[Sca-cooks] Greetings from Edmonton, Alberta

[Laura C. Minnick]

Amanda Baker wrote:

> Olwen asked:
>
> > What is an "allotment garden"?
>
>         It is a fine British tradition, the history of which I
> know lamentably little, whereby significant areas within
> a city boundary are give over to cultivation by residents,
> each of whom has their own small plot within the large field.
> I speculate that the practise goes back to the Industrial
> Revolution, when people moving into the cities were given
> land to cultivate as they would have had in the country,
> to make up for the lack of gardens associated with the
> city houses?

The tradition is much older than that! It goes back to the middle ages-
there was a garden area set aside for village residents just outside or
next to the main clump of cottages, which are grouped closely for
security. AND conceptually, works the same way the fields themselves,
which were plotted out and divided up, with a section that was the
lord's, which everyone was responsible for cultivation. If you look at
maps and pictures of cultivated fields, you can usually pick out which
is the community garden area.

I can't give a reference because as usual my books are elsewhere- but
Jacques Le Goff has written quite a bit on agricultural practice, and
there's also quite a few books about farming practices and the farm
economy in England in the 13t-15th centuries. Unfortunately, the one I'm
picturing I can tell you the paperback is blue and yellow with a picture
of John of Gaunt on the cover, but I can't remember the author's name.
Bleah. I hate getting old and forgetting stuff...

Interestingly enough, there are communities in the States that are doing
the same thing with garden space- there's several community gardens in
Eugene, for instance. There was even one near the U of O Family Housing,
but most of the students I knew didn't have time (including me) to do
much more than herbs or tomatoes on the front porch...

'Lainie