Welcome to the ‘Tatworth Growing Together’ web site. We hope you find it interesting and instructive and possibly inspirational! This is a unique ‘Transition’ Project in the UK. Tatworth people are famous!
[Hover] your mouse over the buttons to see where you can go.
See [Latest News] for what has happened most recently.
See [How to Find Us] if you want maps so you can visit the Project.
Stop Press !!
2nd June A meeting with Blackdown Hills 'Making it Local' initiative's Melaney Sealey and Hattie Winter to discuss the latest stage of the funding application for our two greenhouses.
28th May Jan and Andrew planted about 100 new curly kale seedlings which she had grown for us and there are another 100 waiting to go in.
21st May The School's Gardening Club came to the Project today proudly bearing pea and broad bean seedlings they had grown in recycled toilet roll tubes which we were very impressed with. As usual they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
26th April 30 of the School's Class 1 children came this morning and planted our shallots for us, and then explored the rest of the Project to learn about what it's for. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
We've built a giant sieve from a discarded cable rack. Its first job is shedding large quantities of finely-sieved soil directly onto the potato strip beds - fast and with very little effort. That has to be good news.
19th April The siphon directly from the well is now operating faultlessly. It means somebody doesn't have to pump 90 gallons (450 litres) up to the storage tanks when desperate.
We have a lot of turf, couch, roots and general cr** from when we clear turf and weeds from the land - we have invented a system with a massive sieve that can distribute sieved soil and no roots directly wherever we want - effortlessly.
17th April Sarah and her two Swedish volunteers Erika and Sverker came up to do soil testing. As a result of talking about the conservation area and the school's bed, she revised the action and rotation plans - to be communicated shortly I promise. 13th April Seven volunteers came in response to my e-mail. It was great to be reunited after such a bad spell of weather and all enjoyed it.
Richard Branson announced recently that he forsees himself being unable to fuel his fleet of aircraft as oil supplies continue to dwindle worlwide. If anyone has read the ‘Last Oil Shock’ you will have seen the author tear apart the oil companies' over-optimistic predictions that new oilfields would be discovered and avert the crisis. This has not happened as you know. But Branson has sought a rigorous analysis from more critical economists and that is his conclusion. TGT will be ready to feed Tatworth by then though !!
By 2nd April three more strip beds were ready with the second planted up.
On Wednesday 31st March the school-children came up with their teacher Sarah Jarvis and planted 111 potatoes in the first of our ‘strip beds’.
On Tuesday 30th March Sarah Holdsworth met Andrew and me at the Project to start her new role as horticultural adviser to the Project. She gave us invaluable advice over one and a half hours and has kindly started to draw up a sound action plan for us to carry forward. Thank you Sarah !
Over the last two miserably wet weeks Tony, Andrew and I have cleared the new potato patch.
On Wednesday 10th March we all suddenly got back to the Project. The dry weather had made it possible after a long, hard, cold and wet winter. Obviously we've all kept in close contact while we were absent from working on the field, but it has been delightful to get back together working on the soil.
This year after a hurried start in 2009, we have the chance to make the field look immaculate before we start planting. Last year was far more successful than anyone dreamed, and that meant adapting to unplanned changes - like loads of lovely people springing seedlings on us without any notice - thank you all ! This year we can plan what we do, and know how we'll achieve it.
Look at [Mission Statement] to see the aims of the project spelled out .....
See [Conception & Birth of the
Project] to see the background history of how the project came about: a very generous Landowner, Somerset County Council and the Parish Council - who are both very committed to the project - and how they all fit into the picture .....
See [Its Uniqueness and Success] as to why this Project is different from others .....
As the project develops many
problems will no doubt arise and solutions will need to be found. We'll put discussions of these onto the website as they arise, hopefully to help others who want to start up similar schemes and short-circuit their own experiences to minimise labour - and also hopefully ..... for advice from them!
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
28th to 30th May 2009
5th to 25th May, 2009
10th to 18th April, 2009"
30th January 2009
Tatworth and Forton Parish Council adopted ‘transition status’ in September 2008 and immediately made this Community Crop Production Project one of it's ambitions.
Andrew Turpin (a Parish and District Councillor) was the person who conceived the idea of this Project, having worked exhaustively over the years on a number of ‘transition objectives’. The project is backed by the enthusiasm of a large and active group of volunteers in the local community. Financial support has been provided by both the County and District Councils as well as the Parish Council.
If you would like to talk to Andrew on more of the background please feel free to contact him on .....
01460 220691
Website designed, implemented and maintained by David Porter - last updated 4th August 2010. Photography also by me except for the 30th January 2009 photos by Jon Hodgson and Cyril Larcombe (April 2010). If you have any criticisms, queries or suggestions about the website please contact me on .....
01460 238588
07977 228161
