Our first day down the allotment.......

The challenge

What a beautiful day it was yesterday to have our first visit to our new space on the Phipps Bridge Allotment site, working with Sustainable Merton. The allotment is just a short walk from the farm around the river Wandle....it could be even shorter if we got a boat across!! Below you can see a picture of the plot as we first found it. A little bit of work to do....

Meet the force of wonderful volunteers who came over to help make a dent with the digging.

Rose finding worms.....a very important job!

We found lots of and lots and lots and lots of rubbish.

But we also found TREASURE!......look......

To bring us good luck....this will hang in pride of place over the door of our shed, when we get it.

Old but new to us

These are just a few fine examples of our treasures. Many were red. oh.. and gold of course.

The rest of the allotment with our line of treasure

Our plot, the bigger panoramic picture.

Other plots...

I like this tree of watering cans 

After a busy day digging this was our progress. Very good i think. Not quite ready for the vegetables yet, but its not going to be long. I cant wait. 

Time to walk back now. We will be back.  

We will be back

Bike drop in surgerys are back!

History of the Garden Project 1

The Growing Gardens Project started in 2001 on a disused part of the farm. These two photos show the site after it had been strimmed and cut back of nettles and brambles. In the photo below there used to be a huge pond.

Back in those days we used to have our ducks freely roaming around the farm, they frequently visited the garden. With so much digging going on they would come and grab the worms from the soil as soon as they popped up.  

Many adults, staff and children came to the space to help create the garden.

You can just about see the old manager Ben propped up beside his spade in this photo. I think he looks tired but pleased in this photo!



Derek the peacock used to also visit while hard everyone was at work.

The garden was officially opened after many months of hard work by June Whitfield (of abfab fame!).



Spring has sprung

Tete a tete - Narcissus

 

Cowslip - Primula veris

 Hellebores - Helleborus

Snowdrop - Galanthus

 


Hellebores - Helleborus

Hellebores - Helleborus

Euphorbia

Hellebores - Helleborus

Can you spot the bee?

Crocus

Hellebores - Helleborus

Primula 'Gold Lace'

Poem about the garden

The Growing Gardens Project

Is a place to come and play,

A place to come and sit or a

place to spend the day.

It’s a place to see the birds,

or a place to watch the frogs,

a place to think of words or a

place for three hedgehogs.

The Growing Gardens Project

is a place for the wildlife,

A place for them to roam and a

place for them to home.

So come and see us here,

Explore the gardens land,

But be sure to make it clear

If you want to lend a hand!

By Rose Fookes

Coming Soon... Sunflower Competition 2012

Its that time of year again soon!

We will be running our annual Sunflower competion in the

Growing Gardens Project for 2012.

Please keep visiting our website http://www.deencityfarm.co.uk/ for more details. We will also post any information on this blog to keep you up to date. 

Do you think you can be the
one to grow the tallest
Sunflower in 2012?

Artist in the Garden

I Just wanted to share these wonderful nature plaques painted by Garden volunteer Virginia. They are soon to go up in the nature section of the garden for all to enjoy.

Virginia hard at work.





Thank you Virginia.