Sandgate Community Garden

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 20th April: Everything seemed to be that much fresher and greener.

Hooray!  Early in the week we had a good steady downpour so that by the time we went to the next gardening session on Wednesday, plants had started to perk up and look so much happier for it.  Already the broad beans had grown by a good foot and everything seemed to be that much fresher and greener.  The radishes were taken by surprise when it rained, and started to swell so much and so fast that they burst open to produce some strange shapes. 

It looks as though there may be some more rain to come this week which is still needed and so we will cross all our fingers in the hope that it will.  At Pent farm we have already had to use many litres of the precious saved rainwater and hope that ‘April showers’ is still a thing if we are ever able to collect more rainwater before the summer arrives.

The courgettes did get sown, along with two trays of sweet corn, but not the squashes which will be a job for this week.  The peas for pea pods and the peas for pea shoots got planted out, then the wigwam for the sweet peas was put up and the sweet peas planted around it.  Coriander and lettuce plants were also made space for in some of the plots as did a few left over seed potatoes.  The tomatoes, only sown last week sprung into life so quickly that they were pricked out this week to grow on in the greenhouse at the farm, as did the cosmos, French and English marigolds. 

Of course the splash of rain was enjoyed by the weeds and so we took some time to hoe out as many of the unwanted ones as we could.  The claytonia winter lettuce is now flowering which has meant that it can still be eaten however it is clear that if left to do so it will happily sprout up again when the cooler weather appears which it did last year and has literally popped up all over the place.

What’s Next? 

• Sow the squashes and the cucumbers
• Sow some carrots
• Raise up the netting over the calabrese
• Take out invading borage seedlings

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 13th April: Plenty of spinach, the asparagus is delicious, and the radish good and crunchy.

The fact there has been no rain for so many weeks is really starting to cause problems.  The broad beans look great but are so short – they certainly should be much taller by now.  We have put off sowing the carrots and parsnips because they need to be sown directly into the ground, however the ground is now so dry that at Enbrook Park any water just runs off the surface and does not soak in.  The newly planted seedlings are struggling although we have been watering them outside of our usual gardening hours.  Again, we get the promise of rain in the future from the weather apps, but sadly it comes to nothing as the days go by and the temperatures rise.  Our fingers are crossed that a chance of rain next week does arrive.   (As if by magic, in-between writing this newsletter and sending it out – we had some rain!)

This week we sowed the tomatoes, nine different varieties, from cherry through to yellow plum, black, beefsteak and a tomato with few seeds just right for pasta sauce.  We sowed yet more English and French marigolds as well as lots of cosmos and more lettuces.  The lemon verbena had shown signs of life and got a good pruning along with the butterfly bush behind the tool box.   Many tasks have been pushed forward into next week as it takes so long to water and we run out of time and sometimes energy!

Last week it was noticed that the black fly had made an appearance in great numbers on the fast growing elder hedging.  This week it was noticed that the ladybirds had arrived in the area and had also seen the feast awaiting.  With any luck more of their friends will arrive and demolish the lot before they consider taking to the broad beans.  As regards that other well-known pest in the garden, the slug, the lack of rain has actually helped to keep them at bay for now.

We are still picking plenty of spinach, the asparagus is delicious, the radish good and crunchy and the spring onions coming to an end from the autumn plantings.

What’s next?

• Sow all the courgettes and squashes
• Plant out the peas
• Plant out the sweet peas and make a wigwam
• Take time to weed

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 6th April: What’s the difference between calabrese and broccoli?

The total rainfall for March was a shocking 6.7 mm! For early spring that is a big concern. This is the time we are starting to fill the beds with very small seedlings, but the ground is dry and we will have to water as much as we can if they are to survive as there seems to be no rain on the horizon for many days to come. The sunshine and the warmth have been most welcome of course but the lack of rain is a big problem. We noticed that where the elder in the hedge had started to grow, parts were smothered already in blackfly which could be a sign of stress. With any luck the ladybirds, usually abundant in the garden may turn up in numbers and make short work of them.

