REAL @ Inverness High School

2007-05-30T14:13:00.000+01:00

Things have been moving along apace since the last entry to this blog. We've had the warmest April ever recorded followed by what can best be described as a monsoon of a May. The ground was turning to dust before the rains arrived but is now too wet to work (if you work on wet soil you risk compacting it and reducing a plants chances of growing). We also lost all of our early pumpkins and courgettes to stem rot brought on by the large change in temperatures over the last 6 to 8 weeks. If this is the way the weather is going to shape up in a climate changes world then we had better learn to adapt. It's maybe a better idea to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and try and stop the process getting any worse, which brings me back to growing and selling locally produced food.
WE've been making the best use we can of our local fertility source...Clachnaharry Beach and all it's two foot thick layer of seaweed. WE've also been trying to develop a good mix to use for our soil blocks. Soil blocks are a method of propagating which removes the need to use plastic seed modules. It's more environmentally friendly, the plants grow well in them and they are super easy to transplant into the field. Hopefully the seaweed component of the blocking mix will help the young plants develop a strong root system.
Our onions are in the ground and seem to be thriving as does our crop of salad leaves. As soon as we get another warm, still day we'll get the polytunnel cover on and get the tomatoes in the ground. We've got quite a range sitting in pots and it'll be great to see them developing over the summer. Did you know that eating tomatoes helps protect your skin from sunburn?
WE've also harvested the comfrey from the second garden and have incorporated it into the compost heaps where it acts as an activator for the composting process. The next harvest we will use to make some comfrey liquid which is a good plant food but beware of getting any of it onto your clothes. It stinks for weeks and washing does not seem to help much. I still seem unable to get any photos onto the blog. perhaps the error message at the bottom of the page has something to do with it. Technology brings it's own problems. I'm going back to put up a rabbit fence in the rain.

New gardens

2007-03-08T13:17:00.000Z

We have taken over a new and rather large garden at Hawthorn Drive which is kind of under the control of the weeds. Never mind. Sometimes the right piece of machinery works wonders, in this case a strimmer. Although we are trying to grow organic food on a reasonable scale with minimum use of fossil fuels, it is sometimes the best option. We uncovered lots of raised beds from the gardens previous life and these will help us to organise future plantings. The beds will be covered with cardboard (from the school) and seaweed (from the Beauly Firth) which will suppress weeds and slowly build up the organic matter and fertlity of the soil. This is called "mulching" the soil, and the cardboard and weaweed are both "mulches". It's a lazy way to garden but that sounds like a better option than some others. There will be photos to go along with this as soon as we can figure out how to do it.

New Polytunnel

2007-02-26T17:26:00.000Z

Putting up the polytunnel is definately a team game. Setting the posts in concrete to make sure the tunnel doesn't get blown over; wrestling with the hoops of the structure, putting in the ridge poles along the roof and making sure it all fits together. Not something you want to do alone if you can help it. There is still lots to do but once it is up and running we should be growing tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and also, hopefully, winter salad veg. It'll also give us somewhere to hide from the rain when it gets to heavy...
It's important that we increase the variety of produce we grow in order to make the project interesting and to give people the chance to learn about growing food locally. We must increase the amount of locally grown food if we are to reduce the damage we are doing to the environment through food miles (the distance food travels before it gets to our plates) and to increase the amount of healthy food we can offer to local people.

Yippee its going up! Says iain

Media attention

2007-01-23T07:51:00.000Z

It is also encouraging to know that REAL is coming to that attention of not only the local media, but also the national media as well. Along with hosting the Soil Association Organic Burns Supper (where we supplied the potatoes!), we have also had a write-up in the BBC Good Food Magazine along with a feature on the Radio 4 Farming Today programme. Good listening for those of you stirring early enough to hear it! We'll tell you when it will be braodcast...

Soil Association Organic Burns Supper

2007-01-23T07:45:00.000Z

MSP's visit us and buy some veggies!

2007-01-23T07:07:00.000Z

Charlies Angels... eat your heart out!

2007-01-23T07:03:00.000Z

Do you like our new boiler suits..... Kerry was off ill the day we took the pic!

Look what just arrived!

2007-01-23T07:01:00.000Z

One 66 foot polytunnel! Yippeeeeeee!

Iain....our new farm manager

2007-01-23T06:57:00.000Z

Iain Findlay is the new REAL ORGANICS farm manager. He comes to us from a varied horticultural background via business management and a masters in Environmental Studies. No argument for him as to what are the most important issues facing us today… global warming and its relations!
He comes to us from Glasgow where he ran a local box scheme on a push bike. He is very much an ideas man.. in fact there is going to be one about every minute!
Iain’s primary role will be to mature the business, through the further development of the school site along with the disused training garden behind Hawthorn Drive. He sees great potential here with much of the garden infrastructure already in place. The compost heaps are still there from years ago, as are many fruit plants and green fertilisers. There is also a small area in King Street, tucked in at the back of the Methodist Church, where we have had it on good authority that judging by the size of the weeds, the soil must be amazingly fertile!
How can we sum up Iain then? Committed to environmental issues: YES! Keen for others to know about things green: YES! Has a natural enthusiasm to work with young people: YES! Wanting to work with the community: YES! Has got an email address that says it all: Its ‘Captain Organic’! ‘Nuff said!

