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General:

With April being one of the wettest months in recent memory, it was refreshing to see the commitment from all the volunteers in attendance. There's apple and cherry blossoms on the trees and dormant plants are coming alive, so it's a great time of year to do some gardening! The unseasonal burst of warm weather last month meant that not only did most people abandon their thermals, but also that many plants were pushed into premature germination. Sowings in the glasshouse have been mainly focused on courgettes and lettuces, with the former being eaten by mice before they had germinated!

Sean Jacques is stepping aside from his role as Community Gardens Co-ordinator at RECG but will still very much be involved and helping out from time to time. Everyone involved will wish Sean well as he switches attention for now to developing other nature based activities. There will be some sadness in this news. Sean's special way with the land, nature and people is just that... very special.

Having been involved from day one, Sean's DNA is in the place and the way we do things in the Community Gardens, so these things will endure. Volunteers and community groups will see Sean at events in the Gardens over the summer and have their chance to say thank-you for his massive contribution to date.

Sean Jacques said today, "Thanks to Cyrenians and NHS Lothian for the opportunity to be involved in such a positive and worthwhile project. To those who have collectively volunteered thousands of hours over the past two and a half years; for the goodwill, the humour, the friendship and wisdom you have my deepest gratitude. Hope to see you all soon."

We welcome Daisy Muir to the team: she's well known here at the gardens, having been on hand to help out quite regularly. She'll be based at the new Midlothian Community Hospital Garden, but will be splitting her time between the RECG and the new gardens. We also look forward to welcoming a new coordinator at the RECG: more news on that shortly!!

Asparagus:

The asparagus plants have finally left the glasshouse and have been planted outside. A labour of love this plant, requiring two years of growth before harvesting, however the investment shall be repaid with 15 to 20 years of return. The real stumbling block with the asparagus was the hard clay soil in which we were planting it. We solved this problem by using the pinch bar to provide drainage and treated the soil with clay breakers. A few bags of sand were added for drainage and a mixture of topsoil and compost were the final ingredients for them to grow. One year and counting until asparagus joins the list of vegetables we generate here!

And Also:

The last week of April was spent planting onions, with thanks to John, as he provided over 300 of them! Grown from seed in his windowsill at home, they were transported to the glasshouse where they were kept in an onion box for a good few weeks to establish root systems and grow at an even temperature. Lettuces have come out from the glasshouse to harden off and have been planted with a view to providing a café with some locally grown garnish. Five beds in the top garden now have potatoes in them, and, although potatoes are straightforward to grow, a touch of frost could hamper their progress in the coming months.

Many thanks to everyone who gave their time to help out this month.



Update, March 2012

General

In the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, March temperatures have further exceeded expectations, the last week or so in particular bringing almost Mediterranean conditions. Early sowings have been germinating well in the warm soil of the vegetable garden; we have had a team of enthusiastic waterers from Craiglockhart Primary to ensure that things get a good start in spite of the persistent dryness!

Nursery

We welcomed George Watson Nursery School to the gardens this month. The children and staff came for a tour round the site in six groups over three days, with each tour lasting around an hour. The wormery proved a definite favourite, and sightings of Rabbits, Squirrels and birds were also popular.

The children ran a special garden related assembly at their school, selling programmes, and generously donated the proceeds to ourselves. Many thanks!

Hedgerow

A team from Lloyds banking group spent the day with us on the 27^th, enjoying a day of perfect weather to assist with the planting of a new hedgerow to border the orchard. About 80 metres of hedging went in, a mix of Hawthorn, Cherry Plum and Apple. This will grow to provide a nice dense sheltering corridor for wildlife, as well as foraging opportunities for local people well into the future.

Glasshouse

The glasshouse complex is in the process of being re-glazed with safety glass. As a result it has been necessary to move all the plants and sundries from our tunnel to another on the site, and thanks to all who helped out with this on Friday 30^th. It was a massive undertaking, hot work under the glass, with some large and awkward lifts that required real teamwork. Thanks to Debbie, Celia, Lesley, Barbara, Flora, Bill, Chris, Derek, John, Eddie and Alec for approaching the task with such good spirit and humour.

All said another highly productive and enjoyable month.

Cheers,

Sean.



February at the Royal Edinburgh Community Gardens

General

We have made the most of the mild conditions, with Scotland enjoying some of the warmest temperatures in Western Europe through much of February. Snowdrops and Aconite have been showing beautifully in the woodland, with the Narcissi well up before the end of the month.

Good ground conditions have allowed outdoor sowings of Parsnip, Broad Bean, Peas and Beetroot, while Shallot sets have also gone in. Perennial crops are wakening, with the earliest stems of Rhubarb well on their way, while fruiting buds of Apples, and particularly Pears, are already swelling.

In recent days several Bumble Bee queens have been on the wing, looking impossibly big as they always seem to. Elders are greening up in sheltered pockets on the woodland edge, while birds are busily prospecting for nest sites.

Participation

The gardens continue to be of real value to a wide range of groups and individuals.

P4 classes from Craiglockhart Primary have visited twice during the month, the beginning of a programme that will run through the spring and summer terms. The kids enjoyed a long tour of the gardens over two perfect early spring mornings, then helped to transplant vegetable seedlings into the beds.

Third and fourth year Geography students from Edinburgh University joined us for a day in February, as part of a week of practical volunteering aimed at showcasing local environmental projects. Families from the Steiner school mucked in on Sunday 19^th, preparing a large area of ground for spring planting.

