LATEST NEWS // Join our NEW Organic Gardening Course // Enrol before Fri 19 Dec 4pm

Learn about your soil, how to make compost, irrigation systems and all about sustainable planting, with a little help and inspiration from the NEW Forest Gate Community Garden (FGCG) Organic Gardening Course. The course is open to everyone including FGCG Members but there are only a few places left so get in quick – last chance to enrol is Friday 19 December 2014 before 4pm!

FGCG Organic Gardening Course tutor Stephen Mason
on site (centre) in the Forest Gate Community Garden
following our Members event in September 2014

Run in partnership with Newham Adult Learning Service and tutored by renowned local organic gardener Stephen Mason of Greenspace Management – who has a distinguished community garden record – it runs for 10 weeks from Friday 16 January until Friday 27 March 2015 (with a break for half term). Sessions take place between 1-3pm each week and are held at the Forest Gate Learning Zone (1 Woodford Road, London, E7 0DH; 5 minutes walk from Forest Gate Station; opposite Wanstead Park Station).

The full cost of the course is £60 for those in employment but there are concessions for the retired and those on benefits, with evidence (see page 2 of the Newham Adult Learning Lifelong Learning 2014-2015 brochure). In order to qualify you need to enrol at Forest Gate Learning Zone as soon as possible – last chance to do so is Wednesday 17 December and Thursday 18 December (10am-7pm) and Friday 19 December (10am to 4pm). If there are spaces left, you can enrol in the week beginning 5 January, but we expect a high level of take-up.

Read on for a detailed account of our syllabus. It is designed to be flexible to meet participants needs and interests and to be of value to experienced as well as new gardeners. Hope to see you there!

FGCG ORGANIC GARDENING COURSE // SYLLABUS

The course will cover a range of topics at a basic level allowing course attendees to confidently care for and improve their gardens in a sustainable way. The topics covered will include:

Soil and Compost

• Soil and life on earth
• What is soil – How is it formed – Structure – PH
• What happens in soil – What type of organisms live in soil
• How do we keep soil healthy – What can we do to conserve soil
• Cultivation – Improvement
• What is compost - What is it used for
• How is compost different from soil
• What types of compost are there available and how do they differ
• How and why do we make compost

Water conservation and irrigation and Wind

• Water and the water cycle
• Water in your garden – How much do you get from the rain/Rainwater harvesting
• Water and soil – water retention and drainage
• Irrigation systems
• Water and plants – how does water influence or determine a plants growth
• Wind – How it affects the garden and plant growth/development

Plants

• Plant structure
• Life cycles
• Reproduction and seeds
• Bulbs and Corms
• Photosynthesis and Transpiration
• Families of plants
• Types of plants – Annuals/Biennials/Perennials/ corms/bulbs/rhyzomes
• Plants for different situations
• Flowers and foliage

Plant Nutrition and Fertilisers

• Major Nutrients and Minor Nutrients
• Soil PH and availability of nutrients
• Nutrients there functions and symptoms of deficiency
• Fertilizers the different types and what they are made of

Planting and Propagation

• Flowerpots and seed cell planters
• Seeds
• Vegetative propagation
• Hardwood and Softwood cuttings
• Seed and cutting composts

Pests and Diseases

• Common garden pests and diseases
• Reasons for pests and diseases in the garden
• Action to reduce pest and disease problems
• Soil and plant health
• Companion planting
• Pest and disease control

Trees and Hedging

• Tree types- deciduous and evergreen/ Species
• Hedges – common hedging plants/habitat
• Shape and form
• Trees for the garden – size and spread/foliage and autumn colour
• Fruit trees – standard/espalier/cordon

Tools

• Types of tools –pruning/digging/clearing
• Tool maintenance and care – H+S/sharpening/storage
• Use of tools – pruning techniques/digging techniques
• Lawn Mowers

Mulches and Lawns and seasonal work

• Types of mulches and their use
• Lawns and their care and management
• Jobs in the garden throughout the year

Organic principles

• The reasons behind organic horticulture
• Benefits of organic soil, compost, companion planting
• Organics as a part of the bigger picture

FUTURE COURSES

We also hope to run a course in the summer term if we have enough demand, potentially in the Forest Gate Community Garden. If you are interested in this please email to express your interest, to info@forestgate-comunity-garden.org.uk

LATEST NEWS: We're in the running for the Mayor's High Street Fund and we're on Spacehive - you can support our cause!

