GutterGrow for Housing Associations
Low Cost Vertical Allotments and Gardens
(for tenants to grow their own flowers and vegetables)
Many Housing Associations wish to provide their tenants with a range of activities and support services which contribute to tenants health and wellbeing. This has become of particular concern for older or disabled tenants in sheltered housing where support services from local authorities are being reduced.
Sustainable Opportunities won a government grant to look at ‘Proof of Concept’ for a low cost means of constructing vertical gardens which could be erected in any small available space (e.g. patio’s, yards). As a result of this grant they are now able to offer Housing Associations a vertical gardening system called ‘GutterGrow’.
The attractive features of this system are :
- Low initial cost (typically less than £100 per installation)
- Frames comprise of tubes and joints which are easily constructed in most available spaces
- Frames can be adjusted to meet tenants requirements (e.g. height, accessibility)
- All types of growing containers (e.g. pots, troughs, gutters) can be supported
- Most plants, flowers and vegetables can be grown
- Frames are robust and reconfigurable providing long usable life
- Frames can be easily moved or dismantled and stored
- Essential plant growing services (e.g. watering, feeding) can be automated and attached
The Royal Society of Arts kindly provided a ‘Catalyst’ grant to pilot the use of ‘GutterGrow’ with a Housing Association in Cambridge and a report and conclusions are available for Housing Associations to assess.
A range of funding opportunities can be considered to cover the cost of providing these vertical growing frames to tenants.
For a copy of the report and suggestions on funding opportunities please contact