The Making of a Soil Declaration for a city

For the last 8 Saturdays Bristol has been home to Soil Saturdays, curated by the Soil Sisters. It has seen many people come together to talk about soil and art and it has made me, amongst many others I am sure, aware how powerful art is as a medium to bring other issues to the fore in a safe and inclusive way. 

The joy of Soil Culture at Create for me has been the opening of a space for discussion around soil, it’s true importance in all of our lives and how it is so important for many of us across the city who make livings from or support soils and soil health and wellbeing in everything we do. My career of the last 20 or so years has been based around soil, my life based on the rich brown earth beneath our feet and to be able to meet and converse with people over that is something that is rare and beautiful.

The idea of a city creating a declaration for it’s own soils is at once powerful and brave. To do so says not only do we, as a group of individuals, care deeply about the soil in our city but we also care about food, people, education, agriculture, health and wellbeing, children, community and the city itself and it’s wealth and health. It says we care not just about today, but about a future for our forebears where they can have access to healthy food, outdoor space and recreation land in a city that is becoming more and more intensely populated. It speaks of a wish to create the most resilient city we can, going into a future that is unknown but is certain to be different from the now. 

Many have questioned why we might feel the need to create a declaration for soil, and some have asked why we might think it necessary. My answer is always that as a city we need good housing and transport links, excellent schools and services for all communities across the city, as well as a plan to feed all those people and to keep our local economy thriving. Creating a declaration for our city’s soil creates an opportunity to ensure that food growing and production is factored into the future planning of the city and creates a future of more certain health and wealth.

In order to create this declaration there was a hope that many people from many walks of life within the city would come together to work co-productively to create this document. This type of gathering is rare, but we were fortunate in our wishes and there were a whole mix of people, ranging across city council strategic directors to members, food policy council members, permaculture and growing professionals, members of nationally important organisations and people who are interested and care about the future of food and access to land in our city. At one, very powerful moment, there was a table working together that was made up of a city strategic planner, a university professor and soil activists from Rising Up who spent much time protesting around Bristol’s Blue Finger in February and March this year. To create a space where that is possible is remarkable and to be a part of something so powerful makes the whole event a day to remember.

The Soil Declaration itself is still being brought together by the facilitators of the day but what we came up with was a series of statements around soil’s importance in the city and its hinterlands that focussed on beliefs and actions to be taken around those beliefs. Having openly talked about this on social media it is clear that not only is Bristol the first city to embark on such an important piece of work, but that it is possible, and likely that others will follow suit.

For Bristol it is vital to protect land that is already being put at risk by development and to ensure that various things that have happened on our most precious soils, are stopped from happening again. Our Blue Finger of rich and fertile best and most versatile soil, that manages crops in all extremes, needs protection as does all BMV soil countrywide. By creating this Soil Declaration, Bristol is putting itself, in a citizen led movement, at the forefront of this enormous change in the way we look at our precious resources, and that is a hugely powerful and brave move. It should be applauded.

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Love for Love Square

Recently I visited Sheffield. I visited because Ron Finley, of Gangsta Gardening fame was visiting Sheffield to give a talk and Nigel Dunnett, of Pictorial Meadows fame, had alerted me to that and I had immediately booked a ticket, as I was also invited to an evening event around Guerrilla/community gardening later on in the week. This gave me the opportunity to spend 3 days in Sheffield finding out what was going on in the community sphere up there. What I didnt know was that Nigel had arranged for me to spend 3 days actually with Ron and the team, visiting several community based projects and meeting some people who in all honesty, have blown my socks off with their commitment not just to particular community projects but to the communities themselves.

Anyway, I digress a tad, and there will be further pieces about the community spaces I visited and how amazed I was by them. The point of this piece is to talk about the visit we took to a patch of land that will become Love Square.

In all cities there are pieces of land that are unseen. They are spaces people use everyday, whilst looking at their mobile phones, listening to music, thinking about a million other things, and they get walked through by people with their heads down, ignoring the environment and the space they are using on a daily basis. Standing on the site that Love Square will be in, an old bus and tram exchange in West Bar, we witnessed just that behaviour. As Ron did a piece to camera, people trundled through, heads down, barely even taking in that someone was filming there, let alone looking at the space they were using, and probably used once or twice every day due to its location as part of a transit route throught the city for pedestrians.

