Devon Seed Swaps and Potato Days 2012

If you know of other Seed Swaps please let us know and we will add them to the list.

Saturday 4th February

• Eggesford Potato Day 9 - 5pm Eggesford Garden and Country Centre Eggesford Near Chulmleigh EX18 7QU

• Totnes Seedy Saturday 11- 3pm Birdwood House Fore Street Totnes TQ9 5SQ

Saturday February 11th

• Harvest Seed Swap and Potato Day 11 am - 2pm
St Matthews Church Hall Lower Summerlands Exeter EX1 2LW

Saturday March 10th

• Ermington Seedy Saturday 1- 4 pm
Ermington School Hall Ermington, near Ivybridge PL21 9NT

Do you (or could you) have surplus from your allotment or community garden? BigBarn have come up with a new 'crop for the shop' initiative, making it easy for you to sell your excess to local shops. This could be a great way of raising funds, supporting local retailers and building more links with the community.

Please follow the link below for more information.

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative are awarding travel bursaries for groups involved in regenerating allotment sites.

Travel bursaries are available for groups of people in the UK involved in regenerating allotments to enable them to visit other allotment sites to learn good practise.

Advice and support is also available at a local level from mentors.

An award of up to £300 for up to six people to visit a specified allotment site is available.

To be eligible, applicants must be an allotment association, community organisation, councillor or council officer in the UK, engaged in allotment regeneration.

Support will be given to activities that fall under the broad spectrum of allotment regeneration, such as:

• Creation of new allotments.
• Changing plot sizes.
• Outreach to non-traditional user groups and excluded groups.
• Outreach to growing and gardening clubs.
• Tool loan schemes, storage etc).
• Infrastructure improvements (water supply, secure parking).
• Access improvements, public transport, raised beds,
• Better security and lighting.
• Landscaping or tree planting in disused areas.
• Creation of play areas.
• Creation of ponds, protected wildlife areas and wildflower meadows.
• Community food projects.
• Setting up allotment associations.

ARI offers funding through the Travel Bursary Scheme and support through the Mentor Network and Fact Sheets.

There is a rolling deadline for applications to the Travel Bursary Scheme subject to funding availability; therefore it is advised that applicants submit an application as soon as possible.

A decision will be made by the ARI within one month of receiving the application.

Applicants are encouraged to plan a trip incorporating 2-3 nearby examples of good practice, rather than travelling to visit just one site.

For further information follow the link below.

Devon-based forager and author Robin Harford has just announced that his Eat Weeds book is now available in its second edition!

He says " A delightful 97 page wild food recipe gift book covering over 30 plants with simple, easy recipes you can create in your kitchen.

Each plant is beautifully illustrated with a Victorian botanical wood block print, and includes inspirational nature quotations making it the perfect gift for foragers and plant lovers everywhere.

£10 per copy plus p and p from Robin's website

On Sunday 15th January in the Courtyard Cafe, Chagford, a group of enthusiasts enjoyed an inspiring and informative workshop with Natacha Du Pont De Bie. She took them on a tasty tour of how to spice up local winter veg. Pickling and fermentation is a low energy way to prolong food's shelf life. It helps capture goodness and produce healthy food . All the participants enjoyed a grand finale of delicious tastings and there was enough to take home in jars and even bags of goodies. For more information on local food events in Chagford please sign up with growchagford@gmail.com

We've just completed a new information sheet on pruning, which is designed to give you an introduction to the why, when and how, and give you the confidence to get out there and have a go.  Obviously it's a big subject so it's a good idea to do further research and consider attending a training course (such as the one being run by orchard link on the 21st) if you're still unsure. 

The info sheet can be viewed as a pdf from the toolkits and downloads section of our website but do let us know if you would like us to send you a hard copy.

The Buckland Food Growers (BFG) are holding a wassailing event at Buckland Abbey Orchard at 7pm this Saturday (14th Jan). There will be:

• Hot Dogs
• BFG Cider and mulled cider
• Story Teller
• Bonfire

All welcome

LEAF will be delivering workshops across the UK focusing on sensory learning experiences on farms- the one in the South West is scheduled for Friday 16th March 2012 in Somerset. Please see below for further details (please note this is not a HogCO event).

The forthcoming 'Let Nature Feed Your Senses' regional training events are open to any farmer interested in hosting powerful sensory farm visits for visitors with a range of disabilities. Sensory activity ideas will be presented that help communicate the links between food, farming and nature.

Details about the events are here

We will need to limit numbers and so places will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. As explained in the weblink, bookings need to be made with Carol in the LEAF office. There is no charge to participate, but we are asking for a £10 donation on the day to cover refreshments.

