Well everyone today the suns out, daffodils are budding out and we actually for once have a clear sky. Lots of people are already starting to set seeds and have them breaking soil, but it is still early so don't waste the seeds if you don't have a way of heating seedlings. What are you all setting this year ? and what amounts ? who here is a patio grower, gardener, allotment grower, small holder or farmer ? We need to all work together to help each other understand how and what to grow :-) Happy Sunday all 🙏

Hi from Northern Ireland! I started growing vegetables about 6 years ago at home, although I dabbled as a child alongside my mother. I ran a home education gardening group for a few years after some initial training by the Conservation Volunteers, but since then have had an allotment which takes much of my time outside of our tiny home garden. I am interested in learning about hens and eggs in small gardens, as well as all things food growing! I am always looking to improve. I am very worried about the state of food security.

A) Farming, Growing, Production and Soil Quality 1) Electro Culture 2) Biodynamics 3) Teas / MADD 4) Heritage Seeds 5) Peat Free Compost and Composting Systems 6) Permaculture 7) Hydroponics / Aquaponics 8) Crops 9) Nutrition and Nutritional Testing 10) Breeds 11) Animal Welfare 12) Feeds 13) Fisheries 14) Bee Keeping 15) The money B) Community Farms Growing Space 1) Feed the volunteers feed the community in need sell what's left over 2) Growing Food For Sale 3) Growing Food For Food Banks 4) Growing Plants For CIC Grant Applications C) Food 1) Nutritional Value 2) Real Food 3) Cooking 4) Seasonal 5) Preserving D) Sales of Produce 1) Farm Shops 2) Farmers Markets and Provision Markets 3) Community Stores 4) Mobile Shops 5) Box Schemes 6) Home Delivery 7) Farmers Supermarkets E) Exposure Strategy 1) Food Finders Hub 2) Food For Thought Radio Station 3) Social Media 4) Newsletter 5) Advertising 6) Speeches F) Campaigns 1) Support British Farmers 2) Chemical Free Farming 3) Remove Defra 4) Building A New Food System 5) Better Farming Practices 6) Hemp G) Education 1) farming 2) Growing 3) Cooking 4) Preserving 5) Seed Saving 6) Hemp H) Funding 1) Livestock 2) Livestock Housing 3) Licences / Associations 4) Tools 5) Start Up 6) Seeds 7) Poly Tunnels 8) Polycarbonate Tunnels 9) Fruit Plants Bushes and Trees 10) Mobile Abattoirs 11) Mobile Mils 12) Mobile Packing Stations 13) Micro Dairies I) Health 1) Homeopathy 2) Herbs J) Education K) Volunteering 1) Community Outreach / Ambassadors 2) Community Farms 3) Food Hubs 4) Delivery Drivers 5) Social Media 6) Admin 7) IT 8) Legal 9) Fundraising 10 )Litter Picking 11) Radio Station 12) Keyboard Warriors 13) Others

Growing strawberries on ridges covered in weed matting is easy we've also grown them in grow bags on top of bales, both ways work very well. Cover them in either straw or fleece through the winter to stop them getting frosted. Its always at the end of the season you can take cuttings from the side shoots, just cut them of near the plant and set the new shoots in a pot compost. Cuttings can stay outside over winter, this will allow you to triple your strawberry plants year on year. In the summer moths you can harvest your beautiful tasty strawberries :-)