Welcome to the GROW YOUR HEALTH project page for Forest Gate Community Garden.
Forest Gate Community Garden, 136 Earlham Grove, E7 9AS.
Looking to widen our work with Grow Your Health, we approached a local group of Irish elders who meet in a local community centre. We felt that a personal introduction to the calming and therapeutic benefits of the garden would be the way to encourage their involvement.
Working with the Irish Elderly Advice Network and the Irish Pensioners Forum of East London we arranged an intial event with a garden tour and conversation over cakes. This culminated in the ceremonial planting of an Apple Tree – Katya, as a mark of our new relationship.
The event was attended by 40 plus people and future visits are now being planned.
Next week Grow Your Health is once again working with people from Durning Hall weeding an improving the garden on Earlham Grove.
This week under the blazing sun, the Grow your health project went off site to work with a women’s refuge and a group of volunteers form Lloyds Insurance. The aim was to clear wonderful large gardens at the rear of two victorian properties. This will enable raised beds to be built and a regular gardening project to begin growing food which will be used in the kitchens on site.
There will be a compost area and a herb garden with plans afoot to utilise the heavy fruit crop of damsons, wild plums and pears to make chutney and jams in the Autumn. Everybody worked very hard and were glad of a delicious barbecue at the close of the working day.
Work on the front gardens at Durning Hall is going well and after our second week the difference is starting to show.
In the garden our plant sales are doing well so each week we are planting new seeds and cuttings. This week we planted a new selection of organic vegetables seeds including Meteor peas, Cannellini beans and Broad beans. These seem very popular with visitors and produce excellent crops. Part of the deal on the project is that those participating get to take home plants for their own gardens which is encouraging new visitors!
A sunny day on Friday found the Grow Your Health project working in Earlham Grove at Durning Hall.
We were asked if we might have a go at weeding and generally improving the small garden area outside the chapel window. Tools in hand, we braved the heat of the sun and knuckled down to weeding and pruning with gusto.
Amidst the ivy and sycamore seedlings we found to our delight some glorious scented roses almost ay their wits end trying to access water and find the light.
Our first days work was a great success and we shall return next week for a second sitting, this time wearing sunhats and taking regular breaks to soak our heads I’m water.
In the community Garden our cuttings and seedlings have been a real success and are selling well. So much so that we need to create a whole new batch to fill the sales area!
For the first few weeks we have been working on taking cuttings and planting seeds for the Forest Gate Community Garden plant nursery.
There is a lot of conversation and laughter as we exchange stories, gardening tips and experience. Participants come as they will and include Marjorie, a dynamic lady aged 75 who has many stories to tell and works hard and fast when taking cuttings. She has suggested we come and do some work in her garden and we are considering the feasibility of that for this Autumn. Another user is Kayta whose knowledge of gardening is growing fast, she plans to take an RHS course very soon to further improve her skills.
Through Isobel Matheson we are arranging to work with Durning Hall to plant some vegetables and to work with a volunteer group from the community center to tidy up the existing green area on Earlham Grove which is overgrow with weeds.
We and have met with are currently talking to a local women’s refuge to assist them in creating a vegetable garden.
We would absolutely love you to join us on Friday mornings at 11am. We’re a friendly bunch!
Many thanks to East London Community Foundation for their support of this project.