Please see below for new funding opportunities:

Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (England)

Farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England that wish to improve their efficiency at using resources have the opportunity to apply for funding of between £2,500 and £25,000. This scheme aims to help make rural businesses more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment.

The grants are for capital items to be eligible for funding under FFIS the project must fall within one of the following key areas of activity:

• Nutrient Management
• Energy Efficiency
• Water Resource Management
• Animal Health and Welfare
• Forestry

http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/farm-and-forestry-improvement-scheme

The closing date for applications is the 17th January 2012

Honor Chapman Mentoring Award
This award is for an individual who can demonstrate a passion for real food with an inventive use of land or real estate, and an ambition to start or grow a business in farming or processing, production or retailing of food. Each award will run for two years.  www.theduckyfoundation.com

Octavia Hill Awards from the National Trust  
Do you know someone who's campaigned tirelessly to protect a patch of green space?  Is there a famous person you admire who's challenging the system? The six winners will each receive a handcrafted award and get the opportunity to spend a day being mentored by an expert from the National Trust.  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-competitions_octavia-hill-awards 

Free Training and Grants for New Breakfast Clubs (UK)

School staff, parents and group leaders that wish to set up a new breakfast club in a school or community facility can obtain free training to equip staff with the skills they need to start up and run a successful breakfast club. Following the training, leaders will be able to apply for a Best Start Breakfast Club grant of £650 to get their new breakfast club up and running.

http://www.continyou.org.uk/school/breakfast_club_plus/funding/ 

Funding for the Social and Economic Empowerment of Women (UK)

Up to €30 million is available for projects which strengthen the protection and promotion of women's rights and women's social and economic empowerment. Projects should promote: Women’s equal access to and control of economic resources, new services that are instrumental to increasing women’s social and economic protection and wellbeing and their participation in economic growth.

More information can be found at:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome&nbPubliList=15&orderby=upd&orderbyad=Desc&searchtype=RS&aofr=131087 

The closing date for applications is the 26th January 2012

Peoplefund.it

This new online service provides a platform to connect those that seek funding and those that want to support ideas. Projects that require funding from between £1,000 and £50,000 can create a page on the website. All you need is a project aim, a three minute video and an idea of what rewards you can give in return for pledges.

 http://www.peoplefund.it/

The Devon and Cornwall Food Association (DCFA) was set up as a private company in October 2010, with the aim of stopping good, in date food produce from going to landfill. The DCFA shares out the food it receives among community organisations in Devon and Cornwall that feed disadvantaged people.  To read more about the DCFA and to download their Jan-Feb newsletter please see their website.

HogCO, along with the Community Council of Devon, has recently moved to new premises in Exeter. Whilst our email addresses remain the same, please note the change in telephone number and address (see below):

New telephone number:

01392 248919 Ext *260

New Address:

Community Council of Devon, First Floor, 3 & 4 Cranmere Court, Lustleigh Close, Matford Business Park, Exeter, EX2 8PW

The Ecological Land Co-operative (http://www.ecologicalland.coop) has applied to Mid Devon District Council for planning permission for a new affordable residential smallholding (ref: 11/02007/MFUL). It is the first one of three applications that together form a proposal for a cluster of three low impact and affordable smallholdings for new entrants to ecological agriculture.

The prospective grower is proposing to establish a mixed organic holding with a hectare of market garden, a small vegetable and herb nursery, a hectare of silvopastoral agroforestry to grow top and soft fruit, mushrooms on logs, herbs and perennial vegetables, and pure bred point of lay hens - please see more details on http://www.ecologicalland.coop/greenham-reach-smallholdings.

The Ecological Land Co-operative would be extremely grateful if you could find the time to write a letter of support. Even if you have time for nothing more than 'I support this application' it is still worth writing. If you have time to write more, some points you may wish to make (as appropriate):

• Why you believe that the project will be of benefit to the local community - environmentally, socially and economically.
   
• Why the proposal could have a positive benefit for the future of agriculture and land use.
   
• Why there is a need for an affordable route into ecological agriculture.
   
• How the proposal addresses climate change.
   
• How the mechanisms we have developed, such as the Management Plan, will protect the site effectively.
   
• Why you believe that it fits with local, regional or national planning policy.

How to submit a letter of support

Please refer to our application 11/02007/MFUL in any correspondence.

Email: devcon@middevon.gov.uk.

In writing to: Alison Fish, Planning, Mid Devon District Council, Phoenix House, Phoenix Lane, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6PP.

On line: http://planning.middevon.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do. You will need to search for our application (ref: 11/02007/MFUL) and once you can view our application, select 'Comment'. You will then be asked to register before you are allowed to submit your letter.