Want a green space in the heart of Forest Gate? Help secure vital funds for the Forest Gate Community Garden by supporting our bid for the Mayor's High Street Fund (up to £20,000 per project) and our pitch on fantastic new crowdfunding website Spacehive. 

A green space in the heart of Forest Gate – namely the Forest Gate Community Garden – would give our children a safe and beautiful place to play just seconds from the high street, as well as serving people and groups from across the community including workers, families, the elderly, garden lovers, visitors and those from different cultures. 

Have you heard about the Mayor's High Street Fund? It's a great new initiative that aims to invest over £200 million to improve London's high street, boost local economies, celebrate diversity and protect and create jobs. It also links in with Spacehive, the world's first crowdfunding website for civic projects enabling people to help build a new park, community garden or renovate their high street as easily as buying a book online.

We're also launching a gardening course in partnership with Newham
Adult Learning Service and headed by local organic gardener
Stephen Mason of Greenspace Management

To apply for funding – up to £20,000 per project – charity, business improvement and community organisations across London have been invited to submit ideas for making London's high streets even better places to visit, live in and do business. The aim is to give our high streets a sustainable future and celebrate the crucial role that they play in our daily lives and to encourage communities to be their custodians.

So what better fit then the Forest Gate Community Garden? A team of committed local residents have been working together for almost two years now to create a green space in the heart of Forest Gate. The location of the garden is at 136 Earlham Grove, a stone's throw from Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate's high street (just opposite the Royal Mail sorting office) and the main railway station opposite Woodgrange Market.

It will turn derelict and overgrown land into a beautiful wildlife garden made by and serving people from all aspects of the community – families, workers, the elderly, visitors, those who wish to just have some quiet time away from the hustle and the bustle of main roads, people from different community groups and cultures. It will provide a hub for community events and gatherings – we're open to all ideas and have a burgeoning list already! Plus it truly is a project that everyone can get involved in, whether that's by helping to plan the garden or raise awareness about it, or by quite literally getting stuck in with a fork and spade. The birds, bees and other wildlife will love it too.

The site will turn derelict land into a beautiful wildlife garden –
an amazing green space at the heart of Forest Gate

Right now we need you to help raise awareness about our bid for the Mayor's High Street Fund and generate even more support. Start by checking out our page on the accompanying site Spacehive: Green Space in the Heart of Forest Gate. Click through the options on our page and you'll see exactly what we propose to do, and what monies we need to get the garden up and running and make it sustainable. It's a dual purpose bid in that it sets out our stall for the Mayor's High Street Fund but also provides a platform for crowdfunding crucial funds ourselves – something we're also committed to doing to the tune of £5,000 for starters!

There's a range of social media buttons on our Spacehive page that make it really easy to share with family, friends, colleagues or organisations and businesses that you think might be interested in supporting us too. Or write a glowing report about us yourselves on your blog or in the media! We need as much support as we can get to make our green space a dream come true for everyone. Also check out the Forest Gate Community Garden Facebook and Twitter pages to leave your comments.

If you're not a Member of the Forest Gate Community Garden already you can also join for just £2 lifetime Membership, which keeps you in the loop about what's going on with updates and newsletters. We always want to hear your ideas too. See our Become a Member page on the website.

Fingers crossed we'll see you in the garden soon – a sure way to make our high street a better, brighter more beautiful place.


MORE INFORMATION / NOTES TO EDITORS:

Forest Gate Community Garden

Web: www.forestgate-community-garden.org.uk
Blog: www.136earlhamgrove.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Forest-Gate-Community-Garden
Twitter: www.twitter.com/FGCommGarden
Email: info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk
Spacehive: www.spacehive.com/greenspaceintheheartofforestgate

Mayor's High Street Fund

Greater London Authority www.london.gov.uk/priorities/regeneration/high-streets/funding-programmes/high-street-fund
Spacehive: www.spacehive.com/initiatives/mayoroflondon

MEMBER NEWS: We need volunteers / Can you help?

