Organic networking... And what a character this guy is 😂

There's nothing like a bath full of worms.

New arrival for the boxes! Squash!

No need to peel me. Just roast, steam, stew me, stick me in a curry or blend me into a warming soup. The possibilities are endless -

Enjoy.

The resulting effects of CSA and how it can support a bright and abundant future for the way we produce food.

This story among many others will be included in our new documentary Living the Change: Inspiring Stories for a Sustainable Future! Find out more at https://livingthechangefilm.com

Farm friend Jen has started a really good food blog for us called 'One Hull of a Kitchen'. She'll be using the Frith farm veg box to produce weekly, seasonal recipes to help us all stay inspired. Go check out the link below.

https://onehullofakitchen.wordpress.com/ ... See more

First sight of corn yesterday. It's delicious as it is uncooked, creamiest corn I've ever tasted!

🌽

Interesting new blog post on our website about pesticide residues in food. Written by Gina Allen who has Masters by Research in Science of the Environment.

Click the link below to read:

https://frithfarming.com/blog/ ... See more

Frith farm is a local community agriculture scheme providing fresh seasonal, high quality, chemical free, vegetables and gourmet salad in Hull and Beverley

This machine makes planting a breeze!

Looking at a small African tribe, this study found that the composition of their gut bacteria changed with the seasons, due to a strict seasonal diet. The study found that some bacteria even disappeared altogether and then reappeared the following season. When samples were compared to those from industrialised, western countries it demonstrated (again) their diminishing microbial diversity.

Nice little article supporting the importance of local, seasonal eating! 😉 ... See more

Seasonal changes in gut bacteria make-up of a small African community strengthens the evidence that diet strongly influences our gut microbiota, finds a new study in Science.

Good Morning!
Our Colourful Carrots dug from the new bed are ready for today's box scheme members !

This week's weed of the week in our #WeedyWednesday series is the most cheerful of #spring plants - the bright yellow #dandelion.

#Bees 🐝 love its early source of #pollen, so leave some plants over winter for them.

Dandelion roots, #flowers and leaves are used in #herbal medicine and the Victorians grew dandelions for use in salads and sandwiches!

The leaves contain vitamins A and C, and iron and they can also be used to make a foliar feed, like #comfrey. The dandelion truly is a plant of many uses! ... See more

Weedy Wednesday - Dandelion The next in our Wednesday Weed series is the most cheerful of Spring plants - the bright yellow dandelion. Bees love its early source of pollen, so leave some plants over winter for them. In this weekly series, we take a quick look at common garden weeds. How they grow, w... ... See more

Our food security, our freedoms as domestic growers, and our rights and responsibilities as consumers are all up for debate.

We are already working hard on your behalf, drawing attention of decision-makers to the benefits of organic practice. But it's not easy.

We need your support to ensure we are firmly at the forefront of negotiations, discussions & decisions.

You can help by texting FFGO17 £5 to 70070 to donate to Garden Organic and make a difference today. ... See more

Support our Fighting Fund Donate now Turbulent times ahead… In the last 12 months the political landscape, both here and overseas, has shifted beyond recognition. The ‘norm’ has most definitely been reset… Those who were lucky enough to hear our president Prof. Tim Lang speak at our AGM in May, will... ... See more

It's a little grey outside for today's #mondaymotivation

To brighten up the day we'd like to introduce our first 'plant of the week' from our Head Gardener Emma.

The Phlox paniculata 'White Admiral' can be found in our exotic and growth garden. It will grow well in full sun or part shade and with fertile well drained soil. Fragrant flowers will form mid-late summer. #phloxpaniculata #fragrantflowers #mondaymotivation ... See more

We've really enjoyed seeing your pictures and receiving your garden & allotment updates during National Allotments Week.

Before the week comes to an end, here is part five of our series 'One man and his organic plot'.

In this part Chris is enjoying the fruits of his hard labour down at the allotment with an abundance of tasty crops from french runner beans to courgettes.

Have your harvested a large amount of any particular crop on your allotment? #nationalallotmentsweek #organicgardening ... See more

One Man & his organic plot - Part Five The phrase ‘you reap what you sow’ certainly rings true in August and suddenly I’m drowning in courgettes, this really is the plant that keeps on giving and I am struggling to stay on top. It has opened up a new front on my allotment activities though and it’s… ... See more

Do you have spare time on your hands this Tuesday?

If you do then why not book onto one of the last remaining places for our popular course - Cutting Edge Veg.

Learn how to grow vegetables, herbs and spices associated with a more exotic cuisine and introduce new flavours into your own dishes at home. You'll even learn how to make garam masala! ... See more

In the last 50 years our culinary horizons have broadened to encompass a wide range of cultures including India, Chinese, South East Asia and the Caribbean. However, it seems that our growing skills have lagged behind our cooking habits.

This course will show you how to grow many of the vegetables, herbs and spices associated with a more exotic range of cuisines and introduce you to vegetables that you may not have tried before. Much of this expertise has been learnt by working with immigrant communities around the Midlands, so the plants have a proven track record of growing in this area. A glasshouse is not essential, as many will grow outside without a protected environment.

