Update from the community gardens June 2019

By Ed Bowring | June 26 2019
Grow Chichester | General update | Gardening & Food Growing

Update from the community gardens June 2019

Blog Category: General updateBlog Tags: Gardening & Food Growing

  • Profile
    Transition Chichester

    Update from the Community Gardens
    June 2019

                                               Sweet peas under the Cathedral

    Update     

    Summer has begun, although you wouldn’t know it with all the recent rain! However, the rain has done the gardens so much good and everything is now growing away and looking lush and green. We had a bumper onion harvest which are now drying out in the green house, the bean supports are up and we’ve just begun digging up the first of the early potatoes.

    The soft fruit picking is under way with some of the best strawberry and summer fruiting raspberries we’ve had, so come along before they’ve all gone!

    Tuesday afternoons at Oaklands Park Community Garden have now restarted for the season and Wednesday and Saturday morning sessions in the Bishop’s Palace Vegetable Garden continue throughout the year, so do come along as we’d love to see you.

    Regular Gardening Sessions

    Wednesday sessions in the Bishop’s Palace Vegetable Garden
    10.00 – 12.00
    Low impact sessions led by Ed, for those who like to work at an easy pace.

    Tuesday afternoons at Oaklands Park Community Garden (started again)
    16.00 – 18.00
    Vegetable and fruit gardening led by a member of the gardening team. All welcome.

    Saturday mornings in the Bishop’s Palace Vegetable Garden
    10.00 – 12.00
    General gardening led by a member of the gardening team. All welcome.

    All sessions are free, and we provide tea, coffee and snacks.

    Other Events and News:

    Festival of Chichester at Whyke Community Orchard

    TALES FROM THE ORCHARD
    29/06/2019 10:00 – 11:00

    Hope to see you there! – for more info see http://www.growchichester.org/growing-spaces/wick/

    Transition Chichester Buckthorn for Brimstones Project

    Would you like to help the brimstone butterfly by planting one or more alder buckthorn bushes in your garden?
    Brimstones are beautiful butterflies. The yellow males can be spotted from February onwards, the females appearing a little later. The caterpillars of the brimstone butterfly are entirely dependent on two species of food plant: the alder buckthorn Frangula alnus or Rhamnus frangula and the common or purging buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica. Transition Chichester are hoping to increase the population of brimstones in the Chichester area, and have bought 100 alder buckthorn plants (probably more suitable than common buckthorn for planting in the soils in the Chichester area) which they are offering for sale at the cost price of £1 each. As well as supporting brimstone caterpillars, alder buckthorn bushes have small flowers that are very attractive to bumblebees, and red berries ripening to black which are eaten by thrushes in the winter. The bushes can be allowed to reach a height of maybe 5 metres, or they can be trimmed back so they remain only a metre or so tall; brimstones don’t mind!
    We hope that some  TC supporters may consider planting one or more alder buckthorns in their gardens. If you are interested, you may like to read the attached information sheet. If you would like some alder buckthorn plants please email TCBuckthornforBrimstones@gmail.com. Plants can be picked up from Central Chichester at a time to suit you.

    For further information contact secretary@transitionchichester.org

    OR consult our websites: http://www.transitionchichester.org and http://www.growchichester.org/

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    Grow Chichester
WRITTEN BY

Ed Bowring