Sprouts, rhubarb save Community Garden

As many will know, the location of the Community Garden is on the damper side of Martinborough. 

This winter has provided us with the greatest challenge in our six years of operation. We have had several weeks where at least a third of the garden has been under water, and frankly, too treacherous for us to do any significant work. 

Over these weeks we have, alas, been unable to deliver fresh veggies to the Community Larder.

However, on the bright side, we had the best ever crop of brussel sprouts , and three weeks on the trot were able to deliver baskets full of them to the Larder. Rhubarb has been the only other staple over this time.

On those days when we have braved the garden, we have planted brassicas, leaks, cavello nero and fennel which, thanks to our raised planters, they have not only survived, but thrived… just need a little warmth and a FEW DRY DAYS!

We have also developed a new composting system, with the advice and good guidance of one of our newer gardeners: using our old contained compost, amalgamating it with a lot of semi decaying matter from our earth pile, and plenty of cardboard and newspaper and covering it all with weed matting and a few tyres .This is all open to the elements and contained by a few stakes and woven string. I have seen the end result in her garden and will report if ours is anything near as good.

We have also relocated some of our large planting beds to maximise sun!!!! This means that we will use the tyres just for protection in certain areas of the garden, and for bee attracting flowers if and when summer arrives.

True to say the garden does look like a bit of a bomb site at the moment. 

If you are keen to join us and make the “Community Garden Great Again” drop by on a Wednesday morning, from 10 a.m. (51 Oxford St). We’d love to see you.