Green fingers interest

A scheme to rent allotments by a landowner in Kilcullen has received significant interest, though more will be required to make it a viable proposition.

That said, Diarmuid Murphy, the man behind the scheme, says he has been very encouraged by the level of enquiries.

The land, on the Athy Road out of town, is zoned agricultural. Diarmuid is proposing to provide plots of either 8x8 metres or 8x16 metres. These will be for rent at €150 or €250 a year respectively, plus a contribution towards insurance.

The site has running water, and each of the allotments will be rotovated and fully prepared for use. The whole area is fully fences, and each plot will be clearly marked.

Allotments are not a new idea. For instance, when the original Nicholastown housing estate was developed, Kildare County Council also made a number of allotments available behind the estate for use by tenants who wanted to rent them.

And they used to be very common in Dublin; anybody driving in by the canal will have noticed a number of them still in use along the canal bank.

“We also saw them in England a lot, and that recent Richard Corrigan TV series about growing vegetables in a city site also caught our attention,” says Diarmuid. “We decided to see if there was any interest here, and we have about half the number of people that we need, so far.”

In no more time than a swish of a Celtic Tiger’s tail, it does seem that more people have come to consider growing their own vegetables, partly from trying to cut their living costs.

“But it is also a very rewarding hobby,” says Diarmuid, who suggests that if the idea takes off properly, he would organise weekend demonstrations from experts for the benefit of those who take up the allotments offer.

Diarmuid can be contacted on 087 6568366 or email gardenplot@ymail.com

Green fingers, anyone?

Brian Byrne.