About Leaf Exchange

What Leaf Exchange is

Leaf Exchange is a UK-wide directory for surplus fruit, veg, herbs and cut flowers from back gardens and allotments. Growers make a free profile with photos of their plot, then list what they have. Some crops are ready now. Some are coming soon as a pre-order. Some are swap only. Prices can be set, pay what you think, or free.

Neighbours search by postcode, reserve what they want, and collect in person. They pay the grower directly. Leaf Exchange never handles the money.

Why surplus sharing

Anyone who grows food knows the pattern. Nothing for weeks, then thirty courgettes at once. Friends and family can only take so much, and good food ends up on the compost heap. Meanwhile, people a few streets away would love a bag of just-picked beans and have no idea they're there.

Leaf Exchange closes that gap. Growers get their surplus eaten and can cover the cost of seed, compost and plot rent. Buyers get fresher food than they can find in most shops, and they know exactly who grew it and where. It also suits allotment rules, which are written around sharing surplus rather than trading.

How it works for growers

1. Create a free profile: your name, roughly where you grow, and photos of your plot or garden.
2. List your surplus: the crop, the variety, how much, and the price. Choose ready now, coming soon or pre-order.
3. Neighbours reserve. You confirm, and only then do they get your collection details.
4. They collect in person and pay you directly, swap, or take it for free.

The listing form follows UK rules for you. It offers each or per bunch only for crops the law allows, keeps bags of food to free, swap or pay what you think, and offers per-kg prices only to growers with trade-approved scales. Allotment growers confirm that their tenancy allows sharing or selling surplus. The pricing guide explains why.

List your surplus

How it works for buyers

1. Search with your postcode to see what's growing near you.
2. Look at the grower's plot photos and what they've listed.
3. Reserve what you'd like, or pre-order a crop that's coming soon.
4. Collect at the agreed time and pay the grower directly, usually cash or bank transfer.

If a crop fails and a grower can't supply your pre-order, nothing is owed. You haven't paid anything yet. Our terms set out how reservations work.

See what's growing near you

Why we never say “organic”

In the UK, “organic” is a legally protected word. Only growers certified by an approved organic control body can use it, and the rule covers adverts and online listings as well as labels. Certification takes years and yearly fees, so it doesn't suit someone with a garden or an allotment.

So Leaf Exchange doesn't use the word anywhere, and the listing form won't accept it. Instead, growers say what they actually do: “home-grown”, “grown on my allotment”, “no sprays, my own compost”, “picked this morning”. We think a plain description from the person who grew the food says more than any label. Our grower guidelines explain the wording rules.

Keeping it safe and simple

• Raw produce and cut flowers only. No jam, eggs, honey, plants or seedlings, which all bring their own rules.
• Collection in person only. No couriers or delivery.
• Your address stays private. Listings show an approximate area. The exact address goes only to a buyer the grower has confirmed.
• Photo locations are removed. Location data is stripped from uploaded photos.

Who runs Leaf Exchange

Leaf Exchange is built and run by Northrule Ltd. It's free to browse, reserve and list. Questions, ideas or problems: email hello@leafexchange.org.