Garden Plant of the Month: Strawberry

Summertime is here and what could be better than strawberries and cream, the epitome of the British summer! Not only do they taste delicious but they are also great to have in your garden. The strawberry (Fragaria), is an incredibly easy plant to grow and it will soon be yielding its first sweet, succulent fruit of the season.

For this reason, our Garden Plant of the Month of Thejoyofplants.co.uk has to be the scrumptious strawberry, whose eye-catching fruit and sensational taste has also been linked to having great medicinal powers from as long ago as the Roman times.

Getting Started:

What could be more satisfying than picking strawberries fresh from you own garden? All that love and attention that has been lavished upon them makes the home-grown variety so much tastier than any strawberry bought from a shop! For a bumper harvest, why don’t you choose perpetual plants such as the ‘Ostara’, ‘Rapella’, ‘Selva’ and ‘Toscana’ that bear fruit all summer long?

Strawberries are not only easy to grow but they are also very versatile – they can be grown virtually anywhere, in borders, pots, even hanging baskets. Simply chose a bright, sunny spot, plant them 30 to 40 cm apart with the crown at soil level and water them regularly and well.

Why don’t you try planting your strawberries alongside some redcurrants, blackberries and raspberries to create your very own fruit salad, smoothies and jams straight from the garden!

Did you know?

Around 28,000 kilograms of strawberries are consumed during Wimbledon, along with 7,000 litres of cream and 28,000 bottles of champagne!
The acid in strawberries can actually help whiten your teeth – smile!
The strawberry (as well as the raspberry) is actually a member of the rose family
Strawberries contain more Vitamin C than an orange
The delicious strawberry is actually very good for you – it can help reduce cholesterol and can even help fight cancers

Walled garden friends set meeting date

The next meeting of the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

will be held on Thursday 23 April from 6 -7.30 pm

at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

Agenda so far:

Community ideas and aspirations – new additions to our list like the solar powered cycletrack to light up at night, recreation of a bit of the medieval castle!
Funding to make things happen – priorities?
Awareness raising, membership and voting rights.
EDI/WEL meeting
Planning committee meeting & Local Development Plan

Seating for 20, so please get in touch if you want to come along or put forward suggestions or questions for the meeting.

PS: Feedback from the exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts café has been very positive with many people surprised and glad to hear about the Friends Group campaign to safeguard and restore the walled garden.

Looking forward to seeing the film Sophia is making!

Kirsty Sutherland

Get growing in Drylaw this weekend

News from Granton Community Gardeners

The sun’s out today and Spring is slowly underway …

We’ve been busy in the gardens, including building a greenhouse, and planting a small orchard with the children at Granton Early Years Centre. We got our first potatoes planted on Saturday.

It’s a great time of year to get involved in community gardening. And this Saturday (21st) we are joint-hosting an event that will be great for getting inspired! (see flyer (above))

‘Germination’
At DRYLAW NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE
Saturday 21 March
1pm – 5pm
FREE EVENT
ALL WELCOME!

A celebration of community gardening with a DIY and collaborative spirit.
See flyer for list of workshops.

Also confirmed: Meet a man who has designed and built a bike powered flour mill, have a go and cook pancakes with the result!

Lifts available from Garden at top of Wardieburn Road. Meet 12.30.

Gardening drop-ins are continuing every Tuesday and Saturday. Meet 11am at the garden on the corner of Wardieburn Road and Boswall Parkway. All welcome! No previous gardening experience required!

Gardeners Cafe is now on Tuesdays 3pm-6pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre up until the Easter Holidays. Free veggie soup and bread and chat. On Tuesday 31 March we will have a workshop on foraging and herbal medicine from Grassroots Remedies. Please RSVP if you’d like to come to that.

Tom,

Granton Community Gardeners
http://www.facebook.com/grantoncommunitygardeners

Healthy interest grows in college community gardens

Edinburgh College community garden provides opportunities to adults with complex learning needs

Adults with complex learning needs are using one of Edinburgh College’s community gardens to develop their green fingers as well as social and education skills.