So the plan for Love Square is to create a space where people stop. A space that shows best practise of urban space that otherwise just becomes wilderness. A cafe in a shipping container, gardens, lawns and meadows and Grow Wild Modules filled with meadow planting and trees. A space for people to stop, breathe, socialise, read, be quiet or be loud. But mostly a space that people love and that shows people love back. A space that changes the community.

Working in Bristol on a very similar project, The Bearpit, a sixties sunken roundabout with anti social behaviour issues and a reputation it frankly rarely deserves, I have seen at first hand how this type of change of use can work, if at the moment on a far smaller scale. We recently, alongside the girls at the Bearpit Social cafe, whose home is a shipping container, planted up some bright containers with wild flowers as part of the Grow Wild project. The containers double as seating and within moments of the planting being finished the space was being used by people, sitting, meeting, drinking tea and just being. The Bearpit space is ongoing and will end up with forest garden, urban art and more businesses running from more shipping containers. A space that was avoided becoming a destination, a stop off point, a place that feels love and gives love to its community.

Both these projects are part of Kew and the National Lotterys Grow Wild campaign. The difference is that Love Square needs your vote as it is one of five projects that is in the final to win £120k in order to make its vision become reality. My belief is that in order for us to make city centres feel loved and encourage these spaces to be used and therefore kept well by the groups looking after them, these projects need to be seen as models of best practice. They are bringing biodiversity into the city centres, encouraging people to engage with nature, plants and the natural environment and ensuring that place is accessible to everyone. As more and more of us live in the urban landscape, with an estimated 70% expected to live in cities by 2050, these spaces will become more and more vital, both as green lungs but also as spaces where people can volunteer and garden themselves.

Below is a link to the Love Square site and the link to the vote will be added as soon as its live. Imagine the difference this type of planting and use of space would make to a town or city near you, and please vote for Love Square. It is, quite simply, what the future of our cities should look like.

Ron and Nigel at what will be Love Square

Imagine this land designed into a useable space.

For more info on Love Square and how it will look once the project is complete, here is the link to its webpage. Please take a look and see what an enormous difference this would make to the people of Shefield, but also to us all as we try to change our inner cities from concrete jungles to spaces that are well designed as urban landscapes. And please vote from October 7th-the decision is down to you.
Here is the link to vote

The future of our cities? Lets hope so!!

