Communigrow: August 2014

Welcome to Communigrow, www.communigrow.org

Learning, Teaching, Sharing

food and farming in for two communities in the heart of Kent

Pledge your support via the charities aid foundation (CAF) for gift easy gift aid and credit/debit card or paypal payments which is easy and fab as they do not take a cut of your precious pledge.

We desperately need your old seeds, pots and trays to plant up for this season. As you can imagine with that much ground to cover we need a lot!

You Donate direct via our Charities Aid Foundation page at: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/donatesteps.aspx?beneficiarycampaignid=3255

Please search using 'communigrow' as an exact term and add a note saying "seed fund". Do not forget to complete the Gift Aid as this makes a huge difference.

Thanks

or latest news at newsletter, click here

Our vision is for a healthier, more balanced society where everyone has access to affordable unpolluted fresh local food if they choose and may learn about and experience all aspects of production and care for our environment.

An invite to anyone within a few miles of East Malling to come along and be involved in our new CSA on 5.7 acres at East Malling Research.
Growing veg for the people of Ditton, Larkfield and the Mallings. Our area naturally covers Aylesford and the Mallings
Also lots of other interests such as ethnic crops, cut flowers, hops and curious crops such as soya beans and many more all of which would make the area more interesting in terms of diversity, more rewarding in terms of participation and overall more balanced.
All grown using sustainable techniques and expanding habitats which include Organics, Biodynamics, Permaculture, Natural (localised) Agriculture and more.

Ask for more details, call:
07806 708 386
email join@communigrow.org
read our news at www.communigrow.org
like us at www.facebook.com/EastMallingCommunitySupportedAgriculture
Visit our web page for case studies and more background on Communigrow's Community Supported Agriculture project for Kent

Archive newsletters may be found at Communigrow news archive

What is a ‘Community Supported Agriculture’?

CSA’s are successful in many parts of the UK and in the USA and the concept of direct community involvement in local farms is nothing new, being championed in the UK by the Soil Association and The Plunkett Foundation. A ‘CSA’ brings local people directly into farming and growing as a key part of the production to consumer process rather than purely as a consumer trade making it a rewarding and educational experience coupled with savings for all involved.

All our produce is grown using organic methods and we use a variety of techniques from Bio-dynamics to ‘Natural Agriculture’. Our garden provides seasonal veg, herbs & spices, unusual ‘ethnic’ crops and craft plants including cut flowers, hops and aromatic oils. All good, healthy produce for people who may otherwise not consider this currently. We encourage a healthier diet of fresh food targeting lower income families, unskilled people and older generations and our aim is to get as many people as possible to contribute in some way in the growing which should bring health benefits of an active lifestyle.

To this goal we continue the work on the ground to create a productive yet bio-diverse landscape.

Forming a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation is essential to take on all operations to create more awareness of our project and encourage membership, enabling us to employ local people on our growing team. Once we have this with active members and our team have the produce we shall consider the role we may contribute to more specialist educational and training work on and off the plot in the community.

Join as a 'Friend' and get involved or simply support our work

Volunteer working on sowing, harvest, preparation or packing alongside our specialist team of growers and apprentices and contribute to our ‘Skills share’ events for everyone on and off the plot through events and workshops in the community/

The story so far... and yet so near! the Larkfield and Ditton Local Food campaign and project Communigrow

Part 1..... 'Growing together'

