Ireland: St Munchin’s Allotment
An allotment is a prime opportunity to grow unusual fruit and vegetables such as black potatoes or purple carrots that aren’t commonly found in supermarkets.
By Live95 News Team
July 6, 2023
Excerpt:
This week Live 95’s Aislinn Kelly paid a visit to St Munchin’s Allotment in Ballynanty. The community revived a piece of overgrown land and transformed it into a thriving allotment, supplying volunteers with organic fruit and vegetables. The allotment draws a wide range of birds and pollinators, creating a wildlife safe-haven under the shadow of Thomond Park Stadium.
How does the allotment help Ballynanty’s community?
The allotment exposes children to the process of gardening and teaches them skills such as teamwork alongside a hands-on education on nutrition
All young people involved in the allotment through Limerick Youth Service now have the invaluable life skill of growing their own fruit and vegetables
Many of the young people have gone into trades based on the skills they developed in the allotment, such as bricklaying and market gardening.
The allotment also provides a sense of community to new members of the community, with people from different cultural backgrounds bringing their knowledge and traditions to the table
Elderly members of the community are also looked after by the allotment. In exchange for fresh fruit and vegetables, they impart their knowledge and traditions such as drinking nettle tea as a means of cleansing the circulatory system every May.
THe community garden helps filter rainwater, absorb carbon dioxide, and improves the soil health of the area.
The allotment also feeds pollinators such as bees and moths and encourages this through the well maintained beehive and numerous bug hotels.
