Tim Prater

It has to be said that in the whole history of this newsletter, since the Sandgate Community Garden began, this one has been the most challenging!  Having managed up to now to avoid catching Covid, it has come knocking on my door, and I (Leonie) am just going into my second week stuck at home.  Fortunately we have good communication systems amongst our lovely dedicated team of gardeners, and so I have managed to glean all that has been happening without me.

The great thing about knowing so many vegetable growers is that they are experts at making the most delicious soups.  Many thanks to Erica for a large pot of spicy veg soup / stew which was just the thing needed at that time, for the shopping delivered to the door, and all the messages offering help, it was most appreciated and just confirms that our community is truly amazing.

Parsnip soup made from our own garden parsnips was again causing some envy.  Knowing that we are frequently asked for the recipes, the maker Rosie, has already obliged:

Parsnip Soup Recipe.
– 3 parsnips
– 600 ml water
– Chicken stock cube
– Knob of butter
– Milk to taste
Prepare and chop parsnips. Fry for a short time in butter. Add chicken stock. When soft liquidise, add milk, salt, pepper.
As I used community garden parsnips I relied on their flavour so didn’t add an onion or herbs/spices. Recipe approx amounts.

St Valentine’s Day marks the beginning of the seed sowing for the year, when peas for shoots, coriander, parsley, spinach, cabbage, spring onions, broccoli and radishes got sown indoors to germinate in modules or seed trays.  This year we have at least a dozen varieties of lettuce which will be interesting.  The broccoli failed to germinate at all however the seed packet was out of date and this time the gamble of giving them a go, failed.  There is still plenty of time to try again.

Rosie has been highly delighted with her homegrown purple sprouting broccoli this week and sent a picture, shown below.  It can be true that much of growing anything is based on luck, faced with weather conditions, insects, and hungry pigeons; however the results are looking pretty good.  Her variety is earlier than ours at Enbrook Park, which is not due to be ready to pick until April.  Of course, if you have the time to plan, plus plenty of room it is possible to have broccoli in season all year round.

The Incredible Edible group have recently bought a 110 litre water bowser on large wheels which can be pulled by hand along the street to water planters.  It will be very interesting to find out just how manoeuvrable and easy to use this thing will be, as we always have issues in getting enough water to some of the other garden areas outside of Enbrook Park and have so far had to rely on carting 20 litre containers full of water about.  The only foreseen problem is that Sandgate has so many hills and a full bowser might possibly be something that only the strongest can manage.  We are looking forward to giving it a go.

I have been saved the misery of having to see the garden at Enbrook Park the day after storm Eunice which struck on Friday.  It seems there were no broken trees or branches this time, but naturally the fleece and mesh covers got a good battering as did many of the plants.  All was put right on Saturday morning by our gardeners, however the pond has got more things floating in it than it should, and it is not very clear if high winds are set to return over the next few days.  Fingers are crossed that the very worst has now passed. 

The beekeepers have just been celebrating the fact that the bees at the garden hives are able to forage and collect pollen now that spring is on the horizon.

What’s next?

• Sow broccoli seeds

• Sow more radishes

• Sort out the pond

• Check on all the other growing areas for any damage

At last the time has come to start sowing those seeds, but not all of them, just those that can tolerate cold weather and cope should there be a change in the current warm and sunny period.  We are talking about peas (for pea shoots), spring onions, radishes, lettuces, spinach, parsley, broad beans, broccoli, coriander and early cabbage.

We were contacted by a lovely lady by the name of Rosemary, keen to pass on her own locally collected flower and plant seeds.  Rosemary volunteers for the Romney Marsh community garden as well as the Hythe Environmental group, where she can be seen regularly at their seed swaps, with knowledge and support for anybody that needs it. Rosemary gave us several plants and collected seeds.  We are delighted to make yet another contact, and plan to go and visit Rosemary at her community garden in New Romney soon.  As we have learnt from our recent seed saving course, locally collected seed is more likely to thrive in the same area being used to the climate.

We know that volunteering has several benefits, from building community and your social network to developing emotional stability and helping mental wellbeing.  Over time we have met so many inspirational and encouraging people, and made many links with local organisations and individuals all striving to improve and support our society.  The reward as a volunteer is priceless, but the need is great and there is a vast amount of choice for anybody looking to offer their services. 

Below is a picture taken by one of our volunteers of a nearby post box, enhanced by an excellent knitter which made us all smile and wonder at the incredible hidden talents out there.

We are looking for keen gardeners to help us look after various sites around Sandgate, to plant, water, and weed, maybe even grow flowering plants to make our area look its best.  We were contacted to meet an amazing trio, valiantly working hard to clear and make good the overgrown grounds surrounding our very own St Paul’s churchyard on Sandgate Hill.  Unfortunately the grounds had become quite overgrown, and being adjacent to the main road, is in full sight, and looked unloved.  Natalie took up the challenge and volunteered with two other recruits to begin the clearance and nurturing of the rescued plants, however they are looking for more help.  They are a delightful group, very friendly and chatty, so perhaps if you are looking to volunteer somewhere, this could be for you!   Please contact Leonie on 07840138308 if you would like to help – your community needs you even if you can only spare an hour or two!

The Incredible Edible group in Cheriton had a sudden influx of volunteers when many of the Nepalese community got stuck in with weeding and tidying.  Possibly the best part of the session was the mugs of tea and copious amounts of homemade cake which seemed to go down well.  The Incredible Edibles hope to be able to support the Nepalese community with a planting area or areas in the grounds of their new community centre in Cheriton.

We got some important jobs done this week.  The children’s nursery at Saga were donated a beautiful specimen apple tree for their growing area last year, and it got a pruning, supervised by the interested children, to get it back into shape for the coming season.  They were delighted to show off their spring flowers and overwintered vegetables growing in the planters.  We are hoping to be able to support them better this year now that restrictions are easing.

The large pots of mint that overflowed last year got turned out, split into smaller sections and re-potted in fresh soil, as did a very congested arum lily.  More self-sown seedlings appear every week it seems and were either planted in a better spot or potted up for use elsewhere.

We did get to pick a few mustard leaves, some broccoli shoots and some kale leaves that had been netted and left to recover for some weeks after being practically shredded to bits by the pigeons.  They are currently eying up the purple sprouting and have managed to strip a few plants if any strong winds displace the protective netting.

What’s next?

• Get sowing

• Sort out those tayberry plants

• Keep an eye on the fleece and net covers if it is windy

• Some signs need replacing