Dear Garden Member

Over the last few weeks we've been talking to Groundwork (www.groundwork.org.uk) whose ethos is 'Changing places, changing lives - building stronger communities by improving green space'.  They've offered us a fantastic amount of ex Olympic reclaimed equipment and building materials for the Forest Gate Community Garden, which they will deliver to the site.

As part of the deal the Groundwork team have asked if we could drum up some volunteers to help with the loading in Canning Town and unloading in Forest Gate, which is where you come in!

Ideally we'd like to gather a group of 20 people so that we could have a decent sized team at either end. Basically the faster we can load and unload the more trips between sites they can do and the more equipment and materials we can have.

Some of the materials include bags of river stones and gravel and are bulky and heavy, so good gloves and solid footwear are essential. There are also lighter items, plastic sheeting and a plastic bottle greenhouse, so please help where and if you can.

We're hoping to set a date before Christmas this year. We really need you if you can make it, which is why we're trying to give you some advanced warning. We'll get back to you with a definite date and time as soon as we have one, as I know we're all chomping at the bit to get started.

Please email back to say if you, or any of your friends and family, are willing to help in principle (we know it will depend on the date/time): info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk

Many thanks


Lisa and the rest of the Steering Group

LATEST NEWS: We're getting closer...

It's an exciting week for the Forest Gate Community Garden team as things are finally beginning to pick up speed. Hopefully we'll all be on site soon. Can't wait. Here's a little update to keep you in the loop...

Take a look at the banner on the boundary fence (see image opposite) – things are moving on! Thanks to Cllr Ellie Robinson for chasing this through.

Discount at Compotes – have you tried their delicious croissants and fab fruit teas? 10% off if you show your Forest Gate Community Garden Membership card, can't be bad!

The Steering Group is burning the midnight oil applying for a GLA High Street Grant to be in by 1 December 2014. Only 20 will be awarded across London so fingers crossed......

MEMBER NEWSLETTER // Forest Gate Community Garden Monthly Newsletter // Issue 1 // Nov 2014

If you're a Forest Gate Community Garden Member you should have received your first Monthly Newsletter via email last week. If you're not a Member then simply sign up via our website for just £2 lifetime Membership and you'll get regular updates too. Here's a sneaky preview for those who missed it either way...

MEMBER NEWS // New bakery in town // Compotes E7 // FGCG 10% Member discount

Have you checked out Compotes yet, the latest addition to Forest Gate's cafe scene, just opposite the Lord Lister health centre on? It's going down a storm, plus if you're a Forest Gate Community Garden Member you get 10% discount on all artisan cakes, pastries, breads, rolls, soup and, of course, compotes...

All you have to do is present your FGCG Membership card to claim your discount. It's a great place to relax and meet friends upstairs, and they are open to 8pm every day.

If you need a new Membership card please email info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk. To connect with Compotes tweet them @CompotesE7

FEATURE // 'Nature on the Flats' // Rosemary Stephens // 3-9 November 2014

Welcome to our very first series on the Forest Gate Community Garden blog – a truly inspiring weekly wildlife diary by local artist and nature photographer Rosemary Stephens...

Thanks to Rosemary's generosity we have permission to share some of the amazing photographs she posts each day on her Twitter account 'Nature on the Flats' @RoseStephensArt.

Many of Rosemary's images are taken right on our doorstep in Forest Gate, London E7 – and especially on the wonderful green space that is Wanstead Flats. They include birds, insects, fauna and flora from wrens, robins and kestrels to spiders, moths, caterpillars and the ubiquitous squirrel.

Amazing to think that we might have some of the same fantastic wildlife in the Forest Gate Community Garden very soon.

Herewith are some images from 3-9 November 2014. To find captions including names of items visit Rosemary's Twitter feed and scroll back between the dates above.

FIND MORE INSPIRING IMAGES

• Connect with Rosemary on Twitter @RoseStephensArt
• Visit Rosemary's website at www.rosemarystephensart.weebly.com

...

LATEST NEWS // Amazing landscaping items secured from Groundwork London // Strong volunteers required

A big thanks to Groundwork London for helping the Forest Gate Community Garden secure some amazing landscaping items for our gardening, from the former Olympic site. Very exciting progress. We can't wait to see them in situ...

We are truly grateful for this free donation, especially to Forest Gate Cllr Ellie Robinson who arranged the meeting, Peter and Colin from Groundwork London, and Lisa and Hugh from the FGCG Steering Group who went to choose all the items.

