News from the gardens: April

Deveron Projects has cared for the Brander Community Garden for over 15 years. During this time it has been developed through lots of projects, including A Bite on the Side with Norma D Hunter giving the garden lovely apple trees, Flax Turns with Christine Borland creating distinctive wedge-shaped beds in the lower garden for growing flax, The Town is the Garden creating compost bays and raised beds, a greenhouse and shed. Most recently, the Caretakers' Garden has explored the networks of care within the garden, human and more-than-human. Led by Lindy Young, we offered workshops and events focused on biodiverse gardening and created a no-dig bed, a perennial wild meadow and food forest. Celebrating this project, we are about to launch a Garden Care Plan, written by Lindy. This blog gives an insight into this publication, and what's happening in the garden too!

You can visit the Brander Community Garden behind the library at any time. It is accessed via a white metal gate at the top of McVeagh Street. If you would like to get involved, pop by on a Tuesday to meet Lindy and get stuck in.

AprilWell, Spring has arrived, in its usual stop-start confusion and it’s full on in the Brander Community Garden.

I am feeling my usual mix of excitement and panic. Exciting to see the seeds planted in the greenhouse and on the window ledge at home beginning to emerge (mainly tomatoes and I’m trying a new variety, ‘Clementine’ from Tamar Organics). Panic at the amount of work that needs to be done now in order to have the best harvest possible later in the summer.

Looking at the plan we created last year for the public Brander Community Garden behind the library, I can see already that things have changed. During the Caretakers' Garden project, when we wrote the plan, I talked about prioritising produce that was expensive to buy in the shops, rather than cheaper vegetables like carrots and potatoes. Now that everything is becoming expensive it really is about growing the things that we know will be eaten and be popular.

We are planning to collaborate with other community groups this year. The children from the Toads outdoor adventure group for example and the adults with complex disabilities who meet at the ‘Numero Uno’ group in Square Deal, among others. The raised beds at the Brander are ideal for small groups and we will be focusing mostly on easy to grow vegetables and flowers.

The Numero Uno group want to try to grow pumpkins and cucumbers. The cucumbers are already germinated and growing nicely in the greenhouse. We have had really mixed results growing pumpkins in the past. The best year was when we did them in a Hügel Heap, layered up with lots of compost, manure, seaweed and grass cuttings. We will start them early this month in the greenhouse and then get them out into either the no-dig bed or a raised bed once the threat of frost is past. They need a lot of nutrients, water and warmth so we will give them the sunniest spot next to the south facing wall and hope for a good summer.

April is one of the busiest months of the year. The seeds that have been planted in the greenhouse will need constant attention to ensure that they don’t dry out.  We have been no-peat in the garden for a few years now and watering is probably the biggest challenge. Sometimes, because the peat -free compost dries out on top, it can be hard to tell how damp things are underneath. A moisture meter is a very handy device but you can also just check by sticking your finger into the compost to see if it is damp underneath the top layer. Ideally it should be like a wrung out sponge. Watering from below by sitting your pots in trays or saucers is often more effective than from above.

Early this month we will be sowing Courgettes and also getting a variety of Brassicas started in the greenhouse. Don’t worry if you haven’t a greenhouse, a warm windowsill, away from direct sunlight, is great for getting seedlings started. We are very lucky to have a greenhouse at the Brander but every year I make the mistake of overfilling it with plants. This is where sharing with other gardeners is such a great thing. Keep and eye out for our Barter Cart where we will put our excess plants throughout the season if we have any. We’ve had to move it back to the Brander for now because of the work going on at the Huntly Hotel.

We have lots of used but disinfected seed trays and pots to give away at the moment. Just pop in to the Brander Garden and they will be near the gate, either in the Barter Cart or the Potting Bench.

Later in April some seeds can be sown direct into the soil. Salad leaves and Radish could be planted directly into the raised beds at this time. Early seedlings, such as Kale, Peas and Beans, that were started in the greenhouse, may be ready to be hardened off using the cold frame. This is a great addition to the garden but the slugs and snails know it’s there! I have been scattering a line of salt around the perimeter in the hopes of keeping them off. A constant battle.

Our tatties, Duke of York (1st Early) and Cara (maincrop), which we got last month from the excellent ‘One Seed Forward’ Tattie Giveaway scheme, will be looking for a planting place. Currently, they are chitting in eggboxes in the greenhouse. Don’t worry if you haven’t managed to chit your seed potatoes, it is not absolutely necessary but it gives them a wee head start, getting the shoots going before planting. There is always a bit of debate about when to plant the tatties but I usually go mid-April. There is still a risk of frost but if they are deep enough they should be fine. One of our regular garden visitors, Bill, who grew up on a farm, was telling me how they used to grow their tatties in a trench. They were lucky enough to have a ready supply of manure from the cow they kept in the barn. Once the tatties were in the bottom of the trench then all the muck from the barn was just thrown on top. It sounds very much like the Hugel Heap we had so much success with a couple of years ago. We don’t have the space for a trench this year unfortunately so will probably have to use the bag method.  There’s never a shortage of supermarket bags for life and it’s a great way of growing tatties in a small space.

The Brander Garden is always open. Those of you who visit regularly may have noticed that the step has been removed from the entrance, making it easier for everyone. I am around on Tuesdays for anyone who would like to come along and volunteer. There are always plenty of jobs that need doing. At other times just pop into the Deveron Projects office, or check out the notice board so you know what needs done. There are tools in the wee shed. Of course, you can just come in and enjoy a seat and hopefully a bit of peace and quiet, although the gulls can be quiet noisy at this time of year. The shelter that the Toads group began to build last year is nearly finished and is great for a sheltered seat.

Happy gardening and we hope to see lots of you visiting and enjoying the Brander Community Garden.

Thanks to Timothea and Esme Armour for the snail illustrations, featured in the Garden Care Plan, due to be published this month.