A morning spent making natural bird feeders

Free month by month gardening guides

Throughout the year you can always find something to do in the garden. Thompson and Morgan have produced free month by month guides which could help you stay up to date with all your seasonal gardening jobs and maybe provide you with some additional inspiration.

For more details please visit their website here.

Little blue birds visiting our homemade feeders

Time to hang up the homemade bird feeders

Bird Feeding Tips: food and feeders

Autumn leaves

Robins in the undergrowth

Autumn in our planted borders

Planting bulbs for spring butterflies and bees

During the next couple of months you can plant bulbs that will provide nectar for butterflies and bees beginning to emerge from hibernation in the spring. You can layer bulbs in containers so they flower from say February until July.

If you would like more detailed information on how to plant layered containers of bulbs for early butterflies and bees please visit the Butterfly Conservation website here.

Planting and growing bulbs

Bulbs are one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow, providing interesting and colourful displays whether it be in containers, planters or garden borders.

You can find expert advice and top tips on websites such as:

How to grow bulbs - Thompson and Morgan
Planting bulbs - Royal Horticultural Society

Harvesting tomatoes from the poly tunnel

Dragonflies and damselflies making the most of the sun

A variety of butterflies enjoying our mixed planting

Companion planting - free advice from Gardeners World

Companion planting is an organic method of maintaining a natural balance in your garden, aiding pollination and keeping pest numbers down. Common plant combinations include growing nasturtiums to deter aphids from attacking your beans, and planting alliums around carrots to ward off carrot root fly. Most companion plants are strongly scented and confuse pests looking for their host plant. Others attract beneficial insects, such as ladybirds and lacewings, which prey on aphids.

Gardeners World have listed 10 companion plants to grow on their website here

A variety of crops in the raised planters are ready for harvesting

Adding colour in some of our raised planters

Would you like to support us by sponsoring a planter?

Would you like to join a number of local companies, clubs and voluntary organisations that have already recognised the important role that Marsh Street Arches and Garden Community Interest Company plays in our local community and have made a conscious decision to support our work by sponsoring a planter on our community grow your own scheme for a 12 month period.

The planters are used by local people, local primary schools and various local organisations such as; MIND in Furness, CADAS,  Drop Zone Youth Project, Beaumont College, Love Barrow Families and Furness Parents and Carers Disability Forum. 

For £100 for a 12 month period your organisation will be assisting this important community asset and your contribution, if you so wish, can be recognised via your sponsorship being publicised on one of the planters used in the community grow your own section of the garden.  We believe that this represents a win – win situation for both of our respective organisations and we sincerely hope that you will be able to assist us by becoming one of our sponsors. 



All finances raised via sponsorship are locked into the CIC and will be used for maintenance, ongoing running costs, garden supplies and materials and to help cover the cost of training workshops and other general activities.

 If you are interested in this opportunity you can contact us by post to:

Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC

c/o Furness Building Society
51 - 55 Duke Street

Barrow in Furness

Cumbria

LA14 1RT

By email to: greenheartden@aol.com

Mobile: 07919 991 989

What to do in the garden in July - Free advice from Vertical Veg

Wondering just what to do in the garden this month? 

Vertical Veg have detailed their top tasks including:

1. Watering
2. Feeding
3. Sowing and cuttings
4. Pruning, tying up, pinching out
5. Harvesting
6. Wormeries.

For more information and free advice please visit the Vertical Veg web page here.

Bearing fruit in our mini orchard area

Free wildlife spotter sheets from Wildlife Watch

The wildlife watch have produce a large variety of spotting sheets - from butterflies to winter birds -  which you take them with you when you go wildlife spotting.

You can download these free spotter charts the Wildlife Watch website here.

Our cucumbers are looking healthy in the poly tunnel

What to do in the garden in July - top tips from Thompson & Morgan

Wondering what to do in the garden in July? Thompson and Morgan have complied their top tips and growing advice for the flower garden, fruit garden, vegetable garden and greenhouse.

For more information please visit their website here.

Belle etoile flowering in our planted borders

Poppies on our wild flower banking area

The strawberries are ready

The borage planter is attracting a variety of bumblebees

Isn't nature grand

A variety of crops being grown in the raised planters

Wild flower raised planters

6 spot burnet day flying moths

Belle etoile flowering in our planted borders

A red admiral butterfly enjoying the early morning sun

Common blue damselfly in our wildlife boundary

A bright and colourful planter courtesy of Greengate Junior School

Some of our community growers preparing summer crops

Preparing planters for reallocation

Preparing planters that have not been used or maintained for some time - ready for reallocation to others on our waiting list.