Seedlings 🌱 #frithfarm #seedlings #permaculture #horticulture #csa #salad #birdseyeview

What a chore but what satisfaction! An afternoon well spent getting the rest of the beds lined out, now just to get some veggies in. #frithfarm #farmingthefuture #csa #permaculture #horticulture #cultivation ... See more

Strawberries are in flower 🍓. #frithfarm #farmingthefuture #strawberries #strawberry #inbloom #inflower #horticulture #permaculture #csa

Blooming nettle! #nettle #inbloom

A day well spent at Humber street vegan market today. The place was packed with like-minded people and it was great to hear such a positive response from people about local farming. Hopefully, you managed to catch us and some of our produce, if not watch this space for more markets in the future. ... See more

Plenty of wonky carrots here at the farm.

Billions of pounds of perfectly good produce are being wasted simply for being the wrong shape, color, and size. But Imperfect has a great solution!
www.imperfectproduce.com
Like Rob Greenfield for more videos like this! ... See more

Out of your pantry and into your garden - Millie Ross shows you how to grow black beans and chillies in your backyard.

Birdseye view of the farm

We spent the day up in the northeast, experiencing other CSA's and organic farming practices. We had a walk around Nafferton farm, showing us their research on organic methods vs conventional methods. We finished the day with a presentation documenting the evidence that organic foods were higher in antioxidants and omega fatty acids, while been much lower in carcinogens like cadmium. It was the positive affirmation we needed, a real buzz around small-scale organic farming is building. ... See more

We've made a film describing the work we do with our producer and distributor members. We launched the film on Saturday at the Land and Food Forum and are thrilled to be able to share it with you now..... Give it a watch, then share it across your social networks! Thanks to the lovely Black Bark films for their amazing work. ... See more

If you're still collecting up your #autumn leaves, why not use them to make #leafmould?

It's easy to make, and it can be used on any #soil at any time of the year. It’s also perfect for seed and potting mixes too!

Making leafmould is as easy as 1,2,3...

#MondayMotivation #winterjobs #planahead ... See more

Leafmould What is dark brown, crumbly, good for your garden and completely free? No, it's not chocolate cake. It's leafmould! Autumn leaves rot down to make leafmould. It is easy to make, and it can be used on any soil at any time of the year. It’s also perfect for seed and potting mixes too. Making... ... See more

Wormeries are a great way of producing high quality compost directly from your kitchen waste! They have the advantage of taking up very little space, creating virtually no smell and they’ll recycle all of your food waste quickly. This course will show you how to build a wormery, and the fundamental steps of how to look after it. We will outline how worms make compost, what to feed them and the best uses of vermicompost. We can guarantee that by the end of the day you will be hooked on worms!

What we will cover:
- How to build a wormery
- The different types of wormery
- What to feed your worms
- How to use the vermicompost produced
- How to deal with problem wormeries
- Course level: Beginners to intermediate

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor wear

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

Wormeries are a great way of producing high quality compost directly from your kitchen waste! They have the advantage of taking up very little space, creating virtually no smell and they’ll recycle all of your food waste quickly. This course will show you how to build a wormery, and the fundamental steps of how to look after it. We will outline how worms make compost, what to feed them and the best uses of vermicompost. We can guarantee that by the end of the day you will be hooked on worms!

What we will cover:
- How to build a wormery
- The different types of wormery
- What to feed your worms
- How to use the vermicompost produced
- How to deal with problem wormeries
- Course level: Beginners to intermediate

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor wear

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

This course will dispel the myth that you need a large area to grow your own food. We will demonstrate how, with minimum space, you can produce healthy food organically.

We will show you the best techniques for container growing and highlight plants for different environments. Whether you have a have a small yard, a balcony or even just a windowsill, there will be something useful for you to take away.

What we will cover:
- How to asssess a site
- How to make best use of composts for container growing
- Designing self watering systems
- The best plants for different environments
- Planning for your own growing space

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor clothes and an outline of your own growing space

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

This course will dispel the myth that you need a large area to grow your own food. We will demonstrate how, with minimum space, you can produce healthy food organically.

We will show you the best techniques for container growing and highlight plants for different environments. Whether you have a have a small yard, a balcony or even just a windowsill, there will be something useful for you to take away.

What we will cover:
- How to asssess a site
- How to make best use of composts for container growing
- Designing self watering systems
- The best plants for different environments
- Planning for your own growing space

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor clothes and an outline of your own growing space

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

Composting is a key element of organic growing. There has always been something magical about the transformation of green waste into a product that can benefit your soil and help your plants to thrive. This course will help you to fine tune your composting process and gain an understanding of the processes that happen and how this can be influenced by different mixes and types of bin. We will also show you how to make the best use of your compost for growing healthy food.

