Launched by David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum in London last night, and with 25 organisations involved in its compilation, we need take note.

Although there is some good news, overall wildlife and landscapes are under threat. Moreover, current conservation practice seems inadequate to the task.

For perspectives on this important report, read Martin Harper’s blogpost Why the state of nature matters.

This urban food stall is all about locally grown vegetables and fruit, but also has a range of locally produced jams, preserves and chutney, as well as vegetable seeds, and vegetable and fruit plants.  Giving visitors and those wanting fresh, local fruit and veg the chance to get everything from seed to end product in one place.

Supported by NHS West Midlands, the urban food stall is one of five projects currently under way at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, including a perennial food nursery project, local growers awards, and a forthcoming Urban Community Food Festival due to be held in September.  Keep an eye out for the date coming soon!!

If you want to know more about the activities at the Botanical Gardens, or want to get involved, please add a comment below.  Initially the urban food stall will operate at weekends at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The Big Dig Day. Planting fruit trees in Acocks Green

Volunteers worked together to dig holes and plant damson, cherry, apple, plum and pear trees as well as red and blackcurrant bushes and an unusual edible honeysuckle. The atmosphere was fun and positive and many people came along to help or find out more about the orchard.

Over the months many items have been found buried in the ground, not, unfortunately valuable treasure, but an an array of items that were put on display for locals to view and jokingly called The Acocks Green Hoard!

The Acocks Green Hoard

With the help of the landscaping skills of volunteer Michael, a meandering path with a circular raised bed has become a focal point of the site.  The plan is to stock it with a variety of herbs and attractive edible plants.  A collaboration of local artists also plan to paint a tree-themed mural on the bare brickwall.

The new orchard will play a key part in Acocks Green’s entry to Village in Bloom this year. The work has been kindly supported by many local organisations, including West Midlands Police and Acocks Green Business Improvement District (BID), Food Forest Brum and EH Smith Building Supplies.

If you would like to help with more growing and improvements to Acocks Green click on the Village in Bloom link above to find out more.

Although the weather forecast was non-too hopeful, groups all around the city put this aside, and welcomed new and existing volunteers to many varied and fun events.

Visiting my first event of the day, I arrived at Edible Eastside, to be met by Jayne & Rob.  Lizzie Bean soon arrived and work began in earnest on the next stages of the earth oven.

Despite the rain, volunteers soon started to arrive, and with a fire lit, and work underway, I took my leave to visit Park Lane Garden Centre in Aston for the second stop of the day.

Park Lane were beginning their work on a new community garden next door, and as well as welcoming volunteers, Julia took time to show Clare Savage and I the plans and setting for the new garden.

Park Lane Garden centre is such a fantastic resource for community groups, great value, and almost unique in the inner city.  Plans for this year include growing vegetable plants to order for community groups.  At a fantastic price too!!

Leaving Park Lane, the next stop for the day was Bishop Latimer Grow Site in Soho.  Here we met with Adela, Andrew and their volunteers.  The group had so many activities taking place, including building a willow arch, and the setting for their new woodland walk.

The sun came out, and it showed signs of being a lovely warm afternoon.  At Bishop Latimer, I met with John, who had recently moved to Birmingham, and had used Big Dig as an opportunity to get involved in local groups in his new area…….just fantastic…this is what Big Dig is all about.

After some fantastic food, provided by  Mammas Blessing, we left a sunny Bishop Latimer for our next stop of the day.

Close to Bishop Latimer is Coplow Street Grow Site, here over 30 volunteers were weeding raised beds, planting, drinking soup and learning about growing in the new polytunnel.

A real community event, with visitors from near and far. It was great to see familiar faces at Coplow Street, as well as some new ones, at the Big Dig event, which was also part of an ongoing partnership with the Black Environment Network.

Final stop of the day, and just in time was Martineau Gardens, who were holding a seed swap event for Big Dig Day.  All thought the event had gone very well, and was attended by over 60 volunteers.

Although by now the rain had started in earnest, it was great to see so many happy smiling volunteers, and some great events.

A full list of the sites involved can be seen at http://www.bigdig.org.uk/birmingham/

Keep your eyes open for dates of Big Dig events throughout the year, and our Big Urban Harvest Gathering in September.

On the 16^th March food growing projects across Birmingham will be opening their doors, gates and sheds to locals in order to introduce you to their sites, start the growing year and get help from volunteers to complete a range of activities (tree planting, seed sowing, soil preparation and MORE!).  Across the city, 26 sites have signed up so far….more on the way.

If you want to find out what’s happening there are lots of projects signing up http://bigdig.org.uk/Birmingham and offering lots of exciting activities and events for volunteers and locals. VOLUNTEERS WHO FILL OUT A REWARD CARD OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES WILL BE ENTERED INTO A PRIZE DRAW!

NOT A GARDENER? – WE NEED PHOTOGRAPHERS AND COORDINATORS TO HELP US MAKE THIS HAPPEN. If you’re a photographer and would like your pictures published online or possibly in print then please get in touch with Chris or Clare on the emails below.

