Big Plant Swap – Saturday 20th May 2017

Big Plant Swap

Saturday 20th May 2017
10am to 1pm

Free admission – all weclome

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.

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 2017 (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

Seed potatoes for sale 2017

Photo: Huddersfield Examiner. Growing Newsome Potato Day at Newsome Scout Hall. Left to right: Jacqui Sullivan, Cherry Holding, Jan Siddall and Monica Plested.

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.

Maris Bard – Organic (first early) sold
Smooth skinned, delicious when cooked or steamed. Successful for local growers.

Pentland Javelin (first early) 18 remaining
Heavy crops with pure white tasty flesh. Very good disease resistance.

Red Duke of York (first early) 27 remaining
Deep red in colour and a vigorous grower. Great flavour. Good for baking, boiling, mashing and chipping.

British Queen – Heritage variety (second early) 12 remaining
Dry, floury texture. High yields of general purpose potatoes. White oval tubers.

Jazzy (second early) 6 remaining
New waxy potato variety. Small, set-skinned tubers. Boil, steam, crush or roast.

Maris Peer – Organic (second early) sold
Waxy textured and well-flavoured potatoes that do not disintegrate when cooked.

Nicola – Organic (second early)
Small, firm, waxy potatoes. Good for salads or boiling. Grows long if given space.

Ambo – Organic (early main crop) 20 remaining
Attractive, white-skinned tubers with a splash of red. White creamy flesh. High yielding.

Foxton – Organic (early main crop) 10 remaining
Boils well with no discolouration, makes excellent bakers and roasties. Also good for chips and crisping.

International Kidney – Heritage variety (early main crop) 10 remaining
A classic maincrop variety, sold early in the season by Jersey growers under the trademark “Jersey Royals”.

Golden Wonder – Organic, Heritage variety (late main crop)
Russet skin. One of the best for baking, frying and roasting, with a rich flavour that improves on storage.

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

We also have some Sturon onion sets and some Jerusalem Artichoke tubers.
Let us know if you’d like some.

Full list of descriptions:
Seed Potatoes for sale 2017 list (PDF)

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

First come, first served!

Potato varieties available in 2017

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 2017 – 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

Home Guard is one of the eight heritage varieties that we have available this year. It was the main potato during World War II, being introduced in 1942 and promoted by the Home Guard. It has consistent high and early yields of tasty potatoes. The last time we had Home Guard available, it proved very successful – one participant told us that these were “the best potatoes I’ve ever grown”. So we have jumped at the chance to offer them again this year. 

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Pink Gypsy is one of the new varieties we’re trying this time. 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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Jazzy is popular with our local growers. This exciting new 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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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 and Sarpo Mira on offer. Ideal if you want a reliable main crop. The Sarpo Mira is organic – it’s one of fourteen different organic varieties that we’re offering this year.

 

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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 4th March 2017

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

Seed Swap and Potato Day

Saturday 4th March 2017
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 2017 varieties are:

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

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

Mains:
Ambo (organic), Cara (organic), Desiree (organic), Foxton (organic), Golden Wonder (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 2017 (PDF) – more info about all our 2017 seed potato varieties

Potato varieties available in 2017 – our top five 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, chutney 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.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – Stirley Community Farm will be here to tell you about what’s happening at the farm and how you can get involved. Fresh, farm-grown veg will also be on sale.

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

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Composting advice

Want to start composting at home or on your allotment but not sure how? Want some tips about improving your compost? Or want to find out how to set up a wormery? Kirklees Council’s recycling officer, Rachel Palmer, will be on hand at our event to help you learn more about composting.

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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 2017 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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Autumn Gathering – Saturday 15th October 2016

Love local food? There’s lots for you to enjoy at this event…

Autumn Gathering

Saturday 15th October 2016
10am to 1pm

Newsome Scout Hall
Newsome Road South
Huddersfield HD4 6JJ

Lots of preserves and other goodies made from fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in Newsome.

Kids crafts – get creative in our craft corner using natural materials to make a collage or creature.

Reading Circle book stall (with all sorts of books).

Recipes  and tasters – find out what you can make.

Produce share – please bring along any surplus fruit or vegetables that you’d like to share.

Tea, coffee and home made cakes available.

Information about local volunteering, events and activities.

Jam jar amnesty – clean, small jam jars (1 Ib or less) are welcome.

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Autumn Planting:

Autumn planting vegetables for you to take home – including a great selection of garlic bulbs, onions, shallots, seeds and some fruit and veg plants.

Protect your plants – good quality plant protection fabric on sale by the metre.

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Souper Soups:
served from 12 noon to 1pm
Enjoy a choice of seasonal soups for lunch at the Scout Hall, made with local vegetables and served with a selection of fresh local breads, followed by a hot Autumn pudding made with local fruit.

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How you can help:

• Display a poster:
  Autumn Gathering poster (PDF)
• Bring something for the cake stall.
• Bring along the rest of the family or bring a friend.
• Please get in touch if you’d like to come along and help out on the day.

Organised by Growing Newsome

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Garlic bulbs available at our Autumn Gathering

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 15th October 2016.

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)…

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.

Aulixito

• A very early cropper.
• Plant in October for harvest in June.
• White head and white clove skins.
• A garlic with stiff stems which will naturally flower.
• Should keep until the December following harvesting.

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 Saturday 15th October, 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. We also have some good quality enviromesh, in case you need to cover any of your crops over.

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.

Big Plant Swap – Saturday 21st May 2016

Big Plant Swap

Saturday 21st May 2016
10am to 1pm

Free admission – all weclome

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 activities – crafts and seed planting.

Compost Special – come and find out all about home composting.

Local produce on sale.

Plant some seeds to grow on your windowsill.

Reading Circle book stall with all sorts of books.

Good quality enviromesh on sale to protect your plants.

Tea, coffee and home made cakes.

Tool amnesty – share any unwanted garden tools that you have.

Information about growing and sharing food in Newsome.

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 2016 (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