What we will cover:
- The basic components of successful composting including where
to site your compost bin and which ingredients to compost
- Demonstration of different bin types and composting systems
- Recognising the creatures in your compost bin
- How to deal with problem compost heaps
- A basic knowledge of how to use compost in the garden, potting
mixes and mulches

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor wear

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

Composting is a key element of organic growing. There has always been something magical about the transformation of green waste into a product that can benefit your soil and help your plants to thrive. This course will help you to fine tune your composting process and gain an understanding of the processes that happen and how this can be influenced by different mixes and types of bin. We will also show you how to make the best use of your compost for growing healthy food.

What we will cover:
- The basic components of successful composting including where
to site your compost bin and which ingredients to compost
- Demonstration of different bin types and composting systems
- Recognising the creatures in your compost bin
- How to deal with problem compost heaps
- A basic knowledge of how to use compost in the garden, potting
mixes and mulches

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor wear

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. ... See more

This half-day course is a perfect follow on from the ‘Introduction to the principles of organic growing’. Using organic principles, it will focus on how to plan your organic growing space, choosing what to grow and when to grow it.

We will outline the key principles of designing a rotation so that you are able to organise your growing space to provide a continuous supply of healthy food. You will go home with a plan of action and something seasonal to grow in your garden.

What we will cover:
- Discover how to assess your growing space;
- Learn the best times of year for various gardening activities;
- Create a cropping plan for your food growing space;
- Learn how to design a rotation;
- Learn some practical growing skills by sowing something
seasonal to take home.

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor clothes and an outline of your own growing space.

(Please note, if you attend this session, there will be some overlap with the earlier ‘Introduction to the principles of organic growing’ course in the morning. We will ensure this is kept to a minimum.)

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us for more information and to reserve a place. ... See more

This half-day course is a perfect follow on from the ‘Introduction to the principles of organic growing’. Using organic principles, it will focus on how to plan your organic growing space, choosing what to grow and when to grow it.

We will outline the key principles of designing a rotation so that you are able to organise your growing space to provide a continuous supply of healthy food. You will go home with a plan of action and something seasonal to grow in your garden.

What we will cover:
- Discover how to assess your growing space;
- Learn the best times of year for various gardening activities;
- Create a cropping plan for your food growing space;
- Learn how to design a rotation;
- Learn some practical growing skills by sowing something
seasonal to take home.

Course level: Beginners

What you need to bring: Sensible shoes and outdoor clothes and an outline of your own growing space.

(Please note, if you attend this session, there will be some overlap with the earlier ‘Introduction to the principles of organic growing’ course in the morning. We will ensure this is kept to a minimum.)

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us for more information and to reserve a place. ... See more

Most people think of organic growing as ‘growing without chemicals’ but there is so much more to it than that.

Organic growing makes the best use of resources by working with and understanding natural processes and plans ahead to make your soil and environment a place where crops will thrive.

This course covers the thinking behind organic growing, giving you confidence in the techniques and understanding on how to create a healthy and productive growing area.

What we will cover:
- Gain an overview of the organic principles;
- Learn the best ways to improve your soil to grow healthy plants
- Learn about some of the common challenges and how to manage
them without using chemicals
- Learn how to recognise beneficial creatures and how to attract
them into your growing space
- See organic food growing principles in practice with a tour of
Ryton Organic Gardens.

Course level: Beginners

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us for more information and to reserve a place. ... See more

Most people think of organic growing as ‘growing without chemicals’ but there is so much more to it than that.

Organic growing makes the best use of resources by working with and understanding natural processes and plans ahead to make your soil and environment a place where crops will thrive.

This course covers the thinking behind organic growing, giving you confidence in the techniques and understanding on how to create a healthy and productive growing area.

What we will cover:
- Gain an overview of the organic principles;
- Learn the best ways to improve your soil to grow healthy plants
- Learn about some of the common challenges and how to manage
them without using chemicals
- Learn how to recognise beneficial creatures and how to attract
them into your growing space
- See organic food growing principles in practice with a tour of
Ryton Organic Gardens.

Course level: Beginners

Booking a place:
Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us for more information and to reserve a place. ... See more

On Thursday evening School staff from Cofton, Longbridge, Rubery and Northfield were invited to meet our Move More Eat Well school team at their Project Briefing Event.

They learnt how to encourage their school to be more active and healthy and were able to sample home grown microgreens, make a fruit kebab and even learn how to fix a puncture!

Interested schools can contact a member of our Move More Eat Well team here, for more information. ... See more

Meet the School Team! Posted on 13th October 201718th October 2017by Anne Dasgupta The Move More Eat Well campaign might already be in full swing with plenty of events happening in the community, but right now the school team of partners Sustrans and Garden Organic are working hard getting ready to… ... See more

Just another reminder to keep a look out for our prickly friends on #bonfire night.

There is some great advice here from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. #rememberhedgehogs

If you're having a bonfire this weekend please check for hedgehogs. If you're going to a display please ask organisers to check. #rememberhedgehogs

#November has arrived and here is our first #fridaytip of the month. It's a good time to lift all of your root crops, such as #carrots, #beetroot and #turnips before the heavy frosts set in - see our advice on how to store them.

