gotgreensfarm

skillshare weekend. A real inspiration. Lots of great things happening, with lots of great people involved.

We chatted veg growing, water, propagation, greenhouses, chickens, pigs & mending.

Visiting a project like this never fails to hype ourselves up about future possibilities of our farm, & the direction we want to take this project.

We learnt a lot from Pete - next door to Plotgate in Avalon Organic Greenhouse - his green house set up is incredible. Definitely some notes for our no dig beds.

An inspiring visit today to skill share event. Wonderful things happening on their site.
We’ll share more about our time there in our next post

🌱Celebrate Earth Day with us! Today, as we honor our planet, we’re thrilled to offer 10% off our ‘Earth Day Hoody’ to inspire sustainable living and environmental stewardship.

At our food growing project, Earth Day isn’t just a day; it’s a commitment to nurturing our planet every day. Our projects are rooted in the belief that by cultivating our own food, we not only reduce our environmental footprint but also foster a deeper connection to the Earth.

Let’s sow the seeds of change and grow a greener, more sustainable future. 💪

🌎 Use code EARTHDAY10 at checkout!

🌱☀️ Embracing the spring sunshine with open arms! Our newly planted working woodland, kindly sponsored by the , is alive with the promise of growth!
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Hazel, willow, silver birch, and rowan trees are all showing positive signs of life, we can’t wait to watch this grow over the coming years.
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Grateful for every leaf and bud in this flourishing ecosystem!
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Feeling inspired after attending the annual ! 🌱

It’s amazing to see such a strong turnout, filling us with hope for the future 🌿💚

Plus, catching up with familiar faces and meeting new friendly folks made the day even better! 😊 🌱✨

A few of the Green Team had a great time this weekend for the community meet up. led Team Wilder embodies the spirit of appreciating and preserving nature on a local scale. By addressing the worldwide issue of biodiversity loss one community at a time, they aim to make conservation and sustainable living achievable and, most importantly, the "new norm."

This ethos resonates deeply with our mission at Got Greens Farm, where we believe in fostering a connection between people and nature through community gardening.

Hear all about it in our latest blog post: https://www.gotgreens.farm/post/got-greens-farm-visits-grow-wilder-cultivating-community-and-biodiversity

🌱🥕 Harvesting the Fruits (and Veggies) of Our Labor! 🥦🍅

Swipe ➡️ to witness the bounty of Mother Nature! 🌿✨ There's something undeniably magical about growing your own food, and today, we’re absolutely thrilled to share the results of our hard work and green thumbs! 🌱🌻

From tiny seeds to thriving produce, these vibrant vegetables are the true stars of our garden! 🌽🍆 Say hello to our homegrown tomatoes, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, and gorgeous red and white onions! 🍅🌽🥒

🏡 You might wonder where all these fantastic seeds came from. Well, the secret lies in the wonderful community of gardeners and nature enthusiasts in Bristol and beyond! 🌍💚 We've been participating in the and receiving seeds from friends and family. This practice not only saves money but also fosters a sense of connection with our local community and Mother Earth. 🌱🤝

By swapping seeds, we encourage biodiversity, preserve heirloom varieties, and promote sustainable gardening practices. It's a beautiful cycle of giving and receiving that keeps on growing! 🌱🌱

Moreover, these vegetables carry a special touch, as they are a reflection of the love, care, and knowledge shared by fellow gardening enthusiasts. 💚🌱 There's no better feeling than nurturing a plant from seed to harvest, knowing that it's a shared journey with friends and family.

So, here's to the joy of gardening and the delightful taste of homegrown goodness! 🥗😋 Let's continue cherishing our earth, supporting local communities, and savoring the magic of nature's gifts! 🌿🌎

Our market garden is bursting to life 🌱
Grateful for a bit of rain over the last week!
How’s your veg looking?
Swipe to see some of what we’ve been harvesting this week! 🧅 🫘 🥒

National tree week! 🌳

We are fortunate to have some wonderful trees in the boarders at our site. Here you see 2 of the biggest oaks (quercus robur).
We have a fairly classic hedgerow mix of hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn, elder and a few mature oaks, ashes and willows.
We aim to be able to track and display data about changes in biodiversity as we regenerate this land.
We have lots of plans on how to gather and manage data in the future - a start on the tree side of things is this map you see in the 3rd & 4th image. We are slowly identifying what we have on the site and eventually the health on individuals. This will help us to create planting and management plans for the future!

It’s National Tree Week! 🌲🌳

NTW launched on Saturday and runs until the 4th December. It’s the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, run by the and marks the start of the winter tree planting season (Nov-Mar)!

