Instead of jumping straight in the new year’s resolution bandwagon, at Capital Growth we have started the year by looking back at how much has been grown in London's gardens in 2016 - and the results are very exciting!
In 2016, 78 Capital Growth gardens used our Harvest-ometer to record their harvest. They grew a whopping 20.4 tonnes of fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs and herbs, which is valued at over £141,285 and represents 255,800 meals. That’s enough food for everyone in Southampton, grown in only 78 London gardens.
Closer to home, our show garden proved productive too. The Allotment Garden in Regent’s Park is about 50 square meters of mixed raised bed, where crops are grown following organic guidelines. Its purpose is to inspire people to get growing, and it’s open to the public Monday- Friday 8:30am-4pm and at the weekend between 8 am and 3 pm (come and visit us!).
Using the Harvest-ometer, we discovered that in 2016 The Allotment Garden has grown the equivalent of £1125 of fruit, vegetables, and herbs, which equals a juicy 169 kg of produce and 2118 meals (I suspect our bumper runner bean crops helped). This is a true reflection of the fact that the Allotment Garden is providing 6 volunteers with fruits and vegetables throughout the summer.
For more details on who grew what in London, what are the top 10 veg of the capital and which gardens are the most productive, keep your eyes peeled for our Harvest-ometer report which is due out in March. In the meantime, if you are still looking for New Year's resolutions, we have a couple of suggestions: grow food, wherever you are; and record your harvest using the Harvest-ometer - check our Harvest-ometer video to find out more here!
Published Thursday 12 January 2017
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
