Big Plant Swap – Saturday 26th May 2018

Big Plant Swap

Saturday 26th May 2018
10am to 1pm

Free admission – all welcome

Newsome Scout Hall, Newsome Road South, Huddersfield HD4 6JJ

Take your pick from hundreds of plants – great for growers, super for sharers.

You can choose from:

Vegetables
Salads
Herbs
Fruit
Wildlife-friendly flowers

You’re very welcome to bring along plants, seedlings, cuttings or seeds to swap – but you don’t need to bring something to be able to take something (you can make a donation to Growing Newsome in exchange for your plants).

 

Lots more to enjoy…

Seed Swap – lots of vegetable seeds to swap or buy.

Children’s craft activities.

Local produce on sale.

Plant some seeds to grow on your windowsill.

Reading Circle book stall with all sorts of books.

Tea, coffee and home made cakes.

Information about growing and sharing food in Newsome.

Find out about other local projects and events.

Growing democracy:
White for purity, Purple for determination, Green for hope

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Votes for Women, you can pick up a special Vote 100 badge at our Big Plant Swap. We’d love it if you can bring along something white, purple or green (the suffragette colours) to swap!

Local food lunch:
served 12 noon to 1pm

Enjoy a healthy lunch at Newsome Scout Hall – with recipes for you to take home. We’ll be serving a selection of tasty salads (including warm salads) from our Spring salad bar, plus a fruit pudding.

We ask for a small donation to cover the costs of making your lunch.

Print our poster for your venue – or share with a friend:

Big Plant Swap poster 2018 (PDF)

What happens at the Plant Swap?
Here’s a short film about Growing Newsome’s Plant Swap, made by Alistair I Macdonald at Curlew Films for Plant it Grow it Eat it.

You can see more food growing films on the Food Kirklees web site:
10 short films about food growing in Kirklees

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Seed potatoes for sale 2018

Pink Fir Apple, Kestrel and Sarpo Kifli

If you missed out on our recent Potato Day, we still have some varieties of seed potato available for you to buy.

They’re for sale at £2 per dozen, mix and match (or 20p each). Available for collection from Newsome or from Huddersfield town centre. We may also be able to deliver locally.

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First earlies

Lady Christl  7 remaining  sold out
New potato flavour. Good for garden growing – suits a sheltered site.

Pentland Javelin 
Heavy crops with pure white tasty flesh. Very good disease resistance.

Sharpe’s Express  6 remaining
This was TV gardener Percy Thrower’s favourite. Cooks well (but boil with care).

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Second earlies

Charlotte – Organic  6 remaining
Popular, easy to grow waxy salad potato. Good flavour and high yielding.

Divaa  6 remaining
Exciting new variety with long-shaped, pure white skins and flesh. Superb for chips.

Jazzy  19 remaining
New waxy potato variety. Small, set-skinned tubers. Boil, steam, crush or roast.

Kestrel  15 remaining
Excellent flavour. Great for baking, roasting and chips. Good disease resistance.

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Main crops

Ambo – Organic  26 remaining
Attractive, white-skinned tubers with a splash of red. White creamy flesh. High yielding.

Pink Fir Apple – Heritage variety  sold out
We highly recommend Pink Fir Apples – they’re our biggest seller. You can cook them whole and there’s no need for peeling.

Sarpo Kifli
White-skinned, multipurpose variety with a fab new potato flavour. Best enjoyed when freshly harvested and cooked in their skins. Can be grown over a long period.

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How to order

Please email:
growingnewsome@gmail.com
if you’d like some.

First come, first served!

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Potato varieties on sale in 2018

Apache potatoes

If you’re going to grow some spuds this year, you might want to have a look at some of the 30 varieties of seed potato we’ll have available at our Seed Swap and Potato Day. There’s something for everyone, from old favourites to some more unusual varieties.

All our potatoes are £2 per dozen, pick and mix (or 20p each). You can choose just what you need – and you’ll be supporting our community activities at the same time.

Our full list of varieties:

Potato picker 2018 – full list of varieties (pdf)

or you might like to try one of our top five…

 

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Our top five potato picks

Athlete is one of our new varieties this year. Although previously available in supermarkets during the 2012 Olympic Games, Athlete has only recently been released to gardeners. Enjoy high yields of pale yellow tubers which won’t disintegrate on boiling and maintain their superb taste whether eaten hot or cold. Our other new varieties this year include Colleen, a good all-rounder first early, and Divaa, which is a second early with brilliant white skin.

 

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Sarpo potatoes are grown by the Sarvari Research Trust in North Wales. These potatoes all have excellent resistance to blight, so they are ideal for organic growers. Our participants have had great success with them. This year we have Sarpo Kifli, Sarpo Mira and Sarpo Una on offer. Ideal if you want a reliable crop. The Sarpo Mira is organic – it’s one of thirteen different organic varieties that we’re offering this year.

 

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Jazzy is popular with our local growers. This exciting second early variety has been awarded an RHS Award of Garden Merit for its superb garden performance. It’s a waxy, set-skinnned potato which is both versatile and good looking – boil, steam, crush or roast. Described as a “small potato that packs a big punch” because it’s full of flavour and has performed well in trials.

