Just over two years’ ago, residents of the Ruddington Grange area discovered (with some dismay) that plans had been submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) to create an archery range in the field adjacent to their properties.
More alarmingly still, this was reportedly to be followed by a planning application for the proposed change of use of all of this remaining ‘green belt’ land on the eastern side of Wilford Road away from agriculture to sports and recreation. Following numerous local objections, this particular scheme was eventually shelved.
However, concerns were raised again early this month (June 2024) when significant activity was spotted at the far end of this field – with workers using heavy machinery installing a roadway plus what appeared to be a significant amount of new infrastructure. Alarmed villagers in the area again contacted RBC planners – and discovered this time around it’s very definitely for agricultural use.
Around half the field has been taken over by Roots Allotments for its seventh UK site to date. The eco-friendly business champions ‘no dig’ community gardening to enable householders with small or no gardens to take a plot and ‘organically’ grow their own produce – and facilitate this by providing all the tools and plants you’ll need to get started.
Company co-founder Ed Morrison, who’s now their Head of Community, Growing and Marketing, told RUDDINGTON.info that the idea came to him at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He recalls: “I was with my grandma in East Devon, and saw all these queues outside the supermarket, with people fighting over food and toilet paper, so I ran home and asked my nan what she’d do if she couldn’t buy any food tomorrow?! She had no answer or solution so I said ‘Let’s grow food on the garden!’ Even though I’d never sown a seed before, I convinced her, and that ‘no dig’ was the way forward. Then I just had the most incredible time over ‘lockdown’ – I’d discovered something that was amazing for my mental and physical health.”
However, when Ed moved back to London, he discovered he wouldn’t be able to continue his new found hobby. “I tried to get an allotment with my friends (who are now partners on this), but there was a 28 year waiting list! Looking up and down the country we saw it was a similar situation with very long allotment waiting lists. Will, one of these friends, is a farmer’s son, and his family farmed a field just outside London city centre. We managed to persuade them to let us test this crazy, ‘no dig’ community gardening idea there – which has now become our business!”
‘No dig’ is the principle of using a cardboard layer covered in compost to suppress weeds and plants on the surface but keep the vital microbes in the soil alive. Planting the seeds and seedlings straight into it is said to create the least amount of soil damage and require less weeding and less watering – meaning participants have more time for the more creative side of ‘growing your own’.
When you join a Roots Allotments community you’ll get:
- A ready to plant ‘no dig’ patch (of the size you choose)
- Welcome pack + seeds (you choose what you want to grow)
- Monthly growing information
- Access to shared tools
- Talks, workshops & courses
Growers will be required to adhere to certain rules, including using their patch throughout the year, not using chemical sprays, fertilisers or pesticides of any kind and not cultivating genetically modified crops. Nor can they erect any building or structure on their patch without the written consent of Roots Allotments. Subscribers will also be encouraged to share excess plants and produce with others in the community via dedicated shelving in the communal area of the site.
Ed was in Ruddington last week to carry out a site inspection of ‘Wheatcroft Field’, to decide which biodiversity enhancing features would be suitable. Another plan is to sow a pumpkin field next to the allotments here for members of the public to visit and ‘pick your own’ in the run-up to Hallowe’en. Meantime, interviews are being held for local ‘patch managers’ for the latest location.
“These Patch Managers will be our community runners, right at the heart of it, giving people growing education and helping to maintain the beauty of the site” explains Ed. “So far we’ve got our fences in, built our communal toolshed, laid around a hundred ‘no dig’ patches, and plumbed water troughs in – to give people ease of access for water using the watering cans we provide. We’ve also started putting in public parking spaces and an area to take part in all our agricultural activities – with some wooden picnic tables.”
Concerns remain among nearby residents about the volume of traffic on this increasingly busy stretch of Wilford Road {pictured above} – especially because there is still a 60mph speed limit at the single ingress and egress point to the new allotments and pumpkin field. Ed reassures: “What we’ve noticed from the data that we’ve built up on our other sites is that people only tend to visit one to two times per week, all at different times, and that 60 to 70% of them travel by car. The others walk, cycle or use public transport, which we always encourage, so there really isn’t a significant increase in traffic. When we run special events – like pumpkin picking – we always have people supervising the traffic and parking, making sure there is never any traffic backing up into the road.”
Ed reckons, if all goes to plan, Ruddington’s new Roots Allotments should be open to growers by mid July – with potential to expand beyond the initially laid out areas of the field if there is enough demand. Prices start at £9.99 per month for a 12 square metre patch up to £34.99 per month for 72 square metres. However, discounts are available for those on disability allowance, PIP, Blue Light workers and students. There are also free patches available for charities and CICs looking for a space to grow.
Meantime, Rushcliffe Borough Council has confirmed to RUDDINGTON.info that it’s aware of the activity on the site and has made the operator aware of the options available to them for pre-application planning advice for any works they may wish to undertake.