If you’re a project and you want to open up your grow site on the 16^th March (or around) then get in touch with Chris (theinnercitygarden@gmail.com) or Clare (c.savage@bham.ac.uk) and we’ll answer any questions you may have.

If you have an event already planned then please go straight to http://bigdig.org.uk/Birmingham/add and fill in the details.

Grow Sites signed up to Big Dig can benefit from a 20 PER CENT DISCOUNT ON COMPOST DIRECT products either order online or over the phone http://www.compostdirect.com/ once you’ve signed up you’ll get the discount code.

If you need help with setting up a grow site, event http://bigdig.org.uk and more here http://www.bigdig.org.uk/publications

This photograph of Old Joe (reproduced with kind permission of Wagsy Wheeler), taken about 1.5 miles from the city centre, shows how verdant the city is.

I reckon there are millions of trees in our gardens, on allotments, in over hundreds of parks. There are nearly 100,000 street trees — yes, someone has counted!

It’s not just leafy Edgbaston either. Returning home along the A45, I stuck my phone outside the car window and took a shot when pulled up at red traffic lights or stuck in a jam.

From the airport through Small Heath and on to the Middleway, there are trees a-plenty.

I’m not the greatest of grab’n'click photographers. Nor is the time of year is the greatest to show off our trees in their full glory.

They still delighted me.

This is a six minute film that features Martineau Gardens and other gardening projects across Birmingham — with contributions from volunteers, visitors and staff. The film gives you an insight into the good stuff that happens in all these places across Birmingham, as well as the wonderful things going on at Martineau Gardens itself.

And if any of the themes covered in the film feel important to you, please consider becoming a member of the Gardens. You can find out more about membership on their website here, or telephone 0121 440 7430.

Big Dig Brum began at Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Wednesday evening. Enthusiastic, lively, interesting people, a heart-warmingly friendly bunch who gave of their all in the break-out session. Thank you everyone.

Special thanks to organisers/speakers: writer and horticulturalist Alys Fowler, Mike Hardman from BCU,  Lee Hale and Clare Savage from Winterbourne’s Urban Veg, Vic Acland (Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Botanical Gardens) and last but by no means least, the instigator of the whole shebang and MC on the night, Chris Blythe.

Chris, Mike Hardman and I will be collating and categorising everyone’s ideas this weekend. We’ll publish everything in a blogpost (or two) here. Watch this space . . .

On the 16^th January Big Dig Brum is holding a meeting at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

As well as an opportunity to meet new groups, gather contacts and get ideas, the meeting will also include short presentations by local author and gardening journalist Alys Fowler and Mike Hardman (Birmingham City University) on the need, importance and context of growing food in Birmingham.

The meeting has a number of aims:

• To get together as many groups and individuals as possible who are interested in community growing in Birmingham
• To provide networking opportunities between those groups and individuals
• To set the context of urban food growing in the city and to learn from others
• As part of Birmingham’s Participation in The Big Dig, to discover what individuals and groups want in terms of support, events and practical training over the next 12 months and beyond.

If you are an allotment group, a friends of parks group, a community allotment or grow site, or simply an individual wanting to get involved or start something new, then this is the meeting you can’t miss.

DETAILS OF THE MEETING

Location: Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. B15 3TR.

Start: 7.00pm

Directions to the Botanic Gardens.

For further information please contact theinnercitygarden@gmail.com or c.savage@bham.ac.uk

We look forward to seeing you there on the 16th January for what promises to be a valuable and interesting evening of debate, ideas and discussion.

It has also been said that some of society’s problems are caused by people becoming disconnected from their community.  We have a wonderful scheme in Acocks Green which could address this problem.

Ged Hughes, a member of the Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum who lives and shops in Acocks Green had noticed over many years, a piece of land between two blocks of shops. It was neglected and had become a dumping ground for litter and builders’ rubble. Using some tenacity, she eventually found out who owned the land and contacted them to ask permission to make this derelict wasteland an attractive community space and orchard.

A group of volunteers made up of residents, the Neighbourhood Policing Team and Youth Forum is now busy digging over the land and making it ready for planting fruit trees, a ‘jam hedge,’  herbs and wild flowers and perhaps some Box Hedging around it to give it a slightly formal  ’English Market Garden’ look.

This orchard will marry well with the Acocks Green entry into the urban category of ‘Britain in Bloom’ of which 2012 was the first attempt.  It will also give some biodiversity to a busy shopping village as we also intend to put up bird boxes which will provide an excellent addition to the bee and butterfly attracting flowers.

The volunteers are going to work with Growing Birmingham and hopefully the Big Dig  who by pulling together will not only provide a corridor for wildlife but by allowing people to pick and eat the fruit, will become part of a growing community and network.

In April, the RHS will ask entrants into Britain in Bloom to hold a launch event with emphasis on growing edible plants and herbs in public places.  We are expecting, as last year, there will be entries from local scouts, schools and the neighbourhood, and so making a real positive impact on the area. The aim is to bring together people from all walks of life to feel more connected with their environment. What could be better to bring about uk community cohesion?

Fran Lee

Co-ordinator Acocks Green Village in Bloom

Volunteers please e mail Fran at fran.lee47@yahoo.co.