Category: News

So I know at least 3 people read the news letter as I did get some comments back, which is nice, as it takes a surprising amount of time to pen these few words and make sure I haven’t totally written a load of nonsense. If you want to contribute anything then please contact our Facebook or by emailing Orders@ our web address

 We had some positive feedback about the new potatoes so it was obviously worth stepping out of the county. In the coming weeks we will feature some of the other growers that we work with. Green Futures veg delivery service is about using the food we grow as part of our main project, plus reducing food miles and supporting smaller and local growers. Some people have said that they thought we grew it all our selves; this is just not possible. We have over a 100 customers and just on potatoes alone we get through about 13 tons in a year! This week we have Lincolnshire new potatoes in the box and broad beans from our own site as an extra item.

 At all times we work hard to bring you quality veg and to encourage you to spend your money in a smaller local way. The economics of spending in local shops is very interesting with thelocal retailers returned 52 per cent of their revenue to the local economy as opposed to 14 per cent for chains including supermarkets. If people are serious about wanting to help the local area then if everyone shopped in small local shops we would be living in a different town!

 On site we continue to be helped by a small army of volunteers and work placement people that are real stars. We are developing our veg prep area and also creating a room affectionately known as Kylie’s pantry; which will be stocked with tasty health foods, environmentally friendly products and be a base for the flower arranging and selling our site produce.

 Please don’t forget if you need to alter your order or let us know about additional things you would like to buy, please call us 2 days before your delivery so we have time to get the items ready and so we don’t waste any food.

Long term customers will know that behind the scenes we are trying to set up an online shop and computerised delivery system. We got a stage closer this week!

 Thanks for your continued support!

Sean and Kylie

PS get a friend to try a box and we will give you a treat in your box the following week!

JOBS TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN APRIL

Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of
compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and
warmer in preparation for planting.

Dig out couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and other problem weeds.

In your general beds, dig in a 5cm (or more) layer of compost or well-rotted
manure to prepare for the growing season. You can also work in a general
purpose fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure or fish, blood and bone.

Apply a layer of mulch around your perennials, trees and shrubs before the hot
weather arrives. Use organic matter such as well rotted manure.

Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced, slow-release fertiliser by lightly
forking it into the soil surface. Roses are greedy plants and will greatly benefit
from feeding as they come into growth.

Plant your chitted potatoes outside in the ground. Planting times are largely
dependent on weather, soil conditions and regional variations but the table
below is a general guide on when to plant potatoes. Dig a trench to a depth of
about 10cm (4″) and place the seed potatoes into the trench with the rose end
facing upwards. Fill the trench with soil to cover the potatoes. An application
of potato fertiliser can be scattered along the top of the trench if required.

If you already have your carrots growing then you can thin out the seedlings to
achieve good-size carrots – do this in the evening when fewer carrot flies are
around.

Sow seeds of hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you would like
them to bloom.

Attract wildlife to the garden is one of the best ways of combating many pest
and disease problems. Encourage creatures into your plot by providing places
for them to hibernate, live and multiply.

Sow some easy to grow ‘attractant’ plants that will attract and feed beneficial
insects that help control pests. Try pot Marigolds, Candytuft, Coriander,
Chervil, Buckwheat and Phacelia for a start.

Grimsby doesn’t have a wholefood shop any more and as part of our ethos is to provide healthy food at a fair price we have been trialing various products. Thankfully there seems to be a demand for items so we have increased the range. We source our products from Suma a food cooperative that works to a high ethical standard. You can check out the full product range that they have at http://www.suma.coop/ if there is anything we don’t stock, that you would like to buy just let us know.

Here is a list of our current stock as of End of March 2013

click on the link below to read/download

Back of recipe sheets

The first signs of spring this week with at least one warm day made us very excited on site. We have a couple of extra volunteers show up and there is a real feeling of potential in the air. The first of the seeds arrived and and we began planning the years diary of events in more detail.

Green Futures is very much a community project. It works because other people like us and you see the potential for a project like this and also realize that in all the banking and financial crisis in the news, you cant actually eat money; if things do get worse then all you need to be able to source good local food. Green Futures is part of the solution to a sustainable future.

In your veg box this week we include Savoy Cabbage; to prepare; Shred or cut Savoy into wedges with the hard core discarded. Steam, boil or braise, add to hearty peasant soups or stuff rolled-up whole leaves with a savoury minced meat/soya/quorne and rice mixture.It’s coming to the end of the season for them so enjoy while you can!

Off site we have been working with a group of people who have formed a friends of Kingston Woods. They are looking for other people interested to get involved. Send us an email or private message and we can give you details. Remember the trees are the lungs of the earth and we are one of the most deforested countries in the world!

