Food growing in Hackney
In response to concerns about food prices, food miles and the environment, there has been a tremendous upsurge of interest in food growing in recent years. People want better access to good, healthy and affordable food, and to enjoy cultivating beautiful green spaces and meeting local people.
Below you'll find information about the various ways you can grow or produce your own food in Hackney, and if you have any further queries, please email the Head of Parks at parks@hackney.gov.uk.
Allotments
Hackney Council are the freeholders for 9 allotment sites with a total of 125 full plots (some split into half plots). We are responsible for the maintenance of fences and gates around the plots. The Hackney Allotment Society have a 12 year lease on all 9 sites. They are responsible for the day to day Management of the sites. The Hackney Allotment Society is a registered charity (number 294128) managed by a voluntary committee. The aim of the Society is to promote horticulture in the London Borough of Hackney. Demand for plots is high and a waiting list is maintained. The waiting list is currently closed due to excessive demand. For more information visit Hackney Allotment Society
Growing spaces
Whilst Hackney only has 12 allotments, and plots are oversubscribed, there are lots of other options for growing food in the borough. If you are interested in starting your own food growing project, there is plenty of information to help you get started:
- Capital Growth have a helpful guide to creating new food growing plots
- If you are a Hackney Homes resident, read how you can grow food on your estate
- If you have a garden and want help looking after it, or want to help look after someone else's, visit the Landshare website.
- If you are interested in growing food in your local park, why not contact your local Parks User Groups for support in getting the project started.
Compost
Find out how you can get free compost for your growing space, or subsidised equipment to help you make your own compost.
Capital Growth
The Capital Growth campaign wants to help Londoners transform the capital by creating 2,012 new food growing spaces by 2012. The campaign offers support to communities around London, helping people get access to land and create successful food growing spaces. Hackney has signed up to delivering 65 Capital Growth sites, and has already reached its target! Visit Capital Growth for details of Hackney's sites.
Growing Communities
As part of Growing Communities' aim of increasing the amount of organic produce grown in Hackney, they grow fruit and vegetables on 0.5 acres of Soil Association certified land within Hackney's parks. They have food growing spaces in Clissold Park, Springfield Park, Allens Gardens and Hackney City Farm. A new community food growing space is currently being created at the bottom of Springfield Park, by the Robin Hood Community Garden User Group. For more information visit Growing Communities.
Bees and orchards
Our green spaces don't just accommodate fruit and vegetables; there are beehives in Hackney Marshes and Hackney City Farm producing quality local honey, trees growing in the tree nursery at Hackney Marshes and an orchard in Millfields Park. For more information on bees in Hackney see Bees and Beekeeping.
Future
Looking into the future, we are investigating food production linked to new cafes in Shoreditch Park and potentially Millfields Park. Haggerston Park User Group have started turning an area of Haggerston Park into a local food growing space. Residents in Stoke Newington have planted seeds in Levy Memorial Ground, and now have aspirations to create a fully fledged community food garden. We are also looking to renovate the glasshouse in Springfield Park and use it as a flagship example of food growing linked to an educational programme.
Page updated: 8 Mar 2012
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