STRONG VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED

Groundwork London are going to deliver the items to the garden site in a lorry at a convenient date to us and them – hopefully soon – but we will need some strong volunteers at our end (136 Earlham Grove, Forest Gate E7) to help unload and place items in a safe spot.

We'll post the exact date as soon as we have a concrete arrangement. It will probably be in December or January and should be in the week and during daylight/working hours. If anybody could and would like to help with this vital task please email info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk as soon as possible so we can start to create a solid team. Mark subject: Groundwork Team

LIST / IMAGES OF OUR LOOT...

• The remnants of a plastic bottle greenhouse – frames and some bottles
• Some oddments of timber
• Some lengths of trellis
• A pallet of small concrete paving slabs – red, yellow and grey
• A tonne bag of large river stones and a tonne bag of washed pebbles
• A pile of lengths of corrugated plastic
• Wooden decking squares
• Two fantastic benches that only need a little TLC
• 20sq metres of artificial turf and underlay
• The option to take the frames of a permaculture kit which would provide us with some ready-made raised beds (separate transport required as too big for the lorry)

We can't wait to work these fantastic items into our design and see them fully installed in the Forest Gate Community Garden.

ABOUT GROUNDWORK LONDON

Groundwork is a national charity that works with communities across the UK supporting them to create better places, live and work in a greener, more sustainable way and to improve their economic prospects. They've been working in London for over 20 years helping to create a brighter, greener future for London and all Londoners.

They promote environmental best practice and play an active role in helping communities across London to become more sustainable, through education, training, community engagement, business support and collaborative open space improvements.

For more information see: www.groundwork.org.uk/sites/london

ON OUR DOORSTEP: Vote now – Grow Wild Flagship Site – Cody Wilds

Did you know that one community in England will soon receive £120,000 Grow Wild funding to create an inspiring wild flower haven for everyone to enjoy – and you can help decide who wins? Read on to find out how to vote for your Grow Wild Flagship site, especially important as one of the  nominees is right on our doorstep at Cody Dock...

Grow Wild is a dynamic £10.5m mass participation programme to bring people and communities together to sow, grow and enjoy UK native wild flowers. Supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Grow Wild aims to inspire people to transform unloved urban spaces, gardens, cool containers and windowsills into wildlife-friendly wild flower patches.

The project aims to reach 30 million people and including 4 million young people aged 12 to 25. We are creating four inspirational flagship sites, one each in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and 280 community projectsthat will have a tangible impact on each locality and each individual involved. Thousands of groups and individuals are also encouraged to transform unloved spaces into colourful wild flower havens with Grow Wild seed kits and packs.

RECENT NEWS: Dr Kate Spencer – Testing for happy and healthy soil

Community gardens are often built upon urban sites which, through their previous uses may have left contaminants in the soil. We're therefore lucky to have Dr Kate Spencer on our team who, on Friday 10 October, took soil samples for analysis, to confirm that our plot is a healthy and happy one

It's amazing what a wealth of talents we have within our growing number of Members: photographers, artists, teachers, carers, architects, retirees, website designers, gardeners... and a Reader in Environmental Geochemistry at Queen Mary College, Dr Kate Spencer.

The perfect person, then, to take soil samples from the Forest Gate Community Garden site, to send off for analysis. Even luckier then that her second year students were the perfect team of people to anaylse the samples as part of their course.

Here's a sneak preview of Kate collecting her samples. Watch this space for more information and the results.

LATEST EVENTS: The Big Draw – Create A Woodland Gallery with Children's Gallery & The Herbarium Project, Sat 18 Oct

The Big Draw, the world's largest drawing festival is now in full swing, running from 1 October to 2 November 2014 – and Forest Gate, London E7 has two great events happening over the next two weekends. Both events are in keeping with this year's theme 'It's Our World', a celebration of our environment. 

After 'Create a Swarm' on Saturday 11 October, the fun continues on Saturday 18 October with 'Create a Woodland Gallery' presented by Children's Gallery and The Herbarium Project. You can find more details on The Big Draw website here >

The idea of this event is to create an outdoor gallery using a variety of experimental approaches to drawing. Take inspiration from the earth, forest and nature and use the tree's branches as a platform to hang your drawing creations.

