Tim Prater

The snowdrops are out in Enbrook Park, and Imbolc (Gaelic/pagan festival of spring) has already passed us by.  So very tempting this time of the year when the sun comes out, to go get the seeds and start sowing, but not before St Valentine’s Day!  There is just one more week to wait.

The rainfall for January was 49mm which seemed to have happened on the 8^th when it rained all day. After that we did not see any substantial rain and we have had to water the pots several times.  The plants taking shelter in the cold frames were removed this week as they can dry out too quickly once the sun starts to shine for any length of time, and the weather does not look too cold for the foreseeable future.

The pond edges got weeded, a few spare plants planted around the edges, and more time spent fishing leaves out of the water.  Another bird box was kindly donated and fixed to a nearby tree, and a wooden handmade planter, also donated, was picked up with thanks.  Time was well spent litter picking and tidying the little green outside the Fish and Chip shop in the High Street.  It is good to see that the bulbs planted back in the autumn are starting to come through. 

Although too early for sowing seeds it is certainly not too early to start off your potatoes.  Seed potatoes are available now for ‘chitting’ where the ‘eyes’ of the potato seeds are allowed to grow shoots before being planted at the end of March or early April.  Always tricky to recommend varieties as you need to consider what works best for you, as well as your growing conditions and personal taste.  All varieties have their own merits but the main thing is they are grown by us and nothing else will taste any better!  There is just no comparison with anything bought in a shop. 

Some of the netting was temporarily removed to mulch the base of the overwintering broccoli and kale to give them that extra boost now they are building up to their main cropping time in March and April, perhaps through to May.  It was surprising to find a caterpillar or two still grazing amongst the brassica leaves. It feels incredible for February but it seems not unusual as we have heard reports of other caterpillar finds in local gardens and in the UK south.

Since reporting last week that there were various growing projects being initiated in and around Folkestone, even more garden organisers have been getting in touch to highlight their plans which is really good news.  So much is starting to happen locally, and it is very encouraging that these projects are reaching out to make connections because as we already know, having links with other community groups has certainly helped us.  Swapping seeds, seedlings, plants, information, even just visiting different sites can inspire and give ideas.

There is a new project happening in Fremantle Park this week, as many have noticed that two concrete bases have been set into the grass close to the playground.  One of our gardener’s children thought with great excitement that they may be rocket launching pads, which sound like a brilliant idea; however, they are in fact bases for two picnic benches.  Let us hope that their disappointment of reality is short lived.

What’s next?

• Get the garden signs painted and up;

• Get those flower seedlings potted up;

• Sort out the tayberry plants;

• Start splitting up the many mint plants and repot.

There might not be much going on at the garden these days, but there certainly is plenty happening as regards planning and organising in the background, for the year ahead as well as beyond. 

This article was in the Guardian this week, stating that the ‘UK could grow up to 40% of its own fruit and vegetables by using urban green spaces’. 

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/jan/24/uk-could-grow-up-fruit-and-vegetables-urban-green-spaces

Apparently only about 1% of urban green space is made up of allotments. The thought is that we should be using more of our gardens, parkland, playing fields and open grass spaces to grow more food.  Well, our Community Gardens, and the work of the Incredible Edibles is already using and growing in public spaces. However perhaps there are a few other issues which need to be addressed first. It seems quite shocking that currently much less than 40% of our fruit and vegetables come from the UK. 

Perhaps the main sticking points are that we expect to be able to buy certain foods all year round and out of season. We expect food to:

• look perfect and therefore probably sprayed with all sorts of chemicals;

• be cheap and plentiful

• include exotic fruits and veg from abroad we cannot possibly grow here;

And of course, some do not even eat any fruit and vegetables in the first place, or very few. 

An interesting article but a complex subject which will certainly not be changed unless there is a considerable threat to our food security and we are forced to.  The last time this happened was during the two World Wars.  Let us hope we never have to cross that bridge even in these interesting times. 

However if you are the kind of person who likes sharing ideas and inspiring change, then this event could be just up your street.  Hosted by thenextstep.org.uk  at the Eleto Café in Rendezvous Street, Folkestone, a chance to find out about local green initiatives:

‘whether you’re just curious about what you could do in your own life to become that one step greener, or you want to learn about something exciting and new, we want to offer a comfortable space for us all to share ideas and learn from one another in our community’.

This is a new initiative in Folkestone, and the second meeting was held this week where the discussion was around the possibility of a ‘Repair Shop’ in the locality, and aspects of recycling.  There were representatives from many walks of life, from businesses to councilors, to community groups, and interested individuals, young and old.  We are certainly looking forward to the next meeting which will be Wednesday 23^rd February 6-8pm.  The group can be found on Instagram and Facebook too.

Enough of the soapbox lecturing and advertising for now.  January is drawing to a close, we are fast approaching the time when we will be sowing the first of the seeds for the year, and we can look forward to longer, warmer days.  We have had several enquiries about new projects being planned, and if we can advise on starting Community Gardens or spaces.  We are always delighted to share what we have learnt along the way, the pitfalls as well as the good bits, and hope we can in some way help new groups to get going. 

Some jobs did get finished this week.  The last of the compost at the lower wall was bagged up, and the final little bit we have in the garden is all but gone.  Happily we do have plans to enable us to collect more compost to keep us in good stead for the rest of the year.  The large planter at Golden Valley did get mulched with a good layer of cardboard and compost, as did some of the growing space at Fremantle Park.  And our pond was cleared of leaf debris, a fabulous Romanesco cauliflower was found and picked, and there was much surprise in the clump of rhubarb which has appeared above the mulch layer already. 

What’s next?

• Bag up the last of the compost for Fremantle
• The pond edges still need weeding
• New signs need painting and putting up
• There are some flower seedlings which need potting up
• Do not forget to water the cold frames!