The students, who are all users of the adult day services at Fisherrow Community Centre’s Fisherrow Hub in Musselburgh, have been visiting the community garden at the college’s Milton Road Campus since May 2014. After spending the summer helping out weekly at the garden they registered for the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s (RCHS) Recognition of Individual Achievement in Horticulture Award (Caley Award), and are now working towards achieving this.

The award recognises the achievement and learning experience of individuals with complex learning needs in a garden environment. It encompasses a mix of seven core horticultural activities including cultivation, composting, plant-care and harvesting.

It is hoped that students who achieve the Caley Award will go on to a second level of the scheme, which is currently under development by RCHS.

The nine students have been split into two groups, and visit once a week for a few hours. Each group has their own growing space in the garden where they grow vegetables that they can take either back to Fisherrow to use in a cooking activity or home to share with their household.

The award also includes a personal learning plan, where students identify self-improvement goals such as improved timekeeping, teamwork or learning a social skill. Individuals progress at their own pace, encouraged and inspired by the achievement of others. Achievement is assessed through compiling a portfolio and recording of evidence, which are formally verified by the RCHS.

The Milton Road Community Garden was established in September 2012 to transform an area of previously unused land into a green space for staff, students and the local community to grow plants, vegetables and fruit. The project has been so successful that Edinburgh College now has a second community garden at the Sighthill Campus.

Colin Jeffrey, Fisherrow Hub manager, said: “The community garden at Edinburgh College has provided people who use the service at Fisherrow in Musselburgh an invaluable opportunity to undertake practical gardening tasks, which they are now learning and developing in order to undertake the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Award, or Caley Award.

“This is a fantastic new opportunity for the involved individuals, which is developing their practical skills in horticulture as well as supporting skills development in other areas, geared towards individuals’ specific personal goals, included as part of the award.

“At Fisherrow, we are continuing to work with Edinburgh College, to further develop joint working initiatives and new opportunities for people accessing services from our resource and to work together on a partnership agreement, to establish this working relationship and continue to support our ethos of promoting meaningful, structured activities for the service users at Fisherrow in new, exciting and inclusive ways with other organisations.”

Severine Monvoisin, community garden coordinator at the college, said: “The Caley Award is about recognising achievement. Far more importantly, it also gives individuals with complex learning needs opportunities for learning new skills and achieving in an inclusive environment. The gardening activities and knowledge are a medium to progress in their life by increasing the social interaction with others, learning to express their feelings, developing a better understanding about the environment, increasing confidence and self-esteem, learning to work together, increasing their abilities.

“For all the garden’s participants, coming to the garden is strongly linked to improved emotional health: they learn and exchange views about the importance of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle, are active in an outdoor environment, build social contact in a safe and relaxed environment and, importantly, become part of a community.”

The garden by candlelight at North Edinburgh Arts

A seasonal invite from North Edinburh Arts

TODAY at 3:45pm

Enjoy watching and joining in with the creation of our alternative Christmas tree sculpture with artist in residence, Natalie Taylor. We are using recycled pieces of kilt and a willow structure to create our eco-friendly tree this year.

As dusk draws in, prepare to see the NEA garden in a whole new (candle) light as we create a magical twilight with glowing glass jars galore.

Mince pies and (non-alcoholic) mulled wine will be served, just to make sure you leave with that festive feeling!

Please join us to celebrate the end of a wonderful term at NEA!

North Edinburgh Arts

North Edinburgh Arts launches Autumn programme

Summer’s almost over, but cheer up – North Edinburgh Arts have just launched their exciting Autumn programme!

The holidays are over but the fun doesn’t have to be!

North Edinburgh Arts can’t wait to see you all back again to enjoy our packed Autumn programme.

Activities for Children

Join Alice in Zoo Arts every Wednesday from 4.00 – 5.30pm. These visual art sessions are for local young artists (9-14 years) who would like to be inspired, improve their creative skills and get involved with exciting visual art projects that run on a 2-4 week basis. Sessions are 50p per child which includes a healthy snack. Follow them onFacebook here.