Use the wet clay to make your own pencil to draw with, collect insects and draw from nature, make giant tree rubbings and draw with scissors, or blow paint or ink around the page to make amazing trees that you can decorate with 'leaf glitter'.

A variety of paper and drawing materials will be available plus artists' expertise to assist with drawing techniques. This includes local artists and creatives Nicola Cunningham, Sonya Patel Ellis, Rocco Turino and Tom Ellis.

All work will be hung from the trees to celebrate the surroundings and the community involved, so come and see even if you think you don't want to draw.

To find us, head to Wanstead Flats off Dames Road – just follow the signs to 'The Woodland Gallery', located in the little copse of woods between the 'Helicopter Park' by Jubilee Pond and Sidney Road, Forest Gate E7 0ED. Fingers crossed for fine weather, although the organisers hope to continue rain or shine – just wear appropriate clothing and they'll adjust the activities to suit.

It's all happening on Saturday 18 October between 11am and 3pm, so see you there!


ABOUT THE ARTISTS: CHILDREN'S GALLERY

Children's Gallery is a place for children of all ages to create and exhibit their work, founded by artist and early years teacher Nicola Cunningham. Events, gatherings and art sessions have so far been held at the Wanstead Tap in Forest Gate and continue with The Big Draw on Wanstead Flats. Look out for more events in the future.

Contact: Children's Gallery
Email: nichumbug@hotmail.com

ABOUT THE ARTISTS: THE HERBARIUM PROJECT

The Herbarium Project is a platform for the creative exploration of links between nature, art, science, books and culture, created by writer, editor and visual artist Sonya Patel Ellis. The project officially launched in March 2014 with an exhibition of botanically-inspired works by Ellis at CoffeE7 in Forest Gate, London E7, including a herbarium of her garden pressed over a year (see review Time Out). Since then, Ellis sells works through local emporium Number 8 Forest Gate, has collaborated with local artist Eleanor Pearce on an event to raise funds for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, has given talks to the WI and made herbaria of various locations in the neighbourhood. When not making books for various publishers – including Nature Tales: Encounters with Britain's Wildlife – she is also involved with the Forest Gate Community Garden, creating and maintaining their website and blog. This is the first of hopefully many collaborations with Children's Gallery.

Contact: Children's Gallery
Email: sonyapatelellis@gmail.com
Website: www.theherbariumproject.com
Blog: http://atlherbier.blogspot.com
Twitter: @sonyapatelellis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonyapatelellis

LATEST EVENTS: The Big Draw – Create A Swarm with Eleanor Pearce, Sat 11 October

The Big Draw, the world's largest drawing festival is now in full swing, running from 1 October to 2 November 2014 – and Forest Gate, London E7 has two great events happening over the next two weekends. Both events are in keeping with this year's theme 'It's Our World', a celebration of our environment. 

First up is local artist Eleanor Pearce's 'Create A Swarm!' at CoffeE7 (7 Sebert Road, Forest Gate, E7 0NQ), a collaborative drawing experience, exploring the wonderful world of the bee and creating a swarm of amazing bee drawings in the process. You can find more details on The Big Draw website here >

There will be a range of source materials relating to the anatomy and life cycle of the honey bee and bumble bee to inspire you – just take a look at some of the fantastic drawings below to get your inner bee buzzing.

Eleanor will be on hand all day to help and assist at every stage, along with a team of dedicated drawing volunteers. She's also used to working with adults and children, and those who can and can't draw so don't be put off.  All ages are welcome to come and draw, especially if it is something you have not tried for a while. Music and costumes are also rumoured!

Work produced will then be exhibited in and around Coffee7, No8 Forest Gate Emporium and the Forest Gate locality so participants and onlookers can share the pleasure of Forest Gate's very own drawn swarm of bees.

It's all happening on Saturday 11 October between 10am and 4pm, so see you there!

