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Spring in our step
January’s always a bit of a bleak time in the garden and the one just gone felt like a particularly slow, cold start to the year. But once we were into February our Bandstand Beds volunteers suddenly sprung into action. At the beginning of the month we cleared a mountain of leaves, netted off our…
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Forever growing
In its short life since it began in 2013, Bandstand Beds has grown from strength to strength, and this year it has really become established. As well as looking after the beds at the Bandstand and The Spinney (opposite the nursery) it has been our first growing season in the new community garden on Windmill…
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Something to crow about!
When we last held a tree planting party it was so cold that by the end of the morning we were all huddled in the polytunnel, teeth chattering and clutching a mug of soup to try and warm our hands. Not this time. After a crisp start, this soon became a beautiful, sunny autumn day.…
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Soil & compost workshop
On Saturday 19 November, Michel from Social Landscapes led us in the final of three workshops hosted in Bandstand Beds community garden on Clapham Common. Over 20 enthusiastic gardeners from across London attended and learned about making compost heaps, worm composting and the different minerals and mineral ratios involved in generating healthy soil and compost. …
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Winter veg workshop
There was a really fantastic turnout of more than 20 enthusiastic gardeners for the second of our autumn workshops with Michel Thill form Social Landscapes to discover what veggies can be planted to grow over winter – and our trusty cat Bob came too. Bob After starting off with a brief introduction to one another…
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Garden pests workshop
Our first of three gardening workshops on 15 October with Michel Thill from Social Lands was very well attended and began with the questions: ‘What is a pest? Are there pests in nature?’ Of course in nature everything is part of the ecosystem, working together to create the overall environment. But in the garden pests…
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Seed buddies
Bandstand Beds’ Jane joined several other community gardeners in Regent’s Park Allotment Garden for a seed savers course, run by Capital Growth and London Freedom Seed Bank, to find out why we should save seed even though we can easily buy them from garden centres or online? Here’s what she discovered… Different people save seed…
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A feast full fun!
Each time the Bandstand Beds team organise an event they worry whether it will be as good as the one before. Last year’s feast marked the opening of our community growing space on Windmill Drive and, despite the dreary weather, lots of people came along to see the new garden and enjoy the great grub…
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Common People Feast – Saturday 8 October 2016
The nights are drawing in and there’s a slight chill in the air, and what better way to say goodbye to summer than with a community harvest celebration. And that’s just what Bandstand Beds and The Spinney nursery are planning with our Common People Feast on Saturday 8 October, from midday until 4pm There’ll be…
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August harvest and Piccalilli
Our mid-week potter yesterday produced a fantastic harvest. Loads of cucumbers hiding away at the back of the polytunnel, courgettes – some rather more marrows, plus beans, tomatoes squash, and a few peas. Some friends old and new turned up to help water, harvest and plan for Saturdays bring and share picnic. I took home…