It's a great opportunity to reflect on why trees are so important and what we can all do to help them thrive. Trees make our towns and cities healthier and more pleasant places to be, helping to moderate temperatures, reduce pollution, decrease flood risk and improve quality of life for people from all socio-economic backgrounds!

Our tunnel and beds are full of life! 🌱t.plastering_bristol has been busy getting it all planted up for winter.
We’ve got broad beans, garlic and radishes outside in the beds. And in the tunnel you see here lettuce and companion sown sorrel, beets, onions and marigolds!

Last week we had the opportunity to speak to a group of master's students studying Advanced Wildlife Conservation in Practice at University of the West of England, to support their Innovation and Enterprise module. Daisy (alumni of UWE) and Sam discussed the mission behind Got Greens, the legal formation of a CIC, and our plans for the future. It was great to get so much positive feedback and support from the students and university, and we look forward to future collaborations.

(The students had just been doing an eDNA lab practical, extracting eel DNA from water samples taken from the Gordano Valley, hence the lab coat!)

Are you saving those pumpkin seeds? 🎃
After making your pumpkin suitable spooky what to do with all the guts?

How to save those seeds 🌱:

- Rinse the pulp and give the seeds a clean (you don’t want any bits of pulp left on the seeds)

- Spread em out on a paper towel, spaced out nicely so they dry on all sides

- Let them dry for a few weeks, turn em now and again if you like

- Pop your seeds in an envelope and store them in cool dry place until planting time (May/June)

Next year you can carve (or just eat) a home grown pumpkin!* 🎃🌱

*FUN FACT - if the the pumpkin you harvested the seeds from is a hybrid species, the seeds may not yield the same type of pumpkin!

Nature doing it’s thing in our tunnel 🍄
We have fungi popping up everywhere this time of year, here you see them growing along side our strawberries.
A good sign for our soil, this little guys will be busy taking nutrients from bits of dead plant matter and pushing it back into our soil as the decompose that matter.
They are certainly magical things

LETTUCE VOTE 🥬
Keep the pressure on by wearing one of our limited edition ‘Lettuce Vote’ T-shirts!

ON SALE NOW

Morning condensation on spring onions skillshare weekend, few members of the Got Greens board attended for an educational and very inspiring weekend!

Jack’s been getting the tunnel sorted, clearing the beds after taking the last tomatoes.
Now planting it up again. Here some spinach going in from one of our trays.

👀Peep the merch coming soon..

🌱 Could you be our next land management placement volunteer? 🌱

We're looking for someone to lead and support practical land management tasks over the 2022/23 winter season, coordinating volunteer groups, ensuring volunteers are kept safe and supported in their work. You'll be working closely with other volunteer placements and Grow Wilder’s Land Management Officer, contributing to the development of the 6-acre site land management plan and tackling significant autumn/winter tree work, site maintenance and development projects.

The Grow Wilder Winter Placement is two days a week for six months, offering scope to build experience in practical food growing skills, horticulture, volunteer management, and community engagement, working together as a team to provide a valuable hub for people and nature.

This placement is a practical training opportunity, so we are primarily looking for individuals with a keen interest in wildlife and/or food growing, a passion to learn and a resilience to working outdoors through all weathers!

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please send an email introducing yourself and why you would like to join us at Grow Wilder to [email protected]

Deadline: 19th September

Shortlisted placements will be invited to an informal interview at Grow Wilder week commencing 26th September 2022, to start in October 2022

https://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteering-opportunities/grow-wilder-winter-placement-land-management

Our community space will bring people together to work with the land, accessing skills and knowledge from local experts.
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We’ll provide access to nature for the sub-urban community, creating a greater connection with nature and improving the wellbeing of members of the community through outdoor learning areas and dedicated wellbeing spaces.
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We’ll provide opportunities to learn how to grow quality, chemical-free produce, using sustainable and regenerative methods, as well as trees and plants, while raising awareness of caring for the environment.
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We’ll help education on ecology, biodiversity, and sustainability, through hands-on events and sessions in our community space, bringing together passionate volunteers, subject matter experts, and those who want to learn more.
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Follow gotgreensfarm for to be the first to know about exciting courses and up coming volunteering opportunities
🌱➡️http://gotgreens.farm/⬅️🏃

