Grandview Gardens end of term 1

Thanks Tim for sharing your experiences with 'allotment' gardening and how that is working at the Grandview Gardens. We looked at the gardens as an idea for our work in exploring alternatives. In allotment gardens you get your 'a-lotted' patch and garden away! 

It makes a lot of sense when trying to manage lots of people's busy calendars for there to be a communal space where individuals, families or small groups of friends can converge and be gardening at times and places that suit them. Having the communal space though allows people to interact and share ideas and learn from what they see each other doing.

 The communal 'shed'! Notices and expectations for being part of the Grandview Garden community are posted on the outside.

Some of the allotments - simple pegs and twine provide the 'fuzzy borders' for each allotment. Further up the hill on the left is the 'shed' and to the right the shade house. Both have rainwater tanks connected to them. 


The allotment spaces makes good use of the north facing slope that is gradually being converted into productive fruit and vegetable patches where previously willows and mostly a relative of mustard thrived.

Tim encouraged us to think about whether allotment gardens might work in our school grounds as possibilities for our communities to garden in a shared but individual way and make good use of space that might be on the fringes or edges of our schools.