00:00So we're here in Bridge North at the allotments Apley Estates run and we're
00:06with two Martins, Martin Roper and Martin Priest. How long you had your plots here
00:14gents? I've been here around about 20 years. I've been here about 40 years. Wow.
00:20So what is it you grow here? It's easier to say what we don't grow. Yeah yeah.
00:27Everything that you grow for your home, we grow. We grow runner beans, broad beans,
00:34French beans, peas, carrots, beetroot, parsnips, carrots, lettuce. So what is it you get, I mean
00:44when you first took on the plots was it about growing food to save money or was
00:52it about the pleasure of being here and the pleasure of doing it, you know what I
00:55mean? Getting out and fresh air and being able to sort of get out and do
00:59something. Yeah. And obviously you've got your produce at the end of it which makes
01:03it even better. Yeah. You're picking stuff at 12 o'clock on a Saturday, it's on the
01:08plate on a Sunday, you can't get no fresher than that. Yeah that must be quite
01:11satisfying when you're sitting there eating thinking you know this is where it's come from.
01:15You can't beat that taste. Yeah. You can't beat that taste. You'll never beat that.
01:19Well yeah because a lot of us are kind of used to, we've grown up on you know supermarkets
01:25stuff and I mean we see these documentaries don't we where the French say oh our tomatoes
01:32are no good in this country there's no flavour but really what they're on about is a lot of
01:36the ones that we buy in these packets. So you would vouch for that that there is a difference
01:43in taste to kind of stuff you're growing here as opposed to stuff you're going and buying
01:48down the road in a big supermarket yeah. And does it keep longer as well?
01:53Yeah yeah. We pick as we want so whereas obviously a farmer will grow at 10 acres or something
02:03yeah they dig it all at once. If we need potatoes we only dig two or three routes for what we
02:08want for a couple of days. Yeah. It stops in the ground longer and it's even fresher because
02:13obviously you're digging it as you want it rather than storing it. Obviously the end of
02:17the season you've got crops that you do store your potatoes and things like that. Yeah. And they
02:22do keep over the winter period and some of the other plants like butternut squash, maras,
02:27they keep through the through the winter so you can store them and keep them a bit longer.
02:32But predominantly we sort of pick and eat. Is there anything you would like to grow here
02:37which you've had a go at and it's just not happening for you?
02:40Russell sprouts. Yeah? Yeah.
02:42Have you managed to pin down why you can't get them off the ground? No?
02:46Celeriac's another one. They're not normally ready till around about Christmas. Yeah.
02:51Well around about November you get the white fly. Ahhhh. Yeah.
02:56You know somewhere and you pick on butterflies have already been around them. Yeah. Yeah.
03:02So you've got those problems that you've got all the way through the season as well then. Yeah.
03:07So how often are you down here then gents? Daily. Yeah. Six days a week. Yeah. Yeah.
03:14And is that, could you get away with doing half that amount? Or you know obviously you enjoy it. So you're down here because you're enjoying it.
03:23But if you only had three days a week could you still have a plot and get, yeah?
03:29You could. Depends on what time you want to put into it. Yeah.
03:32But right now meaning probably do an hour and a half maybe two hours a night water. Yeah. Yeah.
03:40And the odd little bit of weeding. Yeah.
03:42If we're not down here for three out of seven that's a lot more watering to do. Ahhhh.
03:47Weeding to do. Yeah.
03:49Then there's a digging season. Then there's a sowing season.
03:53So it means you could do less days but when you're down here you've got to put more.
03:58We'll be down here all day. Yeah. Yeah.
04:00We're only doing one day a week. Yeah.
04:02Some people only come down three or four times a week.
04:04And they come down and they'll have three or four hours at a time. Yeah.
04:07Other people are down here and they come down here sort of a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there.
04:12And they'll be down here five, six days a week.
04:14Do you think allotments are becoming more popular again?
04:20There's more appeal to them and the younger people are kind of thinking yeah I want a bit of that.
04:25I think people have reverted back to the costs of everything as well. Yeah.
04:29And they've realised now that they can grow their own for a lot cheaper than what you can buy to the crops. Yeah, yeah.
04:34And I think that people have now realised that it is a way for everything. Yeah.
04:39And they are reverted back to the old ways of doing things and hopefully getting people involved into growing things for themselves rather than buying it from the shop all the time.
04:49Yeah.
04:50The shops are getting too easy now whereas you walk into the shop, your carrots are already due to the end.
04:54All you've got to do is open the package, stick it straight into a tin. Yeah.
04:58People are getting idle in the way of thinking of things. Yeah.
05:03And it is a way forward. You can't be any better than, as we said, the Covid.
05:08We were all the fortunate down here that we could still come down here. Yeah.
05:12Because we were sort of agricultural in the respect of what we were doing.
05:16So that was something that helped keep your sanity through that period. Yeah.
05:20Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
05:22And is there a nice kind of social click? I mean, you're sitting here with your cup of tea, haven't you know?
05:28Is there a nice social element to it?
05:30I think so, yeah. Everybody seems to get on.
05:32Everybody's got their own bits and bobs.
05:34There's four or five of us in a small area here that do a lot of things together.
05:37We all help each other out. As you say, we've got our little tea area.
05:41We come and have a cuppa and we have a sit-down and a chat. Yeah.
05:44And it gives us a chance to all sort of chill out and enjoy the weather, whilst the weather's with us.
05:50Yeah. Yeah. Well, it sounds good, lads. Well, keep digging and keep putting on.
05:55So, Newman, you represent Appley Estate? Thank you very much. Yes, that's correct.
05:59So, you guys look after the allotment. Do you have many allotments as part of the estate? Is this the only one?
06:05We have a number across the estate, but this is the sort of main block here in the centre of Bridge North.
06:10And this is what we're sort of named for in the centre.
06:14And how many plots roughly do you have here? I understand you've kind of diversified some of the plots,
06:21which is enabling you to kind of create a few more.
06:25Yes, that's correct. We've got quite a few on this side and there's some across the track.
06:30We've looked to split the larger plots into two and it basically enables a few more people to enjoy using the allotments here in Richmond Gardens.
06:42And do you find there's always kind of, there's always a list of people ready to take on a plot?
06:47We've always had a large list of people. I think some of them have been on the waiting list for a number of years.
06:53So, it just enables, you know, it's good now we can get through the list a bit more and make sure people have a chance.
07:01Yeah, so how long have you, have the allotments been here roughly?
07:05I'm not entirely sure on the exact date, but Martin Rope has been here for 40 years and I think it's been there for longer.
07:14So it's been a fixture of Bridge North for many years.
07:17And what about, are you green fingered? Are you any good at growing stuff?
07:21Not particularly at all. You know, I leave that to the capable people.
07:25Yeah.
07:26But it's lovely to see people enjoying.
07:28Well, they'll do the growing, we'll do the eating.
07:30Exactly. Yeah, I'm much better at that.
07:32So, you know, good people get to enjoy it and see where their food comes from I suppose.
07:38And what's the cost roughly, obviously we've got these slightly smaller plots,
07:42but what's roughly the annual cost, kind of an average cost for an allotment plot?
07:47So the allotments, all the allotments at Richmond Gardens are £52.
07:51So it's £1 a week, which we think is, you know, very good value.
07:55I mean, that's not bad, is it?
07:56It's not bad, is it?
07:57Yeah.
07:58So we think that's very good value for people and, yeah, they get to enjoy the space for the mere price of a pound.
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