Growing With Grace Open Day

Growing with Grace had agreed to put some of the Rainforest Fund Greeting Cards for Sale in their shop.

Today July 16th was their Open Day

Assembling at Growing with Grace

Permaculture magazine

Growing with Grace the Quaker Inspired Community Organic Glasshouses had three guided tours for their Open Day today.

There is a Share Launch (Closing Date end of the month).  They have just become a Community Run initiative in order to gain some financial investment so that they can have more workers to grow more food..

and to get the community involved..

Permaculture magazine this month features an article this week - as does the Craven Herald (local paper )



We were shown the forest Garden - a permaculture area.
The guide explained that this year the fruit trees - apricots and peaches had flowered well. They flower in February and March before our natural insect pollinators have built up populations.. The GWG people try and pollinate them with paintbrushes or by shaking the branches. This year a group in Clapham is keeping bees and they brought their hives - and they have had good crops of fruit this year.-

Forest Garden

Forest Garden

As we left the glasshouse we met two of the bee keepers.

They had come to put some fresh frames in as the bees had filled up all the available ones with honey combs and honey. This was the first time they had been able to take some honey from this hive. - Last year the hives were new and the bees needed all their  honey for winter.

Here are some of their apricots

Apricots for sale in the shop

Quince

Leeks with Apricot tree behind

A new group arrive to be shown round

 The green house that has been in use longest has the best and deepest soil. More compost is added each year. The Glasshouses take council green waste to make into compost.

Because they make the branches of the squashes or pumpkins
grow above ground level the fruit  will be hanging -
so that it avoids slugs and getting damp on the ground

Volunteers are useful for picking the runner beans
 - a nice shady job when it is sunny

A view through an open door reminds us that
we are near the fells of the Forest of Bowland

We were invited to taste the Rocket flowers
 - an interesting sharp oily taste
- but the green leaves (seen behind) are really hot.

Handing out the Rocket flowers

Our tour wast filmed ready for a DVD.
Here we are in the compost shed.
Making compost is farming soil microbes. 

Beyond the truck of compost is a green funnel - this is where the compost is filtered to remove twigs and plastic. It takes seven weeks to make the compost. It is then bagged and sold 3 bags for £10.

Borage

Young peach

So come and visit the Growing With Grace Glasshouses - on the main road between Settle and Ingleton

Use the bag scheme to order your vegetables. It is open seven days a week over summer, 10.30am-4.30pm Or support their stall on Settle market Place on Tuesdays.

http://www.growingwithgrace.org.uk