Growing communities

The Big Dig 2013 is not a televised archaeology marathon. What it shares with its predecessor of the same name is a multitude of opportunities for people to get their hands dirty. The Big Dig, taking place from 16-22^nd March, has a national scale but a local focus involving people in improving community garden spaces. Here in Sheffield the volunteering opportunities are being organised by Grow Sheffield. 

This isn’t the first time Grow Sheffield has been involved in encouraging volunteering. In fact it’s probably fair to say that without volunteers there would be no Grow Sheffield. The organisation was started  just 6 years ago to ‘to connect people to each other, to their environment and the seasons using food and food growing.’ The most straightforward way they’ve done that is through the abundance project. 

It’s a simple idea. Around Sheffield there are fruit trees full of fruit that would not otherwise be picked. Volunteers harvest fruit gluts and then distribute it to the communities it is grown in on a not for profit basis. Nothing is wasted with surpluses being used to make chutneys. If you’ve always relied on the supermarket for your chutneys you can even learn how to make them yourself. 

A natural progression from abundance has been the community growers project. Community growers are gardening gurus who provide the expertise and the encouragement for people to try their hand at growing their own food. The project recognises that many people living in cities do not have their own garden. And despite a healthy interest in allotments there hasn’t been a growth in allotment sites. Instead of bemoaning the lack of allotments community growers help people seek out solutions. This might mean growing in pots and on windowsills or utilising what otherwise would be abandoned patches of land. 

Each community grower concentrates on one local area in Sheffield. There are currently 8 ongoing with a plan to add 4 more this year. The idea isn’t that Grow Sheffield will seek perpetual funding to keep these projects going. The aim – that runs through all their work – is sustainability. In this instance that means equipping communities with the knowledge and skills to establish and sustain the activities themselves. It is a model that ensures local people are at the heart of each project and it is the participants that shape each project and determine what is grown and whether it will succeed. 

Last year Grow Sheffield organised events for people to see what these projects were like. This year, as part of the big dig they’re going a step further and asking people to take part. Tom Sutton, who is coordinating the big dig in Sheffield, feels that by taking part people will get a better idea of a project’s benefits than they would by looking around. Anyone who gets involved will be part of a project with activities around the country taking in Taunton, Ipswich, Blackpool, Coventry and many others beside our very own Sheffield.  

If you want to get involved what can you expect? Around the city several projects have already signed up. At Lowes Garden on Abbeydale Road you could end up clearing the garden, pruning trees or planting fruit bushes. Hillside Harvest community allotment in the Rivelin Valley is teaming up with Grow Sheffield for an open day that includes workshops on planning allotments. Volunteers are also needed to help build a path and bridge that will improve access to the allotments. The last word goes to volunteer Chaitrali Dhamne, "Grow Sheffield is providing wonderful events, memorable days and unique opportunities to volunteer across the city, in a very well organised manner! It was my first experience of volunteering and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I would definitely get involved again!"

The easiest way to get involved in any of these projects – and more besides – is to go to www.bigdig.org.uk and find Sheffield on the interactive map. Or you can enter your postcode and the site will find the projects nearest to you. And it’s not too late to get involved if you have a gardening project that you need volunteers for contact volunteering@growsheffield.com.

Go on, give it a grow this March.

This is taken from an article I wrote for now then magazine, Sheffield

Muck & Magic

Last week we had our first open day of 2013 and it was a real success. My day started early with an appearance on BBC Radio Sheffield's Breakfast programme with Georgey Spanswick. I'd never been on radio before and it was a real treat. Georgey was a great host who completely put me at ease and was a good laugh.

Then it was on to the open day, which a lot of people had put great efforts into putting together. There were two workshops on composting - beginners & advanced - that both attracted about a dozen people. I wasn't aware there was so much to composting but everyone seemed completely engrossed. As I was involved in the volunteering side of things I couldn't sit in but as a group we've gained some valuable knowledge which will help in seasons to come.

Composting is all about improving the soil and that's what our volunteers were doing too. Of course we're all volunteers but a volunteering marathon arranged by Sheffield University provided 11 extra pairs of hands for those jobs you never quite get round to.

We have a soft fruit area and the area in between the rows of fruit had become overgrown with weeds. This was actually good soil and our volunteers cleared the soil of weeds and topped up some of our beds with it to make them ready for planting. Once cleared we began filling the area with fresh wood chippings to help keep down the weeds. Eventually these will rot down and the whole process will start again. It sounds easy when written down but this involved a lot of shovelling and barrowing of both soil and woodchips.

