Vacant Lot Becomes a Garden
by Bonnie Alter, London 
on 07. 7.08
Vacant Lot is an exploration of land use in inner city areas. As part of the London Festival of Architecture some abandoned and derelict patches of land in deepest east end London have been turned into a beautiful oasis of green (vegetables). Forget about allotments--so far away and hard to get to. Instead, seventy individual bags containing in all a half ton of soil have been distributed to form this instant garden. Working with local residents in a subsidised housing project, the architectural firm What If has posed this concept as a possible solution to inner city living. Now, within their individual plots, the participants are tending a spectacular array of vegetables, salads, fruit and flowers.
From an investment of £6 ($12) per person for the seeds, one man has grown 200 lettuces as well as cucumbers, spring onions carrots and beet roots. The vacant lot has become a space for growing food, socialising, picnics and barbecues. And an educational tool as well.
The issue is how to meet the demand for allotments and grow-your-own vegetables in dense urban areas. The answer here has been to take over some neglected areas and work with local people to develop the project. Now Londoner's only grow 2% of their own food, but with the development of more options like this it could increase to 25%. This project raises discussions about the development of London's infrastructure in relation to food, the future of its markets, food distribution and urban agriculture.
As part of the London Festival of Architecture, there will be additional food related events. There will be a lecture about a new urban model for feeding cities, and a day-long conference that will explore how more food growing could be planned for under utilised areas of London. :: London Festival of Architecture
More on Allotment Gardens
:: Victory Gardens: War on Waste
:: Securing the Future of Our Food: Allotments Week
:: How Does Your Garden Grow
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"The issue is how to...grow-your-own vegetables in dense urban areas"
One way is the Square Foot Gardening method. It makes efficient use of space and water.
Does that mean 25% of calories consumed? From just fresh produce and vegetables, that would be quite impressive. It doesn't look like they are growing any grains or other higher-calorie foods.
Whatever the numbers are, local production is good for everyone- it gets us thinking about what we eat, gets us outdoors, gets us working together and spending time together, reduces the impact of our food, provides increased freshness and better taste, and so on. And a well-tended garden is a heck of a lot better looking than a patch of grass.
Where can I get those bags they use to grow in?????????
Here's an idea for urban dwellers. Use those 59 cent Ikea tote bags as mini versions of these big bags. Fill with soil or compost and stick in whatever space you have available. I imigine you could grow quite a few plants in just one of those.
Sorry, but those bags are ugly. There are tons of materials you could recycle into garden beds that would look nicer than that. I want to see another picture of this garden in late September. I bet would bet there is going to be a nasty mess of bag, soil, and plants to clean up.
That's a great idea. Here in nyc, we have so much empty space filled with junk that reeks onto highways, and makes an unpleasant view. we should follow london and turn our ugly lots into gardens. From there, plant more trees, and you have a greener city. (greener for ny that is).