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Shoutyhalfhour

This blog post has been a long time coming but after I posted My Twitter Experience and was accused of being a troll by several people on Twitter, I thought now might be a good time to write it.
The whole thing began several years ago when I was sitting watching Gardeners World one Friday evening and getting exasperated at something and my dear husband posted to Twitter that it seemed #shoutyhalfhour was here again and it stuck. So before I go into the whys and wherefores I need to point a few things out!!
Firstly it is not a personal assault on the presenter. I do find Monty Don a tad patronising on the programme but he is only following a script and although it surprises me sometimes when things are shown that are so definitely wrong and I wonder why he hasnt picked up on it, he is a man doing a job.  Both his writing and his gardening programmes other than Gardeners World are fantastic as is the series on BBC Radio 4 that he is presenting at the moment.
Secondly much of the shouting is light hearted and positive. We all love to see Nigel and beautiful gardens such as Esther Rantzens which was shown on Friday evening. We all love to ooh and arr over the plants and really enjoy seeing what other gardeners and nurserymen are growing and producing.
However and here is the crux of #shoutyhalfhour, Gardeners World ought to be just that. A beautifully crafted programme which offers inspiration, tips, help and aspiration to gardeners young and old, ancient and modern, and whatever their skill base, and sadly this is rarely, if ever, achieved. Seeds are sown and rarely do we see them potted on or palnted out. Cuttings are taken but we never see the result, whether good or bad, and all of us that have ever worked in a nursery know that sometimes cuttings dont take and seeds dont germinate but that is never mentioned either. Every year we see a presenter planting seed potatoes and sweet peas and hear tales of blight and the horrors of not scarifying our lawns, but rarely do we see anything new, cutting edge or exciting. New plants and seeds come to the market every year so why not bring them to the fore?
Equally in the UK  we have a tradition of small nurseries, all of whom work really hard to produce beautiful plants, some of which would often be lost if it wasnt for a handful of people keeping them going. We have amazing bulb growers and companies working really hard to produce us blight resistant potatoes, and we never hear of these people. Occasionally a National Collection is shown, like the amazing Asters a few weeks ago, but there are a miriad of National Collections out there that could be shown and rarely are. Its been proven that a mention of a plant on Gardeners World means that on Saturday morning the garden centres are stripped bare of them, so why not look at what can be done for the British growers out there and support them?
Equally, and here is my personnal bug bear, make sure that the information given is correct and relevant. If you are showing how to take a hardwood rose cutting, make sure thats what it is. If you are discussing the Chelsea Chop, go into it properly and talk about the whole process or it makes no sense and it will go wrong. If you are showing how to put Dahlias to sleep over the winter, tell the viewer that youre doing it early for the sake of programming and that really its not necessary until after the first frosts have blackened the stems, or at all if you live in some areas. It is this sort of mis information that means people dont succeed and then feel that they cant do it or become too scared to even try. Sadly many are so far removed from the earth that they truly are fearful and so turn to Gardeners World for good, horticultural advice which often it just is not.
Gardening today is a whole mishmash of things. Often people have no gardens and become involved in community projects which are rarely, if ever, included. Our children ought to be inspired to garden too and yet I have yet to see a piece on gardening with children, although there are many great practitioners out there who do so and I can tell you, as one of them, that kids love to garden and are naturals as they dont worry it might not work. There are also some amazing gardeners up and down the country, many of whom open their gardens for the National Gardens Scheme, and many who dont, whose gardens would be an amazing inspiration to the viewer. There are awe inspiring allotments, school gardens, urban roadside projects, amenity landscapes and gardens, heritage landscapes, historic gardens, garden conservation projects, and many more, that are never mentioned and yet would inspire and offer not just help to folk who already garden, but to those who are also looking for ways to be able to garden.
As some of you are aware, The BBC are aware of some of these issues through viewers forums and I attended a meeting a few weeks ago where I was able to pass over 300 plus tweets I received from people saying what they thought was needed and they seemed to listen. Gardeners World is an institution to me and where I was inspired and excited by gardening from a very young age.. It horrifies me that there might be a generation who grow up without that and miss out on the wonders of working with the earth and learning all that there is to be learnt from the experience of gardening. Gardeners World is the only mainstream gardening programme that is available to us, although I have to say I have watched Beechgrove Garden this year and think a lot could be learnt from that, so it needs to be seen to be the best. We British are known as a nation of gardeners, so the presenter needs to be the Head Gardener for the nation as well as the patch being gardened on the show, so I beseech the BBC to up their game and improve the programme so that it becomes grea, aspirational TV.
And please never let any of us have to endure 6 minutes of how to jet wash a path ever again!!

Beautiful meadow planting this summer on a Bristol housing estate.

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Sustainable But really !

For the last year Ive become increasingly cross with hearing the word sustainable used in ways that really dont make sense. So after a little bit of thought, and the knowledge that its New Years Day and Im always promising myself Ill blog more here, I thought Id write a bit about what I think sustainable really means.

And maybe I need to explain what leads me to live what I hope is a fairly sustainable life and why.

In 1976, in the middle of that dreadful summer of drought, my mother said to me

"Youll be alive when the oil runs out".

I was 6. I didnt know what that meant but I knew I needed to find out, and so find out I did.

And in my mind that meant, at that age, no cars, no electricity and the need to find alternatives. I remember talking about solar power and wind and water being things that could be used to create power. And I remember thinking that resources were precious, whatever they were, and realising at that early age that Earth wasnt a finite resource if we carried on the way we were.

And then the 1980s happened. The world forgot about the problems and consumerism hit. Thát hard, cold consumerism which seemed so exciting but in actual fact set us on a completely ridiculous road.

Anyway, enough of me. Except to say that all of the above has led me to lead a life where Ive constantly had that tiny phrase in the back of my head, in every thing Ive ever done.

"Youll be alive when the oil runs out".

So what is sustainable?

And actually what is sustainability?

Are they the same?

For me they have to be. A sustainable life is one where you consider your every action, your every purchase. 

