St Mary Street is a small, community allotment site administered by the St Mary Street Allotment Association, membership of which is required in order to rent a plot. The site is currently divided into approximately 48 plots and part-plots, including five designated poultry plots. Tenants of cultivated plots may grow fruit, vegetables and flowers for personal and family use, but may not run a business from the site.
There is a communal shed available for tool and other storage for those members who don't have a suitable container on their own plots. We have recently added a number of small starter plots to enable those on the waiting list to get going with cultivation while waiting for a larger plot to become available. The site is not connected to mains water, and in light of the recent dry summers the committee is looking into ways of expanding our rainwater harvesting capacity. We recently received a grant from the Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen Community Council for four additional IBC containers fed from the communal shed roof and there are a few other communal rainwater containers on the site. With the support of various funders, and in conjunction with water-saving practises, we plan to increase these to a level at which the site can become completely sustainable in terms of water usage. All plotholders are encouraged to capture rainwater runoff from sheds, greenhouses and other structures on their own plots, to reduce pressure on communal supplies.
Our plots are currently fully occupied, and there's a waiting list for new tenants. Anyone considering applying for a plot is encouraged to visit the site by appointment and view the facilities. Please contact the Secretary to arrange this. You can put your name on the waiting list here.