newsletter 5th October 2014

I've been asked to write a few lines about the way that we've managed to secure the field for our future. Lucky? I think of it more the process of positive thinking and actions designed through years of varied experiences of many people.
The story goes back to 2011 when Student nurse Louise approached Betsy at Joining Hands for her help in starting a community growing project.
With Besty's help Louise asked East Malling Research if they may have a small area of land for the idea and, luckily, they said yes, have 2 acres to lease! This was a little beyond the abilities of the project at the time so they set up with limited funds for a third of an acre growing with two local schools and the scouts with help from many individuals. It was a sort of allotment style plot with a poly tunnel and basic facilities.
After the grant ran out they were left with little option to carry it on as best they were able but in January 2013 I had heard that the plot was to be returned if they could not find someone to carry it forward, and develop plans for some longer term project on site.
As I had been researching Community Supported Agriculture since visiting Stroud CSA (see below) back in 2001 and having been a WWOOF (look it up, fab organisation) volunteer and host it was an idea worth following up. All this was at a point after 5 years of work and very nearly achieving something (but not a lot) at Bostall Woods in Plumstead I found the Communigrow project very interesting and worthy of looking into especially as I needed to get myself fit again after a year of being redundant.
Here was a project started, stalled and was now ready to be taken further with an ideal location, climate and back to my roots.
East Malling, Ditton and Larkfield each have a great 'village' atmosphere with town cross rural situation, and after trial crops last summer I found the potential was good to great for the natural sort of growing I am interested in.
All we needed were people. That's where we are today, building on local interest (I'd given up hope with 'social media' and hopes on distant people, active in this sort of eco thing but all busy doing their own projects) and setting out plans through support of the Plunkett Foundation (see below) and the School for Social Entrepreneurs (see next week's newletter).
It is through the veg that we have found so much local support for the objectives we are aiming for.

These include:

A new productive market garden of volume production with varied cropping and production plan
Incorporate sustainable techniques with extensive use of varied cover crops - 'green manure'
Produce for a variety of purposes, Ethnic foods, Arts and Crafts, social & horticultural research
Create a ‘Local Exchange Trading System’ to maximise fair returns
Establish added value enterprises such as bees, oil and associated craft produce from the field
Create skills base for educational programme in all operations and social care
Install awareness in the health benefits of an active lifestyle
Create new habitats for conservation
Membership of our new market garden community open to all

I would like to thank all who have enabled this to happen.

Part 2....... 'Empowerment through Local Food'

newsletter 12th October 2014

All we needed were people. That's where we are today, building on local interest .... and setting out plans through support of the Plunkett Foundation and the School for Social Entrepreneurs (see below) .

Local people are fab and once wheeling the barrow around the houses we found instant interest without explanation nor incentive. Every single person we met has been an inspiration. So we held our series of three open days at the plot, start our membership (our 'Friends of Communigrow' and set out for registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with specific objectives in the field for Education, training and skillshare in food, farming through social enterprise.

More 'Friends of Communigrow' are needed (see below if you may like to help us by being a 'supporter' - the more the merrier).

The School for Social Entrepreneurs and the group of 20 like-minded individuals on the Lloyds Bank sponsored start-up course has been a real boost. With a host of assisted learning to encourage confidence in our enterprises and 'witness' examples to show how much may be achieved when focused to a clear ambition of improving society in modest yet significant ways.

Back in April of 2013 I also applied to the Plunkett Foundation for some guidance in what we were doing on the field. Their advice through support for community enterprise suggested we may have a problem with just the 2 acres we had available back then and although their figures don't really bring craft into the equation and, surprisingly, don't integrate education outside of volunteer land based experiences as a function into their model for CSA. I felt they had a very knowledgeable point based on their many years of helping groups such as ourselves and so with their help I set about discussions over the whole field which has been cut for hay for many years. This is an ambiguous move. Essential if we are ever to make the idea of serious growing feasible.

Planning for this is complex. We would not want to upset neighbours nor simply leave ground to grow weeds. One thing is certain - we do need more tunnels. Plastic seems to cover half of kent and is one of the few ways to extend the growing season so some well sited modest sized tunnels are important along with cloches which are mini tunnels placed over particular beds when needed. Beyond that we have some limit to how we grow and so we shall need to diversify to ensure we always have something to offer. Funky crops are a good solution and with a few trials like the soya we can soon have quality foods people seldom have the chance to eat from a walking distance though this point applies to many of the foods we now grow, even potatoes!
So this brings us round to the true nature of a plot. By introducing an education factor in local sourcing, health and an active lifestyle, nutrition and eating more fresh vegetables we can take on a different function to the normal market garden and this is now central to our objective as a charity. More on this at a future date.

