...is a coming together of residents, gardeners and allotment holders in Tyneside who are concerned that more needs to be done locally to alleviate the national and international biodiversity crisis.
Wildlife-friendly gardening under threat
In particular, the group is campaigning to have local allotment guidelines changed so that wildlife-friendly gardeners are not penalised for having "messy" allotments.
For example, at the moment in most local allotments, you can use as much weed killer as you like, but you can't garden around self-seeded wildflowers.
An example of widespread weed killer use on allotments is on the communal paths. Allotment gardeners are usually responsible for mowing the communal path in front of their allotment and some, instead of mowing during the growing season, spray the area with weed killer.
So the gardener responsible for the left side of the communal path shown in the above photo has used weed killer instead of mowing; this is within the rules of most allotment sites.
The gardener responsible for the right side of this communal path has left the grass a bit longer, so as not to disturb the white clover growing amongst the grass for the benefit of bees; this gardener could be penalised by an allotment committee for not cutting the grass short enough.
This is despite the fact that one of the Issues of Concern relating to allotments mentioned on page 29 of the Newcastle and North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan is:
"Use of pesticides and fertilisers which reduces diversity and insect populations"
Below is a video of a bee enjoying the white clover on the communal path.
"You call them wildflowers; we call them weeds"
The most contentious issue for wildlife-friendly gardeners and some allotment committees is wildflowers being allowed to self-seed on allotments.
If a gardener buys a packet of wildflower seeds and sows them in one small and inconspicuous area of their allotment, the allotment committee is unlikely to be too concerned. However, if an allotment gardener works with nature and gardens around wildflowers that have self-seeded in various parts of their allotment, the allotment committee is likely to penalise the gardener for having a "messy" allotment. Self-seeded wildflowers gardeners have been instructed to dig up so as not to be penalised for having a messy allotment include: foxgloves, comfrey, borage, poppies, oxeye daisies, dandelions and fennel to name but a few.
Saving seeds
Many gardeners who try to garden sustainably like to save the seeds from the plants they have grown one year and sow them the following year. This is how people gardened before commercial seed companies existed!
One of the benefits of this for wildlife is that the plants have to be allowed to flower for a gardener to collect the seeds, so bees and other insects can enjoy the flowers whilst the gardener is waiting for the seeds to develop. At this point, the plant can not be eaten and will look past its best.
As the plants have to be left in the ground whilst the above process is being allowed to happen, many allotment committees see this as a sign of a "messy" allotment. They assume that the gardener has not bothered to clear a finished crop, rather than understanding that the gardener is actually trying to benefit wildlife and save seeds.
This is despite the fact that another of the Issues of Concern relating to allotments mentioned on page 29 of the Newcastle and North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan is:
"Inappropriate management (i.e. excessive tidiness, removing habitat and food for some species)"
Here is some bok choi that has been allowed to flower by a wildlife-friendly gardener:
And here is what a purple sprouting broccoli plant looks like when the bees have enjoyed the flowers, the petals have dropped off and the seed pods have appeared:
If you leave leeks to flower, this is what they look like - bees love them!
To strim or not to strim?
Because allotment gardeners are under pressure to keep their plots tidy, many of them use strimmers. There's nothing wrong with using a strimmer, in theory, because you can walk over the area first to alert frogs etc to get out of the way (hopefully), but very important insects, eg. spiders and moths, probably won't be aware of your presence... until you've chopped them up with your strimmer!
Using a strimmer is a personal choice, but allotment gardeners who choose not to use strimmers... yes, you've guessed it, get penalised for having messy allotments.
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| Is it a frog or a toad in that allotment pond? |
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| Blink and you'll miss it: spider in un-strimmed grass |
"Get penalised"?
If an allotment gardener is deemed by the committee to have a messy garden, they will be sent a letter warning them that they have broken the rules. What happens next differs from allotment to allotment, but it could and does end up with the gardener being evicted from their allotment.
A major request being made by the gardeners of Biodiverse Allotments and Gardens in Tyneside is that allotment committees are trained to understand and recognise the difference between:
- a neglected allotment
- a much-loved allotment that is tended regularly and cultivated, but with biodiversity in mind.
If you are bothered by what you have read above....
....and would like to show your support for improving biodiversity on Newcastle's allotments, please spare five minutes to email Urban Green who are responsible for Newcastle's parks and allotments.
If you're not sure what to include in your email, here's a suggestion for you to copy and paste:
Dear info@urbangreennewcastle.org
I am concerned about biodiversity in Newcastle and it has come to my attention that the rules governing Newcastle's allotment sites do not currently include it. I have also heard that wildlife-friendly gardeners are being penalised for having messy allotments, but that liberal use of weed killer and other pesticides by gardeners is tolerated. I am very disappointed by this and am therefore requesting that you support wildlife-friendly gardeners and bring about a reduction (or preferably a ban) in the use of pesticides.
I look forward to hearing that you have carried out these changes in line with the Newcastle Biodiversity Action Plan.
Yours...
🐛🐜🐝🐞🐦🐸
Thank you very much for your support
🐛🐜🐝🐞🐦🐸
If you would like to see more photos and videos taken in Tyneside allotments and gardens, you can view them here.