ABOUT THE ARTIST: ELEANOR PEARCE

Born in North London in 1979, Eleanor graduated from Middlesex University with first class honours in Fine art BA in 2001. She was recipient of the first base award in 2002 and has since exhibited regularly both in conventional gallery spaces and on alternative sites including Perrot's Folly, Birmingham, St Pancras Church Crypt, Crouch Hill Stationhouse Ticket Hall and Mishka Vintage, Crouch End. She works mainly in drawing, performance and installation. Eleanor is Director of Visual art at Islington Arts Factory. Her role involves leading the education department for adults and children, programming and initiating key projects within the centre. She directs the Gallery programme, curating in-house for the Metamorphose exhibition, The Salon, The Art Auction and the MakeArt exhibition. Eleanor specialises in teaching children and runs a drawing course at CoffeE7 for 7-11 year olds (current session: 11 September to 23 October 2014).

Contact: Eleanor Pearce
Email: eleanorpearcefineart@gmail.com
Website: www.eleanorpearce.co.uk
Twitter: @eleanorpearce
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eleanorpearcefineart

Eleanor Pearce hard at work over summer creating some test bees for The Big Draw's 'Create a Swarm'

Drawings created by Eleanor Pearce from specimens donated by The Local Honey Man: www.thelocalhoneyman.co.uk

GET INVOLVED: Become a Member today

Want a green space in the heart of Forest Gate? A community garden that you can help create? Just a stone's throw from Forest Gate station at 136 Earlham Grove. Join us...

First stop is to become a Member, which keeps you in the look about what's going on. Only £2 lifetime Membership. You can join via the website www.forestgate-community-garden.org.uk, via email to info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk or join in person at CoffeE7 on the first Saturday morning of every month. We look forward to meeting you!

INSIGHT // OTHER COMMUNITY GARDENS: Visit to Dorset Road Community Garden, E7

Visiting other community gardens can be really helpful in the process of creating your own. Myanah Saunders, a central figure for the Forest Gate Community Garden's Steering Group, reports back from a recent visit to the Dorset Road Community Garden in south Forest Gate 

On 26 September 2014, I visited the Dorset Road Community Garden, one of several community gardens in London. This garden is one of our immediate neighbours, situated just off Katherine Road, also in Forest Gate, E7.

SNAPSHOT: Member Meeting Site Visit on 27 September 2014

For those who didn't manage to make the Member Meeting or site visit on 27 September 2014 we've got a host of new images from the day, by Lloyd Jeans and Sonya Patel Ellis, below and on our website Gallery page. Those who did come along, can you spot yourself among the wild jungle of buddleia and Russian vine?

For more images, read more and scroll down, or see our website Gallery page >

LATEST EVENTS: Forest Gate Community Garden Fun Palace, Saturday 4 October

Roll up, roll up for the Forest Gate Community Garden Fun Palace on Saturday 4 October between 11am and 3pm at Woodgrange Market Place, Forest Gate, E7. Featuring...

Local artist Leah Lovett's VENT: a pop-up parliament

and

The Amazing Dr Fothergill – a garden project

We'll also be recruiting new Members so bring your £2 for a bargain lifetime Membership – all monies raised go in the Forest Gate Community Garden pot.

Hope to see you there!

LATEST NEWS: Results of the design workshop on 20 August 2014

The Member Meeting on Saturday 27 September at Kaye Rowe Nursery School gave us the ideal opportunity to report back on our design workshop, held on 20 August at the Forest Gate Community Garden site, 136 Earlham Grove, London E7

For those who missed the meeting, we've put the presentation, as produced and presented by jane McCarthy and Lisa Eller of our Design and Planning Team, on our website at www.forestgate-community-garden.org.uk. See our Planning and Design page.

You can also view it below. Read, enjoy and let us know your thoughts at info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk or via Twitter or Facebook.

LATEST NEWS: Member Meeting on Saturday 27 September a great success

The Member meeting on Saturday 27 September, at Kaye Rowe Nursery School – followed by a site visit for attendees, especially those interested in construction – was a great success. We launched our new website, presented initial plans for the garden design, and made a grand total of £111.38. A fantastic sum for the Forest Gate Community Garden fund

The Forest Gate Community Garden's youngest fans have great fun investigating the wildlife at our site visit on Saturday 27 September and posing against the blue hoardings that currently mark out the 'front door' at 136 Earlham Grove

LATEST NEWS: A design is taking shape

Dying to know what the final garden design might look like? Lisa Eller, from the Forest Gate Community Garden Planning and Design Team, explains what's happening so far, following a fantastic Member planning visit to the site in August...

