Growing Together

 Bovey’s Community Garden Newsletter

The Community Garden is run by BOVEY CLIMATE ACTION, in partnership with the National Trust.

 

Garden Autumn Open Day Saturday 3rd Oct

10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m.

In conjunction with The National Trust’s  

 

Apple Day & Heathen Harvest Festivities

 

A Pomaceous Evening of Vivacious Varieties at Parke Estate, nr Bovey Tracey

Saturday 3rd October, 6.30-9.30pm

Celebrate autumn with an evening of song, dance, storytelling, music and excitement in the unique setting of Parke Estate.

Devon based theatre company, the Common Players,

will be performing their popular production 'Heathen Harvest',

 full of local mythology and traditions of apples and cider making accompanied with a

delicious supper using local produce.

Prepare to be entertained!

Advance: £8 Adult, £6 Child. On the Door £10 Adult, £8

Child. Book early to avoid disappointment.

For more information visit:

http://dartmoor-nationaltrust.blogspot.com/ or call

01626 834748

Registered charity

 

 

Tickets will be on sale at NT Parke Office (tel 01626 834748)  ; NT Widecombe Shop (tel 01364.621321) and at Bob Arnolds Hardware shop, Mary Street, Bovey Tracey.

 

During the day of Sat 3rd we are also having an Apple Orchard Event with the following activities...............

 

Apple Pressing - help us to press apples into delicious juice that you can taste and buy.  Bring your own apples (1 bag per person) and turn them into juice to take away.

 

Orchard Link - a Devon based group encouraging the preservation of orchards will have a demonstration stand, with someone on hand to give advice about apple growing.

 

Devon Rural Skills - will be providing demos of such things as hay rake making.

 

Dowsing - try your hand at their mystical skill!

 

Apple Games and Activities - for children including making a bird feeder from apples and sunflower seeds

 

Walled garden Open Day - have a look around at what Bovey Climate Action gardeners have been up to this year.

 

 

National Garden Scheme Inclusion

 

Exciting news for our Community Garden.

 We have been assessed and hope to be part of The Bovey Garden’s open day next year for the yellow book National Garden Scheme. This will be on the 5th & 6th of June 2010. This is a great achievement and a tribute to all the hard work put in by our community gardeners. I hope everyone will come and support us by visiting the garden on one of these days. The proceeds will go to various nursing charities.

 

 

Garden Open Times for September, October & November

 

Wednesdays 10.00a.m. To 1.00p.m.

Thursday evenings will cease after 17th Sept. Session when the Newton Abbot gardeners will be visiting.

Sunday 27th Sept.  (11th& 25th Oct.) (8th & 22nd Nov.)10.00. A.m.To 1.00p.m.

Saturday 19th Sept. (3rd 17th & 31st Oct.)(14th & 28th Nov.) 10.00a.m. To 1.00p.m.

 

Garden Update

As the seasons roll on our garden has flourished and produced a bounteous crop of unusual and delightful vegetables. All our gardeners have had the opportunity to taste new and interesting flavours, including purple French beans, kohl rabi ,Oca, pak choi, and rainbow chard. We have all exchanged ideas about new ways of preparing some of the amazing harvest of vegetables.

Our younger gardeners have been busy making a scary scarecrow and enjoying the wonder of the giant sunflowers they planted. They have been on slug and caterpillar hunts to help preserve our brassicas.

The potato and onion crops have now been harvested and we are looking forward to the winter crops of kale, celeriac and other root crops. Some winter salad crops have been planted and we are looking at ways of having more success next year with our tomato crop, which unfortunately caught blight and had to be removed. (Green tomatoes everywhere).

One of our volunteers who also works with The National Trust has sown a magnificent display of wild flowers in the garden and has been working hard to encourage more wildlife into the garden by creating little pockets of wildlife friendly areas.

Our bike scheme is ongoing and will be looked at again as the needs of our community change.

We are planning to incorporate some soft fruit in our plans for next year, and hope to get some fruit cages started soon.

The solar panel is working successfully to give us all the free water we need from our well, thanks to The National Trust.

Last but not least, our group of special needs people who garden on Weds. mornings are really excited by all the vegetables they have grown and have become an integral part of our garden.

 

 

Topical Tips

 

Climate-friendly gardening tips.

Here are a few starter tips - please send any of your ideas to gailbanham@tq139qt.freeserve.co.uk:

 

Dig up potatoes before slug damage becomes a problem. Leave them out to dry for two to three hours before storing. Only store sound tubers in paper sacks or boxes.

Regularly pick fast maturing vegetables, such as French beans, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, to prevent them becoming stringy, tough or bitter and to encourage further crops.

Remaining outdoor tomatoes should be picked by the end of the month and ripened indoors. The whole truss can be cut off to allow the fruits to ripen ‘on the vine’, perhaps under a cloche or on a windowsill. Any green fruits can be used in chutneys.

Lift onions and shallots once the foliage has started to die back. Do not be tempted to bend over the tops by hand as this can reduce their effective storage time. Allow them to dry on the soil surface if weather permits, otherwise dry in a well-ventilated shed and store in a moisture-free place. Thick-necked onions should be used rather than stored, as they may be prone to rots.

Marrows, pumpkins and squashes may be ready for harvesting. Leave them in the sun, or in a greenhouse/garage, to let the skins harden and dry off, before storing them in a cool, dry, dark place.

When asparagus foliage turns brown, it is time to cut it down.

Sow green manures, such as mustard and Italian ryegrass, to prevent autumn weeds establishing and to act as a soil improver once dug in during winter or spring. Alternatively, place black plastic over bare ground after clearing old crops to suppress weed growth

Divide herbs before they die back in the cold, in order to keep clumps potted up in the kitchen for winter use.

 

 

 

 

Seasonal Recipe

Carrot Cake

This is the best carrot cake I have ever tasted. It’s dairy free and a real treat for friends and family.

 Ingredients

 

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower oil

3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten.

140g grated carrots

100g raisins

Grated zest of one large orange

175g self raisin flour

1 tsp. Bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp. Ground cinnamon

½ tsp. Grated nutmeg (fresh will give the best flavour)

 

1.    Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C.Oil and line an 18cm square tin with baking parchment.

2.    Tip sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

3.    Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices. The mixture will be soft and almost runny.

4.     Pour the mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 40 to 45 mins. Test for readiness by inserting a metal spike (should come out clean). Cool for 5 mins. Then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

5.    Drizzle over frosting made from icing sugar and orange juice.