ConnectedRoots

Connected Roots is a project that aims to create a trading connection between communities and to allow those who don't grow to learn how and to put a meal on the table for less.

Connected Roots is about growing locally and sharing what you don't want/need.

We want to make food social, cheap and fresh,
and we want you there with us.

Tumblr theme by ahhfred

November 12th, 2012

Get Growing London

In the UK we grow only just over half our food. In London we import 85% of it! We import 95% of our fruit. This is not sustainable. We could grow up to 30% of our food within London! How? Join TTB Food and Growing Group to vision, plan and pioneer how! And find out some of the excellent work that is already happening.

See more here: http://bit.ly/UD3vXa

June 22nd, 2012

The Urban Garden

It’s rubbish out right?

This weather is inhibiting so much growth which is frustrating; had 3 Cucumber seedlings shrivel and die when last year they were thriving by this point in the year.

Still, lets not get all negative. We’re cracking on irrespective and seeing what we can get out of our small plot. We currently have the following:

  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Courgettes
  • Mangetout
  • French beans
  • Peas
  • Broad Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Curly Kale
  • Red and White Onions
  • Rhubarb
  • Beetroot
  • Garlic
  • White Grape
  • tomatoes
  • Cabbage

It’s a new plot and being as such we are having a huge problem with pests! they seem to come out of everywhere and have decimated several pea shoots which appear to be the equivalent of ice cream to a 10 year old. Feel a bit genocidal wiping out so many of the little buggers but it’s the only way they learn…

Here are a few pics to show how the plots are getting on:

We decided to make the most of the space and sow lettuce, onions and Mangetout all together. The netting is an attempt to keep the cat out who seemed to enjoy rolling around in the sun. 

‘From small beginnings come great things’ This courgette plant is quite behind with late (lazy) planting and the bad weather. As soon as it hit the soil, the pest beacon was invisibly triggered…and on they came.

The Onions are doing really well. We covered them to keep off the birds and they have got on so blooming well! Except when the cat went and sat on the netting on the sun. Those wondrous growths to the right of the picture is the broccoli which will over winter and be ready come early next year (why does it take so long!)  Oh - and the raspberry bush is in the background - looking pretty small right now but it’ll crack on through the summer and produce bountiful greatness come September.

The garden is around 30ft in length and is already set to produce lots and lots of veg but we’re looking for more ways to get more out of the space. We eventually want every sunny (and not so sunny) surface covered with growing deliciousness.

We’ll keep this updated to see how things go.

May 26th, 2012
How do you feed a city? It’s one of the great questions of our time, yet one that is rarely asked. We take it for granted that, if we walk into a restaurant or supermarket, food will be there, having arrived magically from somewhere else. But when you consider that in a city the size of London enough food for 30 million meals per day must be produced, transported, bought and sold, cooked, eaten, and disposed of — and that something similar must happen every day for every city on Earth — it is a miracle that we get fed at all. (via Sitopia | design mind)

How do you feed a city? It’s one of the great questions of our time, yet one that is rarely asked. We take it for granted that, if we walk into a restaurant or supermarket, food will be there, having arrived magically from somewhere else. But when you consider that in a city the size of London enough food for 30 million meals per day must be produced, transported, bought and sold, cooked, eaten, and disposed of — and that something similar must happen every day for every city on Earth — it is a miracle that we get fed at all.

(via Sitopia | design mind)

May 10th, 2012

Student of the City: The Importance of Urban Agriculture

study-the-city:

Stones Throw Urban Farm, Minneapolis

My first urban garden was a 5x3 foot weed pit behind my rented duplex. With my landlady’s permission, I dug out the weeds and threw the coffee grounds from my french press and some organic compost into the dirt. My mission was simple: salsa ingredients, hopefully enough for a few jars….

May 8th, 2012

Urban Agriculture adopted by 800m+ worldwide

In but a few years it’s going to be essential for urban dwellers to grow their own food, either on their roof tops or in community gardens and farms around the city in which they live. Here is a rather straight forward (if not a little mundane) video from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Enjoy.

May 7th, 2012

urbangardenallotment:

We got a lot of work done today, as well as digging over a whole lot more we also moved the strawberries, made the spinach bed and planted it, planted the carrots and got the sticks up in preperation for the beans.  We also managed to squeeze another 16 potatoes in - the mystry veggie box kind!  The Desiree and Cara should hopefully be ready to go in next week - its late but at least we will be harvesting later!  The rhubarb is starting to look stronger and the bed has been prepared and covered for the sweet potatoes…we’re slowly getting there….

April 6th, 2012
Growing number of children aren’t getting enough food, in particular, healthy fresh food. We need to teach more people to grow for themselves to get adults and young people alike realizing what they can grow for themselves.

Growing number of children aren’t getting enough food, in particular, healthy fresh food. We need to teach more people to grow for themselves to get adults and young people alike realizing what they can grow for themselves.

April 3rd, 2012

Connected Roots questionnaire

Hi y’all,

If you have 2-3 mins would you mind filling out this questionnaire and then forwarding it on? We’d really appreciate it and it would give us some great insights which we’re happy to share.

There is even a prize for those who take the time to enter! Just ‘wow’ - we know.

Here is the link to the Questionnaire: Connected Roots Survey

Thanks!

December 13th, 2011

adamstanway:

Upside down planters are something I’ve come across as part of my research as a way to grow plants in spaces that are available inside the home. You can use them to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits and I think at least the ones from BOSKKE (which are the first 2 pictured above) really are a fashionable way to farm. They can used inside and out with the added advantage of when outside they are out the way of pests such as slugs and snails. The plater in the third picture is from Topsy Turvy Planters and although is far uglier it does look more practical and the size allows larger plants such as tomatoes to be grown. You can also make them yourself with instructions from instructables.

A quite brilliantly simple video that details the events which have led to the current crisis we face & provides suggestions for how we can move forward.

(Source: transfixussednonmortuus)