Food that travels half way around the world so we can have strawberries at Christmas.

Food distribution systems that mean food grown in the south of the UK, often travels to the Midlands or further, and back, before it lands in stores.

50% of fresh foods ending up in the bin before they even hit the shops.

Cheap clothing being made in sweat shops so we can have more.

Cotton being the crop that worldwide uses the most chemicals than any other.

Continual use of chemicals that have an adverse effect on our pollinators because the companies that make them claim theyre safe.

Monoculture.

Soil degradation

I could go on. 

The point is that none of these things are sustainable. And yet we carry on and ignore the issues. Its just the way it is.

Or is it? Is there another way? 

Well of course there is. And it doesnt have to be about becoming a yoghurt weaver!! 

Its about personal responsibilty and not being afraid to speak up for whats fair and right. Its about having a set of ethics and sticking to them, even when people think youre a bit odd.

But mainly its about having respect not just for the human species but for all the species on the earth and for the earth itself. Its about seeing worth in both people and things and being prepared to pay for that worth. Its about seeing things through, and not just seeing things as a project that probably wont last, but about making sure everything we do has legacy and makes a change. And, and heres the one most people squirm at, its about making sure we all are paid our worth in whatever we do, and not being afraid to state our worth.

And there I will stop.

Happy New Year to you all. And remember, together we can all make a change.

 

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Nutrient data for Spirulina

CCRES Spirulina, raw

Nutrient	Unit	Value per 100.0g
Proximates
Water	g	90.67
Energy	kcal	26
Protein	g	5.92
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.39
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	2.42
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.4
Sugars, total	g	0.30
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	12
Iron, Fe	mg	2.79
Magnesium, Mg	mg	19
Phosphorus, P	mg	11
Potassium, K	mg	127
Sodium, Na	mg	98
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.20
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	0.9
Thiamin	mg	0.222
Riboflavin	mg	0.342
Niacin	mg	1.196
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.034
Folate, DFE	µg	9
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	µg	3
Vitamin A, IU	IU	56
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	0.49
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	µg	2.5
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.135
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.034
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.106

CCRES Spirulina, dried

Nutrient	Unit	Value per 100.0g	cup 112g	tablespoon 7g
Proximates
Water	g	4.68	5.24	0.33
Energy	kcal	290	325	20
Protein	g	57.47	64.37	4.02
Total lipid (fat)	g	7.72	8.65	0.54
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	23.90	26.77	1.67
Fiber, total dietary	g	3.6	4.0	0.3
Sugars, total	g	3.10	3.47	0.22
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	120	134	8
Iron, Fe	mg	28.50	31.92	2.00
Magnesium, Mg	mg	195	218	14
Phosphorus, P	mg	118	132	8
Potassium, K	mg	1363	1527	95
Sodium, Na	mg	1048	1174	73
Zinc, Zn	mg	2.00	2.24	0.14
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	10.1	11.3	0.7
Thiamin	mg	2.380	2.666	0.167
Riboflavin	mg	3.670	4.110	0.257
Niacin	mg	12.820	14.358	0.897
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.364	0.408	0.025
Folate, DFE	µg	94	105	7
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00	0.00	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	µg	29	32	2
Vitamin A, IU	IU	570	638	40
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	5.00	5.60	0.35
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0	0.0	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0	0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	µg	25.5	28.6	1.8
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	2.650	2.968	0.186
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.675	0.756	0.047
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	2.080	2.330	0.146
Cholesterol	mg	0	0	0

CCRES special thanks to US National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

CCRES ALGAE PROJECT
part of
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

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Easiest Vegetables to Grow for the Beginners

As a beginner, most of us are worried about the success of our gardening endeavor. Will we get our desired results? Or will our effort will turn out to be a fruitless labor? As I always emphasis on the point to start small and gradually increase the level of difficulty as you gain experience with gardening. In this article I have mentioned few of the plants which are easy to start. Though these are not totally full-proof, you can definitely try your luck with these plants than to attempt the plants which need much more sophisticated approach, particularly at the beginning.

Tomato:

When we talk about starting your own kitchen garden, may be 80% of us first think about fresh, homegrown tomatoes into our garden. Growing tomatoes are not difficult either. With fertile soil, Little bit of watering from time to time(see watering guide) and lot of sun light, your tomato plant will grow and give you fruits all year long(depending on the variety). Just look out for blight signs and little caterpillars which can hamper the growth of your tomato plant.

