully a new era for amusingly-shaped veg!). The scheme's aim is to provide 2012 food growing spaces by 2012, all run by enthusiastic community gardeners (like me).

Reading into it a bit more I was surprised at just how much land TfL has in London. It's like a wealthy old aunt who's been sitting on a neat and not insignificant pile of cash all these years and you never had any idea. But when you add it up it makes sense.

TfL owns an estimated 10% of wildlife habitat in London. If you don't live in London you may not realise but further out of the city where floor space isn't so scarce the tube lines emerge from their claustrophobic pipes and and some points during the day you get sunlight and such surprising joys as the odd pigeon boarding the train. They waddle on to savour morsels of left-over snacks before hopping out again before the doors shut.

The other joy for a daydreamer like me is that you get to gaze out of the tube windows and marvel at various green bits of London, my favourite being on the District line to Kew Gardens where you actually cross the river. It's beyond exciting, I can tell you. When you think about it though, the green spaces that straddle the tracks are a perfect wildlife corridor, a network of greenery across London.

Thanks to TfL joining Capital Growth there is now a fruit and veg growing plot above Southwark station, which will be tended by locals in a nearby block of flats. Capital Growth is offering funds to support people who have such food growing schemes. I love the idea of growing your veg in unlikely places, it's a little bit anarchic, like saying "people live here and care about this place." Maybe more wealthy aunts will come forward and decide to get their hands dirty, too.

The thought that you could just come across a rogue cucumber or patch of radishes when out walking the dog or going about your daily commute is brilliant!

Posted by Laura ( 12:29 PM )
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