The water pump needed so that we do not have to water by hand, was remembered this week. However, having spent most of the time stored away over the autumn and winter, it decided to play up and not work on the Wednesday. When threatened with a screwdriver to take it apart, miraculously sprang into action and started to work again, meaning that on Saturday the watering got done much faster. We are hoping it is just a case of having to wake up from a long slumber and that all will be well from now on.

We had so much on the list to do this week that unfortunately not all of it was completed. We concentrated on getting seedlings planted – potatoes, cabbages, calabrese, peas for pea shoots, and a few left over spinach plants. The question was asked about the difference between calabrese and broccoli, which had not been considered before. Apparently, the large heads of ‘broccoli’ you buy at the supermarket have been misnamed and should be called calabrese; whilst the small spears of broccoli, such as purple sprouting broccoli/tender stem broccoli are true broccoli. So there it is!

We did get to sow more seeds of spring onions and leeks. It was decided that the leeks for Pent farm could be sowed and grown as a multiple with up to four leeks per planting, however the leeks for Enbrook Park are to be grown as single leeks and using the old fashioned method of planting them deep, and this is mainly because Pent farm has clay soil and is a much wetter site compared with the Enbrook Park site.

In spite of the lack of rain there is still plenty of spinach and chard, spring onions, and this week we had the treat of the first spears of asparagus, a few sticks of rhubarb, and the first three radishes! Certainly not enough for a feast, but a taste

What’s Next?

• Still need to finish the bean supports
• Still need to tie in the hops
• Carry out some extra watering between sessions
• Lots of seeds to sow/ few spare potatoes to plant

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

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.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 9th March: Perfect weather to be sitting and sowing yet more seeds.

The weather has been so fabulously sunny and warm this week, it has been a pleasure simply to sit in the garden and enjoy it!   Walking through the park to the garden you can hear the birds are enjoying the feel of spring too.  The snowdrops were spectacular this year, and now they are giving way to the daffodils and primroses.

Perfect weather to be sitting and sowing yet more seeds.  The greenhouse is already starting to look quite crowded, yet more calabrese, onions, spring onions, spinach and radishes were sown along with some celery.  The cabbages and calabrese sown in mid February were large enough to be transplanted into larger plant trays giving them more space to grow on in the greenhouse.

The first planting of the year, the radishes took place on Saturday, and we know that from now on it will be busy keeping up with the sowing timetable and the watering of the seed trays before they dry out in the sunshine. 

We have been donated our first plants for our two summer plant sales already.  We have decided not to put all of our trust into raising funds just at the Sandgate Sea Festival 2025, but to double our chances and take part in the Sandgate Safari to be held in June.  The task has begun to make sure we have plenty to offer for both dates.

We have some produce we can share left over from planting last summer/autumn.  We have kale, claytonia (winter lettuce), mustard, sorrel and some leeks.  The leeks were planted sometime in June last year after an April sowing, and unfortunately never managed to make a great size.  We have put it down to the fact that we have to be careful with our watering, and suspect they could have done with more during the summer months.  Never mind, they have a great flavour.

What’s next?

• Sow more lettuce
• If no rain, water the hops again
• Probably more brassicas to prick out
• Take out the kale once picked

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 2nd March: HELLO!  WE ARE BACK!

In actual fact we have not been away from the community gardens but have been forced on occasions to miss gardening sessions due to the cold or the wet.  Quite often we would meet up for just an hour or so before fingers and toes go numb and we abandon the tasks and head for home to defrost or dry out.

The rainfall for January was 83.6 mm and for February 55.3 mm.  It has seemed so grey and dull these past months but with the longer daylight hours we have recently seen the return of the sun and a few warmer days.  In fact the daffodils and the wallflowers are now in bloom and the garden is starting to look brighter for them.   

There has been plenty to do over the winter months.  We got in some loads of wood chips and put them down on our paths to make sure we never have to get our boots muddy.  Unfortunately, after several stormy days, the netting on the purple sprouting broccoli came loose and the plants got broken or eaten by the pigeons.  Luckily the pigeons do not bother with broad beans, and these survived the winter and are currently starting to grow their second and third shoots.  At the Pent farm garden, it was a different story – the purple sprouting broccoli survived but the broad beans did not simply because the beans were dug up and eaten by rodents.

