owner
Aims:
The aim of this project is to link up Bristol residents who have under-used garden land, with people who would like to use it to grow fruit or vegetables. We also offer gardening advice.
What we are doing:
We provide a ‘dating’ service that matches gardeners with garden owners in Bristol. We do this on the basis of compatibility and local proximity. We also interview and vet the people who want to take part, and make sure that the gardens meet certain criteria — for instance having suitable growing soil and access without going through the house.
To make sure that there are no misunderstandings, both parties will be asked to sign an agreement that defines clearly what they expect of one another. We will provide a standard contract that defines the agreed hours of access, whether tools may be stored on-site, what proportion of the produce will be given by the gardener to the garden owner, and so on. But each agreement is between that gardener and that garden owner, so they can change the wording to say whatever they agree between them.
We put people in touch — the agreement they reach between them is up to them. But the experience of other GardenShare schemes across the UK is that it is good for both parties to be completely clear about what they are committing to do. For example, what seems to work well is that the gardener gives the garden owner around a quarter or a fifth of the produce grown.
How to Get Involved:
If you have some spare garden land, or would like to grow your own fruit or veg locally, please reply to this listing.