The Pink Panther has been helping with the Community Gardening project...

April to early September 2014 - how the community garden plot has evolved

The stumpery - making good use of the things that we find

A stumpery is a Victorian idea - an area of tree stumps and logs which enrich the environment by putting nutrients back into the soil, and providing good living conditions for critters.

You can see examples, and find out more about them, here:
http://rhodygarden.org/cms/garden/the-stumpery/

Here:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wra-1356316744891/870873/

Here:
http://www.janeprophet.com/gunnison/?p=136

And here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bldrv

We only have a limited amount of space in our community garden by the entrance to Taverner Square. So, I created a much more modest stumpery. In keeping with our spirit of re-using things which are otherwise throwing away (which we learned from out very good friends the Wombles of Wimbledon Common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztv-pXldJ5Q), I asked my neighbour if I could have the branches when he was trimming some trees at the bottom of his garden. He said yes, and so we had a goodly supply.

There was a space between the raised beds which needed filling, and so I decided to make a stumery raised bed - a cross between a stumpery, a rockery and a raised bed if you like.

Rather than sawing straight branches and stacking them in straight lines, the branches have been interlaced to make quite a firm wall. Soil has been added, and we now have a rather different raised bed. I've added some plants which spread and overhang - for example daisies which are one of my favourite plants. I'm going to drill the logs, which I hope bees will use to make homes (bees like holes in logs for their personal quarters), and I also intend to plant mushrooms. Although it is a little late in the season, I'm mixing wild flower seeds with clay in the hope we'll get at least some wild flowers among the branches.

One of the local residents, Sarah, kindly rooted out some wicker baskets for us, which enhance the rustic feel we've tried to achieve in this originally medieval village encroached on by a major city in which we live.

As the wood rots, it will enrich the soil, and bugs etc will thrive. Obviously we will have to keep an eye on things over time to ensure that it all remains stable, but the effort is worthwhile I believe. Have a look at the pictures - what do you think?

I wonder if we will be able to have some of Madame Cholet's buttercup crumpets next summer?

Adding plants - more herbs, celery, brussel sprouts, cabbage, calabrise (broccoli)

The rhubabrb is coming on well, and Mrs Lovell's Greengrocers kindly donated another rhubarb plant. You don;t harvest any rhubarb in the plants' first year however, and remember that the stalks are edible but the leaves are poisonous...

The central raised bed is currently a mixture of herbs and vegetables

One of the two northernmost beds is a mixture of flowers and herbs.

The northernmost bed feautures fruit, herbs, vegetables and flowers...

A shot of herbs and flowers. Herbs in particular bring a very relaxing fragrance

Some cabbages have been planted

Curly leafed parsley. This is actually quite difficult to grow, but we'll have a go...

Celery - again this has a very nice smell.

Sprouts for Christmas!

I've also planted some calabrese. Calabrese is what we often see described as broccoli. In actual fact it is Italian sprouting broccoli, which has a longer growing season. Broccoli is part of the brassica group of plants, which includes cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts...