Crystal Palace Transition Town
Contact  us:
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • clt
    • Library Of People
    • SE19 LATES
    • Park Nights !
    • Market of Ideas
    • Community Gardens
    • Food Market
    • More Food and Growing
    • Local and Fair
    • Library Of Things
    • Transport
    • Energy Group
    • The Big Switch
    • Waste >
      • Palace Pick-up
    • Children >
      • Bugs Club
      • Transition Kids
      • Transition Babies
      • Kids at the Market
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Stuff we've done >
      • "The Power of Just Doing Stuff"
      • Skill Share Day
      • Green Screen
      • Eco-friendly Xmas stall
    • Our constitution
    • Annual Round-ups
    • Our policies >
      • Equal Opportunities
      • Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
      • Safeguarding Children
      • Health and Safety
      • Privacy And Data Policy
  • Get involved
    • Contact us
    • Volunteer
    • Green Drinks
    • Calendar
  • Transition
    • What is Transition?
    • Peak oil
    • Climate change
    • How to go green
  • Gallery
  • Blog
  • Mailing list

A year of growing at St John's Meadow

26/11/2014

 
Picture
By Lou Yates
It is coming up to our first year in the meadow down at St John's Church on Auckland Road and we can't quite believe how time has flown! The space feels so lived in now, and a structure is there, whether plants are blooming in it or not. The three big beds are now ticking over with green manures, onions and winter salad / greens. We can now sit back and think about our successes and dare I say it failures over the last 9 months.

We had so many successes. It was truly amazing how much we've got done. Trees were felled, brambles bashed and an area the size of a couple of tennis courts not just beaten into submission but wrestled into clearly recognisable beds and pathways. A compost corner appeared and water barrels arrived; our loaned shed filled slowly but gradually with useful bits and bobs and I can even say now that it has a weather-proof roof! Then a pile of manure arrived and many hands set to wheeling it to bed and hedgerow. Fiendish digging then ensued, often by the devout church folk as well as the pagans generally associated with 'green' activities !

Our successful crops include pumpkins, tomatoes, rocket, red mustard, purslane, Jerusalem artichokes, peas, corn, black soya beans and edible flowers. We now look forward to seeing what our celeriac come up like...

I managed to find via Freecycle a compost bin, hose, bench ( for all-important pauses between labours) and a watering can. We re-used much of the rubble lying about to make little fire pits to burn a little waste wood and bake a few tasty treats to celebrate our work.

Last but not least of our successes, has been the new faces we have met and the community that is growing along side all our many plants and fruits.

Failures? Well, there always are in gardening but here, they count so small compared to the success of this space as to hardly register. The pumpkins could have cropped more if watering were easier, but we did well enough for our first year; likewise the tomatoes where we had to pull them up early as disease took them over. Still good cropping, but could have been better with better access to water and helpers in the busiest months of July,August and September.

To tide us over the darker months, we held a bulb planting session in October and we now look forward to seeing the many daffs and a few cheeky tulips poke their heads up through the sleepy ground. Next we will build leaf mould cages and stockpile brown leafy goodness for 2015.

Next year, we aim to grow more and better. Our only true limitation is how many we bring on board to help us realise this dream. The marvellous Father John Pritchard is keen for us to expand. So if you know someone who wants to volunteer... It could be you!!

Fancy getting involved? See the St John's Garden page for more details, or email lou_yates@hotmail.com.
Joe Duggan
26/11/2014 07:37:30 am

Thanks Lou. Great to realise so much has happened in such a hard time. Thanks to everyone who has been part of it and thanks especially to you for holding the ball on this project. I sometimes wonder are tomatoes worth it outdoors? They take so long and each year in The Edible Garden in Westow Park they seem to still be green at the end of the season.


Comments are closed.

    Authors

    All our authors are Transition Town members who are passionate about green issues and getting things done!

    Archives

    October 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    May 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Alys Penfold
    Anna Sayburn
    Annual Celebrations
    Carbon Conversations
    Christmas
    Circular Economy
    Climate Change
    Crystal Palace Food Market
    Crystal Palace Library Of Things
    Crystal Palace Park
    Cycling
    Edible Garden
    Emily Jewell
    Emma Shaw
    Energy Efficiency
    Green Drinks
    Growing
    Joe Duggan
    Kalina Palka
    LJ Stacey
    Local Shopping
    Local Trade
    Lou Yates
    Margaret Adjaye
    Mehul Damani
    Our Story
    Palace Pint
    Palace Trees
    Patchwork Farm
    Press
    Rachel Chance
    Rebecca Trevalyan
    Sophia Wyatt
    St John's Garden
    The Paxton Centre
    Tom Chance
    Transport
    Upper Norwood Library Hub

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.