Category: Community Garden

Much too hot this weekend for a complex posting from us!
So…
Just in case anyone doubts the pleasure to be found in growing urban food: here’s three easy steps from the ground to the bowl today:


One…lifting

These Desiree maincrop potatoes were planted during Treasuring Tooting in May, and this weekend they were calling out to be tested.
Come along the Tooting Foodival on 22 & 23 September to try them!


Two…ready to cook

Three… add nasturtium: enjoy

Plus: all welcome to come and join in at the Community Garden on Sundays 11:00-1:00. It’s behind the large house at 5 North Drive, on the south side of Tooting Common.
Email Adrian at adifalconer@hotmail.com for any more info.
– Charles

The weather gods were kind and Sunday blessed us with a break in the endless grey skies and rain. Warm, sunny (at least some of the time) and gorgeous blue skies reminded us all what a summer day should be!

Ten of us met at the Community Garden to make the best of the sunshine. It was my first visit to the site and I’m very enthusiastic about the size, scope for doing lots of interesting things and what the group has already achieved in a little over a year. Lots of bodies and hands available so we got plenty done:

• Michael and his friend got busy doing the heavy work to dig a hole to install the pond – if the weather continues it should fill naturally with all the rain!

• Charlotte and Jenny planted seedlings including sprouting broccoli, squash and tomatoes – now all we need is the slugs to hold off and the sun to shine
• Adrian tackled the compost heap – bravely withstanding a flagstone and foot interaction!
• I sowed a few rows of radish, leeks, beetroot, carrots and dwarf beans in the hope we might get a quick catch crop before winter sets in

• We got creative and cut some spare plastic tubing down to enable to us drape netting over the freshly sown seeds while the local pigeons watched with interest
• We discussed sitting down and planning a herb garden in the quiet months over winter and whether we should have a go at growing over winter crops under some form of protection (Rocket, pak choi and komatsuna at christmas? Yes, please)!

Added excitement was provided by the small kitten who had scaled a nearby tree and refused to be tempted down by either the RSPCA or Fire brigade though I’m fairly sure he’s scampered down now and is settled back in a warm and cosy flat.

Then there was a picnic to celebrate the hard work. It was delightful!  Astonishing how a little sunshine and working with people who have similar interests can suddenly make you feel so much better about life, the universe and everything. I came home full of energy and tackled some slightly neglected bits of my own small garden.

Sharing some pictures from the Community Garden – & we’re having a Garden working picnic on Sunday 15th July
The gardeners (and plants) are persisting through the mixed weather  –



Loads of broad beans in June



Fertile conditions for all

Great Willowherb

Anti-slug mini greenhouses



Water capture – and it supports the shed

Beetle’s-eye view today of the potatoes planted two months ago during the Treasuring Tooting wellbeing walk Have a look again at the video which includes planting them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RXo7G655SM&feature=player_embedded#!

We have had an exciting few weeks at the Tooting Community Garden so here’s a little update on recent activities. On 18th and 19th June we invited volunteers to come to the Big Dig. We certainly have some talented gardeners and knowledgeable people in Tooting. Sharing skills and knowledge was a feature of the weekend. We began by preparing the rectangular bed in the middle of the garden so we can grow some veggies. Although we are a bit late in the season we are confident we can grow some produce in time for the Tooting Foodival in September. A few weeks previously we had been prepared to dig by hand but the soil was so compact that when we were offered use of a rotivator (thanks to the lovely people at Share Community Garden!) we accepted. Following rotivation we marked out beds with concrete slabs we found in the garden. After preparing the soil a little more and adding some compost we were ready to plant.
Seeds and carefully nurtured seedlings were brought along by volunteers and now we have rows of veg in place. Theses include tomatoes, beans, courgette, rocket, kohl rabi, nasturtiums and leaf beet. This was the big job of the weekend but we also made three compost bins from disused pallets (thanks Wimbledon Wickes!), cleared space for a seating area, collected manure (thanks Dean City Farm!), set up water butts and raided nearby skips for bits and pieces (thanks unknown Tooting residents!) that we can put to good use and keep them away from landfill. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun and productive weekend.  

Another inspiring event this month was the Open Meeting and Tour of the Garden on 5th July. All week we had been praying for rain as the garden had been looking dry and the night that it decided to come, and torrentially at that, was Tuesday 5th July! So, thanks to the Christian Education Centre on Tooting Bec Road we had a warm and dry place to discuss ideas for the garden. We ended with a tour of the garden spent mostly hiding under the huge oak in the corner. In the early part of the evening we handed out plans of the garden and, in small groups, we depicted our visions for the land and how we could use it. We had a multitude of ideas including a living willow tepee, permaculture, hammocks, plant and animal study, yoga, skills courses, espalier fruit, colourful signs, aromatic herbs and plants and a wetland area. All very exciting ideas! However, we did all agree that we need to tread carefully and before we do much more we should conduct an audit of the garden so we know exactly what we have and need to preserve. It is important that we work with the existing ecosystems that have developed in an area of land that has been untouched for a few years. It was also agreed that we can use this rich variety of flora and fauna to learn more about our natural surroundings. Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed to a very interesting evening.

If you would like to get involved or hear about the garden more regularly please email me at abigailcallen@gmail.com to join the email list. Please visit our Facebook page to see lots of photos (taster below!) and ‘like’ it to show your support. You can find it here.