So our cropping plan is developing. Herbs will play a major role with boundary planting of several hundred metres along with 4 types of potatoes, 6 types of pumpkin, courgette and other 'Squash' and the perfection of carrot growing, both standard and heritage varieties despite the prevalence of the dreaded 'Root Fly' that renders 50% of what we currently grow as unsalable. It is through the veg that we have found so much local support for the objectives we are aiming for and our aims must remain on this focus

These include:

A new productive market garden of volume production with varied cropping and production plan
Incorporate sustainable techniques with extensive use of varied cover crops - 'green manure'
Produce for a variety of purposes, Ethnic foods, Arts and Crafts, social & horticultural research
Create a ‘Local Exchange Trading System’ to maximise fair returns
Establish added value enterprises such as bees, oil and associated craft produce from the field
Create skills base for educational programme in all operations and social care
Install awareness in the health benefits of an active lifestyle
Create new habitats for conservation
Membership of our new market garden community open to all

I would like to thank all who have enabled this to happen.

If anyone is able to help us plan the new planting please get in touch, email 2015@communigrow.org.

Part 3.................. 'Three thoughts on food'

newsletter 19th October 2014

.... It is through the veg that we have found so much local support for the objectives we are aiming for and our aims must remain on this focus

So what are these objectives? Clearly people are interested in food and may go out of their way to find something better than the suppermarket, though the vast majority of our food pound would be likely to end up in the supermarket as they are now so much of our life. We may offer a few fresh veg whereas they have shelves of the stuff stacked high and in glowing lights to make the many types, shape and colour look its very best and all in a warm cosy atmosphere. What can we offer that they cannot?
Most likely nothing. They have the ability to follow trends wherever they feel. If CSA were successful enough they would soon be sponsoring the idea or even have their own local farms for people to visit on a sunday and would probably jump at the chance of parking one of their delivery trucks on the green for a couple of hours (imagine the long line of mobile Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrison wagons - with even a Starbucks and Costa to refresh). Success in their eyes would be ways to make money out of it!
We can't really compete on their terms, they have the bulk of everyone's spending money already and, lets face it, are really good at providing foods from around the world. We have to measure our success on different, non financial, terms.
Now that may be the difference, we provide foods from our fab field a few yards away from your door and this helps people eat more fresh veg. We also provide a community function, helping people get out and active - to get interested in a local charity. Our three thoughts on food .... 'learning, teaching, sharing', but more on these next time.

Our objective is to provide local resources on our 5.7 acre field at East Malling Research.

These include:

A new productive market garden of volume production with varied cropping and production plan
Incorporate sustainable techniques with extensive use of varied cover crops - 'green manure'
Produce for a variety of purposes, Ethnic foods, Arts and Crafts, social & horticultural research
Create a ‘Local Exchange Trading System’ to maximise fair returns
Establish added value enterprises such as bees, oil and associated craft produce from the field
Create skills base for educational programme in all operations and social care
Install awareness in the health benefits of an active lifestyle
Create new habitats for conservation
Membership of our new market garden community open to all

I would like to thank all who have enabled this to happen so far and in advance to all those yet to come.

If anyone is able to help us plan the new planting please get in touch, email 2015@communigrow.org.

Part 4................. Learning - 'Zones'

newsletter 26th October 2014

….. which is also the basis of the learning, experience and fun!

A project such as Communigrow may seem a little unnecessary to some. There are plenty of allotments and plenty of good schools and a great agricultural college within easy reach. There are even projects specifically designed to encourage people to grow at home and ample access to all that’s ever needed to grow good food at home even if only on a windowsill and as for conservation, well the area is far from submerged under concrete and tarmac yet. So where does our humble 5 acre field fit in?

There is the community we provide. The herd instinct of people sharing common interests, in this case a chance to learn and grow even more along with people who feel much the same. None of us are ‘experts’, in fact we are all extreme amateurs. Then there may be the charitable side of things, the desire to share our experiences and produce with all regardless of status, income or ability. For me the underlying strength of this project is the exploration of ways to further education across all of the above and it is an education of skills and techniques, systems and methods and the wonder of nature’s ability to both create and heal at the same time.

We actually base our aims on an 'empowerment' of our community and this opens an entirely new door of where we are heading as a society and that's a topic we may explore at another time but for now it is purely based on getting people involved and this remains firmly related to growing and feeding people with organic or better fresh food.