In the ground at Enbrook Park we have overwintered parsley, coriander, sorrel, chard, spinach, mustards, kale, leeks and spring onions.  The other beds are prepped with a fresh layer of compost and ready for planting when the new young plants are ready.  We got some bags full of cow manure onto the rhubarb bed, and fresh compost over the asparagus beds.

As soon as we got to Valentines day the seed sowing started and the potatoes bought for chitting to be planted out in late March or early April.  So far we have sown radishes, spring onions, lettuce, spring cabbage, calabrese, beetroot, spinach, kohl rabi, turnips, peas, parsley, coriander and a few broad beans as replacements.  From now on it will be all about keeping up with the seed sowing, watering and care, then transplanting the seedlings into the ground as soon as possible.  Already the radishes are trying to climb out of their seed tray and will need planting out this coming week.

We have been fortunate to have support from volunteers at Napier barracks.  They have shifted many wheelbarrows of wood chips, turned a compost heap or two, and just this week helped to dig out the hops along the brick wall, dig in some cow manure and replanted a few chosen hop roots.  Their new shoots are already in evidence, and it will not be long before they are climbing and winding their way up their supports.

What’s next? 

• Plant out the radishes and cover with fleece
• Sow more calabrese
• Split the oregano plants
• Tether the tayberry to the wires

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 15th December: We wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

The stormy weather seems to have subsided for now, leaving us with dreary gloomy days with little or no sunshine until it decided to make a surprise appearance on Saturday afternoon.  It did mean that we could get to the garden on both of our working mornings, which was a bonus.

With the passing of storm Darragh, we took stock of the damage.  The poor banana tree was shredded even more than it was before, the nets were off and it seems the pigeons had taken advantage and moved in, stripping many of the purple sprouting leaves.  So we set about covering the plants again.  Fortunately the pigeons are not interested in the broad beans, and although their warm fleece coverings were missing, they were still all present and correct.

Two of our gardeners are currently out in Australia for a few weeks and will be spending Christmas there.  It is hard to imagine a Christmas in the summertime, which it currently is over there.  They got in touch to say that they had stumbled across an amazing community garden they found where they are staying, and forwarded some pictures.  It was evident that their banana trees were in the same state as our own, with shredded leaves, but really interesting to see so many different plants there which you would probably not see in a community garden here.  We look forward to hearing all about it on their return.

This is the last newsletter for a while.  We will be returning in January with the latest news.  We will be making visits to the gardens, checking on the plants and of course the state of the netting.  The hot composter at the Folkestone College will continue to be fed with food waste over the Christmas period.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 8th December: Now you can see just how handsome our resident robin is.

We are rapidly hurtling towards the end of the year.  The rainfall for November was a healthy but surprisingly low 55.3 mm.  We have had so many rainy days of late, however the rain is mostly drizzle and not torrential.  Without a doubt the main topic for the weather is the constant battering from storms.  They seem to be coming one after another and so we must truly be in the stormy season.  This weekend brought storm Darragh which stopped us coming out on Saturday morning.  Yet again we shall have to wait for it to pass before checking on the damage on top of the storm we had last week. 

Fortunately Wednesday was fine and dry, giving us an opportunity at last to get the broad beans planted.  The fact that we have any beans to plant at all is a minor miracle because of the ravenous rodents we seem to have in the greenhouse, so it was something of a relief to get them in the ground at last.  Now all they have to do is to be able ride through the weather and the winter and hopefully survive.  To help them along we got out the sad and sorry looking fleece to give them a little protection from the winds and any future frosts.  We had hoped to be able to cover them with some new and hole less fleece, however the Christmas post has been slow and it had still not turned up for the great plant out.  We shall now have to hope and pray that the fleece is not on its way to Folkestone already as Darragh continues to howl and rage, although at the very least it will probably have gained a few more holes.

As usual the resident robin was curious to know what we were up to this week and posed just long enough for one of our speedy gardeners to catch its likeness with her phone camera – we had been trying to do that for some weeks – now you can see just how handsome he is.

Happy with our work, we packed away just as it was about to start drizzling again, so most of our other tasks remain unfinished and are to be carried forward into next week.

What’s next?

• Remove goji berry
• Order some wood chips
• Clear any suckers coming up in the middle of plots
• Keep putting down compost on any uncovered areas

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.