NorthernLily

31/05/2026

A tiny handful of seeds with a huge story 💙🌱

Our Azure pea plants are now twining their way up the supports in our community garden NorthernLily
grown from seeds we collected at the ORFC - Oxford Real Farming Conference seed swap earlier this year, shared through the amazing The Gaia Foundation
Seed Sovereignty network.

Our resident Herbalist is learning all about seed saving with and sharing the skills with our community. Seed sovereignty matters because it protects people’s right to save, share and grow diverse, locally adapted seeds, which strengthens community resilience while safeguarding the biodiversity that nature depends on.

We’re growing them not just for their gorgeous blue flowers, but to save seed and keep this variety in community circulation.

Seed swaps → growers → more seed available → seed stays in cultivation That’s how resilience spreads.

Can’t wait to share the harvest and the next generation of seed with our community.

Hands up if you’d like these beauties growing in your garden? ✋

30/05/2026

Our second workshop for the National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge series ‘Balcony Basics’🪴

We explored how to turn even the smallest balcony or windowsill into a thriving green space: choosing the right containers, understanding light levels, building healthy soil, and picking the right plant for the right place.

Everyone learnt how to read seed packets and plant labels, practiced seed sowing and left with a planted-up containers of free seeds and the confidence to start growing at home herbs, salads, pollinator plants, the lot 🪴💚

The energy and questions were brilliant and hearing people saying “I can actually do this” or “I’m excited to try this at home” is exactly why we run these sessions.

Next up ‘Urban Farming’ workshop and we can’t wait!

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

28/05/2026

The National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge is a nationwide initiative encouraging people living in flats to transform balconies, window boxes, and small outdoor spaces into green, wildlife‑friendly mini‑gardens.

Today was the first in our series of balcony gardening workshops with ‘Wild About Wildlife’ 🐦‍⬛🐛🦋🐞🐝

We spent the day sharing how even the smallest spaces can become thriving habitats. From identifying the species we can attract, to choosing the right plants, to creating mini habitats and learning just how much nature can flourish in even the smallest spaces.

Everyone created their very own pollinator‑friendly window box with plants and seeds to nurture at home🪴

Our next two workshops, ‘Balcony Basics’ and ‘Urban Farming’, are already fully booked up ✅

27/05/2026

Turns out you don’t always need netting, you just need the right plants working together!

This season we’ve been experimenting with growing a green manure Phacelia tanacetifolia right alongside our broad beans and cabbages and honestly, the results have been incredible 🥬

The phacelia has been buzzing with beneficial insects, and the best part… we haven’t needed to net a thing.
No cabbage whites settling. No blackfly explosions. Just a living, flowering barrier doing the work for us.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the simplest solutions come from letting plants support each other and letting nature take the lead.

Would you try this in your own garden?

26/05/2026

Goat pen renovation: PART ONE 🐐🐐🐐

Huge thank you to everyone who’s helping us rebuild a safe home for Rusty, Coconut and Bramble 🏠💚

Crowdfunding, Secret Goat Santa donation, support from First Choice Homes Oldham Life for a Life Memorial Forests and a whole crew NorthernLily Into The Wild Creatives grafting in the heat 🥵

This is what community looks like and we are so incredibly grateful 🙏 💚

We’ll keep you updated on our progress and can’t wait to resume goat activities 🔜

25/05/2026

Last chance to get your free tickets to our wild about wildlife workshop National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge

Booking link below 🔗

View Wild about Wildlife Workshop - Grass Roots Project - 28 May, 11am from National Trust.

25/05/2026

The bike library is opened tomorrow at Northern Lilly community project in Failsworth

We've got 2 sessions for beginners :

10 am ~ Learn to Ride & Balance session for absolute beginners;

12 pm ~ build your cycling confidence on quiet roads and explore local green spaces 💚🚲. A 3-5 mile ride exploring our local neighbourhood (Moston Brook / Brookdale park / Rochdale canal) .

Please, arrive 15 - 30 minutes before the start of the session to register / fit the bike / helmet. 🚲❤️

The bike library is located at Northern Lilly / Grass Roots Oldham Women's (GROW) Enterprise on Marlborough Dr, Failsworth, Manchester M35 0LE. The entrance is through a metal gate next to the canal.

Marlborough Dr, Failsworth, Manchester M35 0LE
Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qfu9Kexye7bKDghY8
What3Words : ///solid.asks.bike
🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

Also, there will be a gardening session on site carried out by NorthernLily between 10 am and 2 pm. Everyone welcome 😊