It has been clarified that it is permitted to sell surplus produce from allotments.

Please see the decision document on the Sustainable Communities Act

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/1798995.pdf

P.51 is the relevant passage –

“An allotment garden must, by definition, ‘be wholly or mainly cultivated for production of vegetables or fruit crops for the consumption by the occupier or his family’.

A change in the law is not required as there is no legal restriction on allotment holders selling genuine surplus product to local shops, but we would be happy to discuss this further with Brighton.”

If you encounter problems, please contact Greg Clark MP or the Department of Communities and Local Government.

We thought you might enjoy the 'How to Save Seeds' Handbook. It's an American website but the information about specific vegetable seeds is releavant to the UK.

HogCO has produced a Community Seed Swap information sheet if you are planning an event.

HogCO has just heard about an exciting opportunity if you're starting a new project or are thinking of a re-design.

'Spaces by Design' is a two-day course for community groups and organisations working on the regeneration of an open space. The course is delivered by an experienced landscape architect and is an opportunity for you to do creative, hands-on and practical work on your open space project.

The course is 8-9th March in Exeter. Spaces are free for community groups wanting to design their community space.

http://www.theglasshouse.org.uk/trainingandevents/spaces-by-design/

This is a great article about how Biochar can help mitigate the effects of climate change. Here's an extract from the article featured on the Hartley Botanic website- follow the link below to view the full story.

Biochar is a kind of upmarket charcoal, similar to that used in barbecues, but in granular form, which is made by burning woody, carbon-rich plant wastes – such as garden prunings – in an oxygen-starved process called pyrolysis. The result is a highly stable form of almost pure carbon, with a porous, honeycomb-like structure, which can halt any loss of carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere for hundreds or even thousands of years.The use of biochar results in more fertile soil and compost with increased microbial life (beneficial mycorrhizal fungi and other soil life love to inhabit biochar’s microscopic pores), which retain water and nutrients better in dry spells, which grow great plants and which – to boot – can help turn down our global thermostat.

Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop with Janta Wheelhouse of Karuna Permaculture Project (Shropshire) on Sunday 5th February 2012 10am-1pm.

PLEASE NOTE: this workshop is being organised by Transition Totnes and not by HogCO. However, HogCO have spoken to the organisers and they are happy for people outside of Totnes to attend. When you book, please say that you are a HogCO member so we can keep track of how many people registered are part of our network. If there are too many HogCO members booked on the course we have agreed to organise a seperate training day.

This workshop will equip us to produce our own fruit trees cheaply and help re-orchard Devon! A short presentation, then demonstration of the key grafting techniques and hands on training in fruit tree grafting.
Bare root apple trees available at the w/shop for £10, please pre-order.
Cost:  suggested donation £15-£50 to include your own grafted apple tree and refreshments – but all welcome regardless of ability to contribute! 
To book: send name, contact details + number of trees you would like to: larch.maxey@plymouth.ac.uk or call 01803 867512

We've compiled a useful list of funding bodies and sources of information (with links) to help your group apply for grants. This is available from the toolkits and downloads page of our website (titled Funding Opportunities December 2011).

Grants are available to support organisations for projects that focus on sport, culture and heritage, environment and sustainability, social welfare and community within North Devon. Applications are accepted from not-for-profit voluntary and community organisations and the maximum grant is £1,000. Applications will only be accepted once the project/activity has been discussed with the relevant ward member of North Devon Council. Contact North Devon Council for further information on 01271 388327. The application deadline is 24th December.

'Grow it Yourself', or GIY, is taking hold according to a recent ICM survey of 2000 Gardeners' World readers. The good news is that 42% of Brits now grow their own food. The Southwest was the most grow-it-yourself friendly part of the country, with 53% growing food. According to the poll, 70% of growers cited 'enjoyment' as the main reason, while for 57% the incentive was to save money. More than half felt that homegrown veg tasted better. Potatoes were the most popular veg grown (55%), followed by lettuce (49%). Tomatoes were the most popular fruit (61%) followed by strawberries (59%). The main reason for not growing was lack of outdoor space. Less good news was the fact that 8% of growers' gluts didn't make it as far as the kitchen, but were either composted or thrown away.

Five minutes with Dave Hamilton from nu project on Vimeo.

Local author, forager and horticulturalist Dave Hamilton talks about his book. 

via Green Books

Oakwood Denbury Project, near Denbury, Newton Abbott, is looking for a Permaculture Design Diploma student to assist in drawing up a base map showing the whole design of the site identifying where the different zones are and the design elements.

For more information, see the Noticeboard