 

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Pink Gypsy was new to us last year and proved very popular. It’s quite distinctive looking, with deep pink and cream skins. The tasty white and creamy flesh has a lovely, fluffy texture when cooked. Great whether baked, roasted or mashed. If striking-coloured spuds are your thing, you might also like to try Apache (which has similar markings), Salad Blue, Shetland Black or Highland Burgundy Red.

 

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Pink Fir Apple potatoes are always in high demand here – and rightly so. They’re one of our all time favourites, great tasting both hot and cold. You can cook them whole in their skins, so don’t worry about peeling this unusual shaped spud. To make sure that you don’t miss out on this firm favourite, we keep lots of them in stock. Enjoy!

Growing Newsome Seed Swap & Huddersfield Potato Day – Saturday 3rd March 2018

Get your growing year off to a great start with our bumper early Spring event…

Seed Swap and Potato Day

Saturday 3rd March 2018
10am to 1pm

Newsome Scout Hall
Newsome Road South
Huddersfield HD4 6JJ

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Huddersfield Potato Day

Choose from 30 different types of seed potato, including popular easy-to-grow varieties and some more unusual types. All seed potatoes are £2 per dozen (pick and mix) or 20p each. Our 2018 varieties are:

1st Earlies:
Casablanca (organic), Colleen (organic), Lady Christl, Maris Bard, Pentland Javelin, Red Duke of York, Rocket, Sharpe’s Express.

2nd Earlies:
Athlete, British Queen, Charlotte (organic), Divaa, Jazzy, Kestrel, Maris Peer (organic), Nicola (organic), Sarpo Una.

Mains:
Ambo (organic), Apache, Cara (organic), Desiree (organic), Highland Burgundy Red (organic), International Kidney, Pink Gypsy (organic), Pink Fir Apple, Rooster, Salad Blue (organic), Sarpo Kifli, Sarpo Mira (organic), Shetland Black.

Potato picker 2018 – descriptions of all our varieties (PDF)

Our top 5 potato picks

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Seed Swap

Seeds galore – We’ll also have vegetable and salad seeds, sprouted garlic, onion sets and shallots on offer. You can either swap, or pick up some seeds in exchange for a small donation. Try our seed starter packs – ideal for growing in small spaces.

Activities – Seed planting and crafts for kids.

Local food – Jam, pickles etc. made from fruit and veg grown in Newsome.

Books – Reading Circle book stall with all sorts of books.

Refreshments – Tea, coffee and home made cakes available all day.

Help with growing – Please ask for advice.

Plant pot & jam jar amnesty – Bring along your spare small plant pots or small jam jars (1Ib or less).

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Join us for lunch

served 12 noon to 1pm 

Enjoy a warming cooked lunch, featuring some local ingredients.

Free admission. All welcome. And please tell all your friends!

Seed Swap 2018 leaflet (pdf)

Huddersfield Potato Day leaflet (pdf)

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Organised by Growing Newsome

Our special thanks to the
West Yorkshire Organic Group
for supporting our Potato Day.

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Want to help?

We’re looking for volunteers to help out with our events and activities. Contact us at growingnewsome@gmail.com to find out more, or ask on the day.

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Potato Day 2018 – order your seed potatoes in advance

Our annual Huddersfield Potato Day is always popular. If you want to make sure you get the best pick of the potatoes, you can order from us in advance.

The idea of our annual Potato Day is that you can choose from around 30 different varieties of seed potato. This means you can just get what you need, instead of having to buy a whole bag of the same variety. It’s ideal for anyone with a small garden or containers, or if you just want to try something new.

It’s not always possible for us to get all the varieties that we’re asked for, but we do our best to get your favourites (based on what you order in advance and what was popular at our last Potato Day).

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Our 2018 varieties are likely to include:

1st Earlies: Casablanca (organic), Colleen (organic), Lady Christl, Pentland Javelin, Red Duke of York, Rocket, Sharpe’s Express, Winston.

2nd Earlies: British Queen, Charlotte (organic), Divaa, Jazzy, Kestrel, Maris Peer (organic), Nicola (organic), Sarpo Una.

Mains: Ambo (organic), Apache, Cara (organic), Desiree (organic), Highland Burgundy Red (organic), International Kidney, Pink Gypsy (organic), Pink Fir Apple, Rooster, Salad Blue (organic), Sarpo Kifli, Sarpo Mira (organic), Shetland Black.

You can find descriptions of many of these varieties in our 2017 potato guide (PDF)

Our full 2018 guide will be available nearer the time.

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Sorry, our advance orders are closed now – but you can still choose from 30 different varieties at our Potato Day on 3rd March 2018.

 

 

 

 

Growing Newsome’s 2017 homegrown preserves for sale

We have a selection of preserves available now, all freshly made this Summer and Autumn from fruit and vegetables grown in the Newsome area…

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Christmas gift boxes – £5 each

We’re offering our popular gift boxes again this year. Each box contains two 8oz jars of homegrown preserves – you can choose the contents from our selection of jams, jellies and pickles. Look out for more Autumn preserves as we make them.

