News articles and responses to Covid-19

Local community garden campaigns and responses

• Incredible Edible Lambeth are about to launch a campaign to encourage neighbours to share seedlings to promote home food growing. Incredible edible will be providing resources (seeds, pots, compost etc.) to 25 households (for the pilot, which will then increase to 100). Seedlings will then be distributed among the community by Father Nature using bikes and milk floats. 

From the media

• Online plant retailers list from Gardener's World (Gardener's World, 2 April) 
• Some online garden centres still open during lockdown (The Independent, 13 April) 
• London’s local garden centres delivering plants to your door (Time Out, 7 April)  
• Gardening through lockdown, go online and support our small growers (The Guardian, 5 April) 
• Fresh veg hard to come by?  Grow your own microgreens (The Guardian, 4 April)  
• Urban land could grow fruit and veg for 15% of the local population (University of Sheffield, 17 March) 
• Michael Gove comments that allotment gardening allowed during lockdown (The Guardian, 24 March) 
• Gardener’s turning to grow your own during Coronavirus crisis (ITV, 23 March)

Guidance outside the UK

• Green Thumb NYC response to outbreak (1 April, from the US) 
• Handling COVID-19 at Community Gardens (From the US) 
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Community Garden Management of Covid-19 (From the US) 
• Interesting blog about necessity of community gardens (from Canada)

Capital Growth/Sustain take no responsibility for the content of any external websites or articles and only want to signpost growers to the places where you might find the resources you need. 

We do recommend that you try to buy from your local or independent garden centres/businesses where possible, and to buy seed with minimal intervention, and peat-free soil and compost.