HOW TO GET FOOD FOR FREE

“THIS isn’t just a nice gardening group – this is a sustainable, biodiverse gardening group that’s also nice” is how a growing collective was introduced at its open morning. 

Around fifty people braced the sudden change to more autumnal conditions to experience how Incredible Edible Loughborough is connecting communities through growing food on disused public spaces in the Fearon Hall area. 

Julian Rees oversees the transformative re – greening of, to date, seven urban spaces to fertile, cultivated plots producing organic fruit and vegetables the public can help themselves to for free. 

“This is not an allotment or a community garden that people join or pay a fee; it’s a different kind of garden; a totally open garden. Incredible Edible gardeners are weird and strange as we never harvest what we grow,” said Julian. 

He said the group has planted 100s of potatoes but has never harvested one.  

“The group is never sure who’s picking what, we wonder if we’ve messed up but no, people are picking what we grow and taking it home. We don’t own it; we don’t lay claim to the produce.”  

People toured the beds and plots maintained including the Cambridge Street Corner Garden and the greenhouse used for propagation and were introduced to the group strategy; considered a whole different way of looking at food.  

Mr  Rees said residents in the area may live in food poverty and can pick the crops before they’re ready because they need them, thinking if they don’t someone else will. 

Artistically designed signs placed around the sites encourage and inform on the best way to get the most from each plant. 

Soil is regenerated with home – made compost providing a carbon sink and plants are allowed to go to seed to enhance biodiversity for pollinators and insects. 

One of the visitors was impressed by what he saw. 

“You wonder how it can work? But it really does. It doesn’t get vandalised and there’s fresh free produce growing on people’s doorstep,” he said. 

Laura has just taken over maintaining her garden from her late husband and said it was an exciting and fascinating idea. 

“I’m getting lots of new inspiration I can put into practice and am keen to sign up to some of the group’s workshops,” she said.