Our basis is a plan of five 'Zones'. The first is the obvious in the person, the individual. Next comes the plot, the fabric of our piece of the earth, what a great place it is too. Third comes the creativity, taking a plot of grass to a more productive direction. Forth is the community, in this case the area roughly the length of a brisk 20 minute walk by the width of another brisk 20 minute walk, with all the houses, schools and even the people who may travel through while at 70 mph on the M20 motorway, they are a brief part of our community.

Last, but certainly not least, are a curious mix of those who we inspire and educate, the energies of those who may enter and even the lives of those who leave, they may go on to do wonderful things. This is the spirit of all our futures.

You may wonder what this really is, how is it measured or monitored? Truth is I have not a clue though some great philosopher has the answer I feel sure. But like a good book we may have read many years ago that shapes our future in some small way, Communigrow may reach a conclusion - for now we are barely starting to write the 'introduction'.

Next time.... more on the 'Communigrow Experience'

Part 5...........'The Communigrow learning experience'

newsletter 3rd November 2014

….. Communigrow may reach a conclusion - for now we are barely starting to write the 'introduction'.

This creative process is a struggle. Not only do we have very little funding (thank you South East Water, you saved the day - see this weeks Kent Messenger) but it has been so few doing it. Only very recently we've inspired more to join us, and we still need more, many more.
Luckily we have the sound basis of learning to help to plan and propel the project forward. It is all about people, and food, and hopefully we'll inspire many more to get involved as keen consumers of fresh veg, dabbling gardeners and even ways to save the planet! So that's all good then. And it gets better.
We are no experts. We've had skilled advice on Community Supported Agriculture (thank you Plunkett Foundation) but learning is in all that we do. Learning about the soil, natural systems for growing, learning about the options we have to turn a field of grass into a productive plot for all to benefit. It is this 'all' that brings in the largest scope for learning, how to get 'All' involved, active and in some small way contributory to our aims.
Example is great. Each potato is an example of what we can achieve. Every onion a little parcel of bursting flavour and a sensation of community involvement. Taking this forward we now need more in the way we label our greater packet of produce, the message we may give. Everyone knows what that potato or onion looks like but why is it there at all, you can buy the same from the supermarket down the road, so what makes it 'Local Food' and why should people choose to buy it?
Follow this through to the boarder aims. Why should people join us as 'Friends' and why come along to pick the spinach or slice the pumpkin on a friday? It is very much about those learning, teaching and sharing tag lines. A few words that frame so much.

Next time.... how growing locally may impact climate change

Part 6..........'CLIMATE CHANGE - it's not too late'

newsletter 10th November 2014

….. It is very much about those learning, teaching and sharing tag lines. A few words that frame so much.

For the sake of simplicity I shall assume all readers are in agreement that we humans have and continue to adversely influence the climate through burning carbon fuels. This is the focus of much of the awareness on the topic and the action often proposed to counter the threat climate change poses to all our and future generations. There are other issues involved as well and with these few lines we hope to explore just a few on such a huge subject.
It may seem that use of carbon is irreverent to the hot topics of tropical rainforest destruction and the argument does get very complex. For instance re-forested tropical rainforest actually locks up far more carbon than virgin forest. Meaning there may be a case for chopping the whole lot down (providing it does not get burnt) and starting again as a way to help halt the carbon in the atmosphere. We will not go there as it is another false suggestion based almost entirely on profit motive.
Eating local food certainly helps. Transporting basic foods around even within a region is unnecessary if it is possible to source directly from a grower on your doorstep. Worse is the entire centralised distribution system which means that even if something is labelled 'Kent' and actually grown in a neighbouring field it may have been round the country to come back to you, packed into little plastic cases for your visual and consumer pleasure. Our whole community economy has been systematically dismantled by the large (and ever larger) food companies and supermarket distributors (see the Lexicon on' Economies Of Communities' above) and in the name of choice and freedom to consume whatever we want.

Or perhaps that should read what they want - for instance - how many different types of the same cereal or toilet roll do we really need? Shelves stacked high with what is basically the same ‘Commodity’ all in one particular guise or price and repeated again and again throughout the entire retail sector.

