Last September, 60 local youths from The Challenge summer programme and a team of volunteers from Reed Business helped us plant over 4,000 garlic bulbs. We sowed four varieties and on Wednesday we are excited to do the first harvest. In your VegBags this week you will find the Early Purple Wight variety. The way we grew our garlic is a great demonstration of what makes our community farm special. Garlic is a fairly simple and satisfying vegetable to grow, and it was great that we were able to share this knowledge with 65 people, so that they now have the confidence to do it themselves, and to teach others.
Find out more about our garlic varieties here.
In other news this week, all our remaining winter brassicas have been planted out. Including kales, purple sprouting broccali, sweetcorn, carrots, beetroots and fennel. Beetroots will need to be netted as the pigions are taking a liking to them.
This week we are planting out our climbing beans again – after loosing some of the first lot to a bean fly. Our broadbeans are almost ready. Our tomatoes are coming on well – with marigolds, basil and borage planted as companions. Charlotte, our apprentice tells me that the borage improves the flavour of the tomatoes.
Sam Smith