10th February 2021
In this month's news...
- THE OLD FARMER'S ALMANAC
- FEBRUARY TALK: HELPING THE HONEYBEE - 18th FEBRUARY
- COMING UP IN MARCH
- APRIL AND BEYOND
- HORTICULTURAL THOUGHTS
- THANK YOU!
- CHARLBURY GARDENERS FACEBOOK
- CONTRIBUTIONS AND HELP
"Groundhog found fog. New snows and blue toes. Fine and dandy for Valentine candy. Snow spittin'; if you're not mitten-smitten, you'll be frostbitten! By jing-y feels spring-y."
Coming up on Thursday 18 February at 7.30 pm on Zoom
TALK - HELPING THE HONEYBEE
Darren Lerigo, a gardener specialised in topiary who loves bee friendly gardens and flowers will talk to us about making sure we have the best plants for bees in our gardens, so that we can do more with our spaces. These plants will not only provide nectar and pollen throughout the year but look great too!
This talk will be held on Zoom and will be available free for all members.
An email containing the Zoom link will be sent to all members a couple of days before the event.
It is really important to us that you are able to join the Zoom meetings if you wish to. If you have a problem, please let us know and we can put you in touch with someone to support you and/or to set it up.
If you are not a member currently, see our membership page for information about how to join.
COMING UP IN MARCH
On the 18 March at 7.30 pm our Zoom talk will be given by Emma Harris-Bass from Honeydale Kitchen Garden near Shipton. Originally located in Chadlington and known as the Kitchen Garden People, the business has now moved to a larger location at Honeydale Farm near Shipton under Wychwood.
Emma, Christine and Dan run the Honeydale Kitchen Garden. This is a Community Supported Agriculture Scheme (CSA), helping to revolutionise the way that food reaches consumers.
‘CSA’s are a way of being able to supply vegetables and other fresh produce to local people, eliminating waste and unnecessary packaging; it’s a partnership between farmers and the local community in which the risks and rewards of the whole process are shared,’ explains Emma.
This talk will be held on Zoom and will be available free for all members.
In June, Covid regulations allowing, we will organise a self-drive trip for a tour of the kitchen gardens and see this wonderful project for ourselves.
APRIL AND BEYOND...
We have plans to share the Spring Show with the Art Society and hold it a little later this year on 24 April. But at the time of writing, we're not sure if this will be possible so there may have to be a virtual alternative. Meanwhile do take photos of your garden plants and allotments as we may ask for snaps if we go ahead with a virtual show. Details to follow once we have news on lockdown regulations.
Please check the Garden Society website here to find latest news and do encourage friends to join the society if they would like to attend any of these talks or future trips.
HORTICULTURAL THOUGHTS
by John Moore, Garden Society Chairman
I start writing this piece having just completed my Big Garden Birdwatch. Sadly, a small flock of redwings who stripped the wonderful display of cotoneaster berries at the end of the garden a week or so ago, don’t feature on my tally.
However, there has been a modest number of visitors to make my vigil worthwhile.
My seed potatoes, purchased a couple of weeks ago, are already showing signs of chitting. The choices this year have been Rocket (1st early) and Charlotte, Nadine and Kestrel (2nd early). Each year I try to buy one different potato. This time, the name ‘Jazzy’ tempted me, so eight tubers are also included.
At the allotment, broad beans were sown on December 1st and a few are now showing above the ground. These are netted to stop Jackdaws pulling them up. When the weather becomes warmer, it will be time to be sowing carrots, beetroot, parsnips, radishes and peas, etc. in the garden.
If you have a greenhouse, crops started in seed trays, including tomatoes, brassicas of various types, leeks, lettuces, etc. can be sown. Clearly, studying all seed packets for finer detail is needed.
I prefer to start my onion sets in separate sections of a seed tray. Being in modules allows each set to grow to five or six inches before plating in the garden. It gives them a good start. March is the usual month for planting out the chitted potatoes.
It is a consolation that we are allowed to tend our gardens and allotments during these difficult times. So, I hope that the weather is kind in 2021 and that everyone has a good growing year ahead.
THANK YOU
We'd like to say a BIG thank you to members who have made donations in lieu of subscription fees. We have plans for planting several areas in Charlbury so these funds are welcome. That's in addition to bringing you some excellent talks (we hope) and later some interesting self drive trips out (when we're allowed out again). Fingers crossed for an Annual Flower and Produce Show in September!
CHARLBURY GARDENERS
Don't forget to check out the Charlbury Gardeners group. It's at https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlburygardeners/, it's public, and it's got 170 members. It's a place for chatting and sharing.
CONTRIBUTIONS & HELP
If you would like to contribute anything to the newsletter for the next month, please contact us. Photographs and short written articles would be welcomed.
We desperately need someone to join us on the publicity team. A knowledge of MailChimp desirable or a willingness to learn. To find out more contact Angela: secretary@charlburygardensociety.org.uk