Happy Christmas to all our readers!

2007-01-23T06:44:00.000Z

The lead up to Christmas was really busy with selling, producing and training.
In terms of selling, we have almost reached the £3000 mark. Over the months we have built up a solid customer base, with a lot of people very interested in what we are doing. Many love that fact that we are growing the crops ourselves. Others are happy in that the food is truly local. The older folk tell us of when they were taught farming skills when they were at school. The Christmas stall was really busy. We sold out of just about everything! Running up to Christmas, we also made and sold a range of holly wreaths.

2006-11-22T07:24:00.000Z

Here is the crew scoffing down their food

Watch out Mary is about

2006-11-22T07:21:00.000Z

And here's a red egg!

2006-11-22T07:17:00.000Z

2006-11-22T03:04:00.000Z

Nick is driving us up the wall!

Kirsty trying to climb the wall

2006-09-27T07:13:00.000+01:00

2006-09-27T06:44:00.000+01:00

2006-09-27T06:04:00.000+01:00

This is a picture of a hut used for meditating we hade a look in side it was just white in side so it was a quit inside for meditation so they could free their minds from there worrys and troubles.

Here is a compost heap for organic waste they put big poles in to the grouind so more air and moistuire deeper into the ground compost is nuters way of recyling organic waste.

Two really good apple trees

2006-09-22T07:43:00.000+01:00

Selling again

2006-09-04T07:16:00.000+01:00

Setting up the stall, getting ready to sell at the Dalneigh gala. There was quite a lot of people interested in how we grew the veges so close to them

The girls are hard at work selling there home grown veges. In town it was hardly ever quiet there was again a lot of intrest about how we grew the crops. They were very surprised that we grew them without any chemicals and the pupils from Inverness High School were intrested in helping out in this project and the community

Grading the tatties

2006-09-01T10:39:00.000+01:00

On yer knees and work!!! 3 folk hard at work sorting potatoes... 2 having a rest! The pupils at Inverness High School take care in sorting out the tatties so they are really good quality for selling

The potatoes are ready!

2006-09-01T10:08:00.000+01:00

Beautiful, eh! These are the tatties the pupils at Inverness High School happily grew.... Looking lovely, almost ready to sell.

The girls put a lot of effort and take a lot of care digging up the potatoes.... oh the damage to my fingernails!

Marianne and Nick following in Richard's footsteps (don't step on the plants Marianne!)

Richard looking enthusiastic about his lettuces. (I'll show you how it's done!)

And back to growing more for the next customer

2006-08-16T06:57:00.000+01:00

Mary and Leila planting lettuce in early August

Leila fully planted in the work!

So it is off to the Farmer's Market in Inverness Town Centre

2006-08-16T06:47:00.000+01:00

We arrived to harvest at 5 in the morning; at the stall by 8, selling by 9. Sold out by 12:30. And someone told us we had brought too much stock! The happy crew did all the selling! Market stall holders in London eat your heart out! Well done girls!

And this is all we had left over.....wow!!!

July.... time for a harvest

2006-08-16T06:44:00.000+01:00

And a visit to MacLeod Organics at Ardersier

2006-08-16T06:31:00.000+01:00

Donnie explains how his delivery system works

Checking out some seedlings

Again, how we could use a poly tunnel

Sir, can we keep chickens!

Just leave Alexander there!

Training up the troops

2006-08-16T06:26:00.000+01:00

This was a visit to Glachbeg on the Black Isle....potato beds

What can be done in a poly tunnel

Learning about habitat and biodiversity

Salad veges

2006-08-16T05:58:00.000+01:00

We got water from over the fence in Bruce Gardens. Thanks Mrs McKenzie!

In June we started planting salad vegetables; lettuces, rocket, dill, coriander and parsley

First in were the tatties

2006-08-16T05:50:00.000+01:00

Immediately we got a keen crew of gardeners, led by Sarah and Rory, planting eight bags of seed potatoes

Getting close up

2006-08-16T05:43:00.000+01:00

Filmed for posterity by Liela, Lisa and Calum and Mr Sparham

A serious bit of kit

2006-08-16T05:39:00.000+01:00

Cutting into an area of grass that really been untouched for 40 years

Beginnings

2006-08-15T18:51:00.000+01:00

It all started last May when Donnie MacLeod got a tractor in to plough up the field