Macc2020 is an umbrella group for sustainability work in Macclesfield

General Growing Advice

Techniques

Fruit Growing

Nowhere to grow?

Garden Sharing

Why bother growing your own food?

  • It gets you out in the fresh air - away from your PC.
  • It introduces you to new people.
  • You can chose what varieties you grow and eat.
  • Your food will be very fresh.
  • You decide how it is fertilised, and pests controlled.
  • Food growing is an invaluable life-skill to pass on to your children.
  • You can share surplus produce or exchange it with other growers.
  • Its Fun!

Learn more about food growing

Come to one of our talks

The following websites contain lots of help in setting up a vegetable garden, a calendar of what needs doing when etc.

Concise advice on growing your own food from the Royal Horticultural society Royal Horticultural Society pages

East Cheshire Organic Gardeners

Also see "Allotment Veg Growing" at Allotment.org.uk

Smartphone Apps for gardening

An Orchard for £100?

Autumn is a time to be planning and planting fruit trees and bushes.
Their cost is quite small. These tree prices are offered by Derwent Treescapes, Matlock :

Apples, Cherries: £14.00, Plums, Pears, Damsons: £15.00. Figs: £7 - £38, Hazelnuts: £9.60 - £48

"Fruit trees: Easy to squeeze in" a short Sunday Times Article

For Community Orchards, fruit trees and bushes can be planted in unlikley public spaces such as carparks.

The Apple Source Book is a celebration of nearly 3,000 varieties of apple we can grow in these islands, with their distinctive flavours, uses, places of origin, stories and associated customs.Cheshire orchards and community orchardsAction to rebuild bee populationsLots of Egg information

Orchard advice Tony Gentil, TLG Orchards, Nantwich Community Orchards

Sources of Funding Cheshire's Traditional Orchards More Apple Books Videos Websites

Researches into temperate agroforestry and into all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops

Where to Grow

If you don't have garden space to grow fruit and vegetables, then you might think about an allotment. Unfortunately although Cheshire East has 1553 allotments on 45 sites, there is a waiting list of 598 people.

However, you could also consider making an agreement with a neighbour or local business to use some of their land.

We have a list of plots that are available for sharing on our "Garden Share" page here

Channel 4's Landshare Site, set up by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
to 'match-make' between keen growers and available land, doesn't seem to be working too well around Macc, so we have set up our own Garden Share scheme.

Macclesfield Allotment MapChanel 4's Guide to Keeping an Allotment

Meeting Community Demand for Allotments

Composting

More Composting Advice , Composting Videos

Located in West Park Find seeds and equipment

 Poly-Tunnels

HomeGrow your own Find Local Produce Background info. Local Organisations Contact .