The last post!

Beautiful and abundant

This is the final post for Goldsmiths Community Garden, which was reclaimed just over two years' ago in a neglected corner of the community centre grounds. I no longer maintain the garden but appreciate the initial work, donations of time, resources and plants by volunteers and local community organisations and groups, and the regular maintenance of the garden every Sunday by the Community Payback Team. The garden has been transformed but more importantly kept under control and ownership, and this has spread to the rest of the grounds which now look wonderful, open and inviting.

These photographs were taken on 13 May 2014 and the one of the bulb display in April.    

Thanks go to all the supporters of the community garden with special mention to Elwood Amey for his horticultural advice, experience and persistence; to Anne Marie at Lewisham Gardens for her enthusiasm, friendship and contacts; to Ruth Webber, Downham Nutrition Partnership, for her encouragement and friendship in making the garden accessible; to Delicious most Nutritious, for their enthusiasm and participation in making use of the  garden plants; to Goldsmiths centre users and groups for their voluntary work and donations; to Ruth and Suriya for their inspiration and enthusiasm for creating the herb spiral and introducing me to permaculture; to Katy Delaney at Lewisham Council Green Scene Community Garden Grants and compost/love food hate waste workshops; and to Capital Growth, the RHS/Groundwork Re-Use scheme and Grow Wild, and the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association for grants and donations.

In and around the local area

View towards Crystal Palace from Durham Hill

There is nothing like a crisp late autumn afternoon to go exploring the local area. The light is precious at this time of year and you have to make the most of it.

In all the years I worked in Downham and used the old (and lovely) swimming baths and library off Moorside Road, although I must have seen it I didn't really take that much notice of their location and the magnificent views across south London. Durham Hill, which is sometimes referred to as Downham Playing Fields, is accessible from various points along Downham Way, Moorside Road at the junction with Durham Hill (the road), and behind the Leisure Centre.

Downham Swimming Baths (photo courtesy of Ideal Homes)

'When I came back in 2002 the baths had closed and were in a sorry state' (text and photo courtesy of Friends Reunited)

The baths and library were eventually demolished to make way for the PFI financed Downham 'Lifestyles' Health and Leisure Centre, which combines health services and leisure activities in one odd looking building - from the front at least.

Downham Health & Leisure Centre, looking towards Downham Way/Launcelot Road

Towards Downham Way, in the autumn sunshine.

Towards Southover and Bromley Hill

Closer to home  near Goldsmiths Community Garden and the centre the prefab estate is being prepared for demolition and redevelopment. I'm struck by how quickly the lovingly tended gardens have been reclaimed by michaelmas daisies, brambles and bindweed; grass unmowed, shrubs not pruned back.

Contrast the two photos below, taken in March 2011, with now.

 Eighteen months' later. The end of an era.

 

Fruits of our labours

Chill in the air

It's been a fruitful year in the community garden, little by little; many herbs have been picked and grown stronger for it, the bricks of the herb spiral are hardly visible, one apple appeared on the fruit trees planted in early spring and the trees are beginning to establish.

A few blackcurrants, peas and lettuces here, some tomatoes there. Lettuces, leeks and broccoli grown in terracotta pipes it's been a year of surprises all round. The brambles are nearly vanquished. When I arrived at the centre on Tuesday green Marmande tomatoes were lined up on the patio table - mysterious. I'll have to make a lot of space on my south facing windowsills for them to ripen, now the temperature has dropped. The ones left on the plants (not many!) may ripen if the sun comes out.

Trevor, super volunteer at the IT Suite, and his wife Rita donated a compost tumbler and a big bag of compost to the garden. All the fruit trees have benefitted from this largesse, and the compost to come. The compost bins built from pallets last year have got bigger and bigger and have now become a repository for branches and twigs. A job for the autumn.

Meishu and Una from Kendale Allotments community gardens brought produce to the Downham Nutrition Partnership AGM on 11 September, which shows what can be done in smallish spaces.

Kendale display at the Downham Nutrition Partnership AGM, with tomato varieties from Dr Tattersfield's garden, white borage, herbs, calendua from Goldsmiths Community Garden and green Marmande tomatoes from Kendale allotments

A solitary Braeburn apple from the fruit trees planted in February this year

Swiftly consumed by Kerry!

Una's produce from Kendale

Rosemary, sage and mint in the herb spiral, planted September 2012

The herb spiral and brick bed, lavender still in flower 3rd September 2013

The pipes of broccoli

Yesterday was the first time I'd had a good look around the grounds, to see what progress has been made other than in the community garden. Outside the hall, the beds have been dug over and I discovered what had happened to the tray of broccoli seedlings I picked up from St Mungo's a few weeks ago. They seem to be thriving!

In the community garden itself, the blackcurrant bush planted last spring has produced a few berries. Watch out, Ribena... Herbs, traditional apothecary plants, fruit and vegetables all happily co-exist in this sunny open space.