Tomatoes are packed with plenty of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, B6, and C and last but not the least Lycopene(antioxidant) which prevents cancer. you can check tomato growing tips for more in detail.

Pea:

The tender sweetness of pea just plucked from you kitchen garden, is so much better when you compare it with the pea from the store. Most of the varieties can be grown very easily from the seeds. You can grow peas in the containers that is at about 10’’ deep. Peas are easy to care and much fun for kids to harvest them. Just try not to harvest peas in the hot environment(ideal range 40-85 degrees Fahrenheit).

Peas are high in fiber, iron and various vitamins.

Radish:

Radish is another vegetable which is ideal for the starters. The seeds can be sown outdoors, indoors or in the containers. In case you have fertile soil extra feeding are rarely necessary. They can mature withing 25-50days (depending on the variety). They can add a peppery addition to our favorite salads. Want to know more about growing radish? Check out this article.

Carrots:

They are the sweetest, crunchiest and in best condition when taken out from your own garden. Carrots are easy to grow. They need only water,sunlight and careful weeding. Carrots are the tastiest when harvested small. If you leave them in the ground for too long it can result in overly large and woody carrots. Make sure to keep the soil moist. Dry soil can result in bitter and more fibrous carrots. Make sure that the soil is free from rocks and deep enough to handle root growth. Presence of rocks can result in crooked carrots which though are taste wise perfect but aesthetically not soothing. Want to know more about growing carrots. Check out this article.

Spinach:

Leafy green plants such as spinach can be grown very easily from seeds. Cool and moist weather are better for spinach. It is better to sow the seeds 4-5 weeks before the winter. In fertile soil, it can grow very rapidly. It takes one and a half month to mature. Once the the leaves are of reasonable size you can pick them to encourage new growth.

Spinach is high in iron and can be a wonderful addition to salads and soups. want to know more about growing spinach? check out this article.

Cucumber:

Cucumber can be sown in containers, garden, hills almost anywhere. Warm weather, regular sunlight and watering is enough to yield high quality cucumber. You need to provide the plants with ample space to stretch their roots as the plants sprawl. Avoid planting cucumber at the time of frost.

It is a must addition to our salads. For details on  how to grow cucumber click here

Beans:

Almost any type of beans are easy to grow from seed. Plant directly into the soil or the container when the soil is warm. It requires plenty of water, ample sunlight and some cage to provide the support for the vines to grow.

Beans are the powerhouse in terms of nutritional value. They are high in iron, fiber, protein, manganese and phosphorous.

I hope you got some idea about what to plant as a beginner. There might be plenty of other such plants which you have experience as easy to grow and maintain. I will be really happy if you can share some more.

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Some useful tips for Growing Mushrooms

Mushrooms are full of vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients; they are low in calories and very good for health. Growing mushrooms is not as difficult as you might think. In this article we will provide you with some useful information which will definitely resolve most of your queries regarding Mushroom growing.

Unlike most of the other plants mushrooms don’t grow from seeds rather they grow from the spores.
Dark, cool and moist environment is ideal for mushrooms. Depending on the variety the ideal temperature ranges from 45 to 60 deg F. little bit light won’t do a lot of harm to the plant but make sure most of the time the light is absent.

One of the easiest ways to start growing mushrooms in your home is to buy Mushroom kits. The best part of a kit is it is already packed with the growing medium and the spawn. You can grow them in trays, bags or boxes. You can also use garden beds to grow them.

How to prepare your own compost:

Choose your composting ingredients. You will find a variety of composting ingredients in this article. After choosing the ingredients mix them and let them decompose. For better understanding of composting process check out our earlier articles:5 tips to faster decomposition.

Once your compost is ready take the mixture in a shady place for providing the ideal condition for mushroom growing.

Once you make sure that the temperature of the compost is bellow 30 deg C start the process of spawning. Add grains of spawns and mixed them properly with the compost. If done properly within two weeks mycelia will grow in compost. You need to provide good ventilation or install a cooling system because those mycelia will increase the heat in the compost.

