To celebrate Edible Britain, this year’s theme for National Gardening Week, Bell House are thinking all things vegetable.
The winter cabbages and garlic planted in the winter will soon be ready to harvest, the broad beans are flowering ready to produce their pods. We’ve earthed up the early crop potatoes and have seen our first asparagus tips appear. Rhubarb was picked and used in Zita’s cookery course on Sunday and the banana plant has emerged from behind its winter fleece.
The lettuces and newly planted herbs are growing away and in the greenhouse, broccoli, coriander and sunflowers will wait until the last frosts are over. Our volunteers are growing cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, radish, beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes and chillis on their window sills and these will come into the garden soon to grow on in the beds or spend the summer in the greenhouse.
In the summer we plan to finish our Wednesday morning sessions with lunch from the garden. We’ll use our produce for cooking courses held at Bell House, and provide the house team and volunteers with fresh herbs and seasonal veg, much like the original Georgian and Victorian gardens, three times the size.
We garden every Saturday and Wednesday from 9.30 to 11.30. New volunteers are always welcome, from beginners to experienced gardeners and every level in between. Some of us are there regularly, others come when then can. Our aim is to be sociable, garden, learn new skills and promote wellbeing, all in our beautiful walled garden.
Photo credits - Sara Lloyd