The following will be covered during the course of the day:
- Understanding the challenges of growing non-traditional crops
- Exotic legumes
- Exotic cucurbits
- Exotic tubers and roots
- Taking lemongrass cuttings
- Unusual herbs and spices
- Making garam masala
- Sowing haloon
- Taking african kale cuttings
- Explore the exotic garden at Ryton
- Saving seed from exotic crops

You will be able to take home a variety of factsheets to help get you started. This course assumes some experience of growing, but does not need advanced knowledge. ... See more

In part four of 'One man and his organic plot' Chris's balcony garden is thriving and is heading toward its peak with a mix of roses, herbs, summer bedding plants and of course plenty of food crops.

All of his crops are growing completely without chemicals or artificial fertilisers. #nationalallotmentsweek #organicgardening ... See more

One Man & his organic plot - Part Four So suddenly the summer arrives, with blistering heat and I find my work day gaining an hour as keeping the plants on my allotment watered becomes a necessity. I will confess after coming all the way back from Gardeners World Live, in Birmingham the idea at 8pm… ... See more

No one yet knows how the UK's withdrawal from the EU will impact organic growers. But one thing we can be sure of is that there's much work to be done.

To help ensure we are able to represent the views of organic growers please support us by donating to our Fighting Fund. http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/fighting-fund

Text FFGO17 £5 to 70070 to donate to Garden Organic and make a difference today - thank you. ... See more

Fantastic to read how Garden Organic and our Heritage Seed Library inspired James Wong and his seed saving escapades... (athough from Ryton in Coventry not Tyne and Wear 😃)

Save seed from your own plants. Now’s the time to do it, and these three tips make it even easier…

Do your salad herbs need attention? We have a handy #fridaytip that may just help...

If #chives show orange patches of rust, cut them back, they will resprout. #mint plants which also show signs of rust should be removed, as the disease will persist over winter and re-infect plants next year.

Re-plant with new stock and in a different part of the garden. If growing in containers, scrub out before re-using. #Basil, #parsley and #coriander can still be sown this month - they'll be ready just in time for those autumn soups and hearty suppers!

#herbs #organicgrowing #fridaytip #growyourown ... See more

How to grow vegetables and herbs the organic way To prepare your organic growing area – whether it is a pot, single bed or a large allotment – see Managing your soil and Home composting. It will help you to create the perfect soil - that has nutrients and texture to provide life for your plants. The... ... See more

It's the perfect time to sow chard and leaf beet for harvesting from autumn through into winter & next spring. You can find Fordhook Giant, Pink Passion and Golden Chard - all recommended by Alys Fowler - on our leaf greens page here: http://realseeds.co.uk/cookinggreens.html ... See more

Wilt it in butter, put it in a flan, turn it into a gratin… Sow now, and you could be reaping the benefits all winter

Halfway there! Not a bad days work. Our new water tower will help next spring if there's a dry spell just as we put out all the baby plants...

Here's Ian checking the first piece of our new water tower, which we're hoping to put together today. Made from local wood cut by Adrian Krakiewicz on his mobile sawmill, it will be 4m high, with a 2000l tank on top. ... See more

Very unusual pods developing on our edible chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus). It makes small lentil-like seeds that are eaten in many countries around the Mediterranean. We always have a few experimental things on the go, and this one certainly grows well here. We'll have to wait and see how easy it is to gather the seeds before they scatter though! ... See more

It's finally time to sow Oriental Greens! (If you sow them before midsummers day they just go to flower straight away) But now we can sow all these amazing greens that have been bred for growing really fast from now until winter. These come up quick and are ready to eat cooked or raw in just month or so. Find them all at http://www.realseeds.co.uk/orientalgreens.html ... See more

"Czech Early" aubergine living up to its name! Just about ready by the end of June - not at all bad for an unheated polytunnel in Wales.

Here's experimental tomato 'Blue Fire' under trial in one of the polytunnels. It is very pretty - but not yet ripe enough to taste-test.

Beautiful summer salad - from our seeds: spinach, golden chard, pink passion chard, magentaspreen, fennel leaves, orach, 'green days' oriental green, mange-tout peas, marigold petals, violets, radish flowers and pods & chive flowers- plus elderflowers and rose petals from the hedge. ... See more

Thought people might like to see the nodules on the roots of a broad bean plant. In all 'leguminous' plants - peas, beans etc - this is where the beneficial bacteria live that fix nitrogen from the air for the plant to use, so the plant can grow in poorer soil. The plant in return provides a safe home and sugar for the bacteria to live off. It also supplies oxygen to the bacteria - if you cut a nodule open, it is pink inside. The colour is from the plants 'leghaemoglobin' - just like the haemoglobin in your blood! ... See more

A fine crop of Early Prolific Straightneck is growing in the tunnel. It's been many years since we were able to offer seed of them, so this is quite exciting. Fingers crossed for a good seed harvest this autumn 🙂 ... See more