Incredible Edible Lambeth

Right to Grow bill

Written by

Lloyd Court

As an Incredible Edible Lambeth member, we are inviting you to help with a really important piece of campaign work. Later this month Mike Kane MP is planning to speak in the House of Commons about a Bill we are proposing, giving people a legally binding Right to Grow on local public land – that is, a community’s right to access and use often neglected publicly owned land for food growing and wildlife projects. 

But, Mike Kane needs to know he’s going to get support from other MPs, and that’s where we come in. As Incredible Edible growers we are the strongest force for influencing our own MPs and getting them to support Mike Kane’s Bill. 

As a fellow IEL member, you know how powerful growing food is for us, our communities, and our world. But, so many people cannot easily access land that they can grow on.  That needs to change! We can help make that happen by securing this Right to Grow. 

If you want more details before you decide you can take a look at the Right to Grow page on our website.

Will you contact your local MP and ask them to support Mike Kane’s Bill when he proposes it? We are including suggestions on what to say, so it should only take you 10 minutes or so. It would be such a huge help! You can copy and paste the details below or download the pdf attached and top and tail it yourself.

Can you let us know whether you have contacted your MP, so that we can report back to Mike Kane and let him know which MPs have been asked to support the Bill? email us coordinator@incredibleediblelambeth.org

 

Tips for writing to Florence Eshalomi, MP:

  • Introduce yourself, and briefly explain how you are involved with Incredible Edible Lambeth and why it matters to you.
  • Tell her that Mike Kane MP is going to be proposing, a 10-minute-rule Bill* for a Right to Grow on public land, which would greatly improve access to that land for community groups to grow food and make it more wildlife friendly, and ask whether she will be willing to support the Bill.
  • Tell her about your experience and why you think community growing projects are good for the local area, and emphasise that if access to land was easier, there could be more projects and more people benefiting from improving the local environment through community growing. 
  • Ask her to get back to you and let you know if they will support the bill.

That’s it but be sure to include your postal address or at least your postcode at the end of your letter, as she will only deal with correspondence that is from people who live in her constituency. 

Florence’s email is florence.eshalomi.mp@parliament.uk

Thank you 

*A 10 Minute Rule Bill is an opportunity for MPs to propose a new piece of legislation on an important issue by speaking about it for 10 minutes in the Parliament. Its purpose is to inform and raise the profile of the issue. It does not in itself change the law, but is a valuable step forward.



Extra activity for those enthusiastic to support

Request a visit from Florence to your growing site for a short meeting to talk about the Right to Grow.

When she visits, show her what you’ve been doing, tell her about the benefits, and give her a copy of our Right to Grow briefing (see link on Incredible Edible website)

Get a photo of you and Florence, and ask her if she will commit to supporting Mike Kane’s 10-minute-rule bill. If yes, ask her if she will provide a short statement of support in writing for a press release.

If she commits to support it, use the attached press release and the photo of you with your MP, to approach your local newspaper(s) with the story.

 

 

Myatt’s Fields Park Seedling Offer 2023

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Here is the 2023 plant offer from Myatt’s Fields Park:

Because of the recent cold weather we are running about a week behind at the moment. Plants will be available from the 10th of April

This offer is primarily for groups (schools, youth clubs, growing projects, groups of neighbours etc in Myatt’s Fields and Windrush wards (Formerly Vassall and Coldharbour wards) as well as Camberwell Green ward, Southwark. but we are pretty flexible about where the boundaries are. Feel free to share this email with anybody who you think might be interested in the local area.

To order or find out more about the offer, please contact Fabrice at fabrice@myattsfieldspark.info.

For immediate collection until stocks run out: Potatoes

We have 20kg of seed potatoes chitting in the greenhouse at the moment. First come first served.

This year we have 2nd Earlies: Charlotte. Harvest in August. Can also be harvested in September as a main crop

Baby Plants Regular Offer for collection from April

In both April and May you can choose to collect large and small packs. There is no formal limit to how many packs you can order per project each month but check with us if you want several. Email us back with which packs you want and which weeks you want to collect them (IMPORTANT!) as everything is grown to order. 

Small pack: enough to plant up 5-6m2 of bed space.

Large pack: enough to plant up 10-12m2 of bed space. 

If you are a school and your growing project is not staffed in the summer holidays let us know and we can modify the order to make it more suitable. Schools are advised to collect on the earliest date each month to ensure crops are ready before the summer holidays.

