Tim Prater

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 30th March: Who would have thought that mice like nasturtium seeds?

It is certainly starting to get very busy at the community garden at Enbrook Park. The sun has been shining for much of the week, and the rain that was promised and already needed failed to do much at all. So it was that we had to take up the watering cans straight away during the Saturday morning session, and a note taken to try to remember to bring the water pump next week as it will make the task so much easier and quicker!!

With so much warmth and sunshine, needless to say, things are starting to grow pretty fast from the overwintering crops to the new seedlings both in the ground and in the greenhouse. The greenhouse seedlings have to be watered now every day whereas we used to get away with just every other day.

Who would have thought that mice like nasturtium seeds, as unfortunately they have tucked into a whole tray which was sown recently. The other bad news is that the weeds seem to be growing just as fast as the plants we do want to keep and so a task for next week will be to get out the hoes and make short work of them before they get a grip.

Spring onions, chives and beetroot seedlings got planted out into plots this week, and covered in netting just to allow them to take root as something wild is very busy digging holes all over the place, and if it took to a newly planted bed, the seedlings would stand no chance at all. The turnips and kohlrabi had to be pinched out as we had sown two seeds per cell and it seems all of them had taken. It is a shame to have to remove seedlings but these vegetables prefer to be on their own and would be fighting over the water, so it is best to take one of the seedlings out – luckily they are not wasted and can be put into a stir fry.

The daffodils are going over now, and an effort was made to dead head them this week so that the bulb can direct energy back to itself rather than to the seed head. Happily, the English marigolds are just starting to flower, and the cerinthe, as you can see from a picture below, are just starting to show some colour too. The last of the kale was taken out, and some cardoons were moved but unfortunately not the globe artichokes because they had grown too large already. Maybe next year.

Perhaps the best news was to hear that the fantastic hummingbird moth which we often comment on and living in one of our gardens in Sandgate, has been seen again. It seems pretty early as apparently it is a summer visitor to the UK.

What’s next?

• Lots of seeds still need to be sown
• Finish staking the broad beans
• Get some strings in for the hops too
• Weeds need to be hoed.

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 23rd March: The banana tree is making a comeback.

The temperatures improved this week and it was mostly dry with some sunshine which meant that we have begun watering again.  Fortunately there is not much to water but the pots certainly have needed it.

The daffodils are now past their best and the bluebells are starting to take over as well as the forget-me-nots.  We find that the bluebells seed all over the place and so they need removing in large quantities, however we do not feel guilty about it as they are the Spanish variety and not the English.  We leave them to flower in some places but not if they pop up in the beds and the paths.  Another companion plant we have been removing is the nasturtium.  It also appears in great numbers, self-seeding everywhere, but as it is not as invasive as the bluebells we have replanted them in other areas.

We were pleased to notice that the banana tree is making a comeback, has survived the winter, and is throwing out a brand new leaf.   Surprisingly, the overwintered broad beans are now starting to flower so we hope there will be some bees around to fertilise them as they are popular with the bees.  It is lovely to see the new growth starting to appear, and our fingers are crossed that the lemon verbena, a favourite herb, has survived the winter too but there are no signs of growth just yet. 

A tray of spinach got planted, and will eventually replace the spinach we have growing in the plots which have kept going throughout the winter.  At times they were practically eaten right down to the ground by the pigeons making the most of the netting being blown off by high winds; however they have bounced back and have been providing some decent pickings.  The last of the leeks were taken up, and the first bunches of chives cut. 

We sowed plenty of seeds – two trays of celeriac, more English marigolds, French marigolds, corn marigolds and snap dragons.  More calabrese seedlings got pricked out along with some greyhound cabbages to grow on back in the greenhouse.   We have some sweet peas which were repotted and sent back to the greenhouse as it is too early to put them outside just yet. 

What’s next?

• Check if the hops need stringing
• Still need to move the globe artichokes
• Weed the broad beans and get in some border posts
• Sow more lettuce

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 16th March: Sow yet more seeds with the promise of better weather.

This week has seen the return of plummeting temperatures, below average for this time of year.  Just as the newly sown seeds were starting to romp away, basking in the glorious warm sunshine of last week, they have now slowed down and have hardly put on any growth at all.  

However we have braved the cold and continued to prick out yet more cabbages and sow yet more seeds with the promise of better weather this coming week.  

The kale had decided to rise up in an attempt to flower and so we took them all out to harvest the leaves and compost what was left.  The rhubarb seems to be appreciative of the cow manure mulch and is looking sturdy with lots of green leaves appearing.  

Time was well spent retrieving some of the wood chip paths where either the mole or the birds had disturbed them; throwing the chips into the compost beds and making them untidy.  You can see from the picture below that we are now ready to fill those beds as soon as the plants are ready.  We have kept an eye on the hops which were dug out and split a couple of weeks ago, keeping them watered and checking on any signs of new growth.  

We had heard from two friends of the garden, Eddie and Rita, on holiday in the mountainous region of Taiwan being taught how to pick tea by a minority indigenous tribe there.  Apparently the whole area is strictly organic, and no chemical sprays are allowed.  What an amazing experience that must have been and look forward to hearing more about it.  

What’s next?

• Prick out more calabrese 
• Sow some of the more hardy companion plants 
• Transfer some of the nasturtiums in the asparagus beds
• Transfer globe artichoke 

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.