This month we’d like to throw the spotlight on three beautiful gardens, all making fantastic use of their food growing areas, and providing welcoming spaces to learn about food growing and relax amongst plants.
Streatham Common Community Garden
We joined the Wednesday afternoon volunteer session at Streatham Common Community Garden, a beautiful, historic walled garden situated within The Rookery on Streatham Common. The garden was thriving. Apple and plum trees were laden with fruit. Mediterranean herbs were alive with buzzing insects. An ingenious homemade trellis fashioned from upcycled pallets displayed dozens of developing squashes and pumpkins.
The main food growing area is no-dig, which, as lead volunteer Kate explained, has been helping to build soil health and has already been noticeably benefical to food crops. There is a polytunnel dedicated to growing crops from around the world – crops include Bengali spinach (a beautiful climbing plant with red stem), Asian beans, chickpeas, gourds and different varieties of chillies and tomatoes. There are also Learner Plots for individuals and community groups who want a small plot of land to manage themselves.
It was fantastic to see a garden showcasing so many different food crops and growing techniques, and so well-used by the local community.
Loughborough Farm
We were welcomed at Loughborough Farm by the lead grower, Alice, and took part in the Tuesday afternoon volunteer session on a scorching hot day in mid-August. The farm is tucked away on a piece of land, directly next to the train line, in the heart of Loughborough Junction. The garden is in a heavily built-up area and is surrounding by buildings. These provide some shade and also hold in warmth, both of which create a micro-climate which the farm takes full advantage of.
The main showstopper was the tomato vines which were laden with lots of huge, ripe beefsteak tomatoes in different shades of purple, red and orange. We harvested several crates worth and they were shared out amongst the volunteers who were there for the day. The tomatoes were planting alongside a rich variety of other crops including herbs, pollinator-friendly flowers and other vegetables. It was great to see the mixed planting schemes creating a healthy ecosystem, with plenty of habitats for beneficial insects and not an inch of bare soil in sight.
Carey Gardens Estate
We were welcomed at Carey Gardens Estate by long-term residents Dya and Pauline, who showed us around the different growing areas that they have been tending across the estate. This included some allotment-style raised beds, as well as communal beds that the gardening group has taken over. Their work has made a big impact: as you walk around the estate you can’t help but notice the flower beds looking well-tended and bursting with colour. It was inspiring to see Nicotiana and Zinnias in full bloom, both grown from seeds picked up at IEL’s seed swap earlier this year.
