Growing Food

Why bother growing your own food?

See our new Chicken keeping page
  • It gets you out in the fresh air - away from the TV or PC.
  • It introduces you to new people.
  • You can chose what varieties you grow and eat.
  • Your food will be very fresh.
  • You decide how it is fertilised, and pests controlled.
  • Food growing is an invaluable life-skill to pass on to your children.
  • You can share surplus produce or exchange it with other growers.
  • It's fun!

Learn more about food growing

The following websites contain lots of help in setting up a vegetable garden, a calendar of what needs doing when etc.

Mail order a self assembly mini-raised bed with plants ready to go!

.Concise advice on growing your own food from the Royal Horticultural society Royal Horticultural Society pages Lots of Good Life advice

Smartphone Apps for gardening

 

Allotment Gardening for Dummies is one of many books on the subject

 

 

 

 

Fruit Growing

An Orchard for £100?

Autumn is a time to be planning and planting fruit trees and bushes.
Their cost is quite small, around £20 per tree.

"Fruit trees: Easy to squeeze in" a short Sunday Times Article

For Community Orchards, fruit trees and bushes can be planted in unlikley public spaces such as carparks.

The Apple Source Book is a celebration of nearly 3,000 varieties of apple we can grow in these islands, with their distinctive flavours, uses, places of origin, stories and associated customs.Cheshire orchards and community orchardsAction to rebuild bee populationsA beginner's guide to keeping chickensLots of Egg information

Orchard advice Tony Gentil, TLG Orchards, Nantwich Community Orchards

Sources of Funding Cheshire's Traditional Orchards More Apple Books Videos Websites

Researches into temperate agroforestry and into all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops

Composting

More Composting Advice , Composting Videos

Plants and Seeds

MoreVeg are a good source of seeds in small quantities, ideal for experimenting .

 

Located in West Park

Macclesfield Community Garden Centre in West Park
are a good source of seedlings and plants

Find seeds and equipment

 Poly-Tunnels

What to do with a Surplus - Swap it or Use it

Surplus Apples or Pears?

Random Apple Company

If you have apple or pear trees and can't bear to see the fruit going to waste,
the Random Apple Company will collect them and give you some freshly pressed juice in exchange.

Alternatively, you can take your fruit to Rainow and help with the pressing.

Facebook linkTwitter Link

Contact: 07742 678873 or Website

 

There is a separate apple surplus scheme for Congleton residents; you can take your surplus apples to Astbury Mere Visitor Centre.

Contact: Peter Aston, 01260 280212, 07971 805372
peteraston@btinternet.com

Read about the new Food Swapping Movements

on the BBC website here

Or see some sample sites:-

Food sawp Network is a global movementApples for Eggs is FoodSwap Movement in Altrincham

 

How to Eat it All

 

Click here to see our recipe page for our local produce

If you have too much food of one type, or you have food approaching its use by date,
you can search the websites below for recipes to use up one particualr ingredient:-

                 

The Love Food Hate Waste site has lots of tips on storing veg, and how to use your freezer to extend shelf life.

There are also Smartphone Apps such as this one from Riverford,
that allows you to select three different veg and will find a recipe to use them all.

HomeGrow your own Find Local Produce Background info.. Local Organisations Contact .