But a critical basis for growing locally in a more sustainable style is down to the diversity and productivity equation. Modern history and thinking tells us that through acres of mono-cropping, - that is fields dedicated to one crop alone - a farmer may provide that ‘Commodity’in an efficient and practical way to meet the demands of an ever growing and demanding population (you'll hear that 'Commodity' term a lot in the near future).
Without meaning to trash the hard work and dedication of several generations of farmers with one single line they have been the cause of so much of the damage inflicted on our communities and are victims of false progress and a huge agrochemical industry based on, yes you guessed it, oil and our fixation on it as the provider of all.
A return to a mixed farming system, as nature intended, is probably the only way to counter the damage done in the name of progress. Mixed enterprises and systems such as Biodynamics, offer a combined thinking within the custody of land use providing multiple streams of income (honey with veg, grain with salads, apples with eggs) and means the risk as well as rewards are shared in the same locality - county - town - field. This comes down to the neighbouring plant in some cases. This not only increases the overall yield but provides us with a fabulously diverse resource we can all observe and share.

Next time.... The Trust v Commodity debate enlarged. Why should we try to grow everything everyone asks for?

Part 7........... Trust v Commodity

….. The Trust v Commodity debate enlarged. Why should we try to grow everything everyone asks for?

Yams, sweet potato, heritage carrots and cumin are all examples of foods we've been asked for and apart from the natural demands of the weather and soil they all grow to varying degrees of success. And we aim to try many of them to find out. But why grow to the demands of the consumer or amateur gardener? One reason is that all that we buy, consume, is a commodity. Something that is traded - bought and sold - sometimes several times before it gets to the end user.

We're not a power station (though we can produce energy of some form) and we are certainly not a health service, (but we can make peoples lives more healthy through fresh foods and activity). What we can provide is the handy local resource of a range of foods, in abundance, at affordable prices direct from the field, fresh and hopefully more tasty and nutritious through being so. We can also provide a service to the community through education and awareness of growing, feeding and helping people through new skills and experience of things we may often feel remote from in these days of a commodity ledeconomy. So each time someone may say they'd like something it may be a way to not only research and trial an unusual food but a way for us to develop beyond what is provided by the grander system that we have little control over and so offer a service unique to Community Supported Agriculture.
Developing the field to grow all the foods we require and return something to the natural environment through wildlife habitat is part of a trust equation. This may be unheard of outside of your own garden or allotment though naturally farmers grow only what they can sell, don't they? This alas is not entirely true. They grow for a Commodity market, that is the supermarkets say they need 'x' number of cauliflowers and someone somewhere says they need 'x' number to go to Russia where they apparently can't grow enough themselves. This year along comes a boycott of russian exports coupled with warm autumn weather that brings them on fast and there is suddenly a problem as the supermarkets can't sell them all and the farmer is forced to compost perfectly good food, as is happening in Kent right now. (see our facebook post to find out more and help harvest a few for local people in need)
Obviously we have our own commodity market right here in Larkfield and Ditton and we do need to occasionally compost good food but by working on a local level, producer-consumer,we may tune and adapt and, crucially, give people more trust in the food they eat either through being less polluted or directly traded.

Part 8 ......... Local, social, Enterprise for Larkfield and Ditton

….. we hope for a supportive community when so much has been dismantled in the name of progress

Amazon are in the news again with their 'Jobs of last resort'. Mostly zero hour contracts they proudly boast boosts the local economies of their depots, They are normally 'Last Resort' as people, young and old, would much rather have some security of a job beyond the consumer rush of 'Black Friday'. It would be nice to feel we could provide something better than this.

One way is through supporting new social enterprise through all that we may produce and create on site. We intend to employ a small team of growers to guide and steer all that we do at the field and beyond but we may prefer to simply trade certain items on to people who are supportive of our ideals and who may not only help themselves towards meaningful and 'First Resort' creative enterprise but hopefully knock-on this support to further parts of the community.

With the area we now have use of at Park Farm on East Malling Research the potential for feeding a substantial number of families may be possible. Though we cannot aim to supply everything a family may want we could supply a fair proportion of what they may need, the staples like potatoes and in certain months a few of the fancier things we've now become accustomed to like courgettes. Gearing ourselves up to this role will take time and we've a three year plan to achieve total production and transformation from grassland meadow to garden, conservation and learning zones. For now we are only part time and totally voluntary. All our costs are by donations alone.

