Gardening club - week five

We had a great turn out at our last session - so we did loads of planting, watering, mulching, raking and seed-sowing! With autumn setting in, we did it just in time too - because now the plants will be able to settle into their new home before it gets properly cold. And that means we'll have a spectacular spring next year!

There's only one more gardening club session left this year - making jewellery and crafts using woodland materials with artist Penny Sadubin. So come along on Wednesday 17 October, 4pm-6pm and get crafty!

The highlight of the day was planting our new Family Apple Tree, which has three different apple varieties, all grafted onto one tree! The three types will flower at the same time, to make it easy for our local bees to cross-pollinate them, and make sure they produce plenty of fruit. The varieties are: Cox's Orange Pippin, Bramley and James Grieve.

Preparing the ground for the Family Apple Tree.

Digging for victory (well, apples)!

We also planted some mint and lemon verbena under the trees - which smell amazing!

Another verbena planted. Nice work!

Clearing the ground before seed-sowing.

A well-earned rest.

Hooray for Mabley Meadow's new gardeners!

Gardening club - week four

What a brilliant gardening club session! This week we planted a Cherry Plum tree (laden with delicious cherries) and a Concorde Pear (which is a fantastic variety). And both of them came from the Hackney Tree Nursery just up the road from the meadow. Their trees are of incredible quality, so if you ever need one for your garden, drop in to see them!

We also planted clumps of crocuses and drumstick alliums, and found some interesting creepie crawlies under the autumn leaves.

Next week, we'll be planting a crab apple tree and sowing seeds, so join us on the meadow on Wednesday 10, from 4pm-6pm!

Gardening club - week three

The gardening club is go, go, go! This week we planted not one but TWO fruit bushes - a redcurrant and a blackcurrant - with Woodruff all around them. Then it was bulb time- 150 crocuses were planted safely under the turf (look out for them in early spring), and wild garlic near the small bench. Yum!

Next time we'll be sowing wildflower seeds and planting more bulbs. So come to the meadow on Wednesday 3 October from 4pm-6pm and get stuck in!

Planting our new fruit bushes.

Adding mulch to keep the new plants happy.

The Mabley Meadow Orchard!

Tackling the giant thistles. Go Damian!

Gardening club - week two

Our second gardening club session was fantastic - with everyone getting stuck in planting wild herbs AND our very own apple tree - so get set for super-fresh, free apples next autumn!

Digging a hole for our new apple tree

Adding bonemeal to the hole to keep the new tree happy and healthy.

The apple tree in its new home.

Hooray!

We also planted marjoram, chocolate mint and garden mint, and put mulch and woodchips around the plants to protect them.  Then it was watering time!

Our FREE gardening club is back!

We left the meadow to do its thing over summer. But with autumn on the way, Mabley Meadow's free gardening club is back - and better than ever!

So if you want to learn some new skills, try your hand at gardening or just hang out and eat the free snacks provided, come and join in.

What: Mabley Meadow's FREE gardening club
When: Wednesdays, 4pm-6pm
Where: Mabley Meadow, E9 - just by the A12 flyover, between the main Mabley Green park and Eastway.
Anything else?: FREE drinks and snacks will be provided.
 
The sessions will be lead by local gardening expert Helen Wilson, and Homerton artist Penny Sadubin. Here's what'll we'll be getting up to:

Wednesday 12 September, 4pm-6pm
Planting wild herbs and learning about gardening for wildlife.

Wednesday 19 September, 4pm-6pm
Sowing wildflower seeds and learning gardening basics.

Wednesday 26 September, 4pm-6pm
Planting fruit bushes, so we can all enjoy fresh fruit next autumn. Yum!
 Wednesday 3 October, 4pm-6pm
Planting native bluebells to help save this rare species from extinction (and create Hackney's first bluebell wood!)

Wednesday 10 October, 4pm-6pm 
Planting fruit trees to make our very own community orchard.

Wednesday 17 October, 4pm-6pm 
Making jewellery and handicrafts from natural materials growing in Hackney with local artist Penny Sadubin.

The gardening club has been made possible by the London Legacy Development Corporation. So a big thanks to them!

Any questions? Just leave a comment below, or send an email to mableymeadow@gmail.com

See you on the meadow!

Sunshine + spring = a great gardening club session!

Saturday's gardening club was a really good day out! Our expert Helen Wilson was on hand teaching everyone how to plant stuff that will make the meadow more beautiful - and that bees, birds and butterflies will love. And there were free snacks and drinks too!

With the Queen's Jubilee coming up, the club will be taking a break this weekend. But we'll be more than making up for it on Saturday June 9 when artist Penny Sadubin will be teaching us how to weave with willow - and we'll make a giant willow structure together on the meadow.