Tag Archives: Norwegian Seed Savers

Community Garden

Væres Venner Community Garden 29th August 2018

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I worked a couple of hours extending KVANNs garden at Væres Venner community garden in Trondheim this week…I have some 50 perennials waiting for a temporary place until next year. I also cut down the vegetation in the rest of KVANNs area in preparation to cover with the thick paper donated by the Ranheim Paper&Board factory and straw from a neighbouring farmer!
The quinoa is approaching maturity and I harvested some more broad beans (bondebønner)! It seems that the soil is fertile (no compost or other fertiliser was added)
See the video:
Onions

Status of the Granvin victory onion location

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In June 2009, I was shown the only naturalised stand of victory onion (Allium victorialis) in south western Norway (away from Lofoten Islands – Vestvågøy – and Bodø area where there are several large populations, possibly a Viking introduction there which has subsequently spread).  It’s also found in a damp woodland (which regularly floods in spring) along the Granvinselven (the Granvin river) in south west Norway (see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=10658). It is suggested that the onion came to Granvin by way of the so-called Jektefart (a trade route based on dried fish from Lofoten to western Norway), was planted in a garden close to the site, subsequently naturalising from there!

Naturalised locations of Allium victorialis in Norway showing the isolated Granvin site (the location near Oslo is probably extinct

In late October 2014, there was a major flood in western Norway (https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberflaumen_i_2014) which caused a lot of damage including in Granvin. Over 200mm rain was recorded over 3 days in several places and up to 330mm! Although not a record, it had already rained a lot for most of October and the ground was already saturated when the worst rain happened…leading to a totally unexpected extreme event.

I heard rumours that the victory onion location had been severely impacted by this event, so when we drove past Granvin on the way back from the Nordic Permaculture Festival in Jondal, I took the opportunity to visit the location! This confirmed that the site is much reduced and there is visible signs of erosion including a dried up channel through the middle of the wooded island where the onion is found (the river was very low due to the drought). In addition, I was surprised to find that a path had been constructed between the river and the school. This is part of a major civil engineering work in Granvin to protect the low lying inhabited areas from flooding (see https://www.nve.no/nytt-fra-nve/nyheter-skred-og-vassdrag/granvin-har-fatt-betre-tryggleik-mot-flaum )
A video showing the completed works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keg-BSrAi94 shows aerial views of “victory onion island” between 0:56 – 1:24!
These works may lead to further erosion and destruction of the island….
Seeds were actually already ripe due to the hot summer and I therefore collected seed to safeguard the Granvin onion to be offered to Norwegian Seed Savers (KVANN) through our autumn catalogue which will be produced in October!
From my friend Geir Flatabø: “Jaunssen Gjestgjevarstad (Jaunssen Guest House) in Granvin has begun to harvest / use the onion, and makes pesto served to guests, with good feedback.”

Other relevant articles:
Hagetidend (Norwegian gardening magazine) profile http://www.edimentals.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/6_Seiersl%C3%B8k_fra_Vestv%C3%A5g%C3%B8y.pdf

A report from my 2009 “onion safari” to Lofoten, Tromsø and Granvin can be found here (in Norwegian with English comments)  http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=18527 (some of this material ended up in my book Around the World in 80 plants))

Community Garden

KVANN treff Day 1 at Væres Venner and Presthus Gård

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The first evening of KVANN (Norwegian Seed Savers) weekend event in Trondheim and Malvik, we visited KVANN’s first “nyttevekstreservat” (inspired by Lawrence Hills’ proposal for vegetable sanctuaries across Europe as a reaction to the loss of our vegetable diverity in 1979!) at Væres Venner Felleshage (a new communiy garden in Trondheim). KVANN have already started work on a Verdenshage (World Garden) and another area currently being used as a holding bed for a future diversity garden, including walnut, hazel, sea buckthorn and other fruit trees to be planted elsewhere..
Afterwards, Sølvi Kvam took us to nearby Presthus Gård, a farm which has until recently been threatened by nearby housing developments. It will now be developed with many activities and KVANN are also welcome to make suggestions!
 
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Exhibitor, Walk and talk

KVANN meet in Trondheim and Malvik; Ringve Open Day

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Day 3 of the KVANN (Norwegian Seed Savers) meet was at the Ringve Botanical Garden Open Day in Trondheim. The day started early as I drove one of the participants to the station in Trondheim and then spent a couple of hours collecting some of the ingredients for a multi-species salad. Including plants collected on a walk, talk and forage for KVANN members, we managed 111 ingredients in the salad! Thanks to all who helped make it a very successful and fun weekend!

walks

KVANN meet 2018; Walk along the Homla canyon

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Pictures from Saturday’s 5 km (almost 4 hours with all the stops) walk along the Homla river canyon from Storfossen (this area’s second highest waterfall) to the sea at Hommelvik! As usual, a memorable trip!

 

Garden tour, Garden views, Salad

KVANN meet in Trondheim and Malvik; tour of the Edible Garden

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Some pictures from Day 2 of the KVANN (Norwegian Seed Savers) meet in Malvik in my Edible Forest Garden :)
As usual, it was a great group!!
Thanks to Margaret M. Meg Anderson for most of the pictures!
Garden tour

PROGRAMMET FOR KVANN-TREFFET I TRONDHEIM

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PROGRAMMET FOR KVANN-TREFFET I TRONDHEIM (Program for the Norwegian Seed Savers weekend in Trondheim)

Fredag 15. juni; kl 19  Vi besøker KVANNs planlagte første nytteplante-reservat hos Væres Venner på Ranheim. Oppmøtet ved parkeringsplassen like vest for hagen (se kart); 5-10 minutter å gå fra Væresletta bussholdeplass (buss 38 fra Trondheim, Stjørdal eller Værnes, se atb.no); grusvei fra østeenden av Ranheimsvegen! Etterpå har vi også planer om å besøke Presthus gård hvor vi er også ønsket velkommen til samarbeid. Her planlegges det Trondheims svar på Bygdøy Kongsgård!
Initiativtager og tidligere leder av Ranheim Frivilligsentralen, Sølvi Kvam blir også med og vil orientere om begge prosjekter! Det blir mulighet for skyss mellom Væres Venner og Presthus Gård (det går også buss).