It's heavy work and all of our volunteers can say they earned the hearty vegetable stew on offer for lunch. We finished the day tired but with a great sense of achievement at the transformed patch of Lotti. There's more to come on 16th March - see the website for details. By then I know we'll be itching to start planting just as soon as the frosts stop. When they do we know we'll be ready.

The good, the bad & the ugly

 The good news is that after the snow comes the thaw. Snow can be great fun but there's a limit to how much can get done on the allotment.
There will be a period when Lotti is a bit soggy but we should be clear of snow and ice for Hillside Harvest's first open day on 16th February. The day is free and includes workshops, hot lunch and opportunities for volunteers to get stuck in. Considering the amount of planning it would be a shame if these couldn't go ahead because of snow.

The bad news is that the polytunnel got squished by the weight of snow. Our polytunnel is really useful for extending the growing season and allowing us to grow things that might suffer outside. Losing it would be a big blow, particularly as we don't have a  greenhouse. 

Today a rescue was underway. First the snow was pulled off with the flat side of a rake, taking care not to puncture the polythene membrane. Once we could get inside we discovered things were not as bad as it had first looked. The flexible plastic tubes, that form the arches over which the membrane is pulled, had not broken as feared.

 Some of the wooden supports had. makeshift wooden supports were fashioned from spare wood and put in place to prop up the tubes. Further repair will be needed, along with permanent central supports, but the polytunnel lives to last another season.
 












And finally an ugly truth. These are, or were, allotment sites. Now they are an overgrown wilderness. Wilderness has its place but it is a shame that this has been alllowed to happen at a time when waiting lists for allotments are on the increase. The Rivelin Valley could see a vibrant allotment community but too many sites look like these. The silver lining to this particular cloud is that community allotments like Hillside Harvest do exist. So if you're on the waiting list come and join us. This weekend we found out once again that we can achieve a lot more working together than we can separately.

Winter weather

Weather affects what we can grow and the work we can be doing in our gardens and allotments. Here in Sheffield, as with most of the UK, it has been snowing. Perhaps more pertinently there have been sub-zero temperatures, freezing the soil and limiting the work that could be carried out. As a result our open day for January was cancelled.

Before the weather turned really cold I did make it down to Lotti where more preparation was underway. I have previously promised more on crop rotation and i will get around to it. I'm waiting for our open days on 16th February & 16th March, where there will be free workshops on composting and plot planning to take advantage of. I've already mentioned that we've been preparing our raised beds for this season's planting. As well as clearing the beds we've been topping them with manure  - where we can get it - and well rotted compost for the brassicas.

I admit this may not be the most exciting of photographs but it does demonstrate the culmination of some very hard work. It will be all the more satisfying when we come back to it later in the year to harvest the veg. Fingers crossed the weather permits better growing conditions than last year.

In addition to the work on Lotti, Hillside Harvest is working with Sheffield Council to improve access to the allotments. Personally I walk down and if you've seen my earlier blog on Rivelin Valley you'll understand why. For others who live further away, or with equipment to carry, a car is really useful. Parking on Hagg Hill is not ideal so we're working on a path to link the lower allotments to a car park off Rivelin Valley Road. There is a path through Reaps Wood but some work remains to connect the path to the allotments. There is a small brook to be crossed and some undergrowth to be cleared. We are hoping that we'll have volunteers to help on our next open day and possibly a sleeper or two for a small bridge and steps up the bank of the brook. If all goes according to plan there'll be a more pleasant and safe route through the woods for all the allotment holders toward the bottom of Hagg Hill. I'll be reporting on progress as it happens.

Back on the allotment we were also moving fruit trees. Hillside Harvest has had to scale back operations and has handed back a couple of plots to the council. Recently some fruit trees were replanted on our main site. I think they'll make an attractive addition to the site entrance and hopefully be bearing fruit for many years to come.

January Recipe

There is a growing awareness that having an allotment - or growing your own vegetables  - can be part of  a more sustainable lifestyle. By sustainable I mean eating produce we have grown ourselves that is seasonal and hasn't travelled half way round the world. I'm not so set on this that I'm about to give up coffee or bananas but there are things I can do. Part of this blog will focus on recipes inspired by the produce harvested on the allotment. It gives me the opportunity to think about how to use produce so these are my own recipes.

Recently, while weeding, some red onions that hadn't been harvested, were recovered. Leeks are best harvested straight from the ground as you need them. These are my inspirations for this month's recipes.
Not groundbreaking but quite delicious all the same. So here are the recipes for January: Leek and potato soup with red onion bread.

