Shandon Local Food Group

Timber for Raised Beds

zizapiz — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:57:05 +0000

Do you have any old timber lying around that you’d like to get rid of ? Do you have any boards, palettes or bits of wood that are taking up space in your garden or home?

As some of you may know, we held a “Building Raised Beds” course in early January this year: http://shandonfood.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/raised-beds-winter-pruning-courses-in-pictures/

This course was very successful and inspired all who attended to have a go at building their own raised beds at home.

We are now hoping to find some recycled wood in the local Shandon area (or further afield) that people are willing to pass on to some enthusiastic recipients!

Get in touch if you have some timber you’d like taken off your hands.

Email Judith at zizapiz@yahoo.co.uk if you’re interested.

Please also contact us if you are interested in obtaining some timber as we are looking into various options, whether through the local community, buying locally-sourced timber, or using alternative raised beds materials.

Come to our SLFG Seasonal Meal at Bia Bistrot: Tuesday, 7 February 2012

zizapiz — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:20:40 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Tuesday 7th February 2012

7.30pm

3 courses £15

Menu

Starters

Beetroot & chard tartlet, Ragstone goat’s cheese

-or-

Arbroath smokies, Granny Smith apple & potato salad

Mains

Panfried gnocchi, creamed Jerusalem artichokes and chestnuts

-or-

Slow cooked Ayrshire pork cheeks, vegetables from Community Garden

Sweets

Polenta cake, crème fraiche & clementines

-or-

“La Cerise” lingonberry sorbet, poached pears & shortbread

Book now to avoid disappointment: http://biabistrot.co.uk/index.htm

or email info@biabistrot.co.uk, phone 0131 452 8453

Sign up for Compost-Crazy Training and Make your Own Wormery

mckens13 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:05:36 +0000

We are pleased to announce that Shandon Local Food Group are working with Transition Edinburgh South (supported by the Climate Challenge Fund) to deliver training in Composting Systems including the materials and tools to Make your own Wormery (Length 450 mm, Height 480 mm,Width 350 mm). You just need to be able to use a screw driver!

All courses will take place at The Royal Edinburgh Community Garden on Myreside Rd under the tuition of Sean Jacques. Pre-cut & drilled wood, worms, book, tools and refreshments will be provided. Total number of places (across all course days/times) is limited to 50 so book early so you don’t miss out!

WORMERY BASIC COURSE

11:30 am-1:30 pm Sunday 5th February
2 pm- 4 pm on Sunday 5th February or
2 pm-4 pm on Sunday 18th March

Soup provided at 1.30pm if you want to stay after the morning course, or come before the afternoon course on 5th Feb. It will be provided by Bia Bistrot (but don’t worry if you miss out – here’s a chance to sample Bia Bistrot’s delights on 7th Feb: Click here: Bia Bistrot Seasonal Meal.

(Note: 18th March is Mothering Sunday – what could be a better present…….for the mother-in-law?!!).
Assemble your own wormery + learn about composting systems that can make good use of your kitchen waste. £5 in advance contact Sue.

Remember that you will a wormery to take away with you, so please ensure you have the means to take it home.

COMPOSTING CHAMPION COURSE
10 am – 1 pm/1:30 pm on Sunday 5th February
This course is aimed at gardeners who want to discuss a variety of composting systems in greater detail before making your own wormery. The length of the course will depend on how many questons you have and how quick you are with a screw driver; however, we anticipate finishing with some hot soup at around 1-1:30 pm. This course overlaps with the basic wormery course and it is hoped that some composting champions may be able to help those on the basic course assemble their wormeries. £5 in advance contact Sue.

Contact Sue McKendrick of Shandon Local Food Group to book a place on all Sunday courses (5th February or 18th March)
0782 444 9265 mckendrick2007@talktalk.net. The compost-crazy-booking-form is available here for more information and confirming your Sunday course booking.

NOT WORKING FULL-TIME?
Courses on Mondays/Thursdays (contact Andrew)
Contact Andrew Broadfoot of Transition Edinburgh South if interested in attending weekday half-day courses to make your own wormery: Monday 30th January, Thursday 9th February or Monday 12th March with 10 am or 1:30 pm starts (approx 2 hours duration).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: WORMERIES

The Wormery is an ideal way to deal with your kitchen food waste. It may be your composting solution if you have a rat problem in your garden as it is an enclosed box. The worms munch through vegetable peelings and any scraps of food (not meat or salted foods) you can put in there. After a mere three months you have the most fabulous worm cast compost or vermiculture.

