Geography students and staff are taking a fresh approach to departmental relations by mucking in together to grow organic produce on a campus allotment.

The plot, one of ten behind the Brighthelm hall of residence, was taken on by geography undergraduates with the support of faculty and staff keen to benefit from the fresh air, exercise and produce offered by allotment gardening.

Physical geography lecturer Dr Dominic 'Monty Dom' Kniveton also saw the allotment project as a way of encouraging community spirit within the department, an idea welcomed by both staff and students.

The allotment group currently includes around eight female students and staff, and one male student. They meet every Wednesday to dig, sow and plan out the plot.

"I'm quite keen to spend my lunch hours pottering about. It's also about making collective decisions and thinking about green issues such as the use of chemicals, or even paper," says Evelyn Dodds, geography resource centre manager.

"Because the students go away in June they wouldn't usually get to enjoy all the fruits of their labours," she adds, "so we're aiming to grow short-term things that we can all share in, such as lettuce, and long-term things such as herbs."

Louise Farquharson, a first-year geography and American studies student, worked on an organic farm in New Zealand during her gap year, which reinforced her interest in organic/sustainable food production and physical geography.

"By working on the allotment I've got to know members of the department," she says. "There's so much on offer at university but you can go three years and do nothing except drinking. Gardening is just so rewarding - you get fit and can enjoy your own home-grown vegetables, just from putting a few seeds in the ground."

It's a pastime that has seemingly shrugged off its elderly image to attract a new generation of organically sensitive and environmentally aware gardeners. All the University's plots are taken up by undergraduate and research students and there is currently a waiting list.

University Environmental Officer Amanda Hastings, who is responsible for the plots, says: "We have been oversubscribed since we set up the plots in 2000. We get a lot of enquiries from staff keen to take them on, but they are reserved for students."