Brownfield Gardens (beautiful sites on wasteland)
If creating a community garden from a neglected urban plot (say old car parks), download this free depaving guide (important, as uplifting tarmac can sometimes reveal sump oil and other pollutants, that need safe removal).
Note that wildlife-friendly ponds and fish ponds are different (fish are carnivores and would eat garden wildlife). Read more on pet-friendly gardens, wildlife-friendly ponds and garden water safety.
Avoid tin or bright-coloured birdhouses, as they can overheat, and attract predators. Read more on creating safe havens for garden birds.
Keeping People and Pets Safe in Gardens
Whether you grow food (or flowers) in community gardens (or any type), know a few little garden rules to keep all creatures safe. Remember you may not have pets, but others will.
- Many plants (including all bulbs) and trees (along with some mulch and fresh compost) are all unsafe near animal friends. Read more about pet-friendly gardens and humane slug/snail deterrence (to avoid toxic pellets).
- Never use netting to protect food (nearly all sold has holes way wider than recommended by wildlife rescues, to avoid creatures getting trapped).
- Acids can harm compost creatures, so bin citrus, tomato, rhubarb and allium scraps (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives). Same with tea/coffee grounds (due to caffeine). Read more on making garden compost.
- If growing indoors (including greenhouses), avoid facing indoor plants to outside spaces (to help stop birds flying into windows).
If the land is too far gone, don’t fear! You can upcycle paving stones into landscaped areas, and add raised beds filled with peat-free compost (even smashed stones and building rubble can built little alpine rockeries). The only limit is your imagination!
One brownfield area in Somerset used to be a derelict area of rubble, with a litter-filled canal, unused railway line and old dairy farm. Today it’s a beautiful meadow, with a large natural pond for native wildlife and insects.
In Essex, one gardener rescued ceramics from old toilets and building rubble, to create a wildflower meadow. He used old shopping trolleys and piping to create insect habitats, and says he’s even partial to removing bits of ‘old car carcass’ to use in his garden landscape designs!
Community gardens (and allotments if you are fortunate enough to secure one – waiting lists can be years) are best investing in large-scale water butts (with child/pet locks), to avoid bills and save rainwater.
Call me repressed, call me terribly English, but when I go to my allotment, I’m not seeking spiritual knowledge. I’m seeking vegetables. And perhaps a bit of fresh air and exercise.
But that’s all. I’m not there to unblock my chakras. I haven’t got time. I’ve got to put horse poo on the bean rows. Leave me alone. Paul Kingsnorth
