Image: The garden in winter, having just had the wildflower areas cut and cleared. Credit: Andy Chapman
Sharing is caring, and when it comes to wildlife gardening, there’s no better project to get involved with this spring than a community owned gardening space. Whether there’s an allotment near you or a small patch of land you could transform for nature with the help of a neighbour, why not spread the love this February?
We spoke to Andy, a former farmer and RSPB volunteer for the past 25 years, who has been helping to shape a community owned space in York. Having saved the land from the risk of development, he and his 5 neighbours are creating a haven for both wildlife and people…
Image: A birds eye view of the space. Credit: Andy Chapman
Allotments and community owned gardening patches are a great place to develop a wealth of knowledge between a whole host of people. Speaking of his wildlife friendly patch tucked away in a York suburb, Andy tells us that the team behind it are a diverse mix – from farmers and groundsmen to teachers, engineers and corporate professionals.
“We've all brought our own personality to the site, and now we have a fenced footpath to the river flowing through the field, everyone can see what we are up to and connect with nature.”
As well as sharing ideas and advocating for wildlife friendly gardening, this collaborative approach to managing the space has meant that the work involved in developing the site has been shared, and similar can happen at allotments, gardens and other spaces across the country to help lessen the workload.
Working together in this way can allow those involved to help one another and also develop unlikely friendships, with Andy and his neighbours coming together for work parties and BBQs too.
“Without our back field we may never have really got to know each other. Wildlife has made a community of us!”
Image: Meadow with mown paths and a seating area. Credit: Andy Chapman
Farmer’s fields and allotments may be the first place you think of when growing fruit and veg, but wildlife friendly gardening goes hand in hand with growing your own too. Whether on your own doorstep or as part of a group project such as Andy’s, you can quite literally reap (and taste!) the rewards of your efforts, and even more so when working together.
Growing your own organically doesn’t just reduce your food miles (and therefore help in the fight against climate change), it helps biodiversity too. With nature and your veggies living side by side, you can do away with the harmful pesticides, and let wildlife such as toads, birds and hedgehogs do the manage the slugs and snails for you.
What’s more, by using peat free compost when growing your greens, you’ll be helping to keep a vital carbon store beneath the earth’s surface, with the UK’s peatlands keeping an estimated 3,200 million tonnes of carbon (CO2) from entering the atmosphere. And, as Andy says, using reclaimed and second-hand materials can reduce your impact on the environment too.
“We grow fruit and vegetables in raised beds made from reclaimed wood and pallets, including on top of pallet bug houses to maximise space for both nature and produce.”
It’s not just bug houses that can give nature a home in your garden or shared greenspace. Our Nature on Your Doorstep free guides give some fantastic ideas you can try at home that will invite even more wildlife to come and visit.
Image: A nature friendly productive raised bed. Credit: Andy Chapman
Andy’s patch is brimming with wildlife as a result of an array of nature-inspired instalments, and he now surveys the site for both moths and birds regularly to keep track of which species are benefitting from their efforts.
“We've formed scrub and dead hedges, as well as planting new hedges for wildlife. Together we dug a pond on the site of an old clay pit pond, put in a bird hide and scattered feeding stations around the site to attract birds, amphibians and more.
Image: Wildlife pond. Credit: Andy Chapman
We maintain meandering paths that allow you to walk through the high grass areas and the newly instated wildflower areas, where we've used all native flowers to hopefully bring more wildlife in.”
Image: Mown path through the wildflower meadow, with bird feeding station visible in the distance. Credit: Andy Chapman
Whether a big or small patch, every area that is maintained with nature in mind can help to develop wildlife corridors across the country. Community owned spaces can cover larger areas than single gardens, meaning they can have more impact for nature and create links between wildlife rich areas to benefit many of our much-loved species.
“Well we've been here about 7 years now, and everyone we talk to is very impressed with the transformation so far. This only spurs us on to do more, and we are seeing now that this space has such a positive role in our life, allowing us to escape the pressures of modern life and slow down to the pace of nature.
What we have done and are continuing to do is for ourselves and the community, as well as for our wild space and the nature that calls it home.”
Image: Wildflower meadow with scattered raised beds. Credit: Andy Chapman
Many of our reserves up and down the country have wildlife gardens packed with ideas for you to take home. To find your nearest RSPB reserve (and source of inspiration) click here.
What’s more, our shop is a great place to look for wildlife friendly gardening equipment, seed mixes and more – discover what’s on offer online here or visit one of our on-reserve shops here.
To find out what more you can do to help wildlife in your garden or community owned space (no matter how big or small!) visit rspb.org.uk/yourdoorstep.
With thanks to Andy Chapman for kindly talking to us about his and his neighbour’s amazing wildlife friendly gardening space and for providing such inspiring photos of the site too.
Image: Birds eye view of the garden in summer. Credit: Andy Chapman
Thank you for this inspiring article. What a transformation of the space - it's very beautiful! A real haven for local wildlife and a fabulous natural place for all the people who live there and have worked to create it.