Unfortunately our gardening sessions are on hold for the moment. We’ve also been unable to hold our annual seed sowing session so we’re asking for you to help us out by starting some of your own fruit/veg seeds off at home ready to plant out with us when the lockdown is over.

Things you need to get going:

• compost*
• seeds*
• something to grow them in*
• somewhere to keep them*

*You might think you don’t have any/all of these things but with a bit of creative thinking you might be surprised how easy it is to get started. Here are some ideas to help you out:

Compost

All you really need here is a bit of soil. Proper compost is the five star option here but a lot of seeds will grow in soil from the garden so just dig a bit up and have a go.

If you don’t have any soil to hand you can always try out making your own instant compost from household waste (you’ll need to vary the consistency depending on whether you’re using as a plant drink or soil substitute).

Seeds

Have a root through the back of your cupboards for a half empty seed packet or two – there’s usually something lurking back there! Even if the packet is out of date it’s worth trying a few seeds out. And if you draw a blank on the seed hunt why not try using leftovers from your lunch including: chilli, pepper or apple seeds – use your imagination and experiment!

Something to grow them in

Apart from the obvious plant pots there are so many other options on this one – any single use plastic item are great e.g. mushroom boxes or margarine tubs. Or biodegradable options include egg boxes, toilet rolls and newspaper (made into pot shapes).

Somewhere to grow them

A sunny windowsill will do the trick here. If you don’t have a spare window sill you can always make yourself a hanging window shelf. Other options include planting them straight outside and making a cloche to protect the seeds (those pesky single use plastic bottles work well for this) or making yourself a coldframe out of bits and bobs.

We’ll let you know when we’re back out gardening again and ready to plant out all the seedlings but in the meantime it would be great if you could take some photos of your progress and email them in to us for our newsletter at hello@vegontheedge.org or tag us in on Twitter @vegontheedge

• How and when to prune fruit trees
• What tools to use and how to use them
• How to keep your tools sharp and clean….and why this is important!

Includes:

• what’s growing now and what’s coming up
• events for the year ahead (inc. date of the AGM)
• information about crop rotation and why it’s so important!

Read your copy here

We’ll be at Victoria Hall, Saltaire on Sunday 1st December for the Christmas light switch on.

Our stall will be full of Christmas goodies and stocking fillers – come and say hello!

The switch on event runs from 4pm-7pm and there’ll be a lovely festive choir!

As usual, we’ll be having a stall at the Sunday School gardens (in the Caroline Street car park) on the opening weekend of Saltaire Festival on 14th and 15th September – we hope to see you there! Our other garden sites are also included on the open gardens trail and are worth a forage through.

If you take a wander past the Wash House Gardens over the weekend you’ll be greeted by a feast for the ears (as well as a literal feast from the veg beds!) as there will be lovely music from a three-piece acoustic band feat. Richard Babington, Lisa Mallaghan and Dan McGlade.

Nordish has reopened in Saltaire and by heck it’s been worth the wait – it offers a combination of Nordic recipes and very local Yorkshire ingredients!

In a recent trip to Nordish we found flowers from the Veg on the Edge beds on their Smørrebrød (aka Scandinavian open sandwich) – delicious!

The cafe has a prominent spot in the village on the corner of Caroline Street and Victoria Road and has a small but perfectly formed menu of delightful cakes and delectable sandwiches – it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re passing. Find out more about Nordish here.

If you happen to be in Saltaire when Nordish is closed you can always have a go at your own recipes using Veg on the Edge produce. If you need some inspiration have a look through our recipes.

Saltaire Daily Photo have done another piece about Veg on the Edge – this time it’s about the Baker Beds. The piece includes some lovely photos of the site with the two new beds visible in the background. Read the full article and see all the photos here.

If you fancy a walk around the site the Baker Beds are down at the far end of Caroline Street – there are a couple of benches so you can have a rest in the sun and take in the scenery. While you’re there don’t forget to pick some of the fruit and veg on offer!

Have you seen our two new veg beds down at Baker Beds (far end of Caroline Street)? We’ve been busy planting them up with climbing beans, butternut squash and tomato plants – they should be ready for you to pick in the next few months…yummy!

Our volunteers braved the wind and rain at the weekend to run the Veg on the Edge stall for the Saltaire Arts Trail weekend. We had lots of goodies on the stall from home made cakes and savouries to a selection of plants. It was great to see so many people on the Arts Trail, despite the poor weather. Thanks to everyone who popped along to our stall, had a chat and made a donation – we’ll be using the funds raised to keep the beds fully stocked with lots of yummy fruit and veg for you to pick and eat!

Our next stall will be at the Saltaire Church Fete (in the United Reformed Church grounds) on 29th June from 12:30 – we hope to see you there!