A great little video from Gabriel – a regular at our Sunday Allotment Sessions. The Team Pollinate Workshop is Sunday 22, 11-1pm at Weald Allotments.
The delightful Gabriel reporting on the Team Pollinate workshop this Sunday
Review: No Dig Gardening Talk by Joshua the Gardener
We had an excellent illustrated talk by Joshua on 8th March at the Phoenix Community Centre. Joshua was inspired to develop his raised bed veggie garden for his Down’s syndrome son. The soil was covered with cardboard, straw, manure, compost in a 2” deep layer, replenished every year, growing fab veg. Worms and micro-organisms do hate to be disturbed; mulching with whatever is available is great for soil structure, preventing weeds, evaporation and keeping roots happy.
If anyone would like to take on the challenge of testing out their own ‘no-dig’ system, we’d be really interested in hearing about your experience. We’d especially be keen to have a mini write up and pictures documenting your trial. Let us know by email: bhogg.org@gmail.com.
Review by Ruth.
April: Top 5 tips
April should be a time when we really start to feel the warmth of Spring; we hope the weather catches up to that idea soon. Here’s our top tips for April:
1. Plant main-crop spuds – see the great “how to video” by Jenni
2. Plant onion sets (sets are baby onions rather than from seeds). For more information check out the RHS guide
3. Pot up seedlings sown last month
4. Sow tomatoes for growing outdoors
5. Sow leeks and broccoli in module trays
How to grow…. potatoes
Traditionally, potatoes were planted on Good Friday. This, of course, is not a set date, but moves around the calendar by up to a month. I suspect it may have had more to do with Good Friday being a long standing common law holiday than it did with weather conditions, but links to the moon and gardening have always been exploited, so perhaps Good Friday signals an auspicious lunar time slot.
Whatever the reason, I find it a useful reminder of when to plant and I try to sow my potatoes around that date (and try to coincide with a mild spell followed by rain – potatoes are frost-sensitive). I have sown both my early and main crop potatoes, but if you haven’t done so yet and if you’re new to growing, click on the video below.
Article and video by Jenni – BHOGG Chairperson
Upcoming events at the Phoenix Community Centre
Spring in the Air: Sowing and Growing Talk with Ruth Urbanowicz. Thursday 19th April, 7.30-9pm
Urban Organic Gardening Course: Transplanting Seedlings. Saturday 21st April, 2-4pm
For more details check out our What’s On page.
Winter at the allotment
Things have been pretty quiet on the allotment over the winter. Still some hardy souls come along regularly enjoy the peace and tranquillity at the site. And we were treated with some spectacular scenes with the snow.
A gale-force rainy day compelled us to relocate our annual outdoor Winter Solstice celebration to the warmth and comfort of Alan’s house. Mulled wine was sipped, delicious soup and cakes were consumed and carols were sung while the rain pelted the window.
Now spring is here we are looking forward to the regular Sunday sessions 11-1pm at the Weald Allotment site. For more details about how to get there click here.
Equinox at the allotment
Sunday 25th March 11am, BHOGG Plot at the Weald allotments
Some very brave souls came up to the allotment last Sunday- amazing.
This Sunday should be very different and good allotmenteering weather.
We are planning to do some communal gardening first of all from 11 am and then to share some food together by 12- 30, giving us a chance to socialise and get to know each other. Spring is one of the busiest times of the year anticipating the season ahead so we will need to do some serious gardening first.
For the picnic we hope to bring along something hot ( eg past or soup) for all to share, but please bring along something for yourself and others to share. We have more than enough plates, cutlery, mugs etc. though you may want to bring a hot flask as there are only two gas rings.
‘Sow and Grow’ Gardening Volunteer opportunity – Marlets in Hove
Want to make a difference?
‘Sow and Grow’ is a weekly gardening group for patients and carers which promotes a feeling of purpose and a sense of achievement, through tending, cultivating and harvesting plants. Our purpose built raised bedding area allows patients to connect with nature in a relaxing and accessible environment helping to improve general health and well-being with gentle exercise, fresh air and creativity. The group is also used as a safe space where patients can connect and develop friendships or chat about any concerns they may have with a trained nurse.
