Tree pit gardening - volunteers needed!

Hello neighbours,

Now that the danger of frost has passed (that's our story and we're sticking to it!), it's time to freshen up the lovely tree pit gardens along Fordwych Road and beyond.

Why not join Garden Friends NW2 and adopt a tree pit near your home? Over the next few weekends we'll be volunteering to collect free compost from the EcoPark Compost Hub near Kings Cross and spreading it around all the 50 or so lovely trees on St Cuthbert's and Fordwych Roads between Maygrove and Mill Lane. 

And Garden Friends NW2 have been propagating hundreds and hundreds of seedlings and plant plugs that will soon be ready to put into the tree pits.

With the hope that even more neighbours will join in and adopt a tree pit near their home to help tend and water and protect our precious neighbourhood community gardens as part of our street life.

So email us at gardenfriendsnw2@gmail.com if you want to find out more or are interested in being part of our 'growing' group that aims to give some small pleasure to everyone who uses our streets.

Keep calm and carry on gardening (in a tree pit near you)!

Your neighbourhood garden needs you!

YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD GARDEN NEEDS YOU! 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY GARDENING?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP GREEN-UP THIS AREA?

All WILLING HANDS NEEDED AND WELCOME!

COME AND JOIN IN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS (2PM - 4:30PM)

FOR GARDENING, REFRESHMENTS AND A CHANCE TO MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS (YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!)

Wear suitable (old!) clothes/ footwear. We have gloves and tools, but bring your own if you prefer.     JOIN GARDEN FRIENDS NW2

WE START AT ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH AND GREEN-UP THE NEIGHBOURHOOD TREE PITS AND OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN

For further information see our blog: www.gardenfriendsnw2.blogspot.co.uk

e-mail gardenfriendsnw2@gmail.com  & follow us on Twitter @GFriendsNw2

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON GARDENING

WITH GARDEN FRIENDS NW2

Would you like to adopt me?

Garden Friends NW2 is encouraging residents, businesses, schools, places of worship, clubs, organisations - anyone in our community really – to ‘adopt a tree’ near to them and do some ‘guerrilla gardening’ in the tree pit to help ‘green up and clean up’ our neighbourhood.

                              


It’s already started around Fordwych Road and St Cuthbert’s Road, so if you’d like to join in, now’s the time!

For more information visit us at:
http://gardenfriendsnw2.blogspot.co.uk/

Or email gardenfriendsnw2@gmail.com


Keep Calm and Carry On Gardening!

Saturday May 10th Gardening Day

Hi Garden Friends,

Next Gardening Day is this coming Saturday 10th May 2-5 pm. 

There will be planting to be done in the tree pits on Fordwych Road as well as in the 'woodland area' of St Cuthbert's Garden. Plus tending to everything that's been planted.

And if we had any laurels, we could also rest on them awhile and survey the success of all our efforts so far as things are really greening up and taking shape nicely!

Tea and cake will probably miraculously show up as well. 

Hope to see you on Saturday.

Keep calm and carry on gardening!

Garden Friends NW2

Come one, come all to our April Gardening Day!

Hi Garden Friends,

So Spring has sprung and now it's time for Garden Friends NW2 to spring into action!

All are welcome (and indeed needed) for a gardening day this Saturday 26th April. 

There will be people around from 10 am to late afternoon, so if you can come by for any part of that time, even a short bit, you are most welcome.

There will be English roses to be planted in half-barrel containers There will be trees and strawberries to be planted in the woodland area. There will be mats of wildflowers to be planted in front of the woodland area. There will be seedlings to be planted in pots and the raised beds. There will be watering of the raised beds and fruit trees to do along with some tending to these areas. Plans will need to be made for constructing the garden shed graciously donated to us by The Winch Project.Plans will need to be made for another trip to the Eco Hub near King's Cross for more free compost. Plans will need to be made for our Spring Relaunch of the Fordwych Road tree pit gardens. There will be soup and bread and tea and cakes that need to be eaten and friendly soul-warming chats to be had with each other. Yes, Garden Friends, spring gardening beckons!

So we hope to see you sometime on Saturday at St Cuthbert's Garden behind St Cuthbert's Church at the intersection of Fordwych & St Cuthberts Roads. Bring a friend, bring a neighbour, bring a stranger, bring an enemy, all are welcome!

Keep calm and carry on gardening!

Garden Friends NW2

Raising the bed

Hello Garden Friends,

We did it! Ten 8 ft x 4 ft x 18 in raised beds have been constructed in the St Cuthbert's community garden.

First we constructed the frames from used 2.5 inch thick scaffolding timbers.

Then we lined them with weed-deterrent fabric.

Then we filled them half way with natural compostable materials including cardboard and leaves collected along Fordwych Road and branches and trimmings from clearing the site along with compost from the Eco Hub and let it all settle in the wonderful rain we have been getting.

Then we topped it all off with good quality topsoil we got in bulk bags.

And then began planting them with blueberries, raspberries and asparagus.

Now there's a lovely row of raised beds along our south-facing wall, with several waiting to be planted with seasonal fruit and veg this winter and spring.

This way of doing the raised beds may seem a bit different to some gardeners and borrows from principles of permaculture gardening. We'll let you know how it turns out come Spring!

Till then, keep calm and carry on gardening!

Garden Friends NW2

Coming to a tree pit near you!

Hello Garden Friends, 

Recently we've been informed that Colleen O'Sullivan, Arboricultural Officer for Camden, has carried out an inspection of trees in this area, and a number of trees on Fordwych Road are now scheduled for removal this winter. 

One of the trees set to be taken down is outside Kids Company at 85-87 Fordwych Road. Kids Co have done a lovely planting in the tree pit, so we are sorry to see the tree go. But the Council says that there will be replanting, so hopefully Kids Co will have a new tree to welcome to the neighbourhood with more of their lovely plants and flowers. 

The photo above was taken of one large Plane tree already removed near the junction of Fordwych Road and Mill Lane last week due to decay.

Below is a list of the Fordwych Road trees affected and the reason for their planned removal. Sad to see them go, of course, but such is the cycle of gardening, and we look forward to new replacement trees next year in these tree pits along with welcoming flowers for them.

Keep calm and carry on gardening!

Street name

Tree species

Reason for removal

Fordwych Road (outside 188)

Cockspur thorn

Basal decay

Fordwych Road (outside 137)

Purple cherry

Damaged crown

Fordwych Road (outside 79)

London Plane

Basal decay

Fordwych Road (outside 85-87)

London Plane

Basal decay

Fordwych Road (outside 89)

London Plane

Basal decay

Fordwych Road (jct Minster Road)

Lime

Basal decay