Grow Elgin Bulletin

Bulletin 5 – late July 2020 

As we’re slowly starting to be involved in sessions with people again (hurray!) this will be the last bulletin for a wee while – though we plan to keep them going on a quarterly basis. So harvest all the goodness from this one – the usual mix of tips and info on videos, factsheets and web articles from REAP and others. Keep on Growing Your Own and have fun whilst doing it – it’s the way forward!

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Have fun, enjoy the summer and eat well, from all of us at REAP’s Grow Elgin project.   

  • Do check out our new factsheet about making beautiful rich liquid feed from comfrey – magic!
  • Want to know more about some of the beneficial insects in the garden? Of course you do! Make a start with another new factsheet. There’s even a chance to win salad seeds if you correctly answer a wee quiz question!
  • Did you know that we’ve taken over the old aviary in Cooper Park as a food growing space? Find out more
  • Just a reminder that’s there’s loads of downloads of all sorts of factsheets, leaflets and more on our website; and of course keep checking our Facebook posts.
  • We’re all aware of how many millions of discarded single-use plastic items are bobbing around the planet, including of course in the oceans; but you may not know that it is Plastic Free July – OK, it’s late July, but you can make a positive difference by still taking their challenge or find out loads more ideas on their website, what a great resource!
  • Thrive have produced gardening related fun activities and games for the school holidays here, including word searches, quizzes and scavenger hunts to keep the wee ones occupied.
  • BBC Gardener’s World website has some great free resources, such as garden projects for kids and allotment jobs for July.

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN NOW!!

Some of you lucky folks will be harvesting currants, raspberries and gooseberries – yum!

  • Keep harvesting peas, broad beans, salads, beetroot and more. And garlic and onions should now be ready, along with – if you timed it well – first courgettes and tomatoes. 
  • Early tatties should be ready; if they’re flowering they are! They’re best eaten fresh. Keep earthing (happing) up your main crop tatties for a bigger yield. 
  • It’s still prime weeding time – hoeing is quick and effective if there’s space between veggies. 
  • Soil drying out? Then mulch around plants (with e.g. garden compost or wet newspaper). 
  • Growing veg in containers? Give them a liquid feed – we love organic seaweed extract! 
  • Cut chives back to the ground and they’ll spring back with tasty new shoots super quickly. 
  • Keep sowing quick growing salads crops like rocket, radish and salad (spring) onions.
  • A good time to sow late season crops: orientals like pak choi and mizuna; salads like winter lettuce, lamb’s lettuce and winter purslane; even certain seed tatties for Christmas spuds!

And last but certainly not least, sit back and enjoy!