Allotment Journey - A Step to Sustainable Living
This article is courtesy of Stephen Watts aka Maxsalad. He grows in Sheffield, England and is into organic growing, sustainable living and even writes poetry.
My Journey on Allotments
Three years ago in October I decided to share an allotment with a couple of friends. I had finished most of my A-levels and decided to focus some time on food growing in a kind of break year from the education system.
I committed a lot of time to clearing the site of rubbish; I felt it was my own way of caring for the earth. This was just common sense work; I could see when soil was polluted with contaminants.
The fresh air and physical exercise built my strength and helped me sleep better. My friends had been looking after it before me over the summer so I wasn’t starting completely from scratch. I had an interest in wild food and herbalism so weeding became exciting, especially when I found all were useful or edible (and incredibly good for me).
From that first seasons growing –sowing lettuce and carrot seeds in the greenhouse indoors in February to broad beans, parsnips and onion sets in march, later sweetcorn, indoors to begin with, cabbages, runner beans, peas, turnips and many others – I was completely hooked on good food. I found it didn’t need cooking or any flavour adding to it to be nice to eat – I ended up eating lots of it raw. Through living at home I was able to have the time to grow the food and make this change possible.
Now I have been growing on allotments for three years and I can begin to see the benefits.
My diet has converted to a mainly raw vegetarian diet (preferably organic and as local as possible- the allotment really helps), I am fitter and stronger from the exercise. I find it easier to relax, and have improved my families’ health through giving them fresh salads (and there’s much more than lettuce to a salad).
Now I find myself daily gathering wild food and I still have time to occupy myself in other creative hobbies. I consider my self my own doctor to a degree but am aware that I still have a lot to learn. I am recycling my body wastes back to the earth in a clean, safe and easy way. And since I have been doing this I have found a new deeper connection to the earth than I had before.
I believe that this change in life style has helped and encouraged me to quit smoking, as well as encouraging me to eat mainly raw food. I will continue to change my diet – I might go back to cooking again – whatever feels right. I take with me the wisdom of nourishment, not the rule. Edit 2007.(Recently I have gone back to cooking again, with a new found appreciation of the ancient art…..)
I am far from self sufficient but do not plan to be. As humans we are social beings and giving and receiving is a need. For me it took a lot of time and effort in the first few years to get a clean patch and a basic sense of composting- feeding the soil. If I had had to do a full time job it would have made it incredibly difficult to practice food growing.
Allotments- A step to sustainable living
I envisage allotments becoming communal systems, without individual ownership. People will be united by a shared vision to care for the land and will recognise that cooperation rather than competition makes living easier for everyone.
We have already won the lottery. We are alive and being sustained by a beautiful planet which is suspended in an infinitely large universe. Feel space breath space! This gift of life is more than enough to be thankful for.
I am only ever divided by myself .
There is no outer divide. All is well with the world!
More Articles from Stephen Watts
Useful Websites
Low Impact Living Initiative
Low Impact Living Initiative (LILI) is a non-profit organisation seeking to reduce people's impact on the environment.
Down the Lane
A personal experience in career downshifting including poultry keeping, frugal living, garden farming, dowsing. The quest for self sufficiency and a better way of life
Broad Leys Publishing
Great selection of books on smallholding, poultry, cheesemaking etc. Katie Thear is an authority on keeping hens, chickens and poultry as well as self sufficiency. The site is a fantastic resource.
Waynes Worlds
A website set up to chart our new life as smallholder's in aberdeenshire. We hope you find the pages in the site entertaining and to some of you inspirational enough to change your life forever!
Frugal Living Tips
Frugal Living Tips on how to lead a less wasteful lifestyle without debt, and still to be able to enjoy all the good things that life has to offer.
Rural Living
Life in the Conwy Valley, Wales. Info on everything from the weather to beekeeping. Well worth a visit.
Kilner Jar Supplies
Supplies of new seals and lids for Kilner Jars. Complete Kilner Jars for sale
Agrisellex UK
Internet outlet supplying Animal Health and Electric Fencing products for Small holdings and Equestrian market.
OASIS Rainwater Harvesting Systems
Free advice, design and info on rainwater harvesting. Supply of rainwater harvesters giving free water for your home and garden.
Viable Self Sufficiency
Practical down to earth advice for the self supporter from TY'N-Y-MYNYDD farm. Offers advice on setting up sustainable integrated farm systems suitable for smallholders. Really well worth a visit.
Evert-Fresh Green Bags
Evert-Fresh Green Bags contain non-chemical properties that naturally extend the life in fruit, vegetables and flowers 3 to 10 times longer, preserving the loss of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.
First Pasture
First Pasture is a specialist smallholding and farming bookstore
Low Cost Living - Self Sufficiency
Being self sufficient is in great part about being frugal. Waste not, want not and re-use and recycle. This site is all about that. Saving money and saving carbon.
Gofarmer
Trade livestock, farm machinery, land, produce, services....for all your farming and smallholder needs.
The Smallholder Series
Our programmes and website provides information and guidance for smallholders, livestock owners and anyone interested in country living and 'the good life'.
Frugal Cooking - Low Cost Food
A site devoted to cooking food with low cost food recipes and advice on how to eat well for less money and be kinder to the environment .
Green Welly Monster
Green Welly Monster is the UK's first ever crowd-sourced eco-village. The aim is to create a family-friendly sustainable eco-environment in which you can play an active role - globally, physically and locally. Create it. Experience it. Live it.
Flexmore Farm
A small farm which started as a vegetable patch and now produces rare breed, woodland reared pigs and grass fed Water Buffalo for meat and dairy. Mail order sales. For anyone who is interested in traditional tasting foods.
gardenfarming.org
Courses on Self Sufficient Living - Former agricultural college tutor, farmer and self sufficient over 25 years: Growing Food, Keeping Pigs, Goats, Sheep, Hens etc., Sausage & Cheese Making. Day Courses or Holiday Experience in converted former Stables!
HomeBrewPower
Learn more about Renewable Energy & Self Sufficiency. We aim to provide our readers with the most up to date and interesting information on all things Green, Low Impact, Recyclable, Carbon Neutral, Self Sufficient & Sustainable.
Save Money Guide
Save money on just about everything. From pence to pounds - on gardening, dogs, earning money, holidays, insurance, motoring, shopping, utilities, phones, etc. etc. You name it - we will help you.
bottleandjarstore.com
Quality glass bottles and glass jars at competitive prices. Here you'll find a great range of glass bottles and glass jars - ideal for food, drinks, cosmetics, aromatherapy and healthcare.
Preserve Shop - Jam Jars
Preserve Shop is the leading UK retailer of jam jars, jam making equipment and other home preserving supplies. Whether you've just started home preserving and need a jam making kit, or need to top up your stocks of glass jars and labels, we have it all.
Waark.com
Ex allotmenteers in search of a self sufficientish lifestyle with vegetables and chickens
Green Life - Self Sufficiency
A blog about living a more sustainable lifestyle, growing your own and raising chickens, ducks etc in the backgarden of a normal terraced house, whilst having fun!