The edible part of the mushroom is the fruiting stage of the plant. You can quicken the process by covering (generally done by using organic material such as compost, peat moss, cow dung etc.) the top surface of the compost. This is called casing.

Harvesting:

Harvesting of mushrooms are done in three stages:
1.    Buttons: this type is not that good in tastes and primarily for their appearances only.
2.    Cups: have a rounded cap and is next best to Flat mushrooms for eating.
3.    Flat: the caps are flattened and the gills are fully exposed. They are the best in taste.
Pick the mushrooms in an upward twisting motion. After picking the mushrooms, brush off the compost or dirt and use them as food.



Do you grow Mushrooms? Share your experiences with us:

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Building a Muffler for a Drain Pipe

This system is in my friends bedroom, and he asked me to make the drain quieter.  Heres what I did, and it worked really well.  After building this muffler, you cant even tell when the water is draining unless youre watching the water level in the fish tank.

This was the sketch of my idea.  The drain pipe would point down into the fish tank, but would not be submerged in the water.  A larger diameter pipe would sit around the drain pipe, with the bottom end submerged.  The larger pipe would be held onto the drain pipe with a wooden dowel through both pipes.  The larger pipe will muffle the sound of the splashing water.  To reduce the noise further, you could plug the top of the larger diameter pipe with cloth, foam, saran wrap, etc.

 I ended up using saran wrap, and the larger diameter pvc pipe wanted to float, so it started leaning to the side.  This may help the muffler, because the water runs down the side of the pvc pipe rather than splashing into the tank.  Im planning on replacing the saran wrap with something better looking, but I want to test some options.

Our tilapia Zeus seems to miss the splashing water, though.  He used to like being splashed with the draining water.  Oh well, it needed to be quieter.

And the garden is looking good.  The growth has been slow, because the water was pretty dirty.  I did a partial water change, and cleaned the filter and plumbing.  I hope that helps the plants a bit.  After the water change, the nitrates are still high, and the pH is about 7.5.  I added a little pH down to get the pH closer to 6.8.

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Disaster System switched OFF for 7 hours!

On Sunday, my parents came over to stay... My mom, as usual, goes around the house looking for something to clean, arrange, or replace... Monday night, she noticed a power socket switched to ON in the living room... Without caring where the inserted plugs lead to, she flipped the switch...! :facepalm:

6am in the morning, after 7 hours have passed, I went outside to check my system and realized that it was silent... The pump wasnt pumping water!

25 to 30 guppies died that day... The tilapias were fine as they were saved by the aerators backup power but the water had a slight rotting odor probably due to accumulated ammonia...

Floating guppy carcasses sucked by the drainage pipe...

 The thick layer of gunk collected at the bottom of the guppy tank may have also contributed to their death as it contains loads of greedy bacteria competing against them for the remaining precious oxygen...

Some gunk netted out...

As for the plants, strong winds have been the main problem this few days... After being knocked over by the wind repeatedly, all my okras had given up and none could stand upright properly now... I got to think of a solution fast...

Monstrous Kang Kong...

 Thanks for reading... :-D

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British Flowers The Chelsea 2015 Edition

After the Valentines Bouquet 2015 fiaso which you can read about here, I was slightly surprised to see a Tweet earlier in the year frrom Interflora saying that their Chelsea 2015 stand would be all about celebrating Bristish flowers and I immediately sent them a message asking someone to contact me. I received an email from a Brand Manager introducing herself and saying how pleased she would be to show me around the stand. I replied, sending the article I wrote, and said, in essence, dont do this half heartedly and dont let the growers of the UK down.

So imagine my surprise to hear from Gill Hodgson of Flowers From The Farm that she had been informed there were Dutch bought flowers being put into the stand. I emailed everyone I could think to email at Interflora and got a message this morning from their Marketing Director that she was happy to speak. And here is the run down of the conversation.....

It seems the decision to go British was to link in with the RHS who at one point wanted a British theme to the Floral Marquee this year. But then the RHS changed their brief, Interflora realised they didnt really need to go the whole hog to use British flowers but just didnt bother to say they werent going to. And my guess is they think they would have gotten away with it if it werent for the beady eyes of those there!!