They are boxed with a pretty fabric ribbon and tag (designs may vary).

Choose any two jars:

• Jam – Plum, Plum and Apple*, Blackberry and Apple, Tayberry and Lime, Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Rhubarb and Ginger, Courgette and Ginger,
  Rich Summer Fruit*.
• Jelly – Redcurrant*, Blackcurrant, Bramble.
• Other preserves – Sweet Pickled Beetroot, Rhubarb and Ginger sauce
  (with pear and orange).

*low stock

Easy to recycle or reuse

Our gift boxes are fully recyclable. The box, tag, labels and stickers are made of paper and card. Our ribbons are fabric, which can be composted or reused.

Glass jars can be taken to bottle banks or recycling centres – or you’re welcome to return the jars to us at any Growing Newsome event.

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Christmas gift bags – £7 each

Our gift bags contain two 1lb jars of some of our most popular preserves. Choose any two of: Blackberry and Apple Jam, Plum Jam*, Blackcurrant Jelly, Rhubarb and Ginger Jam, Orange Marmalade. The sturdy paper bags have windows, a pretty fabric ribbon, a Christmas tag and a “Handmade with love” sticker.

*low stock

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Individual jars*

We also have a good selection of individual jars of preserves. Please ask for our latest information on 6oz, 12oz and 1lb jars.

*Prices
Our standard individual preserves are:
£2.40 (1Ib jar) or £2.20 (12oz jar) or £1.80 (8oz jar).

Our chutney is £2 for an 8oz jar.
Our beetroot is £2.20 for a 12oz jar.
Our quince jelly (soft set) is £1.80 for a 6oz jar.

Apart from the citrus fruits, all our fresh ingredients are homegrown, so we have limited supplies and therefore not every preserve may be available in every jar size. 

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Delivery or collection

You can pick up your preserves from us in Newsome or in Huddersfield Town Centre – or we may be able to drop them off for you if you’re nearby. Please email growingnewsome@gmail.com to make an order.

or visit our stall

• Christmas Craft Market – Saturday 25th November 2017
  10am to 2pm at Berry Brow Methodist Church, Birch Road, Berry Brow

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Garlic bulbs available at our Autumn Gathering 2017

Our Autumn planting vegetables this year will include seven different varieties of French garlic, which is certified to be 99% virus free and fungus free. Pick up yours at our Autumn Gathering event on 28th October 2017.

Garlic needs a month or more in the ground at a temperature of 10C or less, and Autumn planting gives you the best chance for this.

So you can get planting yours soon – all you need to do is decide what sort to grow.

To help you choose, here are some notes from our supplier (Jennifer Birch)…

Sprint

• A well-known, early cropper.
• Plant in October for harvest in June.
• Attractive purple heads.
• A garlic with stiff stems which will naturally flower.
• Should keep until the December following harvesting.

Arno

• Winner of RHS Award of Gardening Merit 2004.
• A good keeper – will store until the Spring following harvesting.
• Produces the largest bulbs of any long dormancy type.
• Plant between November and March for harvest late July or August.
• A white head with pink cloves.
• High multiplication ratio.

Cristo

• A white garlic head with pale red cloves.
• Consistent cropper, good size for a long dormancy type.
• Plant before or after Christmas for harvest in July or August.
• Winner of RHS Award of Gardening Merit 2004.

Dario

• A newly developed variety, popular with French growers.
• Plant in October or November for harvest in July.
• A non-flowering variety which can be strung or plaited.

Germidour

• Winner of RHS Award of Gardening Merit 2004.
• Plant in October or November for harvest in June.
• A rich purple head with ivory clove skins – very attractive.
• A non-flowering variety which can be strung or plaited.
• Lift as soon as mature. Should keep until December following harvesting.

Sultop

• White head garlic with attractive red clove skins.
• Plant before or after Christmas for a July or August harvest.
• A really good keeper – will store until the Spring following harvesting.
• Has hard stems which flower naturally and can be made into posies.

Thermidrome

• A traditional variety producing large heads and cloves.
• White head with white clove skins.
• Plant in October or November for harvest in July.
• A non-flowering variety which can be strung or plaited.
• Should keep until the December following harvesting.

You can pick up your garlic bulbs at our Autumn Gathering event on 28th October 2017, 10am to 1pm at Newsome Scout Hall. We ask for £2 per whole bulb to cover our costs. This is ideal if you have a small garden or plot, as you don’t need to buy a whole pack. It’s also great if you fancy planting more than one variety and you just want one bulb of each – or if you want lots, but want to save some pennies (and avoid paying for postage).

Look out for onions, shallots, broad bean seeds and some fruit and veg plants too – all suitable for Autumn planting.

If you can’t make it to our Autumn event, we will offer any remaining stock afterwards. You can Join our email list for updates.

The nights might well be drawing in, but there’s still lots to get growing.