We are landworkers. Every day we are either growing plants, talking to others about plants, or in a garden interacting with plants.
As landworkers, we feel the weather and see the subtleties of the seasons progressing. The early cherry blossom, nesting bumblebees, and the return of the swifts. It’s brilliant and beautiful.
We work hard. Part of Earthed Up!’s mission is to Broaden the horizons of people, by sharing the benefits and possibilities of edible and useful plants. We have been getting in front of more people through going to more events and markets. Every weekend is booked up with travel to different locations. We’ve met many people for the first time this year, nice to meet you all! Some people from Belper even who hadn’t already been acquainted with Earthed Up!.
We are selling more plants. Thank you to everyone who has added something new to their garden from our collection. This means, naturally, we are also growing more plants. We grow the vast majority of what we sell, propagating hundreds (thousands?) of plants from seed, cuttings, and division. All members (that’s workers) of Earthed Up! grow and learn more about the plants from doing so.
We sometimes buy plants from fellow agroecological growers too. This year, Organic Propagations launched, part of the Baddaford Farm Collective. We bought bareroot strawberries, raspberries, and a small number of globe artichoke plants. They are top quality! We’ll very likely have more from them this winter.
Pingle Produce is a market garden at Ashleyhay, some 3 and a bit miles up hill from our nursery. They grow food, from their own propagations (as opposed to buying in trolleys of plug plants). They plant trees, make compost, use solar power. Sensible stuff. And put together excellent veg boxes 12 months of the year, as well as fermenting and preserving to fill the Pingle Pantry.
This year, Pingle are growing some plants for us to offer to you. Soft annual herbs, tomatoes, and peppers. All peat free and well grown, some from their own saved seed. (So, when I ask Fash what variety a tomato is it comes with a story as well as a name)! We don’t have space at Earthed Up! to grow every delectable delight; through co-operation we can bring a few more to the table!
We are part of networks. Ecosystem engineers, instagram heeldraggers, ant nest admirers, yes. Something less overt too – small groups of people working with the land to increase people’s connection to where they inhabit and be a little more self-reliant.
We feel that the conversations we have about soil health and why to mulch are important in helping people to garden organically more effectively. We gladly explain kale heritage and basic genetics on market stalls. These kinds of interactions are fun and help people with their gardening. We also are seeing that repeat customers, from the last 5 years, are getting good harvests and have nice tales of wild interactions in their spaces.
There’s positive impact from us garden folk tending our tiny patches of space rock. Sometimes it’s the things we don’t do (grow in peat, poison insects…), sometimes it’s the many things we do. It all adds up.
You’re very welcome to come see what and how we’re doing at the nursery. Wednesday-Saturday 10am-2pm. Enjoy the view, spot a soaring buzzard, and if you fancy it get some plants and organic compost.
Earthed Up! 