What’s in the packs:

April: chard and perpetual spinach, mangetout peas, broccoli, parsley, beetroot, Lettuce, onions and spring onions and kohlrabi

Large pack also includes broccoli, cabbages, and extra kohlrabi, beetroot and lettuce

and

May: chillies and tomatoes, cucumbers, courgette, squash, butternut squash, summer leeks and kale, aubergine, sweet pepper, climbing french beans and basil

Large pack includes larger amounts of the above as well as some extras including sweet corn, dwarf beans, and callaloo.

We aim to include extra chillies and tomatoes in both packs (spares to share and try in containers), and there may be extras and spares of other veg available on the day.

The Collection dates:

April collections:

weeks starting 10th, 17th

May collections:

weeks starting 8th, 15th and 22nd.  

To order or find out more about the offer, please contact Fabrice at fabrice@myattsfieldspark.info. We need about a month’s notice to get plants ready, however as we have already started sowing for collection in the first two weeks of April, so you stand a good chance of getting an April pack if you apply late.

Please try to make the collection week. Plants will be past their best if left too long, and greenhouse space and time at our end is not unlimited. We cannot guarantee plants will still be available beyond the agreed collection week. If we have a crop failure you will be allocated a share of what we have grown.

New for 2023:

Melons! They cropped for us outdoors last year and we saved seed. The variety we will be offering is Minnesota Midget. Aim to plant in May. Plants are fairly compact: About 1m across but you can have them trail outside of the bed. This variety produces small fruit. You can tell when they are ready a mile off by their fragrance.  Full sun and lots of warmth. If we have a cooler summer maybe grow them under fleece. Available May

Okra: We will be doing some plants for those of you who really want them but let us know if you would like some when you order. Some people got Okra to work last year. Not the easiest of crops.  Available May

Chochos (Christopheen/Chayote)  2 plants per group limit, but each plant can get as huge as a grapevine. From seed saved by us last year. Crops heavily from September to November in London, and does not require a warm summer. We recommend planting 2 together for better yields as not always self fertile. Available May

Jerusalem artichokes. Easy, don’t harvest before the leaves have died down or you won’t get much. Best in the ground. not in a container. Available April

Plugs from June for Autumn and Winter crops

We continue to produce plants from June to October for crops that can be planted later and aim to have a good range of top up plants for collection on the day. This is when crops like savoy cabbage, early purple sprouting broccoli, winter leeks, and many other veggies will be available. Alway good to call ahead though to check what we have as stocks change week to week.

Other plant offers

Cut and Come again leafy greens suitable for balconies and small spaces

We can for example supply Kale, Perpetual Spinach/Chard, Spring onions, Parsley and lettuce plugs, for collection from April to July, Good for sharing amongst residents on an estate or neighbours on a street. These are easy, high yielding crops that can be harvested repeatedly, most lasting into 2024. Great for containers and less sunny spaces. Again contact us on fabrice@myattsfieldspark.info to order. 5 week lead time for the cut and cut again greens.

Balcony plants for giveaways: 

In 2021 we gave hundreds of plants suitable for growing in small containers out in May and June eg mini tomatoes, herbs and chillies. Contact us if you are interested or to talk about your own ideas. 

Plants for special projects:

Got a special gardening/growing project planned. We may be able to help subject to capacity. But hurry, most stuff in our greenhouse gets sown between now and the end of April. 

Looking forwards to hearing from you

The Greenhouse Team 

Myatt’s Fields Park

READY NOW! Community Compost Bins for Estates

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Members of  The Remakery  have helped us build 28 community compost bins, ready to be installed in Estates in Lambeth. Thanks also to Travis Perkins Vauxhall for our community project discount! 

All these compost bins are installed to help divert food waste from landfill and incineration and to transform it into precious, full of life compost for everyone to use. 

Participating estates will receive a free food waste caddy and composting equipment.  IEL composting team ( Megan & Orsetta) will also run workshops on how to compost and we will also be organising installation days for participating estates to put the compost bins together and show residents how to maintain them. 

If you have a community garden on your estate and really want to make your own compost, find out more about the project here and sign up, or email any questions to compost@incredibleediblelambeth.org.

Youth Volunteers March ’23

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New Compost Bin!

With much hard work, the help of our community and some strong parents, our Youth Volunteers were able to build the first compost bin for the West Norwood Library.  Made from repurposed pallets being disposed of by a local restaurant, the Youth Volunteers used 2×4 pieces of wood cut to the height of the pallets to secure them together.  This first compost bin will be one of three ‘bays’ for our compost to mature in.

