Returning to Mother Nature.

It has been a long while since I wrote here in my Garden Blog. The absence wasn’t intentional, but maybe the Universe had diverted my attention to be less on line in recent months, and more in my creative zone.
Since the Allotment is more or less put to bed over winter, there wasn’t a great lot to report.. I allowed my Garden blog to sleep for what now is 6 months.. So I wouldn’t be surprised if any of you who followed here also put this blog to bed for good also.

I now feel though, that it’s time to emphasise the importance of growing our own food, or to bring awareness of the Farmers plight across the world. About our Food production in general. Which has been constantly targeted by officialdom.
If you are not already aware of the campaign of NO FARMERS NO FOOD then this link is a good place to start in educating yourselves on the plight many farmers are facing across the world not just here in the UK.

But change is happening and there are now many more people who are wanting to help, be it help cut out the middle men, to help farmers, to growing their own food and starting food hubs and co-operative type initiatives.
One such none profit organisation is this one Open Food Network here in the UK, but its not just here in the UK these hubs are springing up organically all over the world, as people become more aware of the importance of connecting with Nature and organically grown produce, and the value to health of good nutritional food that hasn’t got a load of chemicals added to it.

A wonderful conversation on how this is now coming about, can be viewed by listening to this great conversation on the subject of the Open Food Network and how communities are coming together with Farmers and local growers, to see how best to help farmers connect directly with communities in helping distribute and find new ways of diversifying their strengths in helping produce and distribute food on a local level, as well as utilising skills.

The transition is not going to occur over night and the pressures farmers have been under via these huge Supermarket corporations to produce their products to the specifications of what to grow and when, as supermarkets demands be met, be it straight carrots or Kiwi Fruits of a certain size.. Farmers are being squeezed out of business, by so many pressures put upon them.

And as more and more farms close, this will impact ALL of us eventually, for when our farmers are no more, will you be one to eat Bugs? as some in the WEF are suggesting. Oh and by the way, are already adding unknowingly to many foods, unless you look very closely at labels, which are already on our Supermarket shelves!..

Those who have followed me know that we have had our allotment plot for many years, and the excess food we do grow we often give away to family, neighbours and friends, Its good to see also many more of our plots being taken up as people gravitate back to nature and growing their own again. Keeping chickens to lay eggs, etc… We now have fresh new laid eggs from another allotmenteer each week, paying the allotmenteer what he feels is a fair price, and let me tell you its half the price of Free Range Eggs and much fresher than some supermarkets.

As prices in our shops and our energy bills escalate substantially, people are now seeing for themselves this may well get worse before it gets better. And as the weather here has added an extra burden on farmers, they have not in some areas of Lincolnshire in England been able to get to plant crops, because their fields are under water. So no potatoes were planted or wheat, Food shortages and prices will rise.
So I hope this post gives a little food for thought when you next buy your veggies, to see where they came from, as you perhaps support your local farmers to keep them in business..

Below is a slide shows, on the current state of our Allotment.. We have the potatoes in, 3 rows of earlies, 5 rows of maincrop.. the onion sets are in, the pea rows are about to go in. The lettuce plants are also planted, as are the broad beans which were set last Autumn, now coming into flower.. The greenhouse is full of leeks, cauliflower, and sprouts seedlings potted on ready to go out, at the end of the month..
And the tomatoes, cucumbers and squashes all raring to go, they have been sitting on my home bedroom windows and landing windowsills for a while now…

• 

  Potatoes are in the ground and the soil dug and hoed

• 

  Various Lettuce in the cold frame under the netting

• 

  More ground freshly dug over

• 

  Beneath these arches which will eventually hold nets once the fruits are set, are Blueberry, Raspberry, Red and Blackcurrant and Gooseberry bushes. My hubby who didn’t know I took this photo 🙂

• 

  Tomatoes and Cucumbers have been growing on the home windowsills ready to transfer to the greenhouses.

While I have not been in the allotments as much as I once was, I have kept my fingers busy with my arts and crafts.. Here is just a small sample of some cards I had made.. Some are with dried pressed flowers and others are with my watercolour paints. Click to enlarge individually. and see descriptions.

Thank you for reading, until next time… and lets hope its sooner rather than later..

Happy Gardening!