Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 8th September: The cabbage whites and are being driven mad by the smell of the brassicas.

The wet weather stayed with us this week so we put away the water pump and watering cans unless there was something to plant.  Unfortunately, as is always the way, the slugs and snails have been encouraged by the wet to come out and make doilies of the Chinese cabbages and generally have a good go at anything else they can get hold of. Just to add to the mix, butterflies seem to have been brought out by the recent warm weather, or perhaps by the fact that time is getting on, and they need to reproduce quickly.  However most of the butterflies are cabbage whites, and are being driven mad by the smell of the brassicas, fighting to get into the netting or just simply lay their eggs on any leaves pressed up against the close mesh.  The butterfly bush behind the tool box is now at last alive with the white fluttering of their wings, with just the odd peacock making an appearance every now and then.

The fig tree has given us a few fruits this year, with more to come if we manage to beat the birds to them.  At the Pent farm plot, the birds have stripped and eaten much of the sweet corn, but at Enbrook Park the issue is not birds but the badgers.  It seems that perhaps the strong smelling ‘Vaporub’ we smeared on the stems did manage to mask the sweet smell of the corn, as we picked the few cobs, and very tasty they were too.  However maybe we should have given the same treatment to the stems of the tomato plants as we do not seem to have any ripe fruits appearing there at all and something has certainly been paying attention to them and making a mess of the fruits.

The spinach and winter radish got planted as did more coriander, and the claytonia got pricked out into larger modules to grow on.  The growth around the pond got a good cut back as did lots of the bindweed making an appearance in response to the wetter weather. 

We had a visit from a representative from Taylor Wimpey with a photographer, keen to follow up having given us £300 to buy some compost and tools, and put together a press release on the subject.  We spent the money just as soon as it landed in the bank account, but happily with this, and the funds we made at the Sea Festival, we will hopefully not need to worry for a little while about our finances

Now we are into September there is a slight autumnal feel in the air, we even have some sloes in the hedge.  There will not be a newsletter next week, as some of us will be away for a few days, taking advantage of the last of the summer days before the autumn solstice is upon us.

What’s Next?

• Clear the summer broccoli and compost

• Clear the bindweed in the strawberry plants

• Perhaps plant out the French radish

• Check for space for more spring onions

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 1st September: Special thanks go to Rita and Erica for their many plant contributions.

The whole week was dry and very warm which made the watering of the plot the main task; however on Saturday we were treated to a localised downpour in the early hours which seemed to do the job for us.  With any luck we may get a few more such showers through the coming week as although rain is not forecast, the weather apps say there is a chance of rain all the same so we may just be fortunate.  The rainfall for August was 49.9mm.

The Sea Festival last Sunday was fabulous!  Yes it was windy enough to send the gazebos up into the air, and it rained a couple of times, but the rest of the day was fine and warm.  In effect we were so very lucky considering.  We raised an incredible £704.84 which is the most we have ever collected by far.  However it was the culmination of a year of collecting plants, sowing seeds and making cuttings to gather together the hundreds of plants we had on sale.  Very special thanks go to Rita and Erica for their many plant contributions, but it was a great team effort which made it the success it really was.  Everyone pitched in, rolled up their sleeves and got those plants passed on to their new owners with great panache.  It was a most satisfying day and a good time was had by all.  Many thanks if you came by and supported us.

We have been busy sowing some of the last of the autumn seeds, radishes, yet more spring onions, winter lettuce, all year round cauliflowers and spring cabbage to hopefully overwinter.  We smeared the stems of the sweetcorn with a strong smelling ‘vaporub’ designed to rub on your chest to clear your nose – we hope it will repel the badgers from going anywhere near them but time will tell.

We had just three cabbages which had ‘hearted up’ already from an earlier summer sowing and were harvested.  The borage which had finished flowering was cut back, and the Siberian kale given a tidy up.  We have already collected some of the tomatoes to dedicate to seed for next year, and have also foraged seed from the French marigolds around the plot too.  We are starting to build on the seeds we have grown and collected from our own plants, but you do have to know your stuff as some are easier to collect than others.

What’s Next?

• Clear some of the growth around the pond which has finished flowering

• Plant winter radish and possibly spinach

• Clear the bindweed

• Check on the lemon tree and the hops

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.