Growing Newsome and Stirley Farm 2013 - a year in pictures

Growing Food Together

2013

Winter snow

January

February

Winter veg at Stirley Farm survives the snow

The Cre8 Barn...

...a work in progressFebruar

y

February

How many seed potatoes can you fit in

a car boot? We’re about to find out...

March

Potato Day stampede...

...blink and you’ll miss the Pink Fir Apples

March

Having fun with potatoes (the grown-ups had fun putting them in baskets)

March

When will Winter be over then?

Woolley hats required for shallot planting at Stirley

March

It’s the last day of March and we really want to dig (there’s earth under

here somewhere)

March / April

What a difference a week makes

Stirley Farm has its first twin calves!

April

8th April

April

28th April

Honley Explorer Scouts build new bee-friendly beds at Stirley

April

Eggs from our allotment neighbour

April

Making wild garlic pesto, with Rob adjusting our seasoning via text message from Canada

May

May

Plant Swap - the Growing Newsome elves have been busy

May

Tomatoes andmore tomatoes

and random brassicas

May

Nobody gets out of here without at least two strawberry plants and some advice about bees - them’s the rules

May

Yum

May

John builds raised beds at the allotment

May

A sunny day foraging with Taste the Wild at Stirley

May

Looking at things near and far

June

Many hands make Newsome village planters

...and Cummins put up new signs

Kirklees College build a new wall at Berry Brow Rec...

June

Treats for Berry Brow Carnival - scrummy rhubarb cake and runny raspberry mousse

June

Doing our market stall thing

June

Little helpers at the community allotment

June

New Stirley Farm access road and signs complete

June

Planting out courgettes, squashes and pumpkins

June

Stirley Farm’s Orchard and Forest Garden are flourishing

July

Capturing the Summer in jars and bottles...

July

...first up, elderflower cordial and redcurrant jelly

The ‘Plant it, Grow it, Eat it’ volunteers visit us in Newsome

July

Picking from David’s infinite gooseberry bush

July

There should always be time for tea

July

Stirley Farm Kids’ Club has a summer of sunshine

August

Open day at the community allotment - also our first Growing Newsome AGM

August

Our accidental pea and sweet pea combo,and things lurking in the undergrowth

August

The Farm House - re-roofed by Cummins Turbo Technologies

and currently being renovated by volunteers on Tuesdays

August

Pet potato of the year

August

‘The’ carrot

The CPRE kindly donated money for a new seating area at the

farm...

...made from old timbers from the barn

September

The third annual Stirley Open Day is a huge

success...

September

...and the Cre8 Barn is open for its first home grown

lunch!

September

September

Mikron Theatre’s ‘Beyond the Veil’ play...

September

...with advice about growing bee-friendly plants and a local lunch

The veg beds had a brilliant year in their third growing season!

September

Allotment delicacies - pumpkin leaves (Beatrice’s favourite) and yellow beetroot

(Diane’s favourite)

September

Carole and Cherry help to make the first chutney in the Cre8

Barn...

...and Windybank Gardening Club make soup

October

Autumn Gathering

October

Who made all that jam?

Fun for all ages making bird feeders and plant markers...

October

...and David, our resident garlic expert, talks hardnecks and

softnecks

A beautiful cake, baked by Pat and iced by Jan...

October

...and awarded to Janet D for correctly guessing the weight of our biggest

allotment pumpkin.

Stirley and Growing Newsome volunteers take produce to the Green

Valley Grocer...

.... and visit the Golcar Food Co-operative

November

Brewing up and planting a blackcurrant from Jacqui

November

Christmas craft fairs - jamtastic

November

Winner of the community allotment’s ‘most exciting moment of 2013’...

November

...the arrival of 3 tonnes of manure

The last of this year’s tomatoes

November

The UK storm, unkind to sheds...

December

...our roof stayed on (after a fashion), and we gained bits of somebody else’s

Stirley Community Farm offers its first Christmas veg bags for sale....

...and plans are made to sell Stirley beef in Autumn 2014

December

A last bit of harvesting for our Christmas Gathering

December

Welcome Robin Arthur Shumsky, born 15th December 2013

December

to growing friends

old and new...

see you in 2014