The Forest Gate Community Garden (FGCG) Steering Group held a meeting of the planning group on 20 August 2014. The numbers were good and attendees ranged in age, ability, skill sets and background. Fellow FGCG Planing and Design Team Member Jane McCarthy, who chaired the meeting, went through the aims of the garden and presented a site plan and three possible designs as a starting point for discussion. See images below.

FEATURE: The Herbarium Project at the FGCG // Into the Press

A sec on post by Sonya Patel Ellis from The Herbarium Project offers a chance to see flowers from the Forest Gate Community Garden going into the press. Flower and plant specimens include rose, buddleia, Russian vine, bramble, ivy, birch leaf and thistle. Looking forward to seeing how they press and starting the official Forest Gate Community Garden Herbarium – a great way to share news on the existing and developing wildlife in our garden.

For more details on The Herbarium Project visit www.theherbariumproject.com or see Ellis' blog At L'Herbier. You can also follow and view updates on Twitter @sonyapatelellis and on a dedicated Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theherbariumproject

FEATURE: The Herbarium Project at the FGCG // On the concrete

Sonya Patel Ellis of The Herbarium Project visited the site on 12 September to do her first pressing of plants and flowers already in the garden. A great way to report back on what's already growing there. Here's her first report...

A gorgeous sunny afternoon, pressing the wildness that is the Forest Gate Community Garden at 136 Earlham Grove, Forest Gate, London E7. The buddleia jungle has grown even higher since we were last there on the 9 July 2014.

Searching round for specimens for a new Herbarium Project herbarium collection, we stumbled across the most beautiful lilac-coloured, heavily-scented rose, a birch tree sapling, and a hellebores-type plant that looked as though it could have been cultivated in a former garden on the plot. Looking forward to finding out what it is – one of the best bits about creating a herbarium.

Also loved laying the specimens out on a concrete foundation, where an old Victorian villa once stood. Standing in this spot, in the middle of the plot, you really do get a sense of how the space was once a habitable house with a garden at front and back. There's definitely something magical about this location, it's historic past, wild present, and the sense of what it might become in the future.

Watch this space for further developments in the Forest Gate Community Garden Herbarium.

For more details on The Herbarium Project visit www.theherbariumproject.com or see Ellis' blog At L'Herbier. You can also follow and view updates on Twitter @sonyapatelellis and on a dedicated Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theherbariumproject

SNAPSHOT: First site visit – It's a jungle out there

First site visit to the Forest Gate Community Garden and it's a jungle out there. Loads of buddleia, blue hoardings and fly-tipping, not to mention a TV and beer bottles a plenty but somehow already has an overgrown charm...

The site is so beautifully wild and overgrown that the butterflies, foxes and creepy-crawlies must already be loving it. We also spotted blackberries, an oak sapling, elderberry and various wildflowers. There's lots of work to do, but it will be worth it. The concrete you can see is the remains of the old doctor's villa that once stood there. As such the plot is pretty much where the house stood plus front and back gardens. It's pretty big, certainly large enough to accommodate everyone's needs and visions for the garden. Thanks to London Borough of Newham (LBN) for the preview – can't wait to dig in.

For more images, see our website Gallery page.

SNAPSHOT: A great day out at our Pop Up Garden

In keeping with the spirit of the Tour de France, we set up a mini 'Pop-Up' garden in Woodgrange Marketplace on 7 July 2014, which was a huge success and great fun to boot. A great tribute to everyone who helped organise the event, took park or got swept away with the excitement of the day.

Thanks to a small grant from London Borough of Newham (LBN), we gave out plants for fostering, spray-painted bicycle wheels, offered advice from our 'Plant Doctor', signed up 22 new paid-up Members, made up containers with plants donated by Homebase and talked to anyone who would listen about plans and visions for the Forest Gate Community Garden.

For more images from the day, see our website Gallery page.

SNAPSHOT: Recruiting new members at the Forest Gate Festival

Did you see us at the Forest Gate Festival this year on 21 June 2014? We had a great day, manning our stall and chatting with members of the public who came to see what we were up to? 

The sun shone (it was the summer solstice after all), everyone was in a party mood, children planted sunflower seeds, we sold loads of plants donated by members and 44 new people joined the Forest Gate Community Garden as paid up Members. Looking forward to more brilliant events raising awareness and recruiting more people to get involved.