We've many other functions to explore and the idea of us being simply another CSA (community supported agriculture) scheme supplying boxes of fresh unpolluted veg is key to enabling us to teach a few skills and for us all to learn more about the way food is produced and the issues behind farming. By focussing on the sharing side of the field (that's the bit past the learning and follows on from the teaching) we may provide the maximum impact to those who we hope to inspire to help themselves find new skills and talents somewhere within the growing or processing, on the creative or craft or perhaps simply as a service to what we hope to do over time.

Examples include woodcraft, honey and beeswax products, cut flower, herb processing (essential oil), conservation skills, hops, weaving and perhaps alpaca wool. An exciting idea could be to install an entire cooking and catering enterprise based around education and skills of using our range of foods. These 'services' may actually be the best way to develop our broader range of provision and we would hope the field may provide the basis of income for a considerable number of people.

Part 9 ......... Motivate a community to action on climate change

….. for now we are only part time and totally voluntary. All our costs are by donations to our charity

Quite a few people have commented on our project as a 'Transition Town' initiative. In fact it's not. It is a separate enterprise started out of a desire to get people more interested in gardening and growing food for themselves, a sort of allotment gone crazy. As it happens it could never be allotments as the field is within East Malling Research and so may never be an 'open door' for people to access whenever they like. It is also now a charity based on education on a whole heap of subjects from the roots of gardening and growing through to climate change and social enterprise. Almost all that fits neatly into Transition and so we'd be the first to welcome further awareness on the issues involved.

Communigrow has its roots as a social enterprise. That is a new enterprise that is not based on profit but on a community, 'social', benefit. None of us are experts and certainly we have a broad range of interests and skills to offer a broad range of people living locally. Our impact shall be measured in many ways but none more important than in the value the community may place in facing up to challenges it faces whether it be education of young people, experience for students or activity for adults.

So what is 'Transition' and why? What could it hope to achieve?

The short answer is not a lot for our project alone, in 'isolation' as we may need to motivate an entire community to act on climate change. So that's all good then. There will certainly be less damaging carbon created in the growing and distribution of our food - benefits for the planet in less food miles and less mass produced food consumed within the area. Transition is mostly about making a community stronger. It could be best described as a progress to a more balanced attitude to the way we consume, something that should make us healthier and happier as we may take more satisfaction out of our locality and community rather than simply relying on others, more remote, for solutions to global and local problems or to simply feed us.

There may also be still much more to learn about the important issues of our future and it is this exploration that could be the key to Transition as it is not only fun and educative but also incredibly personal, we no longer deal with issues as a consumer but as an individual. How often do you hear that 'i' word mentioned on an ad outside of directly encouraging a 'life style' choice - usually of the product being sold to us at that time.

Next time.... transition to what in Larkfield and Ditton?

Part 10 ........ Frequently asked questions (on a number of topics surrounding local food and transition)

….. we hope for a supportive community when so much has been dismantled in the name of progress

We've been asked many questions over the last two years since we started the Communigrow project as a Community Supported Agriculture.

Here are just a few.

Who are you?
we are all amateur gardeners, novices and a few entirely new to growing
Why should I buy Local Food? I am quite happy spending my £80 each week at the warm and cosy supermarket
yes and we would not want anyone to stop as supermarkets have a lot to offer and we simply cannot supply you with everything. But by buying local you can help your community directly and you know who produces your food and how. The horse meat scandal is one example of trust issues in food (see below) and there are many more you never hear about. By buying more locally you help us produce more with greater variety and soon you may have cosmetics and cleaners for example all made from things we can grow in Kent

Farming? I thought it is an allotment!
Well it was but that could never work as we have too much ground, nearly 6 acres this year, and much of it grew weeds which was not productive nor popular with the neighbours. We say farming as it is nearer to our scale than anything else and certainly reflects our interests

Why no tractor?
We may yet get one to haul stuff around but by ploughing you upset the balance soil has found through the natural systems of weather and microbes. Ploughing upsets this and is largely a short term solution. We may simply get a donkey!

