We’re getting together this Sunday, the 22nd at 1pm at the community gardens to plan projects and planting for this year. It’ll also be a chance to find out about upcoming social events and volunteer days. Whether you’re a regular or first timer, all are welcome!
The Community garden agm is tomorrow, Wednesday the 14th, at 7.30pm in the Hillcrest community centre cafe. Everyone is welcome who wishes to be involved in anyway at the Community garden this year. We’ll be discussing this year’s events and forthcoming projects and we welcome any input from members and newcomers.
We had a excellent afternoon / evening waiting to greet the walkers kicking off this year’s Diep-Haven artist residency by Ève Chabanon & Theo. We are connecting Whitehawk Community Food Project with our Community gardens and the walkers trekked from one site to the other planting apple trees at both and started to talk about ideas for something collective, fun and social connecting the two community gardens this year. While we waited for the walkers to arrive we got some good gardening jobs done and we enjoyed lots of tea & cake in between!
We have pencilled in future meetings for April 26th, June 14th and July 12th to get ready for a weekend of activities July 21-22nd. Venues to be confirmed here and the Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/147936155892738/
This year we welcome Artist Ève Chabanon to the Community gardens. She will present her diep~haven residency at Whitehawk Community Food Project and our Growing together Community gardens in Newhaven.
Through performance, writing, social observations and objects, Ève Chabanon creates situations — involving most often, local communities, marginalised groups within and outside of educational structures and creates art.
The artist will connect the two gardens with events and challenges. Rounding up to a celebratory social event. Keep up to date via the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/147936155892738/
We wind down abit at the gardens during the deep winter months. However there are still jobs to be done. We have been pruning the Willows and the fruit bushes & trees, plus planting bare root plants & bulbs for the spring. It’s a good time to move or plant dormant trees and our Walnut had been allocated a new home where it can have more room to flourish. It’s important to maintain as much root as possible when moving a tree, so we spent several hours digging it out of heavy clay & preparing its new home. A tough, muddy job, but a big one ticked off the list for 2018!
Happy New Year to all! We are looking forward to the new growing season with great anticipation. They’ll be lots to enjoy at the community gardens in 2018, so look out for updates on forthcoming events, projects & gardening days for all. 
We celebrated the end of the season, the harvest & bonfire night with fire, food & fireworks. It was a magical evening & a special full moon made an appearance through the clouds. Everyone shared a wonderful spread of food and the children especially enjoyed the sparklers & glow sticks & later we had some fireworks. We’d been collecting scrap wood for several weeks so the fire burned well all night and later in the evening we were treated to some music & singing round the fire. Thank you to everyone who attended & to all those involved in organising such a great evening.
03/10/17
Up the garden today. The sun shone and It was really hot at times. Bob continued with his Camomile planting, and I sowed some onion seeds in the raised bed. Will the slugs leave them alone ?
I also had a go at cutting the grass till the petrol ran out. I concentrated on the front of the Summerhouse, which makes It look cared-for when anyone passes, and bunged the mowings on the raised-bed-to-be. Needs filling up, plus at some stage, all the other stuff from the other compost bins, ready, hopefully for planting next year.
09/10/17
The sun eventually came out, and It was really warm. I concentrated on planting some crocus and snowdrops by the gate, and near the pond. Bob was potting up some strawberry plants, and Leanne and Paul weeded the herb bed. We found time to have a sit down with a cup of tea (sigh) and admire the view (another sigh) before we got on again.
I cleared round the back of the tool shed, to store the large pots and other things out of the way, but they will still be accessible If need be.
The grass still keeps growing, and still needs mowing, the grass cuttings helping to fill up one of the new raised beds, as well as leaves, veg peelings and hedge prunings from elsewhere.
Tricia
Up at the garden today. Rather blustery, still very mild, the sun shone and It didn’t rain. Bob was there pottering with his herbs, meanwhile I continued to clear an area by the pond for sowing some hardy annuals now, and in the spring.
No sign of the spinach and carrots I put in a short time ago. I’m blaming the Slugs ! otherwise the cosmos is looking lovely, as is the red chard, and a bit of rocket which is still there, just. Dug up some of my Pink Fir Apple spuds. Have they done well. The toms were looking OK last time l visited, but now they have been struck by the dreaded blight. It’s all this rain and mild weather. I’ve also got some marrow-type plant growing like mad producing green footballs. That’s what happens when you are given some plants and the person who gives them to you can’t remember what they were !
I was tempted to have a go at mowing the grass, as It is quite long again, but after a bout of weeding and hacking away at the long grass by the pond, I resisted, I had to have a sit down and left it for another day!
Tricia
pic by bob from summer gathering
Back in June the Community Garden hosted the intrepid cyclists from ‘Thighs of Steel’
They are a project raising money for Khora a refugee centre in Athens
They camped in the garden for a night, with a a view from the cliffs out over the sea, only the second evening of their voyage!
That night we shared a fire, music and some food with them
A fascinating and lively bunch of people
The next morning they embarked on the ferry to continue their adventure
Through their adventure they managed to raise a profoundly impressive £105,000
Well Done!
their website
and facebook page
