About the commons
A garden that belongs to the street
Seedlark Commons is a shared garden run by the people who use it. This page describes how a collective like this might work. The garden itself is invented.
The basics
How the commons works
Three simple ideas hold it together.
Shared ground
Anyone can come to a working bee. You don’t need a plot, tools or any experience. Someone will show you where things go.
Household beds
Households can look after a bed of their own for a season. In return, they help out on the shared beds a few times a year.
Common harvest
What grows in the shared beds goes to the harvest table, the kitchen table and anyone who turns up with a bag.
Ground rules
Six things we ask
Short enough to fit on the shed door, which is where a real garden would paint them.
No sprays we wouldn’t eat.
Tools go back clean and dry.
Take what you need from the shared beds and leave some for the next person.
Ask before you pick from someone’s household bed.
Kids are welcome, with a grown-up close by.
Be kind at the compost bays. Everyone is still learning what goes in.
Seasons
A year in the garden
The calendar follows the seasons, so the jobs change every few months.
Spring
Trays on every windowsill, the first seedling swap and a lot of hopeful labelling.
Summer
Tomatoes, zucchini and the watering roster. The harvest table gets crowded.
Autumn
Garlic goes in, seed gets saved and the seed library restocks for next year.
Winter
Broad beans, mulch and planning. Fewer people, more cups of tea.
Who looks after it
Decisions at the long table
In a collective like this, a small volunteer group keeps the keys, the water account and the roster. Bigger decisions, such as what to plant in the shared beds or whether to build a new bay, go to an open meeting once a season.
Nobody is paid and nobody is in charge forever. Roles rotate, and anyone who comes to working bees can put their hand up.
Come and see it
The gate is open for working bees and the harvest table. Check the calendar for the next one.