A visit to Tod

On 14th November 2009 we took part in the Incredible Edible Todmorden first national conference.

The day started with a tour of some of the food growing sites around Todmorden, including some fantastic raised beds at Ferney Lee (full of Kale, Chard and other goodies) and the famous planted rowing boat at Tod High School.

Nick, who guided the tour, told us that whenever someone is tending the beds outside the old GP surgery, people always stop and ask questions. That particular site acts as a kind of shop window for getting people interested in food growing. It makes you think how fantastic it would be to have a food growing site on a main road in Newsome – so that people have a place to go with their questions and ideas.

Of the many enthusiastic speakers and participants, most inspiring was Mary Clear, who talked about the community aspects of Incredible Edible Todmorden. Mary came along to the Newsome Ward Community Forum meeting in February 2009 (when we launched our then-nameless food growing project), along with Pam Warhurst. That evening, they helped to inspire people in Newsome to start growing their own food.

It’s good to realise how much we’ve achieved between us since then, and how much more there is that we can do next year…

Growing Newsome harvest meeting – 8th October 2009

homemade jam

Local food growing is the theme for the next meeting of Newsome Ward Community Forum. Please come along and celebrate our home grown fruit and vegetables. The meeting is at 6pm on 8th October (buffet from 5.45pm) at Newsome High School Community Room.

 

The meeting will include:

• A presentation from Rob Arthur about organic growing in your home garden.
• An update about food growing projects in the Newsome area.
• Allotments information.
• An extended break so that you can chat to other food growers.

Bring along your home grown fruit and vegetables (or anything that you’ve made with them) to share or swap.

If you have photos of your garden or allotment, please also bring them along to share.

 

For further information contact Diane Sims:

Tel. 07941 652836
or email: sims31@btinternet.com

Newsome Harvest leaflet (pdf)

The sun shines on Berry Brow Carnival

It was a lovely sunny day for Berry Brow Carnival on Saturday 25^th July 2009.  Our plant stall and seed planting table were popular, and we met lots of new people as well as catching up with some of our members.

 

We brought along lots of herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, cherries, beetroot, chard, rocket, peppers and other goodies. All the plants were grown by Newsome residents, and the money donated by visitors to our stall will be used to help support other people in Newsome with growing their own food.

 

Particular favourites on the plant stall were Janet’s pineapple mint, Sasi’s yard long beans, Diane’s tomatoes and Ruth’s box of home grown produce, picked fresh on the day. Mayor’s consort Darrel caused much hilarity by ‘adopting’ a mint (that’s food growing without getting your fingers dirty) and parents went home laden down with many pots of seeds planted up by their kids.

 

It was good to hear people’s ideas for new food growing activities in Newsome. A lady from Berry Brow is interested in doing a project about the fruit growing history of the area, based around its evocative name. We also got the chance to talk to people about some of our future plans, and to find out what people want to see happening in Newsome.

 

We discovered that Newsome residents are looking forward to the opening of the first allotment site in Newsome to benefit from Kirklees Council’s extra funding for allotment improvements – Malvern Road allotments. We were asked whether there are any plans to hold an event there to celebrate. We think that’s a good idea, and we’ve already approached officers of the council to ask if this is possible.

 

We seem to be developing a habit of taking on at least two new projects every time that we have an event. It’s great to see how much enthusiasm there is for food growing in Newsome. If you’d like to get more involved in Growing Newsome and help us to make some more of these ideas a reality, you’d be very welcome. Please contact us to find out more.

 

Photos of Berry Brow Carnival

We enjoyed Celebrating Newsome Together

planting seeds

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Growing Newsome activities at the Celebrating Newsome Together event on 4th and 5th July 2009 at Newsome High School. We gave away over 100 plants, all of which had been donated or brought in to swap by Newsome residents. Over 80 pots and propagators were planted up by visitors to our seed planting table.

 
It was great to hear how all your vegetables and salads have been coming along. The little tomato plants that people generously donated to our first Growing Newsome event in May had by July outgrown Diane’s greenhouse. We were determined to give them all away to good homes at Celebrating Newsome – if you were one of the recipients, please let us know how you and your tomatoes are getting along.

 
Visitors to Celebrating Newsome told us about the pumpkins that are already taking over their gardens, and said that they’d been inspired to plant vegetables after hearing about Growing Newsome. We did our best to give advice about issues ranging from what you can grow in containers to whether to worry about broad bean rust. We are all learning together, so please let us know how you’re getting along and tell us if there’s anything we can do to help.

Photos of the Celebrating Newsome event

‘Growing Newsome’ Takes Root

 

seed planting

On 9^th May 2009 over 80 Newsome residents came together to celebrate spring and prepare for summer; plant up herbs, fruit and vegetables; swap plants and seeds; find out where allotments are available and how to get one; and put into action ideas they’d set out in response to our recent research project.

 

For two hours the Scout Hall was full of people coming and going; seeds were swapped; plants exchanged; queues formed to find out where allotments were available. Council officers had maps and photographs of regenerated allotments; demonstrations explained how to make herb gardens in a pot; children planted pumpkin seeds for lanterns – and learned that they can also be eaten and stored through the winter as well as hollowed out for Halloween! 

Plans were formed for children’s nursery gardens near the Church Hall; residents got advice on growing from experienced gardeners; people found out how to participate in Newsome Ward Timebanking, and would-be growers arranged to meet up with allotment gardeners to learn how to get started in nearby Lowerhouses.

One idea developed – to create a children’s garden from an old boat or dinghy – caught the imagination of many and has led to a search for an unwanted, old boat to become a centre-piece for a new children’s garden in Newsome village. Please contact David Browning with offers on 01484 512551 or email: browning707@btinternet.com

 

We are planning more activities at Newsome events this summer. If you have any ideas for future activities and projects, please contact us.

Photos of the first Growing Newsome event

Growing Newsome event

Growing Newsome event

Growing Newsome
Newsome Scout Hall
Saturday 9th May 2009
10am to 12 noon

We’d like to invite you to our first ‘Growing Newsome’ event. Whether you’re new to food growing or you are an experienced grower, we’d like you to come along and meet other Newsome residents who share your interest in food growing.

If you are new to food growing, the ‘Growing Newsome’ event is a chance to find out how to grow your own food, and where you can grow it. If you are already growing your own food, the event is a chance to share what you know and help other people to get started.

The event will include vegetable plants and seeds for you to take home, a seed planting session, and information about local allotments and learning activities.

Growing Newsome event leaflet (pdf)

Share your herbs and salads

 

share your herbs

We need your help to grow some herbs and salad plants to give away on our stall at the Celebrating Newsome event in July 2009.

 

Share your herbs and salads (pdf)