Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 28th May: Seeds are not always what they seem to be, or say they are.

Looking back at this time last year it seems we are about two to three weeks behind with our planting and the physical growth of the plants.  It was also a surprise to be reminded that this time last year we were busy with Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen.  Such a lot has happened both locally and in the world since then. 

We are already hoping for some rain but it seems there is none in the weather forecast for some time and so we have had to get out the water pump, hose and watering cans.  Although to be fair we have managed so far, nearly into June, without having to water much at all.  We can see that the pond is starting to evaporate, which will make life harder for the visiting badgers/foxes that have established a well-worn path from the pond, right through the middle of the broad bean patch, and the potatoes.  It seems they have little regard for formal pathways, and simply aim for where they are going regardless.

We have started to see a few more bumblebees and honey bees in the Sandgate Community Garden, and were treated to the sight of a damselfly and common blue butterfly, plus a few more ladybirds. 

The dwarf beans were planted, and we decided to take a chance and plant a few runner beans.  This is always a big gamble for us as in the past the strong winds have finished them off, ripping them to shreds and burning them with salty sea spray.  However they are tucked up against the hedge and sheltered with any luck by a group of trees – only time will tell if they are to be successful or not in this microclimate.

Below is a picture showing three runner bean roots from last year which have been recently removed from another site in Sandgate to make room for fresh plants.  When runner beans are finished, they are usually cut back down to the ground or simply left to be removed at a later date.  However, if the winter is not too harsh, the roots can survive and re-sprout the following year, so that new seeds need not be sown.  Some growers even dig up the roots and over-winter them in a frost free place until they can be planted out again.

We had a reminder this week that seeds are not always what they seem to be, or say they are.  We had sown a packet of snapdragons which were pricked out and carefully potted up into modules, only to discover that they were not snapdragons at all but poppies, with one or two of what we wanted amongst them.  This was very frustrating as it takes time to nurture some seedlings, and although we like poppies we have plenty happily sowing themselves around the garden, and would never grow them in the way we would snapdragons, which is probably why they look so sick in the picture.  It just goes to show that you are at the mercy of the seed provider unless you save your own seeds.

On Saturday a couple of us went to a fascinating compost course in Hawkhurst on the borders of Kent and East Sussex.  This course was being run by Michael, the founder of the Compost Club in Lewes/Brighton.  We are busy honing our composting skills as we appreciate that the life in your soil is as important as the life in your own gut.  If the balance of bacteria and microorganisms is vital for your health, then in the same way the right bacteria and microorganisms in the soil are vital to the health and well-being of the plants.  We still have much to learn, but feel positive that we are on the right lines, and are moving towards creating the best conditions for our garden soils.

What’s next?

• Inoculate the plots next week if the conditions are right.

• Sow some replacement mange tout

• Repot the cucumbers and squashes if ready as well as seed sown asparagus

• Plant the leeks and maybe celery/celeriac

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 21st May: An oasis right in the middle of a concrete jungle.

It was a particularly busy gardening session on Wednesday.  The nursery school from Saga came to have a look at the plot as well as new visitors there for the first time and some familiar faces from last summer/autumn.  We sowed plenty of outdoor cucumber seeds, and then planted the courgettes and dwarf beans.  It has all become a juggling act to squeeze in as much as possible, allowing the purple sprouting to finish before we can create even more space for yet more plants. 

On Saturday the companion plants of French marigolds were put in place as well as some morning glory vines and cosmos.  The basil seedlings got potted up to grow on some more, as did some asters grown from seed.

Brockhill School got in contact to ask us to have a look at the latest improvements to their walled kitchen garden.  It is such an exciting project, and such a shame that the first growing experiences have been in a difficult year.  The weather has been an issue as well as the fact they have the added difficulty of dealing with rabbits eating everything newly planted.  However a new rabbit proof fence has been put in place now and the first of the fabulous wooden greenhouses has been restored.  What a wonderful resource. 

Talking of new gardens, we were interested in a new initiative in Birmingham, where a community garden is being created right in the centre of the city on top of a multi-storey car park.  It will be an oasis right in the middle of a concrete jungle with raised beds, greenhouses, and even a café.  It goes to show that when space is at a premium, it is all about being creative.