A big thank you to the Friends of Gipsy Hill Garden for pointing us into the direction of these pallets and another huge thank you to the parents who helped us move them to the West Norwood Library.

Well done volunteers!!

Action shots…


The IEL Youth Volunteers meet Saturday mornings at the West Norwood Library and Picturehouse.  This is a part of a pilot program with Lambeth Libraries providing youth with safe spaces to volunteer and contribute to their community.  For the volunteer schedule and information on how you can join in, please click here.

Annual Seed Swap and AGM 2023

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The annual Seed Swap and AGM for 2023 was a huge success!  With over 70 people attending and hundreds of seed packets brought in and traded, our annual seed swap continues to be a perfect way to get your home or community garden growing.

First we would like to give a HUGE thank you to Fabrice Boltho, expert grower from Myatts Park Greenhouse, who kept us absolutely transfixed through not one but two excellent sessions about different things to grow using seeds and roots that are available to buy from Brixton Market veg stalls.  He fielded a multitude of questions and we all learned so much!

We would also like to send heartfelt thanks to the London Freedom Seed Bank and The Gaia Foundation for allowing us to show their short film, ‘A Quiet Revolution’.  Thank you also to Anna for being on hand to answer questions about the London Freedom Seedbank and also for bringing in some special seeds for the swap – such a privilege to be able to grow seeds cultivated in London over several generations knowing they are just right for the conditions in our city.  If you were not able to attend the seed swap, you can find out more about them here: https://www.londonfreedomseedbank.org/

The Garden Museum provides the perfect atmosphere for the seed swap and we are thankful for their generosity for again providing us the space and equipment and also some seeds for our community event.  We got many compliments on how lovely the space is!

Wrapping up the afternoon with our AGM, we ushered in our directors for 2023 with no changes made.  We appreciate and value the support of these kind volunteers for their time in making events like these possible and for providing the support for community food growing throughout our borough.  We look forward to an impactful 2023!

Youth Volunteers Feb ’23

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Companion Planting

We received a donation of garlic and decided to use them for a bit of companion planting.  The IEL youth volunteers planted the garlic with the strawberries in the West Norwood Library courtyard.  The garlic is said to deter spider mites.  Now to see if it affects the taste of the strawberries at all!

Late planting of spring bulbs

The IEL Youth Volunteers are helping to maintain the beautiful and serene library space behind the West Norwood library.  We have tidied up around the statue and the first of the benches.  Upon cleaning up the leaves we discovered there was a little garden space under the trees.  We received a donation of some spring bulbs and planted them in the garden behind the bench.  We were sad to see a few of them were pulled up, likely by some local squirrels, but many remain and we hope they bring a bit of spring cheer to the back garden.

Litter pick

In our last session of the month we discovered quite a bit of litter had been dumped in the garden.  We resolved to clear it out and help make the garden beautiful again!  We picked a full bag of litter and the garden looks much better for it.  

What’s happening in March

Maintaining gardens produces quite a bit of green waste.  Such is the case with the West Norwood Library gardens and we need a place to put it.  We were introduced to the Friends of the West Norwood Cemetery who have offered to take some of it for us (thank you!).  However, in the long term we plan to build our own compost bins to take care of this waste and give us nice healthy compost to use in our gardens.  We were very pleased to get  permission from the Library to build these bins and we will be making them in our March sessions.  We plan on having two compost bins and one leaf bin (great for providing ‘browns’ for our compost bins).

Who are the IEL Youth Volunteers?

The IEL Youth Volunteers meet Saturday mornings at the West Norwood Library and Picturehouse.  This is a part of a pilot program with Lambeth Libraries providing youth with safe spaces to volunteer and contribute to their community.  For more information on how you can join in and to see our meeting schedule, please click here.

Youth Volunteers Jan ’23

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Brr!  What kind of gardening happens in January??

More than just pulling weeds

Yep, we certainly pulled weeds this month, but there is more to volunteering with IEL than just pulling weeds.  We encourage our volunteers to learn real-life transferable work skills by helping run the youth program.  This month the IEL Youth Volunteers finished up their promotional posters to encourage others to come and join our weekly sessions.  They created content for the IEL Youth Volunteers webpage describing the program and why other young people might want to participate and they created content for fundraising.  Excellent work, volunteers!

