Latest update from Sweet Pea

Exciting times for allotment growing

If you think that the season is all over then you are wrong. We are just getting started. The mild autumn means that we can really get an early start for improved crops for the early start of next year.

Jobs

Clear as much of your ground as possible. Don’t leave any hidey holes for slugs and pests to overwinter. Old beans can be kept for drying to give you some free seed or used in the kitchen. It is a good time to dig or rotavate whilst there is not too much moisture in the soil and it is still very friable. That’s the hard bit done, now for the pleasure.

Planting – It is getting to a perfect time for planting the following.

• Broad Beans – buy from the Chinnor Allotments and Garden Association (CAGA) shed
• Onions, garlic and shallots as sets (nearest for sale is Haddenham)
• Chard and Perpetual Beet – buy from the shed
• Last sowings of lettuce such as Winter Density – buy from the shed 

Some of the sowings will benefit from a covering of fleece and you know where you can get it cheaply

Finally the seed catalogues are dropping through the door. These are best perused with a glass of wine or beer. Suttons are selling an exciting dwarf mulberry.

Happy Gardening

Sweet Pea

Incredible Edible Chinnor

Announcement of our new project.

Greening Chinnor wish to help increase local food production by encouraging as many people as possible to grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. The aim is to encourage our community to grow ‘food for free’ to be picked by everyone by making use of unloved/unused pieces of land.

The initiative has already started with the Seed and Plant swaps and we would like to introduce community herb beds around the village and encourage sponsorship and community ownership.

The intention is to start small but to scale up the project by looking for small pockets of land where ‘community food’ can be grown and shared and where we will have a sizeable output of crops. We would include elements of learning, growing and sharing. The plan is to eventually have a community orchard and allotment or garden.

This project is open to everyone in the community and we would encourage the collaboration of local groups, churches, schools and businesses in this exciting venture. We are in the early stages of the planning and more details will be announced shortly.

If you know of any small 'unloved' areas or would like to get involved in this exciting project, please contact us at greeningchinnor@gmail.com.

Plant & Seed Swap

A huge thank you to everyone that supported our 3rd Seed & Plant Swap that we held at the FoE Giant Swap Shop and Green Event on the 6 May.

We had lots of plant donations with over 600 items coming (and going) - many lettuce, tomatoes and beans.  We are pleased to say that we received £77.50 in donations which was 50% more than last year. This will be put to supporting next years swap.

Any plants that remained at the end of the event were donated to Christian Aid.  

We gave away 32 sunflower plants as part of the Children's Sunflower Growing Competition and look forward to seeing how they have grown at the end of August. Any competition entrants must send a photo of their sunflower together with the measurements of height and sunflower size along with name and age of entrant. 

Plant and Seed Swap Shop 6th May 10:00-14:00 Mill Lane School

Once more Greening Chinnor will be running a plant and seed swap at the Friends of the Earth Giant Swap Shop & Green Living Event at Mill Lane School on 6th May.

It could not be easier – bring a plant, some seeds or garden sundries and swap with something else. Or if you do not have any plants or seeds to swap a small contribution towards the cost of the plants we grow for this event would be appreciated.

After last year’s children’s Giant Bean growing competition, this year we are offering sunflowers plants to children to enable them to take part in this year’s free growing competition.

Seasonal Garden Tips with an Environmental Slant - by Sweet Pea

Some environmental seasonal growing tips
Spring is well on the way but it is not too late to do those last winter jobs. Finish your pruning before the sap really starts to rise and buds start to swell. When you prune your perennial plants you are depriving bugs and pests of their safe shelter in hollow stems. Before we lose the last of the frosts make sure that the digging is finished and rubbish is cleared from your borders.

• Cover rhubarb to force some nice sweet early shoots.
• Buy your seeds so you are ready to go. Remember that you can get a good selection at amazing discounts at the Chinnor Allottment Shop, Sunday mornings from 10:00am onwards.
• Check out early plantings of onions, shallots and garlic to make sure that nothing has been dug up or blown out of the soil
• Put down some cloches and fleece to start to warm the soil ready for early planting
• Check over your seed potatoes, they should be starting to chit nicely. Old egg boxes are a good way to keep them safe.
• Pigeons are starting to get hungry so keep your tender brassicas covered

Now is a good time to think about leaving a little area clear for wildlife. This means not being too keen to mow it and particularly don't dig up those early dandelions flowers. They are invaluable food for bees at a time when they are most vulnerable. It may also be a good idea to put up a couple of 'bug hotels' which could just be a few short lengths of bamboo tied together.

Good Growing - Sweet Pea

Seed & Plant Swap - This Saturday

Following on from last year's successful Seed & Plant Swap, we are pleased to let you know we will be having a stall at the FoE Green Fayre on Saturday 14th May at the Village Hall, Church Lane, Chinnor, Oxon, OX39 4PQ (view map) from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Do you have packets of seeds you don’t want, half a packet left over or sown too much? This is where you can exchange seeds and plants, Bring your excess seeds and seedlings to our swap stall and swap with someone else. Herbs, vegetables, flowers, anything goes. Please label any plants and seeds clearly. It doesn't matter if you don't have anything to swap, everyone is welcome to take a plant (maximum of 3, whilst stocks last). Alan has been busy growing some of the seeds that were left over from last year as part of this year’s Swap.

We are pleased to say that we have received 30 packets of wild flower seeds from The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew as part of the 'Grow Wild' campaign they are running to inspire people across the UK to come together to transform local spaces by sowing, growing and enjoying native wild flowers.

As last year, there will be a children's competition and giving away free plants to the first 30 children. This year we're giving away beans and come the end of August we will want to see who has grown the tallest and who has grown the longest bean. We will also be having a children's draw for DIY Bee houses.

This is a chance for newbies to have a go at growing some vegetables or flowers, or for 'older' hands to exchange seeds and plants that you have too many of, or just to pick up a plant for free to have a go at “GROW YOUR OWN”.

This year we will also have a plant pot swap as well and will accept all pots that are in good order. Please ensure that all plant brought for swapping are clearly labeled. So bring along seeds, plants or pots to swap or just take a plant to try.

Our First Seed and Seedling Swap

We tried something completely new this year and ran a swap stall for seeds and seedlings at the Friends of the Earth Swap Shop. 

Before the event we were anxious about whether this idea would work. We were quickly reassured as we had enough swap items to completely fill two big tables. Linda and Lily were kept fully occupied handing out plants and seeds whilst giving growing tips.
Our thanks to people who gave plants and seeds most generously. It was really appreciated. Our best wishes for success to all of the people who are now trying to grow something new.

We will certainly run this again next spring at the Swap Shop and so all of you gardeners know where to donate your surplus items. We will do our best to make sure that they go to good homes.

Seed & Seedling Swap

Come along to our seed & seedling swap stall at the FoE Swap Shop in the Village Hall on Saturday 9th May. You don't have to bring anything to swap you can take a plant or seeds to try. We are also giving away sunflower plants to the first 30 children. I can see a competition coming!