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, and it is fundamental to our survival. Maintaining this diversity of species and habitats, as well as the sustainable use of resources is essential to protect the planet for future generations.  
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We're going to regenerate an area of land to include:
· Woodland
· Wildflowers
· A pond/lake
· Wildlife boxes
· A community garden/orchard
· Nature trails
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The regeneration will increase biodiversity and play a small but important role in improving local air quality. We want to encourage and re-establish our native species, rewilding our land.
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As a Community Interest Company (CIC), we’re making biodiversity decisions based on community and wildlife benefit, not financial or in the interest of profit.
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Regenerative agriculture has the ability of reversing some of the damage done to the planet by conventional farming practices and global warming.
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We aim to optimise the site by increasing biodiversity and making it more resilient to the changing climate, and ultimately creating a sustainable, self-sufficient and regenerative system. We will grow produce using holistic methods that benefit the land, leaving it in a better condition than we found it.
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With the cost of living increasing, we want to increase local resilience and food sovereignty by providing affordable access to quality, chemical-free food grown using sustainable methods.
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We aim to create a welcoming space that brings the community together, encourages nature connection and inspires others to grow their own food. We also want to provide the local community with greater access to nutritious food with minimal food miles and to provide an urban green space for health and wellbeing.
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Ultimately, through public involvement we hope to empower the local community to take action for nature.
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We hope to create a food system that will stand the test of time and prove resilient against future challenges the world may face.
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Do come along and follow our journey from field to farm.

It’s official… we’re now a Community Interest Company (CIC) 🍾🎉🌱
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We’re accountable to the ‘Regulator of Community Interest Companies’ and are subject to an ‘Asset Lock’ which is a legal clause in our governing documents that prevents the assets of the company from being used for private gain rather than the stated purposes of the organisation.
We hope this will give the public confidence that their money/time is being used for good.
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Social enterprises are businesses that put the interests of people and planet ahead of shareholder gain. These businesses are driven by a social/environmental mission and reinvest profits into creating positive social change.
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In the next few posts we’ll be sharing more detail about our key impact areas;
Environment, Food, Education
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Got Greens is delivering regeneration of an area of land, serving South Gloucestershire, Bristol, and the surrounding areas. We’re actively increasing biodiversity and providing access to nature for the community through a group space which will bring people together to work with the land, accessing skills and knowledge from local experts.

The company’s activities will provide benefit to our diverse community by:
•    Developing their skills in growing quality, chemical-free produce, using sustainable and regenerative methods.
•    Teaching about ecology, biodiversity, and sustainability, through hands-on events and sessions in our community space.
•    Hosting volunteer days, including corporate and education visits.
•    Providing a break from sub-urban life, with wellbeing spaces, nature trails and outdoor learning.

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In the second photo: Jack our, site operations director, proudly looking over the
runner beans.
We have had a great harvest off of these runners in the
first beds this first year.

is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution.

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This stands in contrast to the present corporate food regime, in which corporations and market institutions control the global food system.

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The concept of Food Sovereignty focuses around 6 key themes:

1️⃣ Focuses on Food for People 🧍‍♀️🥕🧍‍♂️
Food sovereignty puts people, including those who are hungry, under occupation, in conflict zones and marginalized, at the centre of food, , livestock and fisheries policies, ensuring sufficient, and culturally appropriate food for all individuals, peoples and communities; and rejects the proposition that food is just another commodity or component for international agri-business.

2️⃣ Values Food Providers: 👩‍🌾 💚👨‍🌾
Food sovereignty and supports the contributions, and respects the rights, of women and men, and small scale farmers, pastoralists, artisanal fisherfolk, forest dwellers, indigenous peoples and agricultural and fisheries workers, including migrants, who cultivate, grow, harvest and process food;
and rejects those policies, actions and programmes that undervalue them, threaten their livelihoods and eliminate them.

3️⃣ Localises Food Systems: 🗺 📌
Food sovereignty brings food providers and consumers closer together; puts providers and consumers at the centre of decision-making on food issues; protects food providers from the dumping of food and food aid in local markets; protects consumers from poor quality and unhealthy food, inappropriate food aid and food tainted with genetically modified organisms; and resists governance structures, agreements and practices that depend on and promote unsustainable and inequitable international trade and give power to remote and unaccountable corporations.

🍎 Not another one?! 🍏

The creation of corridors and stepping stones allows species and their genes to move between sites as part of a larger ecological network, supporting species survival in an increasingly fragmented landscape.

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We believe that by taking this landscape-scale approach into consideration, will help to contribute to the ability of the wider ecological network to tackle change. 🌍

Therefore, we consider our impact on nature with every decision we make, in the hopes that we can be part of the solution. 📈🗺

Regenerative agriculture has the ability of reversing some of the damage done to the planet by conventional farming practices and global warming. 🚜🌾🥵

We aim to optimise the site by increasing biodiversity and making it more resilient to the changing climate, and ultimately creating a , -sufficient and system. ♻️ ⭕️

We will grow produce using holistic methods that benefit the land, leaving it in a better condition than we found it.

Do come along and follow our journey from field to farm 🌱 🏃‍♂️