Gardening is becoming the go-to activity for those looking for a productive and rewarding activity that helps you achieve that elusive ‘flow state’
Have you always dreamed of having a garden bursting with beautiful blooms and a charming vegetable patch chock full of wholesome food to feed your family?
It’s fantasy that many of us often don’t revisit until retirement. Our reasons include not having enough space, wanting to keep the garden as a play area for pets or children, or just simply not feeling like you have the time.
But have you ever considered getting an allotment? If you’ve heard the term but aren’t entirely sure what it is, an allotment or community garden is a small plot of land used to grow vegetables and flowers for personal use.
We spoke to Feebee Foran, founder of natural skincare brand, Forager, about the joys of growing your own food and the wonderful benefits of having your own allotment. Here are just a few of her top reasons to start allotmenting:
To live more sustainably
“When you grow your own food, you see just what goes into bringing food from field to fork. As a result, you want to make the most of what you harvest, so food waste naturally becomes a hot topic. From using the skins and leaves of veg to creating your own compost, the lean towards a more sustainable life just happens organically. You’ll find yourself getting super creative, especially when you arrive at your allotment to 20 ripe courgettes and need to figure out what to do with them!”
To cultivate and grow your own food
“Nothing tastes as good as the food you grow yourself. When you put your heart into planting tiny seeds and a few months later can fill your plate with delicious, healthy fruit and veggies, you genuinely taste so much more than flavours…call it pride, but that smugness of growing your own food is absolutely primal.”
To benefit your mental health
“When you are working with nature, be it planting seeds, tending to the plot or harvesting your veggies, the most beautiful silence descends over you. The hustle and bustle of life and the inner chatter of a busy mind is reduced to whisper. For people with what I call “fizzy brains”, this little respite has a huge effect and revives your inner peace.”
To connect with nature
“I find so much meaning in the saying “to be grounded”. Connecting with the Earth, working with the soil and seeing Mother Nature do what she does best, really does ground you. The fresh air, listening to the birds sing and seeing your hard work pay off as your plants thrive really feeds your soul. Life happens so fast, nature forces you to slow down.”
To teach children where food comes from
“When it’s so handy to pop into the shop and pick up dinner, it’s easy to take our food for granted. Growing your own makes you so aware of the process and also, of only taking what you need. If I’m making dinner, I’ll only harvest what I need that day, and do the same thing the next day. Kids particularly love this process and even the fussiest of eaters are so much more inclined to munch on veggies they have picked themselves.”
To be part of a special community of like-minded people
“One of the best parts of being an allotmenter is the community vibe. It’s a social scene like no other with a cross section of all ages all joined by a love of growing and being out in nature. From sharing seeds, harvests and tips on getting the best from your plants, allotments are a hive of chatter, generosity and are always great craic.”
Demand for allotment is high but if this has whet your appetite to start your own, Feebee has teamed up with Bohernabreena Allotments to gift allotment beds to ten lucky people with their new initiative, GrowAllot 2024. Click here to fill out the application form before 31 Mar to be in with a chance of winning one of these prized pieces of land.
