Tim Prater

It has been ‘hunt the cucumber’ week as all the plants have been scattered along the wall and in any available space so that when they trail along and produce fruit, they can appear just about anywhere.  It makes for an interesting time finding them, and an achievement when one gets found after the search is called off.  The tomatoes are starting to try to do something now with a first fruit picked, but many gardeners are telling how theirs are lost to blight this year.  We shall have to keep fingers crossed that ours survive as they are slow to get going this year and have been put back further by the strong winds.  We have been comparing site conditions as one of our gardeners has been picking tomatoes for some time. 

The Hythe Hops group has started the process of deciding on harvest dates for all the hops in the area.  It seems optimistic to be contemplating a harvest as our poor hops at Enbrook were looking somewhat brown and crispy after the salty winds last swept through however happily some new shoots have fought their way through and are sending out some flowers so all is not lost, there should be something to pick and contribute. 

The winter radishes sown last week got planted on Saturday, and the mustards sown in the week along with the spinach, are up already through the soil in their modules, which puts the pressure on to find and clear more beds to make space.  The celery bed should be free soon as we are having to harvest them quite quickly as some of them are bolting.  Like the celeriac, after they were sown way back in the early spring, we had several days of colder weather making them believe they were experiencing winter so that when the summer arrived, they had been fooled into thinking they were in their second summer which triggers them to produce flowers followed by seeds.  The plant then becomes tough and bitter so needs to be removed as soon as possible.  Chris, obviously our speediest gardener made hers into a fabulous soup within two hours of being picked.  It looked fabulous in a picture on our WhatsApp group.   Other plants confused by the seasons are some cowslips planted in the seafront planters, now currently flowering. 

We have been checking under the netting of the brassicas, removing yellowing and doyley leaves chewed by the illusive keel slugs.  We have invested in more fine mesh this year, not just for the brassicas but also to protect new plantings until established.  The netting over a bed of chard was removed in order to use it to protect the new radishes, as the chard is now a few weeks old.  However, as soon as it was removed, an opportunistic pigeon caught sight of the unprotected chard and swiftly flew in to start work on them before being noticed and shooed away!  The chard got covered again!

There is a picture below of a Jersey Tiger moth seen at Fremantle Park this week, such a beautiful creature and a treat to see, we are always on the lookout for more unusual sightings in the locality.

The Sandgate Sea Festival is fast approaching and we are starting to collect things for our stall to raise some funds to keep our Sandgate projects old and new progressing as well as contributing to our sister group, The Incredible Edibles based in Cheriton.  Many thanks to Terry for contacting us and donating some beautiful house plants, thanks also to Marjorie for funding towards seeds and pants for next year.  We will be doing our utmost to help you part with some of your cash should you venture our way on the day!

What’s next?

• Not looking like rain is on the near horizon so back to some watering

• Pot up more plants for the stall

• Keep an eye out for any signs of blight

• Check busy areas for some weeds hiding

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Big change over of plants at the moment, lots of new sowings and trying to find room to plant kale and yet more lettuces which need a few weeks to grow before they can take over from the lettuces we are currently picking so as not to disrupt the supply. 

We have a bed near the top gate to the garden which has been something of a dilemma to us as whatever we plant there will grow for a few weeks then starts to turn yellow, is stunted and fails to thrive.  We are not sure if the compost we added there is contaminated with something, or if the original soil underneath is the problem. So that we can still use the precious space we have put raised beds there filled with more soil in the hope that depth of growing matter will sort the issue. 

Raised beds cause their own problems, attracting snails and slugs with plenty of hiding places, and can dry out around the edges fast, but we will give it a chance and see what happens, and it has to be better than trying to grow in a contaminated space. 

Always be aware that if your plants fail to come up to your expectations it might not be your fault as regards how much care you put in; it could be a problem with the environment, the soil (even if it was compost bought in bags) or the seeds you started with.  Unfortunately it can make beginners think they are doing something wrong when in fact they stood little chance of success in the first place as the failure had been caused by something else out of their control.   The main thing is to start again and just get growing as there is always something to learn along the way and the rewards are great when it does go well.

The autumn and winter radishes got sown and by Saturday were already poking out above the ground, they are so fast to get going.  The Nero kale got pricked out, and a few plants in the garden beds lost to slugs got replaced with spares.  Three trays of spinach have been sown for the autumn, and we will have to consider starting to sow the winter mustards and hardy lettuces which could take us through the winter months. 

