Community Allotment by Queens Park Cafe

[Transition Kensal to Kilburn]

We now have a community allotment in Queens Park (behind the cafe).

The raised beds have been built... all that is needed now is a community of people to plant it, tend it and harvest it... would you like to be involved?

Emily Hamilton will meet with other volunteers at the Queens Park cafe to see the raised beds and start planning what and when to plant.
Please come along if you are interested... Let Emily know if you can come on 07779 100187.
If you can't make this time but would like to be involved please also contact Emily to arrange another meeting.

[Molly Fletcher]

I'll help. Where/when?
Molly

[Transition Kensal to Kilburn]

Sorry - that would have been helpful information wouldn't it!?
9.30am next Wednesday 13th Oct - meet up with Emily at Queens Park cafe...

[Birgitta]

I would love to be involved but can't do weekdays at all - maybe meet some of you there over the weekend?

[Ali McGinley]

I too would love to be involved but also can't do weekdays. Do let me know if there are any other suitable times!

Birgitta Fredlund said:

I would love to be involved but can't do weekdays at all - maybe meet some of you there over the weekend?

[emily rose]

I'm sure there will be stuff to do at weekend as well!! I will post what we discuss at the meeting on Wednesday here......

[Julienne McLean]

I would like to be involved as well, but am working during the week. Any chance of being involved in the community allotment during weekends, preferably Sundays?

Julienne

[Rob Cope]

Sorry, missed yesterday. Please keep me informed.

Rob

[emily rose]

The first Queens Park Community Allotment met last Wednesday, from 9.30 to 11.30. It was great to meet people in the fresh air and swap chutney and jam making tips as well as growing tips. There were some novice gardeners and some experienced ones and two toddlers more interested in the worms. We transformed the two weedy beds into respectable allotment style beds, weeds gone, and seeds and seedlings down.

John Blandy had already planted two rows of winter cabbages, so we had a head start. Given the time of year we were limited in what we could plant, but we managed to find a few things. We have left half of each bed empty for spring planting. We put in a row of red and white onions and one of garlic, avoiding the temptation to fill the bed as they will be in the soil till May/June. The trick with onions is to plant them slightly below the surface of the soil (tip up) so that blackbirds don’t get them. Garlic is great to grow in a pot where it can be left till spring, and doesn’t need to be planted until November at the latest. We put in a centrepiece patch of broad bean seedlings, which will not be ready till spring, but will look good till then! We put out coriander, rocket and landcress seeds, which may or may not grow, but worth trying. To protect them we, with the help of the toddlers, stuck twigs in the soil around them. Finally, we put mustard seed down, to act as ‘green manure’, once it’s grown we will dig it in to act as manure. To mark out all the seeds/seedlings we used a cut up yoghurt pot.

It was great fun and we are going to meet up regularly on Wednesdays between 9.30 – 11.30 (most people arriving around 10!). Someone will bring coffee/tea and cake and we can chat and when possible plant a few other things. Children are welcome – they love it and will probably be better behaved than you think they will. Bring gloves/trowel if you are local, if you can’t don’t worry, there will always be a few extra pairs. If you have any seeds/seedlings you are planting at home, bring them along – there may be space for them.

There is interest in a weekend session as well, there may not be much to do now, but will definitely be needed in the spring/summer. If you want to start meeting up now, then let me know (with preferred time/day) and I will coordinate the first weekend slot.

[Heather Carter]

Hi, I'm definitely interested in weekend gardening in Queen's Park. Flexible about time or day. Heather

[George Latham]

Keen to get the gardening club going again!!  What times suit people well?  I could do a regular meet up on a Saturday mornings c10.30 or 11.

I've been talking to the people who run the park and they are very enthusiastic about working with us on this project... in fact they are looking to give us extra space to look after, and have plans to plant some fruit trees. 

[Elaine Henderson]

Just back from a very positive meeting in the park with a keen group planning to continue the gardening in the two raised beds, probably meeting at 11am on a Wednesday morning and a similar time at the weekend.  We thought it would probably be simpler if each group looked after one of the beds.  The garlic and onions and green manure which we planted late last year are doing well, the cabbages have been attacked by pigeons, but we've netted them and they might recover.  We'd do more sowing, planting and weeding at the beginning of March.

There's also the possibility of taking over the triangular bed behind the cafe, maybe growing a mix of herbs and other attractive edible plants- globe artichokes, ruby chard, climbing beans etc.  We also thought that we should take the opportunity to grow flowers which are good food plants for bees as there is now a beehive in the park.  A few of us are meeting representatives from the park on Monday to discuss this further.  We'll probably begin clearing this bed in February. 

Thanks to everyone who turned out this morning- despite the miserable weather- and if you couldn't come but you're interested, check here for more details.

[Elaine Henderson]

We've had another very positive get-together, this time with Lucy and Mick from the Park and Mara from the Living Medicine project (see website) which aims to increase knowledge about the medicinal uses of herbs and other plants through planting, walks, talks and other events.  We thought that working on the triangular bed behind the cafe with Living Medicine could be a very fruitful collaboration.  There's also a possibility of having information boards on the nearby cafe wall, and of the height of the privet hedge being reduced so that the two raised beds were visible from the back of the cafe. Mara offered to come to a food group meeting soon to explain more about her group's aims.  Even a compost bin seemed to be a possibility!

Also discussed were the importance of berry bearing bushes for birds and the right sort of flowers for bees as all the small gardens around the cafe are going to be re-planted shortly.  A plea was put in for plants to be saved where possible, and not just discarded.  When I know any more I'll post it here.