Blooming Good – Newcastle Uni’s Student Eats Allotment Project

I’ve been wanting to grow vegetables ever since I was in primary school. The idea that you could put something in the ground and have it become so much more than a seed is all sorts of amazing. However, I tend to over-think things so the thought of the many factors that go into vegetable gardening was slightly overwhelming. Also, every time I planted something and it actually grew, it basically meant that Christmas had come early for the neighbourhood’s troop of monkeys. Alas, my hopes and dreams of successfully living off the land were thwarted.

And then I discovered the Student Eats Project…Yaaay! First of all, the fact that Newcastle has so many allotments is wonderful – we certainly don’t have these dotted about the suburbs back home in Durban and more’s the pity. The first day I went to NUSU’s allotment, I had no idea what to expect. Jon, or Grumps as I like to call him, came bounding out of the shed, (yes, he bounds) and promptly took me on a tour of the premises. He is clearly proud of how the allotment has transformed over the last year and deservedly so. The allotment is a joy to behold - every time a plant is plucked up to reveal something colourful, I am reminded of the wonders of nature.

Over the last 10 weeks I have reaped what SCAN volunteers before me have sown. I have made a kale pasta, a cauliflower casserole, a bean curry and a red Christmas salad, and the main ingredients were all from the Student Eats allotment. Organic produce is expensive so it’s fantastic that students have access to it, either through the garden or when produce is dropped off at the Union.
 

 

It remains to be seen whether my hands of doom will turn into green fingers, but Jon has been patient and encouraging and I am sure that over the course of the next 8 months, I will learn more about horticulture than I ever thought I would. The allotment has been a lovely place to volunteer in relaxed surroundings with good company – volunteer times are about as flexible as you can get and the chap in charge is the proverbial bees’ knees J Although, if you wanted to see real bees’ knees, you could do that too because honey is made on site.
Do yourself a favour and check out  the Student Eats Project.

 

Text & photo of allotment produce supplied by Fathima Mahomedy (MA Media & Public Relations), seen here sharing soup with other allotment volunteers.