Donal Hickey: Urban allotments and community gardens growing in popularity

It's National Allotments and Community Gardens Week now — anyone motivated to get stuck in might be interested to know that Cork City Council has more than 50 plots for rent in Churchfield 

The Churchfield Allotment committee, Mary Birmingham, Chryssa Dislis, Cllr Michelle Gould, Larry Murphy Stefano Gregorin, Mary Roche, John Booth, Paddy Codd, Carla Pittam, John Darcy, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald and Carla O’Connell — at the recent open day at the community garden. Picture: Chani Anderson

The influence of celebrity presenters of gardening programmes on television, such as Diarmuid Gavin and Monty Don, may have something to do with the growth of garden centres and green-fingered activity generally.

But, surely, there’s more than one reason — not least an increased enthusiasm for environmentally-friendly activity amid concerns for the future of planet Earth.