We had a really good day at the garden this Saturday - lots of regulars working to get the site up to scratch for next weekend plus a very nice surprise visit from artists Antje Schiffers (from Germany) and Fernando García-Dory from Spain, both were over in the UK for the Grizedale Arts Late at Tate event.
We're excited to announce that Abbey Gardens is taking part in Open Garden Squares Weekend, a London-wide event on 12 and 13 June, we are open 10 - 5 both days. We will be the first garden to open in Newham! Visit www.opensquares.org for more information.
As part of this weekend the Friends of Abbey Gardens will be holding a Summer Fair on the Saturday afternoon (12 June from midday to 4pm) and hosting a giant picnic. There won't be so much produce to eat yet from the garden (unless you REALLY like radishes!) so we would like to ask everyone to bring their own picnic and hopefully we will enjoy a nice early summer day in the garden. There will be a plant sale, a photography exhibition by the Friends of Abbey Gardens, garden tours by Karen, Hamish & I, children's games and, of course, the ever popular tea and cake stall.
Food wise I have to admit we're in a bit of a 'hungry gap' in the garden at the moment - unless like me you are still utterly determined to continue to innovate with chard and parsley (!) but the new season is just around the corner ... seed trays are multiplying and today I picked my first bunch of flowers.
The Aquilegia I grew from seeds gathered from my late Father-in-law Derek Olden's allotment. I always really love the associations plants can have with particular people and these are no exception. It even made me happy to be updating the plant database tonight because I realised that this is what I love about it ... as well as all the 'facts' we record here it's also a record of everyone who contributes to the garden over time, and the plants they grow can continue even when they are no longer with us.
I got VERY excited in the garden today the dahlia's I grew from seed last year and left in over winter to see if they would form tubers have and have come up again!
Topics: [Dahlias]
We're delighted to spread the job of adding to the plant database by welcoming Hamish into the admin group!
Topics: [Hamish]
Spring is definitely here and with it comes many things to do down at Abbey Gardens, but one thing that can't wait much longer is planting potatoes. So, if you're a fan of spuds and the warmer weather has you wanting to get outside, come down and get involved. Onions, garlic and shallots also need to go in so any help will be welcome. Hopefully see you on Saturday between 10am - 3pm
Hamish, your new Garden Club Leader
AT LAST ... I have waded through the plant database bed by bed checking that everything from last year has at the least a photo, an 'in' date and an 'out' date. This may not sound like a big deal but believe me with erratic records it was a massive task!
So why should you care?
Well this means we are now ready for Karen to do the next level of 'grooming' to add the 'top level' info for these plants (Latin Names, if you can eat them etc.) which will (we hope) eventually let us build up a page of our stock plants with links to recipes etc. This also means Dorian can now make the transition to this season's database with only perennial plants (or those we have still to remove) carrying over and with our first season archived.
This also means we have to label everything this year and add it
as we go along :-( !
If you are still not sure why read Karen's excellent post from a
while back here.
If anyone would like to review their high spots from last year and leave comments for posterity on your favourite flowers and veg. it's not too late and it helps to build a nice picture of the garden ...
So click and comment away ... (but maybe save your recipes for this years exciting new area!)
My only remaining sadness is it seems I have no photographic record of Turnip "Golden Ball" any offers out there? And before anyone points it out I know I have to take photos of the Green Manure ...
Topics: [Abbey Gardens] [archive] [database] [history] [labelling] [records]
JOIN US FOR A TWO DAY WORKSHOP AT ABBEY GARDENS
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 26 AND 27 OF MARCH 2010 WITH PUBLIC WORKS
& SOMEWHERE.
The idea for the workshop is to brainstorm and develop new
objects/items/goods that derive from the context of Abbey Gardens a
collective urban food growing site. The brief is open and will be
developed collectively and in reference to specific aspects of the
site, such as collective gardening and harvesting, urban food
production, social and historical aspects of the site, etc.
The aim for the two day workshop is to develop a brief for one or
more new products, and if possible, to assemble first prototypes.
The new items can be anything: from food or tools to plants or
processes and of a real or digital nature.
The products may later be used at Abbey Gardens and distributed locally through the Abbey Gardens' new honesty box and mobile stall (see the picture!). The honesty box, conceived as part of What Will The Harvest Be? is part of a wider network of cultural trading activities and platforms called the International Village Shop, where the new products for Abbey Gardens can become part of a growing collection of locally informed and produced goods.
Programme: Fri 26th March
10.00 Meeting at Abbey Gardens
Introduction of all participants and their different interests in
being involved.
Mapping session of local
resources/narratives/skills/appreciations/conflicts within Abbey
Gardens and its proximity which could inform the new products.
13.00 Lunch at Abbey Gardens
14.00 - 17.00 Further mapping and group session brainstorming and sketching first ideas for a new products.
19.00 Friday Session_39 - an informal discussion at public works studio, 1-5 Vyner Street, London E2 9DG
COMMUNAL/COLLECTIVE/COMMON GARDENS/LAND/INITIATIVES
With presentations by Nina Pope from Somewhere on What Will the
Harvest Be?
Celine Condorelli talking about commons and things in common
Cristina Cerutti about the Crokkes-Walkley Transition group in
Sheffield
Nolwenn Marchand from aaa on Le 56 ECOintersice in Paris
Followed by discussion and food and drinks.
Sat 27th March
10.00 Production workshop at Abbey Gardens,
aiming towards a brief and first prototypes for new products.
12.30 Informal lunch and internal presentation of
workshop results.
13.30 Further sketching/prototyping/building
15.00 Tea and cakes followed by presenting results
to the public
15.30 Discussion about the different values
involved in making and trading the new product within the context
of the Abbey Gardens Honesty Box and the International Village Shop
16.30 Finish
Who Will Take Part?
The workshop is organised collaboratively by the Friends of Abbey Gardens, Somewhere and public works it takes place within the context of an EU cultural project called RHYZOM.
Members of Abbey Gardens are invited to join. To reserve a place for the workshop email mail 'at' abbeygardens.org - or Contact Andreas. Please note that places are limited and reservation is needed.
SATURDAYS GARDEN CLUB SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AS USUAL FROM 10AM-3PM AND WILL RUN ALONGSIDE THE WORKSHOP
Andreas Lang of both FOAG and Public Works is doing a wonderful job pushing forward with the new Honesty Stall for Abbey Gardens (see above) - he's managed all the different problems we have with getting the right thing by splitting the design between a stall in the fence, a mobile structure and our own bespoke trugs. I couldn't stop myself posting this trug 'mood board' he put together I love it so much!
Topics: [honesty stall] [produce] [trug]
website design & build by dorian @ the useful arts organisation
