News & Events
Welcome to February’s newsletter! Please continue to tell us about your events by emailing info@londonpermaculture.com – see the bottom of the page for more details.
Winter Pruning Skills
Sunday 2nd February, 1pm-3pm
Edible Landscapes London, Finsbury Park, N4 2NQ
We will be pruning various trees and cane fruits in the garden to support their health and promote productive growth and fruiting. Learn the correct pruning techniques and the benefits of pruning with our Forest Garden Manager, Camila Barboza. This event is limited to 10 people. Everyone must arrive for a 10am briefing but you do not need to stay for the full length of the session. In the case of wet weather, this session will be rearranged to another date.
For booking and more info see the event page
Nature Connection Walk in Hadley Woods
weekly starting Wednesday 5th February 12pm-1:15pm
meet outside Barnet Leisure Centre, 1 Lawton Rd, London, Barnet EN4 9BS
This event is perfect for nature lovers, and anyone looking to unwind and take a break from the hussle and bustle of city life. We will be taking it at a slow leisurely pace that suits everyone, so we can connect with the environment, each other and ourselves. You will be guided through some nature connection techniques which can open us up to new ways of experiencing the natural world. This is a weekly community event intended to bring people together and cultivate a love of the natural world. More information at the Facebook page.
Three Acres And A Cow
Wednesday 5th February – 7pm
Online
Three Acres And A Cow is a history of land rights and protest in folk song and story. Our show is a-moo-sing and connects the Norman Conquest and Peasants’ Revolt with current issues like the housing crisis, reparations, climate breakdown and food sovereignty via the Enclosures, English Civil War and Industrial Revolution, drawing a compelling narrative through the radical people’s history of England in folk song, stories and poem. This performance is available to watch live or opt-in to receive a recording of the gig, available for 72 hours. Tickets £18-£30 at the website
SE Essex Seed Potato Day 2025
Saturday 8 February. 11:00-14:00
Trust Links Rochford, Trust Links House, College Gardens, Rochford, SS4 1YL
More than 20 varieties of seed potato (some organic) sold individually, plus onion sets, peas, broad beans, French beans, Runner beans, tomatoes, carrots, courgettes and lettuces, potato fertiliser and chicken pellets! Refreshments and lots of friendly help and advice, especially for beginners! The Essex Asian Women’s Association’s much loved potato curry!
Free admission – for more information see the wesite.
Planning your growing year
Sunday 9th February 2pm-4.30pm
Kentish Town City Farm, 1 Cressfield Close, London NW5 4BN
February is a good time to start planning what you are going to grow through 2025. Join us to find out how to prioritise what you want to grow and timetable your sowing or planting out. Susannah will explain how to plan your soil preparation and design a polyculture of plant communities that provide mutual support for each other.
The workshop is free to attend but you’ll need to register so we know how many people are coming and ensure we have enough materials. Register here.
Forest garden maintenance at the Cecil Sharp House Garden
Wednesday 12th & 26th February, 10am-12.30pm
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY
Cecil Sharp House is a Permaculture Learning and Demonstration Site (LAND project). Our February sessions will be teaching about seeds to plant for pollinators through the summer, pruning and tying in climbers and propagating through division. Everyone welcome.
If you’d like to come along to either or both of the sessions please let us know and RSVP to info@permablitzlondon.com.
Permablitz at Northwick Park Community Garden
Saturday 15th February, 10am-4.30pm
Northwick Park
This permablitz will be doing the winter maintenance while the plants are dormant during the cold months of the year. We will be pruning the fruit trees and shrubs in preparation for their growth spurt in spring and to ensure they stay healthy and productive. We will also be dividing dormant perennial plants: cutting the root ball into sections to create new plants and invigorating the original plant. We’ll add the divided plants along with new ones to fill gaps in the garden. We will also support the soil creatures by adding wood-chip and cardboard mulch.
We’ll spend the morning at nearby Victoria Hall learning through short workshops, followed by lunch before going to the garden to apply that learning to the practical activities in the afternoon.
Workshops in the morning will be:
- How to choose your fruit trees
- How to prune fruit trees
- Learning about unusual edible perennials
Northwick Park Community Garden is a food forest with a wide diversity of fruit trees, berry bushes and lots of unusual edible perennials implemented through a series of permablitzes.
RSVP Essential: if you want to come along you need to let us know so we know numbers for lunch, which is provided, and so we can give you all the specific details. Contact us at info@permablitzlondon.com
For more details and booking see Hackney Herbal website letting us know you want to join Northwick Park Community Garden Permablitz.
Hackney Herbal Workshops in February
starts Saturday 15th February
Hackney Herbal, Unit 16, Celia Fiennes House, 8-20 Well St, London E9 7PX
Join Hackney Herbal for their programme of workshops that show you how to use herbs in a creative way.
Saturday 15th February, 2pm-5pm – Herbal Wellbeing Masterclass
Join us for a masterclass on Herbal Wellbeing. We will be sharing our tips and tricks for crafting your own herbal goodies.
Sunday 16th February, 2pm-5pm – Grow Your Own Herbs: Plan Your Herbal Year
Winter is the perfect time to start planning a new herb growing project. Join us for this workshop that will help you prepare in advance for the growing season ahead.
