Category: Circular Economy

Support Eco projects in your community

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Support eco projects in your community - Clitterhouse farm herb garden

Clitterhouse Farm herb garden

If you take a look around your local area you can always find community initiatives to help the environment. In order to support eco projects in your community all you need to do is find out what’s happening locally. Jon found a great little project near Cricklewood and Brent Cross, Clitterhouse Farm. He bought some plants from them, here was his shopping list:

– 2 x Tomato plants
– 2 x Jerusalem artichoke plants
– 3 x Swiss chard
– 2 x Cosmos
– 2 x Nasturtiums
– 1 x Large pot (to re-pot an existing plant)

Support eco projects in your community - Clitterhouse farm

Clitterhouse Farm

They have a great community garden where people can help out by cultivating vegetables and growing flowers. It looks really beautiful and the whole area has a very pleasant and relaxing vibe to it. While I was there Thomas (one of the founding directors) was working on the recently planted herb garden. It was already starting to look impressive! Speaking to Patrick (farm garden manager) I understood how enthusiastic they were about the project. It’s located in a forgotten area of London and they have ambitious plans to convert the derelict Victorian buildings nearby too. All with keeping sustainability in mind.

One of the key components to their mission: ‘We are passionate about sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. We are guided by the 10 Principles of One Planet Living.’

Support eco projects in your community - Clitterhouse Farm

Clitterhouse Farm

So, Jon was impressed with what that were doing and felt his small contribution at least went some way to helping them. It seems as if anyone can volunteer there too so when things return to normal Jon is thinking about heading down.

Tree Adoption

Adopting a newly planted tree locally was something else Jon discovered he could do too. Particularly within their first year newly planted trees need plenty of water. So, when the weather is dry Jon heads over to one of his local streets and waters it. There was also the suggestion to fill the area around it with soil and plant some flowers. Helping the local area look more pleasant and cared for, and a chance to attract some bees too.

Adopting a tree

Support eco projects in your community by simply keeping an eye out to see what’s going on locally. Jon found both these projects through his community facebook page in Willesden Green. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start making a difference!

Natural homemade fertiliser from leftovers

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Definition of fertiliser

Definition of fertiliser

Making natural homemade fertiliser from leftovers is quite simple and great for your plants. Here are a few ideas:

  • You can chop up banana peels and mix them in with soil or you can put them in a big jar with water and wait a couple of weeks. This will give you some liquid fertiliser. Bananas are rich in potassium.
Natural homemade fertiliser - Banana peels

Banana peel fertiliser

  • You can put coffee ground leftovers on top of soil or you can mix it into the soil. Coffee ground is rich in nitrogen, magnesium and potassium. It is suitable for acid-loving plants such as tomatoes, blueberries, roses and azaleas.
  • Crush up some eggshells after washing them and put the pieces in some soil. Eggshells and the water they were boiled in are rich in calcium. They are also good for keeping slugs at bay so a good idea is to leave some pieces on the surface of the soil around your plants.
  • Save the dirty water from your fish tank, then use it to water your plants. It is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients.
  • Save the water from steamed or boiled vegetables.
Natural homemade fertiliser - Water from boiled vegetables

Water from boiled vegetables

Some more natural homemade fertiliser from leftovers

  • You can start a compost bin by filling it with food and garden scraps, newspaper and a bit of water from time to time. Turn it upside down to speed up the composting process. When everything has broken down spread it on the soil around your garden
  • Jon makes his own natural fertiliser from his wormery, which is a lot of fun when you get into it!
Natural homemade fertiliser from Jon's wormery

Natural fertiliser from Jon’s wormery

Remember the golden rule when using fertilisers: “less is more.” Don’t use too much fertiliser or make it too concentrated. The fertiliser from Jon’s wormery, for example, needs to be diluted with water: one part fertiliser to nine parts water.

The 7-day Lockdown Leftover Challenge

Today, the Lockdown Leftover Challenge starts on Instagram!

Join the challenge to stop food waste – one of the leading causes of climate change! Share recipes, tips and nominate your friends with the hashtag #lockdownleftovers.

The campaign is organised by the Climate Venture Collective, a new collaborative community that meets once a month in London to find a solution to problems related to the climate.

Natural homemade fertiliser from leftovers