Here’s a selection of some of the exciting things the Seedy Sunday team are working on:
Venue: BHASVIC, 205 Dyke Rd, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EG
Sunday 21st October, 12pm to 2pm, Stanmer Park, meet outside of Stanmer House at 12 noon.
Come and discover the diverse and beautiful ecosystems thriving on our city’s doorstep at Stanmer Park. We will focus on edible mushrooms and plants, but will consider more broadly how species work together in a woodland setting, and explore foraging as a mindful practice and entry into caring for our natural environment.
Please note that due to the size and sensitivity of the woodland we will abstain from picking mushrooms, focusing instead on identification and broader knowledge development. Foraging is weather-dependent; please dress suitably for all eventualities. Children and dogs welcomed.
Free to BHOGG members; £10 for non-members or join for £10 on the day.
Saturday 15th September, 2pm-4pm at the Phoenix Community Centre
We have been pleased with the good attendance and enthusiasm at the Urban Organic Gardening Course this year.
Our seed saving session this autumn will cover the basics of simple flower & vegetable seed collection, care & storage (including tomatoes).
Free to paid up BHOGG members and local Phoenix area residents, £3 donation for non-members.
Sunday 2nd September, 11.00am at plot 182, Weald Allotment Site, Hove
We plan to pick apples from Alan’s heritage mini-orchard on the Weald allotment site, giving most of them to Fareshare, taking some home to sample, and juicing many of the ‘not quite perfect apples’ to make our own delicious drink. It will be a real treat.
We will also share Viv’s recipe for apple chutney and show you the ingredients so that you can make delicious chutney in your own kitchen and have it with cheese/ fake cheese on toast.
Bring your own organic apples if you have any to share; a press will be available on the day.
BHOGG members only event or join on the day.
Geoff Mead will reveal to us the history of gardening & food production in Brighton as we take a leisurely stroll from the Palace Pier around the city.
Please wear suitable shoes/ clothing, remembering to bring water, hat, sun cream, waterproofs, etc as the weather dictates for this outdoor event.
Meet at Palace Pier, July 18, 7pm.
Free to BHOGG members; £10/£5 non-members or join on the night.
Those long sweet summer days have arrived; we enjoyed one of those on 24 June when we celebrated the summer solstice on the Community Allotment. It was too hot for most people to do any gardening, so chilling out, chatting, drinking Sarah’s cool, homemade, elderflower pressé and the fabulous food prepared by the evergreen Caroline.
Caroline was excellent as ever, working hard and chatting sociably with everyone as she cooked delicious food. It was difficult to find seasonal food on site for cooking in June but Caroline rustled up a feast seemingly out of nothing.
Gorgeous vegetable pakoras and frittatas, garlic bread, salad with nasturtiums and home baked treats were the reward for the hard working gardeners (Jenni and Steve mainly!)on a beautiful summer’s afternoon.
Review by Jenni and Alan
Want to know more about planting out and successional planting? Ruth will be running her Urban Gardening Courses: Planting Out and Successional Growing. Saturday 2nd June for Planting Out & Saturday 16th June for Successional Growing. Both 2-4pm at Phoenix Community Centre.
Free for BHOGG members and local Phoenix area residents, £3 donation for non-members.
Our annual Seedling Swap is taking place this year on the Organic Community Allotments at the Weald allotment sites (238 & 239) on Sunday 6th May between 11 am and 12.15pm.
We will then have our own picnic lunch in the peaceful setting of the Community allotment – as ever please bring a delicious contribution! It’s a chance to see our three beautiful community allotments cultivated by over 20 regular volunteers. The seedling swap is for members only, and we need you to bring along any seedlings to swap – any leftovers will be found a good home and bed! Those who have little or nothing to swap should make a donation to BHOGG.
If you need to drop off plants by car, the Weald Allotment site can be located just off the Old Shoreham Road on Weald Avenue, BN3 7JN. Once through the gates turn right and follow the lane East and North to drop off your plants. The lane is too narrow to cope with parking so please park either in the small central car park or outside the site.
In previous years we have had a great time with the chance to chat to over 30 of us. Fingers crossed for glorious weather as well as great company! If there is rain we have a polytunnel to retreat into, where it will be warm and cosy!
A great little video from Gabriel – a regular at our Sunday Allotment Sessions. The Team Pollinate Workshop is Sunday 22, 11-1pm at Weald Allotments.
Approximately one fifth of the world’s food is grown in urban areas, yet we know surprisingly little about how it is produced. That’s why citizen-science project, Team PollinATE, is working with growers in Brighton & Hove to collect data on which insects pollinate crops in urban areas, how much food small city growing spaces such as gardens and allotments can provide, and the most common pest control methods used by urban growers. The project has also partnered with scientists in India, who are working with urban growers in Kolkata to collect similar data and give a global view of urban food production.
The project launched in April last year, and already volunteers have collected lots of useful data. After attending a workshop on pollinator identification, throughout the summer of 2017 volunteers conducted quick pollinator counts in their growing spaces (surveying over 17, 000 flowers in total, and spotting 850 insects!), as well as keeping a diary of any pest control methods used. To help us quantify how much food people are producing across the city, some volunteers kept a record of the food they harvested, and by using our handy ‘Garden Shop Calculator’ could find out how much their produce was worth- on average volunteers grew an impressive £425 worth of food last year, with some volunteers ‘saving’ up to £900 by growing their own.
This year the project is open to anyone who grows their own food, be that in an allotment, garden, window box or community growing space. So, if you’d like to learn how to identify bees and other pollinators, why not visit our website and register yourself as a volunteer or come along to our next pollinator workshop at the BHOGG plot (11-1pm, Weald Allotments- all welcome!). You’ll receive a pack with more information on how to participate and monthly updates on the findings.
For more information, visit our website http://www.teampollinate.co.uk or email Team Pollinate co-ordinator, Beth Nicholls info@teampollinate.co.uk.
