The Gardening Project is an activity group based at Rosendale Allotments, SE21. Open to existing Rathbone service users for £5 per day (10am-3pm), or other people with learning disabilities at £35 per day, subject to assessment.
The group has a fantastic team spirit. Come along to learn about planting and nurturing vegetable crops, other plants and the soil, and enjoying the bountiful harvest each year.
Keep an eye out for blackberries ripening, they are delicious and make great pies and jams. There are wild plants growing all over the place, watch out for thorns if you pick, and give them a wash. They freeze well.
After weeks of hacking away at the rock hard soil on the new plot we had lots of the rain and were able to dig properly.
We also sowed sunflowers and nasturtiums to add some colour and please the bees and birds.
We’ve been very busy tidying up the plots ready for May inspections, getting beds ready for planting, making compost to improve the soil and watering everything as it’s been so dry.
Plot inspections start on May 6th so we all worked very hard.
Planting potatoes
This little hedgehog turned up on our plot today. We gave it some food and milk and it was very hungry. A neighbour made a nest for it in her shed and will check it every day. Hedgehogs hibernate under piles of wood and leaves, so it was probably getting ready for bed in the bonfire pile on our new plot. Luckily we used our incinerator and sorted the wood out before we burnt it!
Here are some of this year’s crops.
We also had a good harvest of potatoes, cabbage and curly kale.
Winter crops like Mizuna and Red mustard have been planted.
Loganberries and raspberries were plentiful and really delicious, and we also picked strawberries, gooseberries and currants.
The trees donated by the Open Orchard project are thriving and some have fruited in their first year. We made Quince jelly.
