Too much fruit and veg in your garden? You can sell it here
Gardeners with surplus fruit and vegetables now have a handy way to make sure they do not go to waste.
The website for Le potager d’à côté (the vegetable garden next door) – lepotagerdacote.fr – allows professional gardeners, farmers and members of the public to offer for sale produce they do not want to keep.
How does it work?
There are 260 gardens in 40 departments using the site so far. It is free to use but when you order from a potager, the price includes a contribution to the platform. Prices are still lower than in the shops as the main goals are to avoid food wastage and to create social links. Founder Virginie Broncy said: “There are people who don’t eat what they have in their garden because they have too much or because they don’t like it. A person may have a fig tree and not like figs, for example. Or sometimes those with cherry trees end up with too much fruit and don’t know what to do with it.”
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Positive social and environmental benefits
Ms Broncy created the platform in 2018. She said: “It is also an opportunity to share with others and create a link. A retired person can use his or her garden to keep in touch with others. Gardeners can exchange experiences. For English speakers, it allows them to meet people in their area.”
Those who sell can choose to keep the profits, reuse them in another garden on the platform, or donate them to an environmental association. The site also includes recipes, often featuring plants and flowers found in private gardens.
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