March 2006
0121 446 4798
text 07952 909804
The Annexe, 100 Mary Street, B12 9JU (near the corner of Mary Street and Edward Road)
GET READY TO ENJOY YOUR GARDEN!
JOIN US on Sat. 4 March 2-4pm
We still have things to sell which you can help you grow some food in your garden. Or just come to talk about your garden.
Redcurrant bushes £5 each (bare root)
"Sweetheart" cherry tree (last one) £10 (bare root)
"Conference" pear tree (last one) £5
One large pear tree suitable for planting as a cordon, £10.
Packets of vegetable seeds (some organic)- £1. (Peas, beans, cucumber, carrot, beetroot, radish, lettuce, cabbage, calabrese, courgette, broccoli, sage, spring onion, oriental greens, swede and turnip.)
Organic Potatoes - £1.50 per kilo. We still have 6 different varieties available.
Danu Compost - £2 per bag
Lakeland Gold soil conditioner £5 per bag
Woven plastic ground cover to keep weeds off: 50p per square metre
Strong 8 foot Bamboo canes 50p each
We sell the plants "bare root", which means you have to plant them in the first 2 weeks of March (before the buds open). Take them home with the roots wrapped in a bag, and protect the roots from drying out, getting warm, waterlogged, or freezing, until you can plant them.
If you can, bring along a vegetarian dish, snack or cake to share during the afternoon. We will be offering the usual services including gardening advice aimed at the organic food grower. A cup of tea and a nibble usually goes well with this sort of afternoon.
ANNUAL
MEMBERS' MEETING
postponed until 1st April 1-4pm
We will be holding a special event with food on Saturday 1st April to celebrate the work which we have carried out over the past 2 years of The City Fruit Project. The funding for that project has now nearly ended. The meeting itself will run from 2-3pm. It's really important for members to come (if you live in Balsall Heath you can become a member on the day). If you can bring any food along please let us know before the day on 446 4798 – we’ll provide some too.
YOUR GARDEN IN MARCH
More info from www.gardenorganic.org.uk
Plant bare root trees and bushes at the beginning of March before the buds open.
Prune apple and pear trees if necessary at the beginning of March before the buds open.- get advice from us or our website if you like.
If necessary, prune cherry and plum trees (stone fruits) later, just after the buds open.
Potatoes Buy some seed potatoes (not potatoes from the shops) and put them in trays in a cool light place ready to plant at the the end of March.
Get into your garden. Enjoy yourself getting things ready for the spring.
Clear up. Collect and compost all old plant materials which still cover your growing space. Prune back hedges, wild blackberry plants, bindweed and other out of control plants around your patch. Remember that these are important homes for insects and birds though, so don't remove too much.
Mulch instead of digging. Cover growing spaces with overlapping cardboard or several layers of newspaper. Weigh it down with home made compost or leaf mould if you can. This will stop weeds from growing before you get round to planting the growing area up. Digging can damage soil structure and bring weed seeds onto the surface where they will grow. If you have very compacted soil then you may need to dig, but in future avoid walking on the soil by laying your garden out in beds you never stand on.
Have fun. Planting should be easier if you keep the ground mulched at all times. Remember to plant small seeds into fine soils. Bigger seeds are not so fussy, and potatoes can be put onto holes in your paper or cardboard mulch and then covered with compost, leafmould, rough shreddings, etc.