Good busy

I’ve been busy. Actually, we have been busy.

I first saw these videos months ago. Incredible Edible Todmorden came on my radar years ago and I was inspired to do something. And like most of the things that catch my attention and inspire me to do something, my brain filed it neatly away out of sight and mind, lest I actually have to DO something. Introverted me is not a starter of things in public forums.

I saw Incredible Edible mentioned a few more times. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall visited Todmorden, as did Alys Fowler and a few news crews. Other similar projects cropped up around the country and I heard about those. And then a few weeks ago, we saw another video. And my extroverted Dearly Beloved one’s brain tripped a switch. 'We should do that here' said he; and off he toddled to B&Q to buy some currant bushes.
We bought more fruit bushes, grubbed up herbs from an allotment, bought even more bushes. And we went out under cover of darkness and planted out a public bed.

This was all just 3 weeks ago and since then things have escalated to the point of meetings with the council, talk of creating a community garden - and my living room being completely overrun with seed trays. I am delighted that Nick now chews my ear off as much as I do his regarding all things horticultural.

This is an idea whose time has come in my city. Flower beds are being turfed over as part of cost cutting exercises. The allotment waiting list is still growing from a ridiculous national high. The food bank is serving ever more people. This year there are national and international portents of crop failure and another bad year for agriculture across the world. And of course we have the small matter of the financial apocalypse that we have teetered on the edge of for half a decade now. Half a decade. Wow.

So, this post is a plug - not for Pompey’s project, though if you are local, please get involved. Rather, it is a plug for the Incredible Edible idea in general. It is a plug for your local council beds, your communities, your plates and local food culture, for bees and butterflies, for those who really want to grow healthy, tasty food - and of course, for a world that is waking up to some uncomfortable limits. You don’t have to go big, you don’t have to go it alone. You can find out more at The Incredible Edible Network. It is now an international movement, so no excuse if you are not in Blighty ;)

Also, please forgive the flurry of gardening related posts that are likely to follow this - I am a woman obsessed, which is handy, because I have a lot to learn in a quite a short amount of time.