For the bread you can use this recipe or one of your own and add the red onions.
Red Onion Loaf
600g bread flour
300ml tepid water
large pinch of salt
7g easy bake yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
small red onion

1. Finely chop the onion and fry it on a very low heat in the olive oil. The idea is to soften the onion slightly. The olive oil may seem a lot but it's going into the dough so its more than you'd usually use for the onions. Once the onions are soft turn off and leave to cool.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt & yeast. I used half wholemeal and half white flour but you can change the proportions or use granary if you prefer.
3. Add the water and mix well until you have a stiff dough that holds together and incorporates all the flour.
4. Add the cooled red onions and olive oil and knead until the dough is smooth and pliable. It will start off sticky but resist the temptation to add more flour.
5. Shape into a loaf and leave to rise for about an hour or more until doubled in size. If you don't use easy bake yeast you will need to let it rise for about an hour and then shape and leave to rise again.
6. Heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
7. When the dough has risen bake for 30-35 minutes. When you put the dough in the oven turn down to 180/gas 4. When done it will sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of the loaf.

For the Leek and potato soup you will need:
500g potatoes
2 leeks
1 white onion
2 sticks celery
olive oil
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
1 litre vegetable stock
salt & pepper
cheese - optional

1. Chop the onion and celery and saute gently in the olive oil with the mixedherbs.
2. Cut the leeks into rounds, wash and add to the onion & celery. Cook slowly to soften and to avoid browning the onions or leeks.
3. Cube the potatoes into a small dice and boil in the stock. When they are almost cooked add to the onion, celery & leek mixture along with all the stock.
4. Simmer until all the vegetables are soft.
5. Take two thirds of the mixture and blend. Add it back to the pan leaving the remaining third for texture.  You can of course blend it all or not at all. If you prefer your soup thinner you can add more stock or water at this stage.
6. Season with salt & pepper to your own taste. You can heat through when required and serve with the bread.
7. You can serve with a grating of hard cheese. I have used parmesan or cheddar but you could also crumble over some shropshire blue if you want something with more punch.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Please let me know how you're putting your seasonal veg to use.

Rivelin Valley

Sheffield is known for many things - its football teams (Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday if you were wondering), the steel industry and its musicians (Pulp, Arctic Monkeys & The Human League to name a few). Increasingly Sheffield is also becoming known as a green city. This isn't particularly due to the city's environmental credentials but its setting on the edge of the Peak District and the number of green spaces in Sheffield. In fact a large chunk of The Peak District National Park falls within Sheffield's boundaries.

Hillside Harvest is set in the beautiful Rivelin Valley and it amazes me - as somebody who has lived in London for 10 years - how quickly I can be walking in this green landscape while living so close to the centre of Sheffield.

So here's a treat for you. Some photographs taken on a weekend walk through the woods. There is a trail that follows the River Rivelin. I usually join it at the Rivelin Valley Cafe located off Rivelin Valley Road (A6101). At the moment it is quite muddy but fairly level and easy to follow with a good pair of walking shoes. Hillside Harvest is a short walk from the trail. Here it is.

Nothing to do!

Nothing grows in the winter so there's nothing to do, right? Wrong as it turns out. It's an annoying truth that when you think nothing is growing those pesky weeds are still soldiering on. Yesterday down on Lotti there were 5 hardy perennials (allotment regulars not plants) rooting out those unwanted guests. As unexpected bonus to our efforts was some red onions we found that had evaded harvest.

Not all weeds need be completely unwanted. Dandelions, which along with cockroaches may be the only things to outlive a nuclear winter, make a nice snack for hamsters or rabbits. You might want to try them yourself in a salad. Either way, the earlier you get them out the easier it is. Just make sure to take the whole root out - or as much as you can manage - or you'll find them coming back again and again.

There are some members of Hillside Harvest who know what they're talking about and others, like me, who are just beginners. When running a community allotment it can be tricky knowing what's to be done. The first thing I do when I get there is to ask advice from a more experienced member. There is also a handy list in the shed that lists all the jobs to be done that month.

Winter is the time when the allotment is prepared for the growing season. That can be anything from ensuring the plots are clear of weeds to adding fertilisers and compost to your beds. You'll also be wanting to plan out your allotment for the year to come. Many allotment holders use a system of crop rotation and Hillside Harvest is no exception. More on that next time. Until then, as Brucie might say, keeeep gardening.