Sydenham Garden was set up with the main purpose of helping those in our local community coping with or recovering from significant illness.
also ....
De Frene Road site, a one acre site designated for
horticultural use. As well as using this space for continuing our
therapeutic gardening, personal development and training work, we plan
to develop the site into a sustainable social enterprise that will
benefit both our co-workers and the local community.
"Sydenham
Market Gardens, needs to provide flexible facilities to maximise the
productivity of food on the site, in a socially and environmentally sensitive
way, to enable and meet the needs of all the site users.
In conclusion, the growing on site provides the
highest percentage sales income when producing 150 boxes. However once the cost
of growing on site is taken into consideration, it is only viable once 200- 300
boxes are produced. Sale targets should be set accordingly
"Conclusion.
Once the infrastructure is in place the box scheme
could start distribution based on brought in produce from local producers, this
would build a customer base to the necessary levels of 200-300 boxes. This
would ensure the maximum financial impact of growing on the site.
This report has focussed on the growing enterprise
on the site. With a feasible business model anchoring the scheme, a backdrop is
created to enable co -worker to take advantage of opportunities within the
enterprise. With the right resourcing
and staffing Defrene Road allotments could become a sustainable growing
enterprise, maintaining and developing a valuable community resource."
"Experience
of box scheme operative suggests the following assumptions. One person can
manage 2.5 acres of market garden with machinery.(Eliot Coleman) That same
person can manage the picking and packing for one hundred customers with part
time help. To deliver 100 boxes door to door takes one person one day.
During
peak growing season the site has the potential to provide approximately 50% of
the box scheme needs. This percentage would drop as the season progressed. The
site could provide the needs of 150 boxes with salad all year.
The
scheme would be reliant on the purchase of vegetables from local sources.
Contact has already been made with Perry Court Farm in Kent and Growing
Communities in Stoke Newington. All have supplied box schemes for many years
and understand the continuity and quality issues that inform success.
As local support continues to grow for the charity and its invaluable work in the community, over 1500 visitors attended our ever-popular seasonal events last year."
More info at http://www.sydenhamgarden.org.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/sydenhamgarden/
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