Lørdag 16. juni, kl 10-13  Spiselig hagevandring hos KVANNs leder Stephen Barstow i Malvik etterfulgt av en felles lunsj (med grønt hentet fra hagen). Adresse: Malvikveien 418, 7563 Malvik (bussholdeplass Naustkleiva – nr 38 fra Trondheim, Stjørdal eller Værnes, se atb.no). Plantesalg og bytte. Ta gjerne med planter til salgs!

Lørdag 16. juni, kl 13-17  Tur langs Homlastien i fantastisk natur og for å se de ville standene av strutseving (det blir dessverre for sent å plukke!), andre spiselige vekster og Trøndelags nest største uberørte foss, Storfossen (40m). Vi er avhengig av å komme til startpunktet for stien med privatbiler. Si fra om du kan kjøre! Ta med egen matpakke til turen etter behov! NB! Enkelte deler av stien er bratt! For de som ønsker det er det mulig å gå hele Homlastien ned til Hommelvik (man bør beregne opp til 5t til hele turen med stopp underveis…kanskje 3t om vi går tilbake til startpunktet).

Søndag 17. juni, kl 11-16. Ringve botaniske hages ÅPEN DAG, som arrangeres i samarbeid med hagens venneforening. Det blir plantesalg, aktiviteter for barn, «Spør en gartner», kafé, og stands om humler, spiselige planter, og flere grønne foreninger. Humlevandring kl. 12 og 14. Skjer ved hagens veksthus i Lade allé 58.
Kl 10:30-12:30  For deltagere av KVANN-treffet blir det en hagevandring med Stephen (som er gjesteforsker på Ringve). Vi ser på den nye Allium (løk) hagen som ble plantet i høst samt Gamlehagen (gamle stauder og urter fra Trøndelag) og Renessansehagen. Underveis har vi fått lov å høste spiselige planter fra naturen og samlingene til en mangfoldssalat som serveres til deltagere og publikum fra kl 13.  Serveringen blir fra KVANNs stand.

Overnatting: Vi jobber med å kunne tilby privat overnatting, ta kontakt om du er interessert. Det er også en mulighet for overnatting i landlige omgivelser ca 2km fra hagen på Storsand Camping som har hytter (muligheten for å dele?)!

Velkommen til årets KVANN treff i Malvik/Trondheim!

Deltageravgift: Gratis for medlemmer (det koster bare kr 200 å melde seg inn hos kvann.org – klikk på Bli medlem). Bindende påmelding på lørdagens hagebesøk til Stephen (begrenset plass igjen)!

Community Garden

Bastard digging at Væres Venner

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Thanks to Guren Efferus (Efferus Veksthus) for the box of plants which have arrived in good condition….and the box can also be recycled! As the temperature dropped yesterday evening, after a record warm start to May, it was perfect insulation for my afternoon nap after a day of bastard digging at Væres Venner Community Garden so that we could earth in the plants until we find a permanent place at Være and Hurdal! This is the first step for KVANNs (Norwegian Seed Savers first vegetable (useful plant) sanctuaries 

Væres Venner page:   https://www.facebook.com/pg/vaeresvenner.no

Fruit

KVANN at Njøs

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English: pictures from Norwegian Seed Savers visit to Njøs, an old fruit research station near Leikanger in Sogn! We saw Stein Harald Hjetnes’ own developed Celina pear as well as collections and trials of fruit including sea buckthorn, haskaps, minikiwi and others!

Norwegian: Tusen takk til Stein Harald Hjeltnes og Dag Røen for et spennende og lærerik besøk i praktfulle omgivelser under KVANNs årsmøtet i Leikanger i April!

Vi fikk bl.a se hans egen pære Celina som var et av grunnene til at han fikk plantearven pris for ifjor.
Se http://www.fruktfatet.no/artikkel/heimelaga-paere-skal-redde-norsk-paeredyrking
og https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/plantearven-prisen-utdelt/id2579094
I tillegg til pære kunne vi se forsøk på minikiwi, honningbær/blåleddved, tindved mfl.
Noen av bildene er tatt av Kjell Hødnebø!
Community Garden

Verdenshage and Væres Venner

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It was the first time I cycled to my office at the Ringve Botanical Garden today and I took the opportunity to see how the new Væres Venner community garden was looking (starting this year east of Ranheim at Være) . The snow had gone! At the entrance to the garden (Væres Venner) we will plant our World Edible Garden (Verdenshage) – large circular bed with the centre representing the north pole and mainly edible perennials distributed according to where they grow or are used in the Northern Hemisphere (see the first video below, where you can see an inner circle where we planted temporarily some 60 different plants in the autumn…and some are still ALIVE)!!
We have also purchased a couple of hardy walnuts and various hazel cultivars which will be planted along with many other fruit and berry bushes! I’m helping to design and develop the garden with a great group of enthusiasts and I hope that it will be formally adopted as one of KVANNs Vegetable Sanctuaries (KVANN=Norwegian Seed Savers)

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Hablitzia tamnoides (Caucasus!) has survived!

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Moon garden?

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