Katherine Radburn, from the team at the Plot, shares the importance and value in signing up as a crop sharer for the 2025 growing season…
Imagine opening a box that’s filled with the season’s bounty.
One week it’s salad, radishes, runner beans, chilis, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs.
Another week, it’s stir fry mix, squash, salad, leeks, carrots, and beetroots.
Imagine knowing everything in that box was grown locally–maybe even by a neighbour, or someone you pass on the street every day?
And imagine if, as you enjoyed the season’s bounty, you also had the satisfaction of knowing you were supporting efforts to increase our region’s ability to grow affordable, organic, seasonal food for all to enjoy.
Well, you don’t need to imagine it – you can make this your reality by signing up as a crop sharer for the 2025 growing season!
For the fourth year running, The Plot is offering a limited number of spots for people to sign up as crop sharers!
When you sign up, you’ll receive a weekly box of hyperlocal, seasonal produce, either delivered to your door, or available for pick up at one of eight collection points spread throughout Lancaster, Morecambe, Halton, Brookhouse and Garstang.
If you’ve not come across the Plot yet, it’s a market garden that grows vegetables, fruits and herbs at our two growing sites: Old Holly Farm and our polytunnels at White Lund.
The Plot works to increase our region’s capacity to grow food locally and to connect residents with seasonal, organic and delicious produce.
And that’s where crop-sharing comes in!
The Plot’s Crop Share, a form of community supported agriculture or CSA for short, gives security and certainty to local growers, allowing them to share the successes of their growing, and also manage some of the risks.
So when you sign up, you’re supporting the local growing initiative, and the wider mission to increase food production in North Lancashire!
But former crop sharers also find that eating local food, with the season, brings a particular kind of joy and appreciation.
Witnessing first hand the ups and downs of growing food in an increasingly unpredictable climate makes you look at that tomato in a different way.
There’s also something that, let’s face it, is just downright fun about having a box of surprises every week …and figuring out what dishes you’ll make with your haul of seasonal produce!
If you’d like to join the cadre of crop-sharers this year, you can get answers to all the frequently asked questions and sign up here.
When you do, you’ll get 20 weekly produce boxes from mid June through October.
There are options to pay for the full season up front, monthly or fortnightly.
You can combine your Crop Share with an order from Gather, North Lancashire’s online farmers’ market, for a super local weekly shop.
But sign ups close in just a few weeks and spots are limited, so sign up now to avoid disappointment!
