Could you garden share in Exmouth?

A SIMPLE but brilliant idea could soon be up and running in Exmouth. It aims to put owners of unloved, or underused gardens in contact with people who want to garden and grow their own food, but don’t have access to a space.

The gardener would gain access to a piece of land (bypassing the lengthy queue for allotments) where they can grown their own vegetables and fruit. The garden owner gets to look at a well maintained vegetable plot and to share in some of the produce, as well as being part of a sharing/community initiative.

So how will it work? It's recommended that the gardener and garden owner should meet and discuss the best way to share the space. They should lay out some guidelines about what this involves; e.g. access, the sharing of produce, etc. It is also important to emphasise that it’s not a free gardening service. The plot is only for growing produce.

If you are interested in either offering some space, or in using some for growing, go to  http://www.landshare.net. This is a national website set up by Channel 4’s Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall. It allows you to find out about the concept as well as:

• Browse what is available in the Exmouth area by map
• Offer some space from your garden
• Register your interest
• Download draft legal agreements
• Contact potential sharers to discuss your interests

The website explains how to set up a landshare agreement so that everyone understands each other expectations. It recommends that you set up an agreement that includes a clear statement of what each party expects in terms of access (when, how often, what part), what is grown there, water and tools availability and personal liability - the latter can be covered by joining the local allotment association insurance scheme at a very small cost. There is more guidance on this is on http://www.landshare.net/help/.

Currently there isn't a local organizer for the garden share scheme in Exmouth. If you would be interested in doing this, please email local environmental group Transition Town Exmouth on info@transitiontownexmouth.co.uk or speak to someone at a TTE meeting. And let's get Exmouth's garden share scheme underway!