Growing, preparing, enjoying, sharing. Local produce and more..
Do you grow strawberries? Now’s the time to get those runners rooted to make new plants. See “Propagation” section towards the end of this article from the RHS.
Please consider sharing new plants with friends, neighbours and the Grow Community.
Advertise them locally, drop off at the stall at 71 Leyland Avenue, or join our plant share and swap events next year.
Let’s #growtogether
Blackcurrants, summer-fruiting raspberries and strawberries are all now ready to pick from the beds at the Berners Drive community garden.
Pick those that look the ripest.
Wash before eating.
They can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
There’s also a second-flush of peas ready, as well as herbs and herbal teas.
The garden is located at the bottom of Berner’s Drive, St Albans. Next to the playarea.
Please walk or cycle there is possible.
Sat 15 July | 10.30am-12.30pm
Due to the bad weather conditions, July’s working party is now CANCELLED.
Join us instead on Sunday 16th at the Cottonmill Gathering, at the Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre, 12-4pm, where we will have herbal teas, seedlings and planting activities on offer.
Broad beans are now ready to pick from the raised beds at the Berners Drive community garden.
Pick before they get too large to enjoy them young and succulent.
You can eat them raw or cooked. Wash before eating.
They can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
The RHS website says:
“Regular picking encourages further pods to form. Use secateurs or scissors, to avoid damaging the plants. Pods lower down the plants mature first – check them every few days, as pods can ripen fast.”
The garden is located at the bottom of Berner’s Drive, St Albans. Next to the playarea.
Please walk or cycle there is possible.
Grow Community – Sopwell’s annual pop-up seedling stalls are here again this Bank Holiday weekend, May 26-29.
Fruit and veggie seedlings will be available for you to pick up and #HaveAGrow with.
Help yourself to what you need and consider leaving some for others.
Use the map (click here) to find your nearest stall or why not host one yourself?
Simply pop any spare fruit or veggie plants in a box outside your house with a sign, and let the neighbours know!
Let’s #GetGrowing and #GrowTogether
Online donations welcome but not essential.
Here’s what you might find in our boxes.
Herbs & Salads
Basil (green / purple)
Chives – Mild onion flavour. Harvest leaves from spring to autumn. Comes back every year.
Dill – Feathery leaves, which have a mild aniseed-like flavour, similar to fennel. Good for pollinators.
Korean Liquorice Mint (Agastache rugosa) – Not a mint! Use as a herb or a really tasty tea. Flavour between mint and basil and a bit of aniseed. Has a place in your beds and borders. Gorgeous flowers and bees love it!
Parsley – Nutritious tasty leaves through summer and autumn. Use in salads, sauces and to garnish. Comes back the year after and sets seed that you can save.
Sorrel ‘Belleville‘ – Easy to grow. Lemon-flavoured leaves great to add to salads or use in soups and sauces. Comes back every year.
Brassicas
Brussels sprouts ‘Evesham Special’ – Classic winter vegetable, providing fresh, nutritious harvests in even the coldest weather. Needs protection from garden wildlife.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli – Produces repeated harvests of tasty purple or white florets for up to two months., in winter/early spring. Needs protection from garden wildlife.
Legumes (Peas & Beans)
Runner beans ‘Emergo’- – Ideal for beginners. Need support to climb. Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
Climbing French Beans – Ideal for beginners. Need support to climb. Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
Dwarf French Beans– Ideal for beginners. Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
Borlotti beans – grown for drying, to eat the beans later in soups and stews etc. Grow as for climbing French beans.
Broad Beans ‘ The Sutton’ – Easy. Early harvests. Also known as fava beans
Peas – Easy and delicious crop.
Alliums
Leeks – Delicious, sweet onion flavour. Easy to grow.
Spring onion – Fast-growing. Great for salads.
Squash and Others
Butternut squash ‘Harrier’ and various other – Need plenty of space. Good for winter storage.
Chilli ‘Cottonmill’ – Grows well in pots. Spicy! Original plant donated to us from someone from the local Bengali community. We save seeds and have named it ‘Cottonmill’ until we identify it’s true name!
Cucumber ‘Bush Champion’
Tomato ‘House‘- Dwarf tomato plant that has been bred for growing in pots on a windowsill. Grown from saved seeds.
Tomato ‘Tumbling Tom‘ – Cherry tomato, suitable for containers.
Fruit
Strawberry – Various varieties.
Flowers (Herbal, wildlife-friendly or companion plants)
Chamomile (German) – Great for herbal teas.
Cornflower – Cornflowers are easy to grow wild flowers.
Marigold (calendula) – Easy-to-grow, with edible petals.
Comfrey ‘Bocking 14’ – Soak the leaves in water for a few weeks to make an excellent (but stink!) plant feed. The flowers are great for pollinators. This variety does not self-seed.
Grow Community - Sopwell 
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