These lovely dianthus are now in full bloom. They were from Lidl or Aldi, 99p specials. I don't know the name of the white, pink tipped rose although I've had a good look on the internet.

Every Thursday morning the community garden is transformed with a shade sail and tent, books and toys and guinea pigs, for the pre-walkers outdoor play session run by Limelight. The session provides sensory experiences for the little ones, and it's great to see the garden put to such good use!

Midsummer update

Note the bucket and terracotta pipes - more later

This is the community garden in mid-February 2013 before the fruit trees were planted. We received a grant of £150 towards a mini-orchard from Capital Growth, and Elwood kindly bought and collected them from Keepers Nursery near Maidstone.

The photograph below was taken in May, with the fruit trees planted and settled in. We are now the proud guardians of three apple trees, three pear trees, a King James mulberry tree and a red filbert. The apple trees flowered and have produced fruit. The idea was to replace the brambles, which local people could pick if they dared, with something more substantial and less thorny! Removing the chain link fence from behind the palisade means that we can remove the bindweed more easily too.

The community garden benefitted last year from the Groundwork Hampton Court Flower Show re-use scheme, and again this June from their Chelsea Flower Show re-use scheme co-ordinated by Anne Marie of Lewisham Gardens.

Last year the plants were collected and distributed at St Swithun's, Hither Green Lane, and this year at Spring Gardens, Hither Green, a homeless hostel managed by the St Mungo's charity. The first articulated lorry turned up bearing large quantities of york stone, paving blocks and aggregate and the driver kindly gave us both a go of the grabber remote control - an unrealised dream until then!

Payback has paid off!

The payback team have taken the community garden to their hearts. Without their careful tending of the garden every Sunday, I would need to be there a lot more.

White borage, lovage and achillea with fruit trees in the background

Every time I visit there is a delightful new addition to the garden - this edging was made and installed by the team. The team have taken enthusiastically to planting, and the 40 or so plants I collected from Spring Gardens were in the following day. In some surprising places....

Imaginative use of the terracotta pipes, and a galvanised bucket! I hope to encourage the team to eat the lettuces and peas growing out of the pipes, which Anne Marie refers to as chimneys. The plants seem to like it and who knows, it may start a trend!

Courgette and leek, 'pipe' grown

The Apothecary Garden

Here are some photos of the apothecary garden, in full bloom. The white borage plant, bought last year from Dig This nursery in New Cross Gate (do pay a visit, if you need some herbs) surpassed all expectations.

The herb spiral, created last September

This is a garden I visited recently, in Downham. It was created and maintained by a group of disabled people, who due to funding cuts no longer tend it. I am looking at it for a project involving older people and gardening, and another to link community venues and green spaces across Downham, Whitefoot and Grove Park. Can you guess where it is?

Please visit the Downham Interagency website for details of how to get involved in these projects.

Garden Party

Goldsmiths Community Centre Garden Party

On Saturday September 22nd from 12 to 4 pm all are welcome to enjoy Goldsmiths Community Centre's Apothecary Garden to mark the end of the Hubbub media resource project and to raise funds and awareness for the Goldsmiths Well Being Room.

Creating the herb spiral

As suggested by the CEL students who took part in the Hubbub project the themes of the garden party are Well Being and Making Connections. This will be an opportunity to find out more about the Well Being Room at Goldsmiths Community Centre, and what health and Well Being services are available locally and at the Community Centre.

Clay oven for delicious pizzas!

Healthy hot food will be available fresh and hand made from the pizza oven, and a range of traditional home made produce like cakes, lemonade, ginger beer, chutney, pesto and hummous will be on sale.

There will also be a book stall, bric-a- brac and raffles.

Come and enjoy the last of the good weather in a beautiful garden setting. See you on Saturday 22nd!

SPONSORED BIKE RIDE

The Goldsmiths Community Centre Well Being room is a project that's been running since 2009 and making a positive difference to the local community of Downham.

The Well Being Room is a hub for health and well being in Downham. It provides sign posting to local health and well being services as well as offering low cost complementary therapies.

To support this Rowland Smith and Elwood Amey who run the project are taking part in the Question Challenge bike ride . . .

WHO? Elwood and Rowland as they run the Well Being Room, also other members of DUCK Cycling Club doing their own fund raising challenges and joining in just for fun.

WHERE? Visiting all the places that sound like questions within cycling distance of London, so….starting at: HOWE, Norfolk, then WARE, Hertfordshire, then HOO, Medway, ending at WYE in Kent.

WHEN? Friday 5th October to Sunday 7th of October 2012

WHY? Why not? Cycling is a great way for people to keep fit. Elwood and Rowland want to use this challenge to show that anybody can take up cycling AND enjoy it AND raise some money to support a great project.

If you'd like to support a health project that's been making a difference since 2009 please visit the Charity Giving website http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/questionchallenge and make a donation to support the Goldsmiths Community Centre Well being Room.