Eggscitement in the garden!

We hid over 100 little easter eggs throughout the garden on Sunday. We placed them in every conceivable nook and cranny, we thought that some would never be found.. but we were wrong! Our little "choc" seekers tracked them all down with ruthless efficiency!


We also managed to sow seeds; carrot (bed 15),kale (bed 10),spinach (bed 19).
We transplanted the healthy looking broccoli from cold frame to bed 18.


The resident "Master gardener" (that's me btw) gave a less than proficient demonstration of how to make newspaper seed pots but despite this everyone soon got the hang of it and we potted up courgette, squash and runner beans for the cold frame. We also made a few more to be carefully home reared.



We all had a great time in the sun...picnic, people and plants! What could be better? Thanks to everyone who took part.Particularly our local Master gardener co-ordinator Rick who gave an enthusiastic demonstration of sowing the kale!

Master gardeners unleashed!

Nick and I along with 15 others completed the first Lincolnshire Master gardener course in Boston (can you spot the stump!) last weekend. Weather was great and so was the training! Philip Turvil and Rick Aron from Garden Organic did a terrific job and enthused us all to get out and spread the word.."It's easy to grow and eat your own veg!"

I would recommend anyone that has a little bit of growing experience but a lot of desire to help novice gardeners get growing, to get involved with the program. The local co-ordinator for volunteers is Rick Aron : raron@gardenorganic.org.uk

In the photos of the weekend, you'll see Philip demonstrating how to "hook" in the audience with a pile of compost! and how to assess the soil conditions before you start giving advice.

Hope to see you on Easter Sunday for egg hunt..I shall be modeling the groovy Master gardener T shirt! (I just hope I'm not contravening the Trade descriptions act!)

Pea Tepee!

Rhubarb's looking good, we've taken out flowers to try to promote leaf growth.

We've been given some pea seedlings by one of my neighbour's. We've taken the gamble of planting them out, fingers crossed the really cold weather doesn't return!

We've also been given some comfrey to propogate and make green manure. Apparently it is "bocking 14" which means it

does not seed as well. Once established we should be able to get 4 cuts a season from the plants. Lots of ways we can use it, so more about that later in the year.

We also transplanted a selection of the potted herbs in the small bed number 9..leaving abit of room for the fennel we'll sow later on.

I've invested some of funds into a 30m hosepipe which means we can fill the water butt and save endless traipsing of watering cans from tap to garden..now it's just butt to garden!

British Summer Time!

With clocks wound on by an hour, we met on Sunday to celebrate spring 2011 at the garden. We planted out the shallots and onion sets in bed 12 and sowed the calabrese seed in a tray for the cold frame. We also made a fence around bed 12, replaced the tap on the water butt and fitted watering can roses to the watering cans (all purchased with the money raised from the Earth gig the night before).

Access to the garden maybe a little tricky for the next few months, so if you'd like to have a look round just let either myself or Maggie know and we'll arrange to meet you there.

Earth Hour Gig!

Just wanted to record a big Thankyou!

We raised £44.00 for the community food garden project at the Earth Hour gig last night.

Thanks to everyone for being so generous and particularly to Yvonne, Mark and Nathan. They really are the heroes of live music in Louth, they commit both their time and their finances to do what they do and I, for one, am very grateful.

The other bit of good news is that I have the promise of a donated/renovated wheel barrow so perhaps we can use this money for a water butt or two!

Ideas for the Gatherums

I was in Bristol this weekend and discovered these raised beds at St Werburgh's Farm,
they were very substantial and bordered by a willow arch and screen. I thought they look good and would be a practical solution for the Gatherums.. what do you think?

Garden update

Noel, Janet, Eddie,Alison and Maggie met in the garden on Sunday.
The garlic is growing well and one broad bean has emerged.
They planted half a bed of parsnips and half a bed of beetroot and covered them with fleece to protect from the cold nights, then watered the seeds, broad beans, leeks, garlic, rhubarb and fruit bushes. The water butt is getting low so hopefully we'll be able to get the builders to refill it in the absence of any rainfall!

Last Thursday I met Sarah Pillans and some eco students to help plant the donated apple trees.
They look good in their new home to the east of the raised beds.
There are two bramleys, one ellison orange and two other varieties (sorry should have written them down!)