Thursday and Saturday mornings see the return of Create, our very popular creative, messy play project for 0-5 year olds and their parents/carers. The sessions demonstrate resourceful and inspiring ways to actively learn with your wee ones. These drop-in sessions run from 10am -12noon and are are 50p per child per session. ‘Like’ them on Facebook here.

Eco Kidz is back with more ideas to turn recylcing into crafty, sellable items. Learn a variety of skills in these fun sessions including art, design, craft, marketing and retailing. The group will eventually go on to sell items made in these weekly sessions. Eco-Kidz is on Friday, 1.45 – 3.15pm and all sessions are free. ‘Like’ them on Facebook here.

If you’re looking for a way to burn off some energy and get creative on a Saturday morning, NEA has everything you need . Along with our Create sessions, we also runart and danceworkshops for children aged 5-12 years. Between 10am – 12noon, the two age groups (5-8 and 9-12years) alternate between high energy dance sessions and colourful art and craft workshops. A healthy snack is provided half way through and it only costs 50p. Arrive in plenty of time as these popular drop in sessions are always busy!

Programme for Adults

The North Edinburgh Theatre Project is working on a very exciting project, 1d Tenement Opera project for production in January 2015 and you are very welcome to join.

Join in if you are interested in singing, dancing, making costumes, lighting & sound, making sets, drawing and designing, writing for the blog and doing stories, photography, social history, making sure the people of North Edinbrugh tell the stories… and spreading more whispers and rumours about the project.

If you are interested in some of the activities and you would like to find out more, please contact box office on 0131 315 2151.

United We Stand, 17^th October, 7.30pm
Townsend Productions presents a powerful new play by Neil Gore based on the true story of one of the most turbulent industrial battles – the 1972 Builders’ Strike.
Tickets: £8, £5 concession, £3.00 good neighbours.
townsendproductions.org.uk

The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival
24^th October, 7.00 – 8.00pm
The SMHAFF is one of Scotland’s most diverse cultural events. North Edinburgh Timebank Temptation singers showcase the transforming power of communal singing in their performance of various rock, folk, pop and world music titled ‘Lean on Me’.
Tickets are free. Booking is advised.
www.mhfestival.com

Lockerbie: Lost Voices, 31^st October, 7.30pm
Lee Geshuny’s new play follows six passengers onto Pam Am Flight 103 destroyed over Lockerbie by a bomb in 1988. Tribute to those who tried to uncover the truth about the tragedy.
Tickets: £8, £5 concession, £3.50 good neighbours.
www.sacc.org.uk/articles/2013/lockerbie-lost-voices

Luminate Festival 1^st – 31^st october
If Luminate has one message, it’s that creativity has no age. Luminate includes new work, collaborations and international projects specially planned and programmed for the festival, as well as independently-run projects led by a wide range of cultural and community organisations.
www.luminatescotland.org

To book tickets for any of the above events, call box office on 0131 315 2151 or emailadmin@northedinburgharts.co.uk.

Pop-In Cafe

Our Pop-In Cafe is open Monday – Friday, 10am – 2pm and Saturday 10am – 12noon. We use ingredients grown in our very own garden and Michele cooks up delicious specials every day to make lunch time a real treat. We also serve delicous freshly ground coffee and home made cakes everyday. See full menu here.

NEA Garden

The NEA garden run Tuesday afternoon drop-in sessions, 1-5pm for families and 16+ years (children must be accompanied). Learn how to grow your own vegetables, herbs and other useful gardening skills in these free sessions run by Valla, outr community gardener. If you would like to be involved in the garden outside of these sessons, please contact Valla directly at northedinburghgrows@gmail.com. Keep up to date on their blog here.

Full Autumn Programme here

Gardeners: a perennial favourite this Sunday

If you are looking for something extra special for your garden then why not visit The Botanic Gardens’ Plant Sale this Sunday (11 May)?

It’s your annual chance to purchase from an enviable collection of plants at truly wonderful prices, plus there’s the Connoisseurs Collection & Home Baking Stall too.

As well as finding something new for your garden, you’ll be helping the Friends of RBGE to raise much-needed funds – last year’s sales raised over £12,000 for RBGE’s research and conservation work.

