Corner of Gloucester Drive and Queens Drive, N4 2LW
A south facing grassy slope next to the church which is being transformed into a fruit and veg growing area.
NOV 2010
Time to put in the trees and soft fruit bushes. We added two apple trees, a plum tree, quinces, raspberries, black chokeberries, honeyberries and strawberries. Quite a few people turned up. ? arrived first and worked hard clearing the existing raised beds - we got quite a few little carrots for the kids to chomp on. She also thinned out the chard and spinach and tidied up the borders.
Clem was there, as usual, doing loads of heavy work and there were about five different families. Members of the congregation also helped out, including Danica who is new to the parish. The children helped transport the plants from Jen's house to the plot and generally enjoyed finding freakishly long worms and eating popcorn. The adults worked hard spreading woodchips from the recently demolished ash tree over the whole site. We still have some to spare!
JUNE 2010
Time for some work
Saturday arrived hot and sunny and bought out a great team of ten or so willing volunteers keen to work! Building a couple of raised veggie beds was a major job, involving a load of digging into the slope, checking the levels, a load more digging/levelling up as necessary until finally, the timbers were ready to be fixed together. Once done they were beautifully decorated by the kids and ready to fill and plant the next day.
Great deep holes were dug to concrete in posts to fix trellising to, ready for the fruit trees which will be planted later in the year and although it seemed a shame to prune back the elder to let in more light, the thought of the potential veggie harvest and the cordial which was made from the flowers made it a bit easier!
plot beforeAs everyone was leaning on their shovels admiring the results of the day, the heavens opened, which we took as a hint that enough had been done for that day!
The following day, Sunday, after a bring and share lunch, it was back to it. Again there was a great team of people so a convey of wheelbarrows carried the contents of two huge bags of manure and top soil into the two raised beds, to be mixed up and prepared for planting by others.
And finally after all the hours of digging, constructing and preparation, the main aim of all that hard work had arrived - planting up the raised beds, done in minutes, although of course there are many more hours of caring for them until harvest day!
Many thanks to everyone who turned up and helped out that weekend, in what ever way. Also thanks to Capital Growth for the grant to help get things started.
In the beginning ....
FEBRUARY 2010
After a particularly strenuous shrub clearing session at Parkwood Primary School, the Transition Finsbury Park food group held their monthly meeting. Over cups of tea and biscuits and after updates on all the numerous food growing projects, Martyn, the vicar at St John's, said he'd love to convert an area of the church grounds into a food growing project but didn't have the time to take the idea forward at that time - any willing volunteers?
Tricia, new to the group but looking to get more involved, offered to try and move it forward.
APRIL 2010
We got some cash!
A successful grant application to the Capital Growth grant programme resulted in £1,000. Fantastic news and no excuses now not to make this project happen!
