Digging for tomorrow

Encouragement to grow your own is being passed on to the next generation, as Sally Clifford discovered when she visited a former Dig for Victory site in the historic city of York

- Sally Clifford

From within the slightly sloping vista I am told York Minster's iconic Central Tower can be seen. Seasonally obscured, as it was during my visit with summer's cloak of greenery, abundant plant life and produce, it is hard to comprehend how close this enclave of 'countryside' is to the city walls.

The layout of plots at Scarcroft Allotment & Amateur Gardeners' Association is naturally compartmentalised by foliage spanning what were once vast parcels of land, deep rooted in York's expansive history.

While growing your own is the focus, there's a real sense of sharing this valued space with the community, through public pathways bordering the site and events, such as theatre performances, held here.

This sense of community has flourished since the war years when Scarcroft was among sites designated for the Dig for Victory campaign. According to records, an area in front of Scarcroft View grew only potatoes from around 1939 to 1949. Back then the restrictions of rationing prompted plot-holders to grow their own, while today's quest for self-sufficiency is, perhaps, the reason for the current waiting list of 470 vying for plots. Scarcroft Green Nursery is among the fortunate ones to get growing in this natural haven.

AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE

A robin lands close to a raised border where a child digs the earth. This hands-on approach is demonstrated as staff chaperone the tiny gardening team around the plot. Watering cans are filled from butts and peas are fed with recycled rain. Recycling is very much at the heart of this plot. Crop markers are fashioned from drumsticks and wood planks, and, I'm told, the pergola created from recycled ladders provided a climbing frame for last year's beans.