The online forum for the Walled Kitchen Gardens Network with all the latest news, events and musings.
MAR/APR 2015 MUSINGS
MAR/APR 2015 MUSINGS by Maz Gardening Volunteer at Tatton Park Kitchen Garden, Knutsford, Cheshire “March many weathers.” However, the first Tuesday was a lovely sunny day, but with a biting wind. The hazel and alder catkins were dancing merrily to the accompanying tune of a Pied Wagtail sat on top of one of the walls. March is known as Mulch Month, and most of the Team were in the American Garden, spreading a thick mulch of leaf mould to nourish the ground. In the soft fruit area, March is also known as Hoe Month, and the rest of the Team hoed the large bed of red and white currant bushes… Read more »
LEASOWES WALLED GARDEN
In November 2014 the Halesowen Abbey Trust, a registered charity, purchased the Leasowes Walled Garden located within the grounds of the internationally renowned Leasowes Grade I Garden created by Wiiliam Shenstone. The purchase was achieved with donations from a local firm of builders, A J Mucklow, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Councils community forums, the Friends of the Leasowes and individuals. The garden was purchased for the public in perpetuity. Our aim was to own the property and bestowe it with some desperately needed tender, loving, care. Along with our wonderful, enthusiastic volunteers we are doing just this. We are currently creating a dedicated website http://www.leasoweswalledgarden.co.uk. This is only the beginning of… Read more »
JAN/FEB 2015 MUSINGS
JAN/FEB 2015 MUSINGS by Maz, Gardening Volunteer at Tatton Park Kitchen Garden, Knutsford, Cheshire It has become a tradition on the First Tuesday in January for the Tuesday Team to walk from the Mansion Stable Yard through the Park to Knutsford, have a coffee and chat at a lovely café, and then walk back to the Stable Yard for lunch in the Restaurant there; most enjoyable with good company, if a little wet until the afternoon. Weather permitting we start work on the second Tuesday. I hope you all did your ploughing on Plough Monday and that you will enjoy Wassailing at the weekend following. Our first Tuesday of… Read more »
NOV/DEC 2014 MUSINGS
NOV/DEC 2014 MUSINGS by Maz Gardening Volunteer at Tatton Park Kitchen Garden, Knutsford, Cheshire The first Tuesday in November was unbelievably warm and sunny. The day was spent doing an ‘archaeological dig’ to find the Victorian edging tiles to the path in front of the Pinery (or Pineapple House) which had become buried under ‘the lawn’ and the hoggin on the path which had slid down the camber over them. I was assisted by the special needs married couple I have mentored over the past 10 years, and we made a good team: I made the mess and they picked up the turves and swept the path. The tomato plants… Read more »
SEPT/OCT 2014 MUSINGS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 MUSINGS by Maz Gardening Volunteer at Tatton Park Kitchen Garden, Knutsford, Cheshire The first Tuesday in September was absolutely glorious, warm sunshine and in the morning what I call an Australian Sky – no cloud. By late afternoon we were wilting somewhat, but revived by an ice lolly. The Pear Rust is harder to find, but still present, especially on the branches too tall to reach. The Pear and Apple espaliers have all had their extension growth tied in. No sign of summer bird visitors. Next, Raspberries. On another gloriously sunny day two of us commenced pruning out the fruited canes of the summer raspberries; unfortunately for me,… Read more »
WANTED: Community Growers for a Brentor Victorian Walled Garden
With weekly shopping bills on the rise, increasing numbers of communities are joining together to grow their own. Home Grown Community Owned (HogCO) is a BIG Lottery funded project that seeks to strengthen the food-growing communities of rural Devon, and with them the local food resilience of the county. We offer free advice, training, small start-up grants and a forum in which people can share their skills and assets. We are currently working with the owner of Burnville Farm who has a beautiful Victorian walled garden which is in need of some TLC. For the last year a couple of green fingered volunteers have been managing the garden but unfortunately… Read more »
Walled Kitchen Gardens Network Forum 2012
Our11th Forum ‘Private Kitchen Gardens in Suffolk’ took place on the 6th and 7th October, with talks on the Saturday at Helmingham Hall, and visits to privately owned walled kitchen gardens on the Sunday. Once again we were blessed with two days of glorious sunshine.To see our informal report on the Forum Notes on Forum take a look at the blog from Alitex, our sponsors on http://www.alitex.co.uk/newsandevents and there are some more photos posted on our Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/wkgn/
Forgotten Gardens, Abandoned Places.
Here at Pig Row we have been highlighting the tragic fate of some high profile gardens including the demise of Chilton Foliat (from the BBC programme, ‘The Victorian Kitchen Garden’): We are asking gardeners, lovers of produce, lovers of walled gardens and pleasure gardens to help us highlight the continued destruction of old gardens. Is there is a forgotten garden in your area? Is there an abandoned one in your village, town or city? We are asking that you share with us your photos and stories of these places. The more Pig Row can catalogue and share on our blog, the more we can highlight how these spaces should be… Read more »