Vegetables were provided for a community meal hosted by Shandon Local Food Group early in February, while SLFG collaborated with Transition Edinburgh South to put on a very well attended series of composting training courses at the gardens. These focussed primarily on vermiculture, with participants constructing worm boxes to take home. There are some excellent photos on the Shandon website, including some good shots of the gardens;

http://shandonfood.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/slfg-wormery-course-in-pictures/

New opportunities

We have managed to purchase the site portacabin, a move that should reduce ongoing running costs and allow us to customise the building to better suit the needs of our community gardeners.

Funding has been secured to purchase more soft fruit stock and native shrubs, with the aim of planting more edibles in the woodland areas, and enhancing wildlife habitats. A number of corporate teams have booked in over the spring to assist with these new projects.

Finally, good luck to Fernando Perez, a real champion of the gardens. He is off to New Zealand to work in viticulture for 3 months having previously worked in the Rioja region of Spain. Cheers Fernando!

Royal Edinburgh Community Gardens

Update February 2012

General.

December's mild weather continued well into January, such a contrast from last winter. We've had some days that must have been twenty degrees C warmer than the corresponding date last year! Plants and animals have responded accordingly, with snowdrops and winter aconite showing beautifully in our woodland area by the middle of the month. Birds have been singing and prospecting for nest sites.

The conditions have allowed us to crack on with a range of tasks, including some woodland management in early January. The lengthening days mean time to get the seeds out, with the earliest sowings of Tomatoes, Lettuce, Perpetual Spinach, Onions , Leeks and Brassicas going into trays in the glasshouse during the month.

Events.

January has again seen the gardens host an exciting range of cultural and educational events. The Shandon Local Food Group ran a double header course on the 8^th, with participants constructing a raised bed in the morning, then learning the art of fruit tree pruning in the afternoon.

Transition Edinburgh South repeated last year's successful Wassailing event, a winter's afternoon of song and orchard related celebrations in an age old tradition. TES have also secured funding to run a series of composting courses, allowing people to put together and take home a populated wormery while learning about this and other composting methods.

Please follow these links to find out more;

shandonfood.wordpress.com/

www.transitionedinburghsouth.org.uk/

Volunteering.

As ever volunteers have represented a cross section of groups from the hospital community and beyond. The Jewell and Esk Valley college team continue to visit on a Friday as they work their way towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award, while the New Caledonian Woodlands Good Wood group came along mid-month to help with glasshouse sowings and winter tidying.

A new link with George Watson Nursery School has developed this month, while a spring programme with Craiglockhart Primary is in planning.

General

This year's autumn has officially been the mildest in living memory, with only a couple of touches of frost to date. Autumn sown crops such as Broad Beans and Spring Cabbage have been growing on strongly, while the clement conditions have allowed us to press on with outdoor tasks such as path work, and the winter dig of cultivated areas.

A change, in the form of driving rain, came over the last few days of the month, triggering the long awaited tidy up of the glasshouse in preparation for a good early start to next year's growing season.

Volunteering

Many people have again made use of the gardens this month, including quite a number of new faces, often folk who have heard good things through friends. The educational theme has continued, with Bruntsfield Primary School's 'eco-group' paying a visit early in the month. The kids helped out with collecting leaves for composting, then harvested Kale and Parsnips which were taken back to school to share with classmates.

Jewell and Esk Valley College have continued their involvement, and their visits are now a weekly fixture. The group's work in the garden contributes towards achieving the Duke of Edinburgh award, and they have worked really well on a variety of tasks: pruning hedges, spreading rock dust, digging beds, improving paths and helping with glasshouse tasks!

The gardens hosted another instalment of the Shandon Local Food Group organic gardening course. Around 24 participants attended sessions on planning and preparation of food gardens, and 'focus on fruit.' Much positive feedback has been received, such as; "A thoroughly enjoyable two hours. Met lots of nice, interesting people, and lovely to see the community gardens at last. Have come home all fired up!"

New opportunities

The Gannett Foundation has generously offered funding for us to purchase a portacabin. This will make it possible for us to have a portacabin in the long term as the costs of the temporarily rented portacabin were prohibitive, and it will also allow us to customise our own building.

Robbie Millar has joined us on a work placement this month, and we are delighted that he'll be with us for the next six months. He says:

After working in France as an assistant garden for six months I wanted to implement the skills I learned there in Edinburgh and learn new things associated with gardening. Over the past two weeks a trip to Cyrenians farm was scheduled in order for me to get a feel for how things work there. Additionally, I participated in the Good Food programme which involves the redistribution of otherwise wasted supermarket food to homeless hostels/shelters across Scotland. This programme is vital in not only providing the homeless with food that would otherwise go to waste but also provides good opportunities to volunteer and a reason to get up in the morning. Overall my short time here so far has been very enjoyable and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere has helped me settle in well.

Wildlife

Bird feeding has begun in earnest, and many thanks to Lesley for donations of feeders and food. Watching the garden birds has generated lots of enjoyment for human garden visitors! Other ornithological highlights included a flock of 9 Whooper Swans flying over on the 1^st, and a Woodcock along the woodland walk on the 9^th. A 'charm' of 60 Goldfinches on the 30^th was a good count.

The mild weather seems to have favoured fungi, including these beautiful 'Earth Stars' (pictured).