Photo: A group take a look at the wormery and hot boxes at the Community Garden.

UPDATE 18 JAN 2012: FOCUS on WORMERIES

Unfortunately, it has been decided to cancel the opportunity to make a hot box and focus on the wormeries which we hope will meet the needs of more people.

You will however, be able to learn about the systems and could convert your wormery to a hot box (by adding an additional thermal layer of thermal insulation). The Greenway Hotbox system is very simple to use. The boxes are insulated, so you take your green materials (grass-cuttings, weeds etc) and brown materials (stalks, prunings, cardboard etc), chop them all down as fine as you can make them, mix them up and put into the box. They heat up to about fifty degrees and after two days you turn them. After just one week or so the material has really mulched down. Then you can use as a mulch or, even better add to a wormery.

Raised Beds & Winter Pruning Courses: In Pictures

zizapiz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:49:13 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Seasonal SLFG meal at Caley Sample Room on 19th Jan 2012

mckens13 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:57:34 +0000

Click here for the Menu for the next seasonal local food evening at the Caley Sample Room in conjunction with the Shandon Local Food Group. All welcome to come along whether in a group or alone on Thursday 19th January at 7:30 pm. Please book directly with The Caley Sample Room (58 Angle Park Terrace Edinburgh, EH11 2JR) on 0131 337 7204. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Slides on Guerrilla Gardening and How to make a Seed Bomb!

mckens13 — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:34:41 +0000

Thanks to all those who made our Christmas special on 15th December a night to remember (possibly helped along by the mulled wine and warm cider!). I nearly mis-identified Kate’s seed bombs (her guerrilla gardening weapons!) for chocolate truffles so it was a lucky thing that I didn’t eat one. Click here if you would like to know How to make a Seed Bomb.

Before Kate Gilliam and her partner Cory arrived in Bushwick, NY there was one tree; now, there are 2001 trees! Kate Gilliam’s pictures of this area before and after her interventions were truely inspiring. If we could all make one tenth of this impact on our local areas, the world would be a better place.

Guerrilla Gardening Slides can be viewed here.

Slides of “No Child Left Inside”

mckens13 — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:34:01 +0000

Our Christmas Special night continued with an Ameican theme as Ros Marshall (a forest schools teacher) showed some slides of outside learning from across the pond. This stimulated some interesting discussion into whether we have gone health and safety mad in stopping kids playing outside for fear they might slip on the grass! If you are having trouble getting your kids to play in the real world rather then in a DS or Wii virtual world, then seek some inspiration from Ros’s slides: No Child Left Inside (large file!)

Sign up for growing fruit up walls & cleft grafting, Sunday 11 March 2012

18saughtonmains — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:07:24 +0000

Sunday 11 March 2012

Two more half-day courses at the Royal Edinburgh Community Garden with tuition from Sean Jacques, RECG Garden Co-ordinator.

10am – 12:30pm Growing fruit up walls

Growing fruit up walls is ideal for small gardens. This course will cover planting, building a trellis and pruning

1:30pm – 3:30pm Cleft grafting

How to add a new apple variety to your established apple or crab apple tree.

Booking essential. Call Sue on 07824449265 or email mckendrick2007@talktalk.net. Price: £5 in advance, £10 on the day.

Supported by the Central Scotland Green Network

Sign up for gardening courses, Sunday 8 January 2012

18saughtonmains — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:00:08 +0000

Sunday 8 January 2012

Two half-day courses at the Royal Edinburgh Community Garden with tuition from Sean Jacques, RECG Garden Co-ordinator.

10am – 12:30pm Making a raised bed

Why and how to make low and high raised beds. A practical course with tools provided.

1:30pm – 3:30pm Winter pruning

What and how to prune in Winter with practical tasks in the apple orchard.

Booking essential. Call Sue on 07824449265 or email mckendrick2007@talktalk.net. Price: £5 in advance, £10 on the day.

Supported by the Central Scotland Green Network

Write-up of Autumn gardening courses

18saughtonmains — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:33:16 +0000

2nd October was rescheduled to 13th November due to heavy rain. Feedback on our first gardening course sessions on Focus on Fruits and Planning and Preparing your Garden is available here.

The next sessions on Making a Raised Bed and Winter Pruning scheduled for Sunday 8th January will involve gaining hands-on experience.