Who is Communigrow?
We are now a registered charity thanks to the dedication of a few people and 80+ supporters all living within 3 miles of the field. This year we aim to find 200 more
Is your food any better than I can already buy?
Oh yes, but by 'better' we mean it has produced in your locality without chemicals of any kind and grown with an entirely new idea of education, our 'learning, teaching, sharing' and this is reflected in the way we all relate to what we eat and how it may get on your plate. If food were only about nutrients how come most of it is grown in mono-cropped fields and sprayed with poisons? It clearly is down to profit alone. We are a 'not for profit' so that should make it better in more ways than you can already buy, though you may grow better yourself (get digging!)

What is Transition?
We live in a carbon based society, an economy built up over years of dependence on oil and its products. Climate Change threatens this and requires attention to lessen its impact. By working on new and traditional ideas on how we live we may actually influence this change to make a stronger, more productive, local economy that is healthier and more able to live in balance
There's a slug in my sprout, what should I do?
Shhhhhh, everyone will want one! apart from the proof it has not been grown in a sterile and polluted manner it is also one way you can help reduce waste as most would get downgraded and thrown away. Cut into quarters before cooking to check inside

I like this idea, how do I get involved?
Two ways. Firstly sign-up as a supporter, it is free and helps us as a charity. Come along to one of our events, we have something going on most weeks. Friday afternoon and Saturdays are best right now but this will change. Other days by arrangement but we welcome help in so many ways

Where are the vegetables?
We are not a standard box scheme, that is we distribute seasonal veg that we
grow, not buy-in. This is an education in itself as how many things can you make with pumpkin for instance? However in time we will have more and more veg available as we get better at growing with the seasons and will grow a lot of things you never thought of eating before
Why do you say the community needs rebuilding? it seems fine to me
Without attention and effort we will not have local shops and services as the entire face of your local economy has been altered by supermarkets, multinationals and the globalised world we now live in. They simply cannot compete on the same terms as huge, lower cost producers and retailers. Local economies hold more cash within a community and this builds what is termed 'resilience' to change, helps to keep people healthier and creative and so lessen the decline in self-determination, ultimately we simply do not rely on others to provide quite so much
Next time.... a few words from our sponsors, the people of Larkfield and Ditton

We're now reaching at a turning point and need help to progress help@communigrow.org

We've been working at the field for over two years and the project for 4. Without a lot of funds and without any form of pay. It hasn't been and not everyone understands why we should want to do that, in fact we often ask ourselves why we should want to do that!

The reason is simple, it is not a corporate thing. Communigrow was started by a student nurse who wanted to help a community grow food, we've carried it on as we want to educate about growing food. Without a major organisation we have to invent all ourselves and this does take time and a huge amount of sweat. This month we have the start of our education and will be planting of parts of the five acre field. The bees will soon be here and the warmer weather of spring will hopefully bring more people to help.

For now we need to bridge a gap. a short spell where we have only a few veg to put in our boxes and a lot of money going out in seeds and other things we need. If you can help please donate anything you can as it all makes a big difference.
Note: all our donations, 100%, goes straight to our work for materials and facilities - we do not have any admin and are totally voluntary

£5 will help us buy seeds for one of our 200 beds or five plants for the wildlife/flower/edible zones.

£10 will buy YOU a weekly box of our veg. The best way to support us is to buy our veg. Another win win.

£20 will boost our scope and enable us to broaden our selection of veg for this season.

£30 will give us the ability to provide an afternoons placement for one sixth form student who struggles to find anywhere to work.

£50 will help us run workshops for an entire group.

£100 gives us the ability to form new partnerships with schools and groups in the area and provide our services for free.

£250 would boost our community group and give us the leaflets and field resources we desperately need to build our group.

Please send your pledge direct to us. Email help@communigrow.org and we shall email you a sponsors form.

Communigrow

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Only for Ditton .... Introducing the 'Barrow-on-the-Green

Veg box for Larkfield, Ditton, Aylesford and East Malling

Thursday, August 7, 2014

a healthier, more balanced society and environment - includes 'The story so far... and yet so near! the Larkfield and Ditton Local Food campaign and project Communigrow'