Although most of the brassicas are covered in Enviromesh so that they cannot be reached by butterflies wanting to lay their eggs, the swedes did get forgotten to be included in the brassica family (a common problem).  With no mesh covering or spray they consequently had been chewed to bits and smothered in caterpillars until given a dose of our organic bacterial spray and are now starting to recover.  The swedes will be a true test as to how our experiment with the spray will fare.  We love caterpillars and butterflies but have given them alternatives to take so that we can grow viable brassicas as an important food source over the colder months.  Meanwhile the Incredible Edible team in Cheriton decided on a policy not to spray and to allow the brassicas to be eaten by caterpillars which of course they are.  

The Cheriton Incredible Edible team have been clearing some of the planters where the plants had reached maturity, and replenished with new stock for both humans and insects.  Below is a picture of the herb planter outside the butchers shop.  The butcher always takes time to water and care for his planter and he has been rewarded with a lovely display of herbs with plenty of visiting bees and hoverflies.  It has to be said that this year there are many homes, shops, pubs and restaurants along Sandgate High Street growing some amazing floral displays; it really makes a difference and brightens the street for all to enjoy.

The Sandgate Sea & Food Festival is rapidly on its way and we hope to have some plants on our stall to raise some funds.  If you have any spare house or garden plants please get in touch via email, text/call on 07840 138308, or pop in to the garden Wednesday or Saturday mornings.  We are really looking forward to seeing you there, and hope you will stop at our stall and say hello.

What’s next?

• Sow the mustards

• Prick out the overcrowded Chervil, coriander and dill seedlings

• Check the wall plantings for random cucumbers and tomato plants needing attention.

• Check the celery for side shoots and remove

• Check the celeriac for old leaves that need removing

• Check under nets for weeds and remove old leaves trailing on the ground.

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Wow!  It is August already and nobody is quite sure how that happened so quickly.  On Saturday morning it was great to be able to go along to the grand reopening of the Sandgate Society Fire Station, have a glass of bubbly and/or a coffee and to see people again.  There seemed to be quite a few new members recently moved into the area, and lots of conversations about growing things in the garden and how different vegetables had fared this year.

There was a question about why radishes were not successful this summer.  We only grow radishes in the cooler weather, early spring and from August onwards as they bolt and go to seed in the warm weather.  We are just starting to sow autumn and winter radishes from this week, such as the Asian Daikon or mooli radish and the large watermelon radish which can overwinter.   The next opportunity for more garden conversations will be at the Sandgate Sea and Food Festival on 29^th August – we will be there with a stall so please find us and say hello.

The garden is always a great conversation starter, from what to grow when, through to the sharing of recipes and pictures of some amazing meals made using Community Garden produce on Instagram, Facebook and our very active WhatsApp group.  Currently popular and in season are courgette recipes and various vases of sweet peas.  At the garden we have plenty of courgettes, sweet peas, salad leaves, chard, spring onions and some kale.  The new chard plants, Chinese cabbages, and Kaibroc got planted in the hope they will grow fast enough before the keel slugs can overwhelm them.  We remove slugs if we find them but keel slugs are more evasive and can disappear into the soil only to reappear at night and do their damage in the perfect damp and warm conditions we have right now.  Last week we were hoping for some rain, and happily it did happen, and continues to do so on and off which means that little hand watering is required. 

The planter outside the ship seems to be well frequented, with herbs, lettuce and chard being taken, which is as we hoped it would be used.  It is a shame that the alley at the end of Meadowbrook is so far from the High Street as that is bursting full of flower and herbs but has fewer visitors!   All our planters are for the community to share but we ask that the growing plots are left for us to pick and make available as we have certain picking methods and know what is ready and what needs to be left alone.

Finally, there is a picture below of some grape vine cuttings given to us by a kind local in the spring.  They are being kept in pots for now and starting to be trained as the hope is to plant them in the garden next spring to create our own small vineyard as a companion to the Hythe hops – very exciting!

What’s next?

• Still need to finish tidying the hedge

• Sow some radishes for winter

• Replace any lost plants

• Still need to clear and sort bed by the second gate

• Prick out the Nero kale plants

• Consider where the Endive will go!

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