Saturday 22nd February,11am-1pm – Natural Skincare with Essential Oils Workshop
Join us for a restorative workshop learning about the healing properties of essential oils. The session will be an introduction to aromatherapy and how essential oils can be used to support our skin as well as our mind and body.
For more details and booking see Hackney Herbal website
Organic Lea Trainee Roles 2025
closing date Monday 10 February
Organiclea, 115 Hawkwood Crescent, Chingford, E4 7UH
This year, we are recruiting for 9 volunteer trainees. These are supported learning placements; one day a week for 9 months. Each placement is supported by a mentor from our workers cooperative guiding your learning in your chosen area of our work. Closing date is 5pm on Monday 10 February 2025. Starting weeks are either weeks beginning 31 March or 7 April 2025 and ending week beginning 15 December 2025. For application forms and more details go to the website.
Currant Growing & Pruning
Saturday 22nd February 2025
Carshalton Community Allotment, SM5 2PW
Currants (including blackcurrants, gooseberries, redcurrants and jostaberries) may be small, but they pack a real nutrition punch. Rarely found in supermarkets, currants are easy to grow and, with the right care, can give excellent yields of fruit over many years. Their bright jewel colours add a zing to many recipes!
Whether you have currants already and would like to know how best to take care of them, or you are wondering where to start, there will be something for you in this popular winter workshop. Booking and more details at the event page on website.
Scion Swap
Sunday 23 February 11am-1pm
Castlehaven Community Association, Camden, NW1 8RU
Join The Orchard Project for our first ever scion swap event. As well as an opportunity to swap apple and pear scions (grafting wood) for early spring grafting, this will be an event to meet other orchard aficionados and discuss all things fruit tree! This event will run from 11am-1pm, and you are welcome to come and go as you please. More details at the website.
Forthcoming Events
Barnet Seed Swap
Sunday 2 March, 2pm-4pm
John’s United Reformed Church, New Barnet, EN5 1RH (Somerset Road entrance)
Come along to Incredible Edible Barnet’s annual seed swap if you would like to save money on seeds, try new plants and get to meet some lovely local food growers and gardeners from your community. There will also be cake!
All you need to do is bring along spare seeds or small plants – whether veg, herbs, fruit or flowers – that you’ve saved or sown, a packet you no longer want or cuttings from your garden. Don’t worry if you don’t have any to bring, there are plenty to share! We also welcome any gardening bits and bobs you’ve got lying around looking for a new home – all swaps welcome. Then you simply swap with someone else and take new seeds, plants and stuff for free. We hope to see you there! More information at Facebook page
Permablitz at Cecil Sharp House
Saturday 8th March, 10am-5pm
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY
The apple trees at Cecil Sharp House are a key edible, folk feature in this permaculture garden at the Grade II listed home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Apple trees feature in many folk tales and songs. This permablitz will focus on pruning and other winter care for them. You will also learn about their diverse origins – wild and domesticated.
Mini-workshops include:
- How to prune mature apple trees
- Different varieties of apple trees and which varieties to grow together
- The best mulches for apple trees
- Apple folk lore
RSVP Essential: if you want to come along you need to let us know so we know numbers for lunch, which is provided, and so we can give you all the specific details. Contact us at info@permablitzlondon.com letting us know you want to join Cecil Sharp House Permablitz.
Grow Your Own Herbs: Plan Your Herbal Year
Sunday 9th March, 2pm-5pm
Hackney Herbal, Unit 16, Celia Fiennes House, 8-20 Well St, London E9 7PX
Winter is the perfect time to start planning a new herb growing project. Join us for this workshop that will help you prepare in advance for the growing season ahead. In this informative workshop, we’ll go through the entire year in a herb garden, and get you all set to make the most out of the growing season. For more details and booking see Hackney Herbal website
Permaculture Magazine
Permaculture magazine – earth care, people care, future care is a visionary magazine that will give you the tools needed to create productive and resilient homes, gardens, economies, relationships, schools, farms and communities. Our range of articles includes no-dig gardening, food forests, cutting edge community projects, renewable technologies, regenerative agriculture, DIY & upcycling projects, natural building, education and wellbeing. It is full of solutions, projects and pioneering ideas from the very best of the permaculture movement.
Also, all subscribers get a whopping 25% discount off of Permanent Publications books – Buying from them directly is the equivalent of shopping locally and helps to keep revenues within the permaculture community.
21st Century Permaculture Radio
Archive programmes available at https://www.mixcloud.com/21stcenturypermaculture/
Brighton Permaculture Trust
Head to the Brighton Permaculture Trust. Check out their website for news of courses, events and Permaculture by the sea. They are running a number of Online permaculture, Eco Build, and gardening courses. See the website for more details and booking.
London Permaculture Network – Interactive Project Map
The London Permaculture network has launched a map of permaculture, and permaculture-friendly projects in London. Go to https://www.londonpermaculture.com/map/ to see it. Use the map to guide yourself around the projects in your local area, and the whole of London.
This map is still being developed, and we would love your project to be included! If you would like your project added to the map please contact us at info@londonpermaculture.com
How do I get events and webinars in the newsletter?
If you want your webinars, offline & online events, and announcements to be in the London Permaculture Network newsletter (sent out at the start of each month), please email them to us, at info@londonpermaculture.com before the 15th of the month, and they will go into the next month’s newsletter.