The sale takes place at the RBGE nursery (Inverleith Avenue South) from 2 – 4pm. Admission £3, free to members.

Join Pilton’s community gardeners tomorrow

Yes, it’s that time of year again – time to get growing! Join Pilton’s community gardeners tomorrow morning – lets get those tatties planted!

Edinburgh College community garden scoops national award

Edinburgh College is celebrating after winning a national award last night (28 November) for its community garden, thanks to its outstanding contribution to the wellbeing needs of the college and the local community.

The community garden won first place in the Health and Wellbeing category at theCollege Development Network Annual Awards (CDNAA) at an awards dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. The college also won a Highly Commended award for its electric vehicle project and a Commended award for its innovative induction programme for new students.

Designed to recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and students, the College Development Network Annual Awards provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate the exceptional projects and initiatives taking place in colleges across Scotland.

The judges were impressed with the far-reaching effects and benefits of the garden, including everything from the positive impact on sustainability for the college as a whole to the improved mental, physical and emotional health of the gardeners.

Based at the college’s Milton Road campus, the garden was established inSeptember 2012 to transforman area of previously unused land into a green space for staff, students and the local community to enjoy the outdoors and work together to grow plants, vegetables and fruit. The main aim of this was to encourage a healthier lifestyle, promote outdoor activity and encourage a more environmentally friendly way of producing food locally.

Since the opening of the green space, the community garden has come on leaps and bounds over a short period of time, with more than 160 students, staff and community groups using the facilities. Fifty individuals grow their own fruit and vegetables in the garden’s plots while groups such as Sikh Sanjog, a local charity that supports women and their families from the Sikh and minority ethnic communities, have used the garden as a social space.

Harriet Cross, sustainability coordinator at Edinburgh College, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have won theCollege Development Network Annual Awards for the Milton Road community garden. Our community garden has been a hugely popular resource for the students, staff and the local community and it’s fantastic for it to be recognised by a national awards body.

“Gardening enables individuals to pause and reflect on events happening in their life and I think this is why it has had such a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the garden users. Not only does the garden promote healthy eating and focus on the importance of where our food comes from but it also gives people the time to chat and socialise with like-minded people. The garden coordinator, Severine Monvoisin, has led the garden project and completed a course to enable her to use listening skills to give appropriate responses when individuals open up and talk about personal matters while gardening.”

Severine Monvoisin, garden coordinator at Edinburgh College, said: “We have seen huge improvements in the confidence levels of students using the garden. It gives them a sense of purpose and accomplishment. For example, a student with special needs required help to change into gardening wear and this made her very reluctant to use the garden. However, after a few months, she started to work with her peers taking on tasks she could achieve, such as weeding and planting seeds, and this gave her confidence in her own abilities. She now no longer requires any help to put on her gardening outfit and regularly uses the outdoor space.”

The success of the Milton Road community garden has sparked another green space project at the college’s campus in Sighthill, which is currently under development. The unused acre-sized area of land at the Sighthill campus will be supported byCarr Gomm, a charity that supports vulnerable people through personal, practical and professional help. By involving community groups at the very beginning of the project, the college hopes the community garden will be a valuable and integral part of the local area.

As well as receiving the top award in the Health and Wellbeing category at theCDNA Awards, Edinburgh College was awarded the Highly Commended prizefor its electric vehicle research project in the Sustainability category. The college operates and monitors a fleet of electric vehicles and is conducting research into their environmental viability. The scheme – a partnership with SEStran, Edinburgh Napier University and Mitsubishi Phoenix – has gone from strength to strength and is now the largest of its kind in Scotland.

The creative arm of the college was also under the spotlight at the awards ceremony thanks to an innovative induction programme for new students developed by students themselves. The Creative Industries team picked up a Commended award for its project, which involves students being given responsibility for developing induction activities for new students. The scheme was set up to ensure inductions are as well-tailored for students as possible.

Pictured top: Severine Monvoisin, garden coordinator at Edinburgh College and Harriet Cross, sustainability coordinator at Edinburgh College.

Pictured above: Garden users at the Milton Road community garden.

Featured image: The Milton Road community garden under construction in 2012.