However, shocking and appalling as that is, its the next bit that really got to me. This Director seemed quite adamant that the UK flower industry was not able to fulfil what she wanted for the stand. I asked which growers she had spoken to and it quickly became apparent that there had been one conversation with one wholesaler, and nothing else and that the flowers had been ordered only in the last few weeks, not months in advance as they ought to have been.  Having spoken with Gill this morning, we now know that many if the required blooms are available, and that growers across the country have a huge array of other blooms ready and waiting.  When this was questioned she asked me how I would feel if I were a bride and the flowers I had been promised or requested werent available, to which I naturally replied I would trust my British florist to know what would be available and expect there to be substitutions due to our climate if and when necessary. But apparently this is not how Interflora work, which is no surprise in reality, but just very disappointing that they have leant nothing from the previous furore. No understanding of seasonality, or that dreaded word sustainable, and I doubt any thoughts for air miles or chemical footprints. 

Interflora had asked me to write an article for their in house magazine, Mercury, and the original idea would be that off the back of the Chelsea stand I would explain to their florists why they should buy British where possible. But considering this exchange, their corporate stand that if they want it they shall have it and their total lack of real engagement with the amazing British growers across the country who are continuing the amazing fight to keep our cut flower business growing, Im not going to write that article. 

Instead Im going to repledge my allegiance to the British flower farmers, growers and the florists who fight for them by using their blooms. And Im going to ask you to do the same. If youre visiting Chelsea buy a British buttonhole to wear to the show. Ask the florists which blooms are British. Ask why they are not all and what Interflora are doing to support our blooming industry. And away from the show ground? Support them with your hard earned pound. Talk about them. Tell your friends and families about the way flowers are produced in South America and Africa and ask them to see flowers as a luxury item that you cant buy for a fiver with your weekly shop.

I guess what we take from this is that the fight must continue and it strikes me that whilst Chelsea is bringing horticulture to the fore in the next few days, we must shout loudly and be heard. Use social media, tweet @interflora, comment on their Facebook and join in with the #grownnotflown hashtag on both Twitter and Instagram!! Lets get this out there whilst we can. The British Flower Industry has resurrected itself, lets make sure its success continues.

British narcissi snapped at Common Farm Flowers! Beautiful, scented and UK grown.

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Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula

Now that the strawberries have officially made it to our farmers market, this weeks recipe is a combination of both a spring favorite and a year-round staple at Lone Duck Farm:

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta

with Lemon and Arugula

 

 

Source

 

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula
Be sure to use a fresh ricotta for this recipe. A creamy, mild goat cheese may be used in place of the ricotta. Makes 2.
2 large strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 slices peasant or levain bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup fresh ricotta or mild goat cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup arugula leaves, washed and dried
Freshly ground black pepper
Toss the strawberries and balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl; set aside. Preheat oven broiler. Brush bread slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Broil in the oven until golden brown, turning once.
Smear the ricotta over the bread slices. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Pile arugula on the bruschetta. Remove the strawberries from the vinegar, shaking off excess liquid, and arrange over the arugula. Whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt into the remaining vinegar. Drizzle over and around the bruschetta. Garnish with black pepper.
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Landscaping for Beginners

Landscaping and Gardening fit one another like hand in gloves. If you are a gardener, you will enjoy the the process of landscaping. Believe it or not we are one way or the other doing our own landscaping in our backyards. To make it look much more like a professional we just need to follow some simple steps. I hope this article will give you enough motivation to start of your own landscaping project.

For a landscaping project planning is the key. You need to plan in advance. Consider your needs and customize accordingly. Beauty and functionality are generally the main reason people do landscaping. Do you want to grow vegetables or will it be a strictly flowery thing? Make a rough sketch of the things you have planned, like how you want the space to be utilized.

First select the area which you want to use for landscaping. Plan your lawn, Fence, Vegetable growing area in advance. Now the next thing you want to do is weeding. You can use various techniques of weeding which we have discussed earlier.

Next, separate the different areas and mark the edges. Though it may sound cumbersome it is also the step when you can use your creativity and can make different patterns.

After weeding is done your area is ready for planting. Which type of plants should you choose? Well, It is always better to start with perennials. It will be much of a permanent design with little bit of tuning from time to time. A list of perennials will help you decide the plants. Generally plants like shrubs do well in landscaping. Wild flowers can be a great inclusion to your landscaping project. They are colourful, vibrant and also inexpensive.

