Mac and his wife Marion have always been keen gardeners and their large garden is packed with stunning flowers, shrubs and trees. Ten years ago, Mac was keen to try his hand at growing fruit and vegetables, but the Shetland climate, coupled with an exposed site, had previously put him off. That was until he heard about a community growing project Northmavine Community Development Company (NCDC) was planning.
NCDC had obtained funding from the Climate Challenge Fund to build twelve undercover growing spaces in Northmavine. The idea behind the project was that a person with either a croft or a large garden would host a Polycrub and share the space with three or four other growers.
Mac signed up as a host immediately and he and his co-growers have not only been able to grow, they’ve also been able to share knowledge, tips, seeds, produce……and plenty of laughs. Community Polycrubs are very social spaces, as well as productive spaces.
Over the years Mac has grown an ever-increasing range of fruit and vegetables and his fruit trees have also expanded in size. He knew that he needed more space, so a new Polycrub was the ideal retirement present. The latest addition is built next door to the community Polycrub so it’s easy for Mac to tend both areas.
Mac said, ‘Getting the community polycrub was a godsend, but only having a quarter share restricted my growing plans, so I needed more space’. After experiencing the ability of the Polycrub to cope with the Shetland weather, it was the natural choice when he decided to look for another undercover growing space. ‘My garden is very exposed. I don’t think a glass or plastic tunnel would have survived very long, so it was only natural to go for the more robust Polycrub’, Mac added.
This year he has grown twenty three different varieties of fruit and vegetables including varieties that require patience, such as asparagus. Mac grows apples and plums as well as beetroot, onions, tomatoes, carrots, courgettes, corn on the cob, physalis, kohlrabi and even butternut squash and aubergine – a real feat at 60 degrees North!
Lots of the produce is used fresh but Mac also pickles the beetroot and the small onions and makes chutney and relish. He grows in raised beds and enriches his garden soil with his home-made compost and adds seaweed. Judging by the jungle of plants, produce and trees, filling the spaces, his soil and plant care has resulted in some very happy plants.
