River Cottage Autumn Environmental issues for wannabe urban gardeners

Date Published:

24/10/2008

If you're hoping to plant veg or keeping animals on a new site, it may be worth considering a few environmental questions

Clearing overgrown land

"If I take on a wildly overgrown piece of land can I get stuck in and clear the lot of it?" In a word, no.

There are several key things to consider and in some cases it is illegal to ignore these ground rules. First of all, what looks like a daunting sea of impenetrable brambles to you is undoubtedly home to an abundance of wildlife, especially birds. The ideal time to clear brambles is in the very late autumn / early winter when the nesting season is over and it's easier to identify nests and signs of wildlife. If clearing a plot in the springtime, you should meticulously check each area for nests before you wade in there with loppers and clippers and only clear brambles that you can see right through, avoiding all of the thickest growth altogether.

Knowingly disturbing or destroying birds' nests is illegal and you will be fined. If you want to be absolutely sure, ask your council to recommend an ecologist who will be able to advise you on the safest way to clear your land. You may be sharing your plot with badgers, slow worms, foxes, and birds, amongst others and it's vital to make sure they are protected. After all, they were here first.

Keeping animals in the city

Generally, with your council's permission, you can keep chickens, rabbits and bees on an allotment but, if you really fancy yourself as a smallholder, why not go the whole hog and get pigs? You'll need to obtain a site holding number and contact DEFRA regarding your plans, so talk to people who have gone through the process before.

City farms can be a great point of reference. Not every allotment site will allow you to keep animals, and the council's parks, allotments and smallholding teams may also be able to let you know which animals can be kept on your plot of choice.

Again, it's a good idea to check the quality of the ground for contamination levels, evidence of toxic waste and find out whether the land has been used as dumping ground in the past. You could ask a vet to check over the ground and ascertain its suitability for keeping animals and to be doubly sure, you could employ an ecologist who can point out certain plants (such as digitalis, and certain ivy plants) that are poisonous to pigs.

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