Planting for wildlife

“There are so many benefits to attracting wildlife into your garden. Apart from saving the decline of our native species, garden wildlife also acts as a natural pest control, preventing the need to spray harmful chemicals all over your garden. If you grow fruit and vegetables, you’ll need the help of bees to pollinate many of your crops. Contrary to popular belief wildlife gardens needn’t be messy! Well-maintained hedges and shrubs are perfect for nesting birds and insects, and a flowing herbaceous border will attract all sorts of beneficial insects to your garden.” Thompson and Morgan

Planting a wildlife garden couldn’t be easier; for more ideas on how to make a wildlife garden please visit the Thompson and Morgan website.

Our recently reviewed and updated maintenance schedule guide

Checking through our onsite PPE (personal protective equipment)

Growing your own vegetables, fruit and herbs

Whether you are just a beginner or a more experience grower who would like to learn how you can grow fresh food throughout the year The Royal Horticultural Society may be able to help. It has produced in depth grow your own guides which covers a wide range of vegetables, fruit and herbs.

If you would like more information please visit the RHS website here.

What to sow and grow in February?

Wondering just what you can sow and grow during February?

Thompson and Morgan may be able to help you choose as they have produced a "what to sow and grow" guide. This includes details of flowers, fruit, vegetable and herbs and can be found on their website here.

Handover process update

Graham is looking forward to another onsite meeting this week with staff and volunteers from the Well Communities who have taken over his responsibility for ensuring the garden, the site and its facilities are kept well maintained and will also be acting as coordinators. The aim of the meeting is to look through our risk assessments, maintenance schedule and current tasks.

It is hoped this meeting will help to conclude the handover process and allow the Well Communities to begin their new roles in earnest and also allow Graham to begin using the garden and its facilities in a much more relaxed "service user" type of way. He will remain a member of the CIC, continue to manage our social media, look after and photograph wildlife and grow his own vegetables.

Helping to improve mental and physical health by connecting to nature

"Ecotherapy connecting to nature can make a significant difference to how you feel, for example by helping you feel more grounded, providing an alternative perspective on life and helping your mind and body to relax". It can also help:

• reduce depression
• reduce anger
• improve physical health
• reduce feelings of anxiety and stress
• improve your mood and self-esteem

"Ecotherapy may also benefit your wellbeing by providing a therapeutic space where you don't have to talk about your problems, or even think about them – instead there is more space to learn new skills, develop new interests and make new friends" - MIND.

For more information on how connecting to nature can help improve your wellbeing please visit:

MIND

The Wildlife Trust

An early morning visit to the grow your own scheme

Refilling our bird feeders

A quick look around the grow your own scheme

Ensuring tasks for our new gardeners and coordinators from the Well Communities are up to date

A little maintenance for some of our hedging and pruning tools

Supporting and attracting wildlife into your garden

There is always something happening in the wildlife garden and many species will need your help through the winter months - providing them with food and shelter. By creating the right habitat you can also help to attract a wide variety of wildlife into your garden.

If you are looking for a little inspiration and would like to learn how you can support and attract wildlife into your garden please try websites such as:

Wild About Gardens 

RSPB

Gardeners World

You forget just how much has changed over the years

Preparing for the new season - health and safety

A morning spent preparing for the new season with health and safety in mind. Checking our risk assessments and instruction manuals are current and available on site in our cabin for those who need them.

Keeping the area between our planters clean and tidy

Bit by bit clearing rubbish that has accumulated in the arch

Keeping our feathered friends well fed

If you would like more information on what you can feed birds and how to keep your feeders clean and pest free please visit the RSPB website here.

Litter picking and bin cleaning

Strange how jobs can just sort of creep up on you. I only went on the grow your own scheme to chill out and have a coffee while feeding the birds. Somehow ended up litter picking and cleaning the litter bins.

Get ready to sow those broad beans

If you are interest in finding out about growing organically or would like to view and download more of the informative grow your own cards (as detailed above) please visit the Garden Organic website here.
The excellent cards cover a variety of plants including, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and fruit.

Update - new personnel, new ways of working

Just a reminder of our new personnel and new ways of working...........

Following Grahams decision last summer to reduce his workload within the project, by standing down from his role of coordinator and in his responsibility for ensuring the facility is kept well maintained, clean and tidy we would like to remind you all of our new helpers – staff and volunteers from The Well Communities.

After meetings with our management committee at the end of last year it was agreed that the Well Communities will take over responsibility for ensuring the garden, its facilities and the arches are kept well maintained clean and tidy. They will also be acting as coordinators and will have members of their staff and volunteers on hand to meet visitors when they begin regularly opening the garden at times to be confirmed.

If you have any questions for the Well Communities they are based in the old Neighbourhood Management Office at 242 Dalton Road and they can be contacted on mobile: 07488383013

Graham remains as a member of Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC, will continue to manage our social media, and will still be using the garden and its facilities but in a much more relaxed way - enjoying the space, looking after and photographing wildlife and growing fresh vegetables. 

It is early days for our new ways of working and things may change but our management committee will keep you all updated here and will be posting more details as and when they are confirmed.

Current maintenance tasks for our community garden site

Priority tasks over the next few months are mainly on our community garden site. These tasks include; hedge trimming, weeding and maintenance of our raised planters

Crocus beginning to flower in our planted borders

A morning spent making some bird feeders

A bright wintry morning

Planting bulbs

Bulbs are one of the easiest garden plants to grow and can be planted in containers or borders, especially varieties such as crocus, daffodils, snowdrops and tulips. 

It is not always easy to know just when to plant the large variety of bulbs to ensure you have a continuous display throughout the spring and summer. Fortunately there is a vast amount of information out there. For example:

Royal Horticultural Society

Thompson and Morgan

Trimming hedging - free advice from RHS

Knowing just how and when and how to trim the large variety of hedges can be a little confusing. Established hedges may require trimming when they are dormant in late summer and/or in winter/spring to keep them dense and compact where more formal hedges require more frequent trimming throughout the season.

If you are preparing to trim your hedges and would like more information on how to look after and maintain them please visit the Royal Horticultural Society website here.  

Note with health and safety in mind:

Cordless hedge trimmer risk assessment

Free month by month gardening guides

While the weather is poor why not take advantage of the internet where you can find a wide variety of free month by month gardening guides and advice.

Sites such as:

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/january
Thompson and Morgan at: https://www.thompson-morgan.com/in-the-garden-this-month
Gardeners World at: http://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now/january/

Happy New Year. We hope 2018 is good to you all.

A busy few months ahead on our community garden area

Hopefully we have handed over responsibility for general maintenance to our newly appointed gardeners and coordinators - the staff and volunteers from the Well Communities - while it is in relatively good condition. Although over the next month or two there will be a variety of maintenance tasks that need to be completed, particularly on the community garden area of our project.

Trimming the mixed hedging borders (beech, hawthorn and hazel)

Weeding throughout the community garden

Repairs to the raised planters around the seating area.

Looking after our feathered friends over the holiday period

Happy Christmas to all our friends, service users and supporters

Well its that time of year where we take a little time to thank all of our friends, service users and supporters for their continued support throughout the year and to wish everyone a very happy christmas.

We look forward to seeing all again in the New Year where there will be some new and exciting changes. In particular our work with new friends and helpers, the staff and volunteers from the Well Communities, who have taken over responsibility for ensuring the garden and the site overall are maintained. They will also be on hand to meet visitors and service users when they open the site for a few days a week at times to be confirmed in the New Year.

Shrubs in our planted borders looking a little wintry today

Our mini beast hotels looking a little cool this morning

A frosty start this morning