What’s next?

• Has the purple sprouting now finished?

• Plant more flowers

• Are there enough courgettes?

• Sow a few lettuces

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 13th May: Longer, warmer daylight hours are contributing to a faster rate of growth.

There is not much to be said about the weather this week.  We lurch from one warm sunny day to rain and wind the next; however it seems that our little corner of the world has missed out on torrential downpours just a little further inland. 

The longer, warmer daylight hours are certainly contributing to a fast rate of growth, with many more of the trees out in full leaf and lots of blossom still in evidence.

The planters in Sandgate High Street and along the seafront got a generous topping of compost and a few new plants this week.  Long overdue, but the weather and temperatures were never quite right before now to subject new vulnerable plants to the seafront. 

A few more squash seeds were sown this week as unfortunately pigeons decided to make short work of some of the previously sown squashes when the mistake was made of putting them outside on a balcony to get some direct sunshine.  The frustrating thing is they are not eaten, just pulled up by the roots, however yet another lesson has been learnt.  The purple sprouting broccoli is growing smaller with every new flush of growth which means it will soon be coming to an end and we shall have room to accommodate the squashes and courgettes. 

The zinnia seedlings all got separated out into new modules to grow on and the many tomato plants got sorted.  It does not feel ideal to be putting the tomatoes outside in their beds right now, but they are starting to climb out of the pots and so we took a chance. 

The broad beans are looking particularly good at the moment with plenty of lush growth and flowers and having now removed their growing tips they can concentrate on attracting the pollinators and growing some beans.  Another new line of string was run around the outside of the beans and their posts to help them stand tall and not get blown or flop over.  The hops have all had new strings attached to the growing posts, and only a few shoots are allowed to grow whilst the rest are removed.

What’s next?

• Sow a few more courgettes

• Sort out the spare tomato plants for passing on

• Weed around the bowser end of the plot at Enbrook

• Repot the basil seedlings

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 6th May: Bore Place, Bumblebees and Muddy Wellies.

The rainfall for April was 89.5mm, so it is hardly surprising we have been looking forward to signs of warmth and better days.  A couple of good sunny days this week have suddenly revived most of the plants and we have had to start watering newly planted seedlings and potted plants.

On Tuesday a few of us had a meeting at Bore Place near Sevenoaks with the Kent Food Partnership.  We were treated to a tour of their organic market garden, and although on a much larger scale, it was somewhat reassuring to know that the head gardener was experiencing exactly the same issues as we are; having to hold back planting many plants until the conditions are right.  In forty years of gardening, he has never known such a cold and wet spring.  Fortunately we do not have to make a living from selling food, and it reminds you that all growers are at the mercy of nature and weather which can affect them financially.

This week we have been busy sowing more leeks and the first of the beans.  The pigeons took a liking to the courgette and squash seedlings, fortunately many were saved although we will need to sow a few more.  New lettuce plants were put into spaces where they were missing in the lettuce bed, and the growing tips of the broad beans were pinched out to deter the blackfly which are just starting to appear.  We shared the growing tips as they can be eaten as a salad leaf or steamed.  The alley garden has been weeded as well as the orchard area in Sandgate Park. 

On Thursday some of us joined the Sandgate Environmental Action Group on a bumblebee walk at Pent Farm in Postling.  This gave us an opportunity to try catching bees to enable us to identify them before returning them back to where they were seen foraging.  It was a lovely evening and we did manage to find some bumblebees although there seemed to be more honey bees in evidence.  It was a delight to see that the house martins were busy searching for food, and the skylarks can be heard above the fields.

On Friday there was an invite from the community Garden ‘Muddy Wellies’ to see their orchard in full flower.  It was indeed a spectacular sight.  Just two years ago some of us helped to prune the overgrown cherry orchard which is now in great shape.  If the blossom is anything to go by, they could be in for a bumper crop of cherries which they sell to raise funds for the garden. 

What’s next?

• Still need to check the hops

• Prick out the Zinnia seedlings

• Sow a few more lettuces and courgettes/squash

• Sort out tomato plants

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.