Growing Local CSA FAQ

What is a CSA? A CSA is where we all participate in how our food is grown – a partnership between those who grow the food and those who eat.  Customers agree to support the CSA through money, time or skills, and the growers agree to provide good quality food and look after the land.

How does a CSA work? Professional growers work for the CSA to grow vegetables (and a small amount of fruit and herbs) using agro-ecological methods.  This ensures the quality and health of the produce that is local, fresh and free from artificial fertilisers and chemicals. They commit to producing a weekly share of vegetables.

Customers commit to buying a weekly share of the harvest and through this commitment become crop share members.  As a social enterprise, all profits are fed back into the CSA.

How do I become a crop share member? Please sign up to become a crop share member by using our online form or by contacting Growing Local at info@growinglocal.org.uk and choose the size of crop share you would like – a full or half share.

For the first four weeks you will receive a commitment-free 4 week trial share.  We will contact you towards the end of your trial to confirm continuation with the crop share. You will receive a weekly veg box (a share of the harvest) that you will collect from the garden or from a hub point in Hereford.

As well as receiving a weekly crop share, members will be invited to take part in volunteering and social events and will have a say in how we are organised through regular consultation. 

How many will each crop share feed and how do I pay?

Full Share: £70 (monthly payment)   3-4 people (this works out at £16.15 a week)

Half Share: £48 (monthly payment)  1-2 people (this works out at £11.08 a week)

£2 of your monthly payment counts as your ‘membership fee’

Payment will be in advance monthly by direct debit.  This will be set up for your trial period. A very small proportion of the cost will help supplement some crop shares for low income households.

How do I collect my crop share? Crop shares are prepared and collected every Thursday from the garden or from a hub point in the north (Castle Green) or south of Hereford (the Kindle Centre).

Your crop share will be available from 2pm to 6pm at the garden to be collected by foot (parking at the Southside car park) or by bicycle.

Or collection at the hub points – times to be confirmed.

We do not offer delivery at the moment.  If you are unable to collect on a Thursday we can arrange for collection on a Friday.  However the veg is not as fresh so we do not recommend this for every week.

Do I need to bring a bag to take my veg home in? Yes, your crop share will be in a permanent box with your name on. Please bring your own bag to collect your veg from the box.  We will then know from the empty box that you will have successfully collected your weekly crop share.

Are you open all year? You will receive a crop share for 51 weeks of the year.  The week before Christmas you will receive a ‘double share’ for the Christmas period. There will be no collection day between Christmas and New Year.

What is my commitment and what happens if I want to cancel? We ask you to commit to Growing Local Crop Share membership for a full year to give us financial stability, allowing us to make planting plans. 

If you wish to cancel at any time we require two months notice in order to recruit a replacement member.

What vegetables can I expect in the weekly crop share?  The vegetables you receive will be seasonal, in the the summer you will get the whole variety including tomatoes and cucumbers and in the winter expect plenty of kales, cabbages and root veg. By buying local you are saving food miles and will know the standards to how your food is grown.

In the summer months the crop shares will be entirely from our csa garden and will be picked fresh on the day of delivery.  Extra veg will be bought in to cover difficult weeks during the hungry gap and may be used to supplement shares at other times of year.

Our website has many recipes to assist you with your meal planning through the year.

What if I really do not like one of the vegetables in my crop share? We will have a swap box out at each hub point where you can switch an item you won’t use for one that you will.  This saves any waste and any surplus is given to volunteers.

What happens when I go on holiday? We suggest if you can, to find a friend who would like to come along and collect your veg and use it while you are away.  This is a great way to introduce them to Growing Local CSA and will make good use of your share at the same time.

Or you can let us know in advance that you will be away.  We cannot give refunds for shares missed due to holidays but the equivalent of the crop share will be donated to a volunteer or a low income household.

Can I volunteer if I am not a crop sharer? Yes, you can become a non-crop share member for £2 a month.  You will be invited to participate in volunteering and social events and will be able to participate in consultations on how the CSA is run.

Anyone can sign up for a regular newsletter – you do not need membership – scroll down to the bottom of this page to sign up.

We will also have regular open garden events that will be open to the public and for the local community to come and see the CSA and what is happening at the education and CSA gardens.

What are the benefits of joining the CSA?

• you will receive very fresh, healthy and nutritious local food
• you will know exactly where your vegetables come from
• you will know who has grown your veg and to what standards they have grown them
• you will be able to share in the growing of your own food – a chance to farm
• you will have a say in how your food is produced
• you will have access to fresh air, sunshine, the earth and good company through volunteering and social activities
• you will contribute directly to the local economy, reduce your food miles and help build a fairer food system
• you will help your food production benefit nature and biodiversity

Why did you choose to locate here at the Southside? We wanted the CSA garden to be within walking and cycling distance of Hereford City.  The south of Hereford has many advantages including a large, local south-side community, easy access using the Great Western Way cycle path and close location to many schools.  We also have an excellent partnership with Belmont Wanderer’s Football Club and aim to share in providing local, healthy food and football.

Why has Growing Local chosen the CSA model? Growing Local CSA is committed to local food resilience through locally and sustainably grown, short-chain-supply fruit and vegetables and are part of a growing global awareness of the need to protect food and seed sovereignty and strengthen resilience through agro-ecological and regenerative practices.

Please read more about the benefits of CSAs from our grower Katie here.