How do we help people to start a food garden?

Over the years I have tried many ways to help and encourage people to start a food garden. Now more than ever it is time to really push the idea but just how do we do it? In the US there is a campaign to persuade the new US president to have a food garden at the Whitehouse. maybe we could have something similar in the UK? A food garden at Buckingham Palace would be a start, they certainly have the space! And one at 10 Downing Street?

Another thing I would like to see is a keyhole garden, or something similar, in every school. Not only would that teach kids about growing food it could also link them to kids/schools in Africa.

Just more of what you are doing now. Schools are a good place to start they should all have a food garden.

At my daughters school they have veggies growing, and the kids help out looking after them throughout spring, summer and autumn. Guess it's kind of part of their science topics.

They also have a handful of sheep, which have lambs each year !

(This is a school in the countryside near Reading)

I saw this article the other day, and thought it was interesting : http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/04/world/main4154650.shtml

Rob, excellent link, thanks. Some years ago there was a support group in the Midlands that organised working holidays to Cuba where participants spent a couple of weeks helping to create food gardens in schools etc. I never did go but it would have been a fascinating experience. One thing that the article did not mention is that Cuba relied heavily on the USSR for fertilisers for their numerous hydroponic systems. With the collapse of the USSR supplies stopped. The long concrete troughs used for the hydro systems were converted to organic soil growing, hence the name organoponico.

Coincidentally the Chesterfield transition town group is showing a film about Cuba this Friday.

Colin

Another link that I saw, which is American based, is this one :

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/11garden.html?em&ex=1213416000&en=5f71df9bd24cdf1a&ei=5087%0A

People are basically saying that the increased costs from the supermarket are driving them to start (or extend) their own garden.

That sort of thing probably carries over to the UK as well, I would think?

The same is happening all over Europe. People are being driven by high prices of food and fuel. I know we have made more of an effort this year to get the garden going and will try harder to get a good supply of veg over winter. It IS easy to grow veg but I think most need some encouragement. There have been some really good items in Rover Cottage Spring on Ch 4 over the last few weeks and that will get more people going. What we need is another 'dig for victory' campaign but my feeling is the government wont do anything like that as it would upset the supermarkets and other vested interests.