Add organic #mulches to protect the soil and give it good structure for next year's growing #season. The best materials to use are a thick, damp layer of straw, grass clippings and autumn leaves mixed together.
#fridaytip #winter #organicgardening #rootcrops #mulching ... See more

Harvesting and storage Picking and eating your own organic vegetables and fruits are the joyful outcome of growing. In these pages we help you store your organic produce – either in times of glut, or to tide you through the winter. The right conditions are crucial for successful storage of any crop,... ... See more

We are really pleased to release our new seed packaging today! We decided a new corporate image was long overdue.

For the last day of #seedweek we'd like to talk about the Open Source Seed Initiative.

Patents & licenses on seed have spread to many parts of the world. Soon, farmers and gardeners may be unable to do anything more than rent seeds from the companies who control them. Already, the purchase of many seeds in the U.S. by a farmer is actually a one-time rental of the seed for a single cropping season. The license prevents farmers from saving, replanting, breeding, and sharing seed that has been rented, not purchased. Even plant breeders are prohibited from using these seeds to improve the crops. These legal restrictions benefit a few companies but threaten the food security of our societies.

Open source seed is seed of a plant variety the genetics of which cannot be restricted by patents or other intellectual property rights. Originally developed for computer software, the open source idea makes something like computer code, or seeds, freely available for use, and makes sure it stays freely available. The material is placed permanently in the public domain. It can still be modified, shared, bought, sold, and reproduced. Some people might may choose to improve the material to make something new. But the original material, and any derivatives must remain free for others to use forever, and cannot be restricted through patents and licenses.

You can read more about open source seed on the OSSI website below, or on our website at Real Seeds here: http://www.realseeds.co.uk/ossi.html ... See more

Free the Seed!

It's #seedweek! Read about the grassroots #seedsovereignty movement of across the UK and Ireland.

"Only 3 corporations sell 75% of the worlds seed; if we all start sowing open source, organic seed, we can grow a democratic food system." David Price, Seed Cooperative, Lincolnshire, UK

https://spark.adobe.com/page/TPzSXT2LOg0bB/?fbclid=IwAR0p2U0IevkBfVcswO-ba0r2PbF-AUZSeWqYAFPwuiXoHNE-I5JgMnhDFgs ... See more

New Seed envelopes in action! All running smoothly now after only a few adjustments: Our Ballard Brown Bag Seed Packing Machine from the 1880s. This is the first trial run of our new Art Nouveau paper envelopes, custom manufactured for us as part of our drive to reduce plastic packaging. ... See more

Exciting parcel from USA! First trial batch of custom-made paper seed envelopes for our 1880's "Ballard Brown Bag Seed Packing Machine"! Don't they look fine? Bottom picture shows the back when closed & opened - the green stripe is the latex stickum to hold the flap shut.
Next step is to test them in both our envelope printer and the packing machine.
(they did unfortunately use a draft copy of the artwork rather than the final version, but that's why you get trial runs done rather than just ordering 100,000 👍 ) ... See more

Great to see everyone at Newport Seedy Saturday today. thanks to everybody who came ; hopefully we'll see you all again next year with loads of home saved seed 🙂

Just getting ready for our own Seedy Saturday here in Newport. Anyone local, see you at the Tabernacle Chapel vestry (opposite Long Street carpark) 10am to 1pm 🙂

We got our latest shipment of seed from Italy yesterday, and Kate noticed the boxes on the pallet were now labelled in English. Read the small print 🙂

Are you part of a community seed bank project? The Community Seed Banks Academy may be able to support you with training, information and exchanges. They currently have a call out for applications.

Hopefully you're all enjoying the beautiful weather. This is just a reminder not to get *too* optimistic about sowing just yet.

Remember, in most of the country soil temperatures outdoors won't get above 7 or 8 degrees C until into March. Realistically beetroot, carrots, parsnips etc will just tend to sit and linger in cold soil - even allowing for the fact that we are very likely to get another cold snap.

We find that delaying sowing until late March or into April gives much better results, with later sown crops coming on quicker and more able to outgrow slugs & other pests.

Similarly, sowing indoors on a windowsill may be very tempting, but remember that your crops will need warmth *and* light once they're up, so make sure you'll have somewhere suitable for them to grow on. We've sown our peppers and aubergines in a heated propagator, they'll go out into an unheated greenhouse insulated with bubblewrap, but we'll bring them indoors overnight if the weather is particularly cold. Tomatoes will go into the propagator this week.

My main exceptions to the 'don't sow too early' rule are onions (need a little heat to germinate but then will stand any amount of UK- level cold) and peas which you can start in modules or trays and then put out as soon as they're an inch or so high. Again they'll happily sit through frosts. I'm going to sow my new favourite Jessy sugar snap peas today 🙂

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/germination.html ... See more

To see what we're up to on the farm and in the office as we grow and try new varieties, follow our Facebook or Instagram pages