Preparing for the summer

The courtyard of the West Norwood Library doesn’t have a ready water source.  Thinking about the drought conditions of last summer, we knew we needed a way to keep the plants well watered each week – especially during a hoseban.  Our technique?   “Ollas”.  Ollas are a traditional way of watering that involves burying clay pots (ollas) in the ground next to your plants.  These self-watering clay pots slowly and evenly release water into the soil around them.  They bring water straight to the roots, encouraging strong plant growth. They are very environmentally beneficial as they use up to 70% less water as compared to above ground irrigation.  Look for our ‘ollas’ in the tall grey planters.

Find out more about Ollas here:

https://plantura.garden/uk/gardening-tips/tips-and-tricks/ollas

DIY instructions for making an Olla:

How to make DIY Ollas: Low Tech Self-Watering Systems for Plants

Planting?

Can anything be planted in January?  Yes!  If the soil is not too hard, there are actually a few seeds and bulbs you can still put into the ground in January for spring veg.  We were given some broad beans and some garlic for the West Norwood Library gardens.  The volunteers planted the broad beans in the tall narrow planters.  This is the same place where you will also find the ‘Ollas’.  Look out for the sprouting beans in the spring.

The IEL Youth Volunteers are currently meeting each Saturday morning at the West Norwood Library and Picturehouse.  This is a part of a pilot program with Lambeth Libraries providing youth with safe spaces to volunteer and contribute to their community.  Find out more about this collaboration and our youth volunteers here.

Blooming Lambeth Awards 2022: A Celebration of Plants and Communities

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Lambeth Town Hall was abuzz on the evening of November 1st for the Blooming Lambeth Awards 2022. Among the glistening squashes and crunchy autumn leaves that decorated every table, were seated men, women and children who had spent hours every week caring for gardens, orchards and vegetable plots. And now everyone was waiting for the results of this year’s Blooming Lambeth Awards – from the best volunteer for a community growing space to the best school garden.

The excitement was palpable, the music was rousing and the soup was warming and delicious. Over the next two hours, gardeners, volunteers, and gardens were honoured and celebrated, just as they deserved! We were very happy to welcome Arit Anderson from Gardeners World to present them with their prizes and certificates, and to have their photo taken with her.

We awarded 43 prizes in eight categories rewarding hardworking and attentive individuals and groups.

We hope that you will come across a few, or many of these thriving green spaces around Lambeth, and know that we will continue to work to our mission – which is to support and advocate for access to healthy, affordable food, grown and produced locally, with an ultimate goal of a food growing space being within 100m of every Lambeth home.

With special thanks to all the countless hours of voluntary work put in by IEL directors to making this competition and event an enormous success, along with the help and support of the Lambeth Housing Community engagement team.


The Blooming Lambeth Awards 2022 were supported by the generous sponsorship of Lambeth Council, the T Brown Group and OpenView Security Solutions, making it possible to award £4,000 of prizes in the form of B&Q vouchers to the selected awardees of Commended, Highly Commended and Winner accolades.

Additional sponsorship for the awards ceremony night was received from the Lambeth Business Improvement Districts (BID’s); InStreatham, This is Clapham, Brixton BID and WeAreWaterloo, whose contributions supported the decorations, food and music for the ceremony.

We would also like to thank The Platform Cafe for providing wonderful soup, Blackbird Bakery for delicious bread and cakes, and Pangea for their sublime music.

And our special thanks to Arit anderson for making the evening so special for so many.

And our biggest, warmest congratulations to all who took part and look upon open land as ground for possibilities and plant seeds to make them come true.

Click to find out more about this years winners…

Brixton Bugle: Now you can turn your food waste into ‘black gold’

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Over the next two years, Incredible Edible Lambeth (IEL) will support residents in Lambeth housing estates to divert food waste from landfill into valuable food waste.

To read the article, find the paper at these locations – click here.

Are you interested in setting up a community composting bin in your estate, visit the link below or email Megan and Orsetta at compost@incredibleediblelambeth.org
www.incredibleediblelambeth.org/composting/estates/

brixtonblog.com

Thank you West Norwood Co-op and their members!

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Last year we were chosen by the West Norwood Co-op to take part in the Co-op Local Community Fund as one of three local causes supported by the community. Thank you so much to all of the Co-op members who selected us as their cause!

Last week along with West Norwood Feast and CHM Christ Ministry we were invited to a special presentation to accept the funds from your generous support.

A huge THANK YOU from us to the West Norwood Co-op and their members!

Your support has helped us in creating our West Norwood Map and walking trails. Through your contributions we look forward to offering guided walks in 2022.

Please also take a look at our Co-op Local Community Fund page .