To avoid getting monotonous add a few seasonal plants that will add different flavour in different season and also keep you interested in the process. If you are adding annuals to your design, remember the seasonality before choosing the plants.

Study sun and wind pattern in your area. It is critical for your success. Most of the plants you planned might require more than six hours of direct sunlight (Know more about impact of sunlight in gardening in this article) so plan accordingly. Also not every plant is self supportive you might need to provide support in the form of cage or sticks.

Start small. Landscaping is a continuous process you can keep adding your ideas and see how it goes. Dont plant too tightly. At first it might look lush and green but as the time goes on some of plant will grow faster and will look clumsy.

It is not only about growing grass or trees add some creativity by adding extra elements such as wooden or metal structures that suits with the surroundings. It is all about creating your unique signature. You can always take advice from professionals in case things go little out of hand.


If you really want to get serious about landscaping I will recommend you get Helen Whitfields Ideas 4 Landscaping. It is one of the best resources for landscaping ideas available over the internet.

Do you have any suggestion? Please feel free to share with us.

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Heavy Rain Strong Wind

Two days ago, after 4 days without rain, an abnormally windy storm hit my area 4 am in the morning. I couldnt do anything to protect my plants since my soul had been completely sucked by Diablo III that day...

In the morning, I saw this:

Looks like the screen protector was pushed down by the heavy rain...

No casualties it seems... The screen wasnt damaged...

As for the plants:

Most plants were bent over by the rain and strong winds...

Okra with a 90 degrees bent... The flower buds were undamaged

Kangkong and mint were flatten down by the rain... They were standing straight before...

Whole growbed shot...

The okra flower buds take so long to bloom. Im wondering if this is normal...
The older leaves of the mint plant are dying. It looks like the large okra leaves are blocking out most of the sunlight thus slowing the mints growth rate.
I really need to build a greenhouse to cover my entire system soon. The surface of my growbed is covered with tiny fruits from the tree above... and now the tropical storm...

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Different soilless media for growing plants

For a good growing media it is necessary that the plant gets a healthy balance of water and air.Soil sometimes contains harmful bacteria and fungi, and prone to be infected by pests, weeds and soil-borne diseases. The soil-less media are generally considered cleaner and sterile. These media, as the name suggests, doesn’t include soil; plants are grown in different organic or inorganic materials. Soil-less media are getting more and more popular particularly among container gardeners these days.

Some of the most commonly used alternative media are:

1.       Peat moss: It promotes good aeration and water retention capacity. It is light weight and sterile and ideal for germination of seeds. Usually used with other other media.

2.      Perlite: These are basically expanded volcanic rocks and white in colour. It is very lightweight and holds air. Unlike peat moss it doesn’t hold water so need to be mixed with other media for best use.

3.       Vermiculite: It can be used as a substitute of perlite. Like perlite it also doesn’t hold water. It can retain nutrients and help a mix resist changes in pH(a measure of the alkalinity or acidity of a medium).

4.       Coarse sand: It is another medium used by people. Though it improves drainage and aeration, doesn’t retain water.

5.      Coconut coir:Now a days this medium is getting more and more popular. It is the extracts from the coconut husk. It has the same properties as peat moss but with much less mess.

 Your own mix:

Depending upon your choice of crops you can prepare your own mix. Standard practice is mixing Coconut coir(or peat moss), perlite(or vermiculite), small amount of fertilizer(Soil-less mix doesn’t have much fertility by itself. So you need to provide fertilizer from outside) and ground limestone(so that soil-less mix will contain the nutrients also).  There are several other soil-less mix recipes available online which you can easily find. Also there are several ready mix available for you to buy.

For best results:

1. Lightly moisten the mix before filling the container.
2. Don’t pack the mix too tightly when planting.
3. Water thoroughly after planting.
4. In absence of fertilizer in the mix, start fertilizing two or three week after plantation.

Read more about soil-less media:
Why you should grow strawberries in Coir?
A Miracle grow called Organic Potting Soil: The best soilless potting Mix
Coconut Coir and its use as a Soil-less Growth Media 

I would be very happy if this blog helped you in any form. Please post anything you want to share.

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