Where: Martlets Hospice, Wayfield Avenue, Hove, BN3 7LW
When: Every Thursday 10.30am-1.30pm
Usual minimum commitment: Three hours per week OR fortnight for a 6 month period from 12th April to 27th Sept 2018. Our preference is a weekly commitment but if you have the skills we are looking for, we would be interested in you volunteering on a fortnightly basis
What you’ll be doing:
- Greeting Day Service users and assisting with mobility
- Helping to set up gardening equipment
- Working with the group lead to coordinate gardening activities
- Chatting to attendees and updating the group lead as appropriate
- Serving refreshments during the break
- Helping to clear up at the end of the session
- Watering the flower beds
What’s in it for you:
- Opportunity to be part of a friendly group
- Making a positive difference to patients and carers by helping them to feel at home and enjoy the sessions
- Introduction to basic horticultural skills – or if you are a gardener, a chance to share your knowledge with the group (gardening knowledge is not essential to this role)
- Support and supervision in your role
- Chance to enjoy the fresh air and the Martlets garden
Your skills and abilities:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Empathetic nature and an understanding of palliative care (although some training can be given)
- Friendly and approachable
- Happy to get involved in gardening tasks (some lifting and moving will be required)
- Good sense of humour
Expectations:
- To attend fortnightly sessions ideally for the duration of the project (6 months)
- Wear appropriate outdoor clothing
- To maintain confidentiality in accordance with Martlets guidelines
- To attend a Martlets Welcome Day
- To attend a half day training session on palliative care
Contact: People Services Team
Email: peopleservices@martlets.org.uk
Tel: 01273 718788
Growing, Gluts and Generosity
Kate Harrison’s talk on Growing, Gluts and Generosity posed some interesting questions around what we as gardeners can do to take responsibility for our own food production. We discussed sowing less, sowing successively, thinning out more boldly, choosing varieties with longer harvest seasons, or growing multiple varieties to stagger production. But despite these ideas, we will still be likely to have gluts during the year. Solutions to this could be inventive recipes, food fermentation (see Kate’s fermenting article from last month), gifting to friends & family or even composting.
There were some shocking figures around food waste, yet 8.4 million people in the UK struggle to afford a meal (source: Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations).
Fortunately, many charities and organisations are working to ensure that the food waste meets the needs of those most vulnerable people struggling to afford to eat. FareShare (a national organisation) manages just 4% of the edible surplus food available, distributing food donated by supermarkets and food producers to frontline charities and community groups. Last year they provided enough food for nearly 25.8 million meals!
FareShare Sussex is based in Fairway Business Centre, Westergate Road in Moulsecoomb and is very happy to receive food donations from individuals. This means for those months when you’re grown too much there is another option: you can bag it up and drop it off to the warehouse where volunteers and staff will be genuinely glad to see you. Our community allotment volunteers delivered over a ton of apples to Fareshare in 2017.
To ensure your surplus stock is put to the best possible use, please contact:
Rachel Carless, FareShare Sussex Development Manager
Email: rachel@faresharesussex.org.uk
Tel: 01273 671 111
Review by Jenni, and special thanks to Kate Harrison for use of her FareShare slides.
AGM & Talk
AGM & Talk: Growing, Gluts & Generosity
NOTE CHANGE OF DATE: Thursday 22nd February, 7.30pm at the Phoenix Community Centre.
Ever wondered what to do about a glut of fruit or vegetables from your plot? Are you concerned about the growing problem of food waste while people still go hungry?
FareShare Sussex is a Brighton-based charity working across the county to connect food that would normally go to waste with the people that need it. Learn more about how FareShare works, and find out ways you can help to reduce food waste while helping provide healthy food to those who need it.
Our speaker Kate Harrison is a BHOGG member and has gardened on the Weald allotment for 17 years. She is a member of the FareShare Sussex steering committee and is passionate about reducing food waste and helping more people eat healthy and nutritious food.
Come for the AGM, stay for the talk!
