We had a great afternoon at ‘Cake Sunday’ this weekend. Many neighbours braved the somewhat chilly weather and came along to catch up with each other. This is the end of the second year of growing vegetables in our front gardens and our project has really helped neighbours to get to know one another better and to grow some fantastic veg.
Lots of cakes were made for our get-together,
and happily eaten by our next generation of veg growers,
and our more established veg growers too.
There were also free daffodil bulbs and small grow bags to give away so that our streets will glow come the spring.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to chat with each other about veg growing and just about anything else.
And some cannily used the opportunity to sell raffle tickets for their school.
We now have over 100 households signed up for our front garden veg growing scheme in Finsbury Park,
and now have funding for next year from the Islington Community Chest. It’s great to see our local urban community brought closer together through gardening and cake!
To read more about our community veg growing project over the last two and a half years, please click here.
Hi Naomi
That is very impressive and I have now re-read old posts from the start of the project. It’s such a great way to bring a community together and at the same time to encourage people to garden. And life changing for many who had the pleasure of eating their home-grown produce for the first time.
Well done to you and Nicolette and the streets awash with plants looked absolutely stunning.
Sue
Thank you, Sue, and fab pics, Naomi. (Thanks too to Julia and the tea-makers, and to Manuel for lending his front garden.) So impressed with the number of people who showed up, and made wonderful cakes. Delighted that so many met new and old friends, that more people signed up to the veg-growing project, that bulbs and seeds were taken for window boxes, tree pits and front gardens and will make our streets brighter and still more beautiful next year. Also glad that many joined Catriona and Katharine’s campaign for more trees in St Thomas’s Rd: email moretreespleasebrg@gmail.com to add your support. Plus so many adding their vote to make Gillespie Park a QEII Field in Trust (to join in, go to http://www.qe2fields.com, click on Islington Borough, click on Gillespie Park, done).
Looks like you had a good turnout – amazing the influence of free cake and bulbs! Your Blackstock Triangle should look lovely in the spring, a lovely idea to keep the streets blooming. Well done for securing funding for next year to keep your project going.
Thanks Sue, Nicolette and Caro. Caro-we’re delighted to have funding for next year, but started up our project with only a little bit of prize winnings (from Islington in Bloom) a couple of years ago (and a fair amount of scrounging for freebies too!). I think it’s not only tea and cake that got this project started. As Nicolette mentioned above, I think there’s a real desire in our area to build a strong community and to form friendships, and we’ve certainly found that gardening is a great way to get the ball rolling and includes everyone in a very pleasurable and life enhancing activity.
Naomi, what a lovely, heartwarming event. So much for no one knowing their neighbours in London!
On a separate topic, in our potager in France we have identified the dreaded mares tail. Do you have any tips for getting rid of it as I believe it is very pernicious and will get round the weed matting we have put down.
Many thanks.
Louise
Oooh Louise, that’s a tricky one to answer. I haven’t ever had this frustrating problem myself, but do know others who have mares tail and it is very difficult to get rid of, it as it’s roots go very deep (to about a metre). I know this isn’t very probable as you’ll want to get going with your potager ASAP, but covering whole area with heavy duty black plastic (like a pond liner) for a couple of growing seasons might do it! Digging just won’t help and I’m not sure how effective glyphosate (a systemic spray) is, but it may help to weaken the plant, then cover with black plastic. Sorry not to have any better advice. Will ask around though and get back to you should I hear of anything better. V.best Naomi