Robins back.......

How to prevent pests and diseases - free advice from Thompson & Morgan

Was your garden destroyed by pests and diseases last year?  

Make sure you know the signs and act fast to protect your crops.

For more advice, please take a look at the free, guides at Thompson and Morgan.

9 reasons to grow your own at home from Vertical Veg

If you'd like a high quality pdf of this poster to help promote container growing, you can download one from the Vertical Veg website here.

Harvesting and sowing phacelia seeds

Phacelia is a quick growing hardy annual green manure and is ideal for sowing from March until September. It will grow up to 1metre in height and suits most soil types.

It has beautiful scented purple/blue flowers which form dense fern-like foliage.

It smothers weeds and has an extensive root system that improves the soil structure.

Phacelia is listed as one of the top 20 honey-producing flowers for honeybees and is very attractive to bumblebees and hoverflies. (hoverflies eat a lot of aphids). 

A small patch, especially near to vegetables, will help to attract pollinating insects.

After flowering it can be dug in to help build up the organic content of your soil and also makes an excellent cut flower and has a long vase-life with strong stems.

Plants for wildlife friendly gardens

How to create a wildflower meadow in your garden

Start your growing season now........

The Royal Horticultural Society has produced free expert tips and handy advice to help you grow your own fruit and vegetables. For more information please visit their website here.

A complete guide to growing herbs from Garden Organic

Right then...lets get sowing

A complete guide to growing vegetables from Garden Organic

Sowing seeds in our poly tunnel

Volunteer recruitment event 11.30 - 1 pm Wednesday 11 February at Furness College

A frosty start to the day

Welcome and thank you to our most recent sponsor Kimberly-Clark

Seven tips for growing tomatoes in containers

Ten great crops to grow in containers - free advice from Vertical Veg

Growing crops in small space? Vertical Veg has produced a list of 10 great crops you can grow in containers.

For more information please visit the Vertical Veg website here.

Spring sowing and planting into surface compost outside

Crocus adding colour to our lawn edging

A robin keeping an eye on what we are doing today

How to grow fava beans shoots from Vertical Veg

A little maintenance for our wheelbarrows

Topping up the raised planters with a mixture of compost and topsoil

Our planters receiving a little TLC......

Growing carrots - free fact sheet from Garden Organic

Companion planting – plants which have a mutual benefit to each other.

There are many ways in which you can work with nature to help grow crops successfully and ward off many pests by planting strong-smelling plants next to a row of vulnerable vegetables.

For example, the following plants can help deter pests from your crops:

Basil – wards off whitefly when planted amongst tomatoes

Nasturtium – attracts aphids away from beans

Alliums – confuse carrot fly and protect against slug damage

Lavender – confuses pests

Coriander - helps to repel aphids

Mint – the strong scent helps to deter onion fly

Nettles – attract cabbage white butterflies, keeping them away from brassica crops

You can find a free companion planting guide on the Thompson and Morgan website here

Preparing to sow early some seeds in the poly tunnel

RHS School Gardeners of the Year Awards 2015

Do you have any pupils (individuals or groups) that are passionate about gardening? Or perhaps a teacher that is dedicated to encouraging outdoor learning? The search is now on to find the most talented and inspiring young gardeners and gardening teachers for the fourth RHS School Gardeners of the Year competition.

You can nominate them for an awards in this year's RHS School Gardeners of the Year!

Schools across the UK are invited to nominate their gardening stars for three coveted awards:

RHS Young School Gardener of the Year

RHS School Gardening Champion of the Year (teacher category)

RHS School Gardening Team of the Year

Entries are now open until Friday 1st May 2015.

Shortlisted nominees will be required to make a short video about themselves which will be watched by an experienced judging panel headed up by ITV’s Love Your Garden presenter, Frances Tophill.

More information can be found on the RHS Campaign for School Gardening website here.

Crops growing right through the winter in our poly tunnel

Tidying our lawn edging

Free month by month "what to do" growing guides

Whether you have all day to spare or just half an hour, there is always something to do in the garden. Thompson and Morgan, The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Gardeners World have produced free month by month guides that may help you to choose;  what, where and when you can start off growing your flowers, vegetables and fruits.

Thompson and Morgan: http://www.thompson-morgan.com/in-the-garden-this-month

RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/january

Gardeners World: http://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now/week2/

How to grow garlic - free advice from Garden Organic

Maintaining the raised planters keeping them tidy and free of weeds

We find January the ideal time to start planning your growing season

Preparing for a new growing season - maintaining our hand tools

Preparing to help maintain our wildlife friendly banking areas

Thank you to Cumbria County Councils Barrow Community Grant panel

Thank you to Cumbria County Councils Barrow Community Grant Fund panel which has enabled us to purchase a new laptop.

RHS Grow Your Own veg planner

Free fact sheet from Vertical Veg - The Art of Growing in Containers

Vertical Veg has produced a (free) fact sheet - How to grow food successfully in containers in ten straightforward steps.

For your free copy, enter your name and email in the bar at the top of their web page here.

Local media coverage of our Grassroots Giving grant award from Skipton Building Society

North West Evening Mail article

We would like to thank the North West Evening Mail for their article about our community garden/grow your own scheme and how it can be supported.

Encouraging wildlife into your garden

Would you like to encourage wildlife to your garden?

Thompson and Morgan have produce free wildlife gardening guides which give a great insight into how you can encourage wildlife into your own garden, from simple things like growing wild flowers, to installing ponds and creating wildlife habitats and more.

For more information please visit their website here.

Some of our crocus beginning to flower

Some welcomed visitors basking in the sun

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

We would like to thank our friends; neighbours, partners, sponsors and funders for their continued support throughout the year and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Christmas holiday refuse collection arrangements

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY REFUSE COLLECTION ARRANGEMENTS

• Normal Collection Day Thursday 25 December - will be collected on Saturday 27 December
• Normal Collection Day Friday 26 December - will be collected on Sunday 28 December
• Monday 29 December - Normal arrangements
• Tuesday 30 December - Normal arrangements
• Wednesday 31 December - Normal arrangements
• Normal Collection Day Thursday 1 January - will be collected on Friday 2 January
• Normal Collection Day Friday 2 January - will be collected on Saturday 3 January

Barrow Borough Council Xmas holiday opening hours 2014

What to do in December - Free advice from Vertical Veg

Vertical Veg offers free advice on how you can maintain outdoor winter crops and keep up a fresh supply of, nutritious food by moving some of your growing inside.

For more information please visit their website here

Cadas pop up shop

Barrow & District Disability Association - Santa's Grotto