How to Create Beautiful ‘Brownfield Gardens’
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).
Read more on no-dig gardening and humane slug/snail deterrents. If you live with animal friends, read up on pet-friendly gardens (some recommended flowers and fruit trees are not safe). Also avoid netting to protect food (just leave some for wildlife!)
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
