Growing, preparing, enjoying, sharing. Local produce and more..
11.30am-12pm: All welcome for a short workshop on growing fresh salad leaves over winter – just turn up promptly at 11.30am.
Like to do more? Get stuck in at our monthly working party with our friendly bunch of volunteers. Turn up at 10.30am. Bring gloves and hand tools if you have them. Or we can provide them.
Tuesday 26th September 2023
To be held at:
Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre, Old Oak, Off Cottonmill Lane, AL1 2EF, St Albans 7-9pm
There will be a sharing buffet from 8pm
AGENDA
Welcome, apologies for absence and introduction (Kate Swindells, Chair)
Notices of Resolution
As required under Section 11 of Grow Community – Sopwell’s Constitution, the Committee hereby gives notice of intention to alter the Constitution. The resolutions to be raised at the AGM are as follows:
To change Section 6.10 from “Retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election after a gap of at least one year.” to “Retiring Officers may be re-elected immediately after the end of their three year term.”
To change Section 8.7 from “Members shall elect at least 3 and not more than 7 Committee members to serve for the next year. They will retire at the next AGM but may stand for re-election.” to “Members shall elect at least 3 and not more than 12 Committee members to serve for the next year. They will retire at the next AGM but may stand for re-election.”
We will also be changing the dates of our Financial Year.
If you would like more information on the reasons behind these changes, please contact growsopwell@gmail.com.
If you would like to be considered for a committee member role, including officers (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), please contact us to discuss this by Tuesday 19th September 2023.
Last chance to get your photos in to growsopwell @ gmail.com
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.
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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