News

Speak out for organic!

Add your voice to the future of food and farming...

DEFRA has launched a nationwide consultation on farm policy after the UK leaves the European Union.  The draft White Paper makes some very sound points, but we believe is it sadly inadequate on expressing support of organic growing.
If the words ‘white paper’ and ‘consultation’ sound too boring, we sympathise.  However, this is an excellent opportunity for anyone who believes in organic growing to have a say on our future. 

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Join Garden Organic at Gardeners World Live 2018

Join us at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, 14-17 June, NEC Birmingham

Join us for four fantastic days at the garden party of the year - BBC Gardeners’ World Live, from 14th-17th June at Birmingham’s NEC. Book now and receive 20% off your tickets by quoting GRD2 when booking.

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EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides

The world’s most widely used insecticides will be banned from all fields within six months, to protect both wild and honeybees that are vital to crop pollination.

The European Union will ban the world’s most widely used insecticides from all fields due to the serious danger they pose to bees. The ban on neonicotinoids, approved by member nations on Friday, is expected to come into force by the end of 2018 and will mean they can only be used in closed greenhouses.

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Join the Leicestershire Master Gardener volunteer team

Help Leicestershire Master Gardeners grow and grow

More than 60 volunteers will be helping communities throughout Leicestershire to grow their own organic food this year and more are needed to join them!

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apple identification

2018 DNA Fingerprinting Scheme launched for apples, pears and cherries

The fruitID.com project has announced that following the success of their schemes in 2016 and 2017, they are offering DNA analysis of Apple, Pear and Cherry fruit trees for 2018 at £26 plus VAT per sample. The world-renowned research organisation NIAB-EMR at East Malling in Kent, will provide the DNA analysis through their laboratory, East Malling Services Ltd: the National Fruit Collection will review the results; and Peter Laws of fruitID.com will administer the scheme.

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Garden Organic welcomes European visitors

Garden Organic last month gave European visitors an insight into its successful social and therapy gardening projects over a week-long visit.

The delegates from Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia all work for charities running similar projects in their own countries. We have a chance to learn from each other through a three-year project called Towards Mutual Understanding with Nature, funded by Erasmus+.

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Ryton Gardens Q&A - April 2018

To help address some of the common questions around the current review process of the site at Ryton, below are a selection of the questions we have been asked in recent weeks, with our responses.

If you have any queries not covered here, or want to let us know your view, please do continue to send them to questions@gardenorganic.org.uk.

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Support the Pesticide Free Towns campaign

Garden Organic is supporting the Pesticide Free Towns campaign, launched by PAN UK. 

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One man and his organic plot 2018 May

One man & his organic plot - May 2018

Everything has started to come to life this month and Chris can now begin to see both his allotment and balcony flourish with life and colour. It's all go too for his role as Head of Organic Horticulture with a host of exciting events coming up including Gardeners World Live...

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One man & his organic plot_April 2018

One man & his organic plot - April 2018

It’s all about seed sowing at the moment. Despite the recent wet weather and cold snaps Chris has sown his tender crops, in preparation for better planting conditions - with plans in place to greatly extend his plot this spring. Chris is also gearing up for a busy events period, including a show garden at Chelsea.

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