We have also started work on creating space for our hydroponics set up. We will be growing veg in a variety of ways this year to demonstrate to people how much you can grow in a small space. Not only is food growing fun, it can save you money and you can guarantee what has gone into the food. (No horses here) If anyone is interested in learning about growing your own food we will be running a number of taster courses. Keep an eye on our website and facebook.

We are currently collecting old garden tools to add to our tool bank. If you have any old garden tools that you don’t want and would like to donate, just drop them in or give them to the delivery team. Thanks!!!

Sean and Kylie

IN the standard  £8 veg box this week you will get;

1.2 kilo of potatoes

0.6k carrots

0.5k onions

0.5k mushrooms

1 broccoli

1 cauli

1 garlic

0.5k turnips

0.4k Kale

Veg Box News  21.01.13

Another cold week and we decided to take the decision to deliver to everyone on Thurs.  We really hope this doesn’t mess you, our lovely customers about too much.  Obviously we have to decide such things early on in the week depending on the forecast.

In your box this week you have some of our lovely leeks, they are an old traditional variety known as Musselburgh, a shorter leek but full of flavor.  As usual potatoes and carrots from around Louth and North Somercoates.   We try hard to bring you the most local veg we can.  Sometimes we don’t get it right and we would like to remind you that if ever there is a problem e.g. A bad onion or potato, then just let us know! With truly natural products it happens. When it does we will replace the item the following week.  Please do let us know if you have any problems as we pride ourselves on the quality of what we supply.

How many of you saw ch4 dispatches report on veg. in the supermarket?
We were appalled by the extent of the tricks used by the supermarkets to get money from you.  The program confirmed our own monthly price check: the £8 box you buy from us would cost you just over £10 from a supermarket.  If you need to save money shop local and support local growers!  Please do tell your friends as people still don’t believe us!

On the landscape we have been taking out the strawberry plants and splitting them up ready to go into some vertical planters, demonstrating an interesting growing method, useful if you don’t have much space.  Our tireless dedicated volunteers have still been showing up in the bleakest of weather.  Their continued support and enthusiasm is so heart-warming and inspiring.  We love our volunteers!

If you like trees there is a tree planting 11 til 1 on this sat, next to the medical centre on westward Ho.   Kids welcome accompanied by an adult. Just turn up, we haven’t organized this event.

Thanks again for your continued support of Green Futures.  We strive very hard to bring you quality local vegetables, reducing food miles and supporting local growers.

Sean and Kylie

THE STANDARD £8 veg box contains approximately:

1.2 k       Potatoes

700g       Carrots

600g       Onions

500g       Mushrooms

600g       Parsnip

500g       Leeks

1                     Swede
Broccoli
Cabbage

Smaller and individual boxes may vary due to your likes dislikes and availability.
ALSO FREE RANGE LINCOLNSHIRE EGGS  ONLY £1.50 for 6

JOBS TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN FEBRUARY

In February, the garden is beginning to wake up after the cold, winter months.
Look out for the first green shoots poking through the soil and buds on the
branches, letting you know that spring is on the way!

Give yourself a little time to drawing a sketch of garden layouts to assist with
the planting through the coming year. Review garden notes about successes
and failure in the garden and greenhouse.

Later in the month and early next, are good times to start seeds indoors of
summer annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables.

Dig up, divide and re-plant perennial plants that have been undisturbed for a
few years. This will encourage healthy growth and encourage them to produce
more and better blooms.

Unless your lawn is very new, scarify and spike now. Clear any leaves off, as in
damp weather, they can harbour fungus underneath, and you end up with a
yellow lawn.

Clear out all fallen leafs and twigs from your pond. Place thin netting over pond
if possible, if leaves are left to rot in the pond, dangerous gases build up and
could kill any fish you have.

Protect your plants from the cold by using horticultural fleece or cloches.

Dig and weed any areas ready for sowing and planting when the weather
warms up.

Plant fruit bushes such as currants and gooseberries.

Cover outdoor, soil-grown strawberries with cloches for an earlier crop

Clear the ground under trees and bushes of weeds.

Remove any rotten stored fruit.

Keep putting bird food out in the cold weather and provide access to water.

Make a log pile in your garden to help small mammals and insects thrive.

Dear veg box customers.

Here is an advance apology to you as we enter our software trial month of Jan.  We are trying out 2 different bits of software to enable us to both effectively manage the now over 100 customers and also be able to offer you an online shopping facility.

Unfortunately while this is going on there is a very high chance that we may miss  or mess up on one of two orders.  Please be patient with us and be assured if we mess anything up we will try our hardest to correct things.

Once this frustrating period is over then we expect for you to be able to go on-line and customise your order and order additional products etc just like the super markets but with the knowledge that you are helping a community project and buying local veg!

We hope no one gets so annoyed that they leave us.

Thanks for your continued support.

Sean and Kylie