It’s been a very busy summer in the Grassroots Community Garden at Nottingham Refugee Forum! With over 20 regular volunteers, the majority of whom have lived experience, there is always someone to help sow seeds, harvest fruit and vegetables and look after all the plants and trees in the garden. But we always make time to have a chat together (and a coffee and a biscuit, or two).
Taking advantage of our recently-built polytunnel, this year we have grown lots of amazing tomatoes, peppers, chillis and aubergines for Café Narjis. We have also been able to supply salad leaves, spring onions, French beans, chard, rocket and spinach, as well as herbs such as mint, basil, rosemary, parsley, sage and coriander, some grown in the raised beds, some among the flowers in the garden. Like a lot of Nottingham gardeners, we have had a fantastic year for apples and pears – and our raspberries are still going strong! Our most successful crop has been courgettes and summer squashes, especially romanescoes, patty pans and trombocinos. They enjoyed the summer sun and romped away. We have produced some real monsters, as they can hide very successfully in the lush green leaves of the vegetable bed. The garden volunteers love finding them – and posing for photographs with the biggest!
We have also had the great pleasure of inviting families and children into the garden for our Spring and Summer Fun Days, scheduled in the various school holidays. Families have taken part in treasure hunts and craft activities such as mask-making and bug printing. Halima and the Café Narjis team provided delicious cakes, snacks and drinks for the visitors to enjoy. The events have been very well attended and it has been really fulfilling for the volunteers to see the garden so busy and full of children running around and playing in the garden.
“Such a lovely day and happy that so many people discovered and loved the garden! “ G
“It was a day full of joy and happiness. It felt so good to see people always happy and cheerful. I hope all people on earth live in joy and hope. “A
“What a beautiful day with the arrival of families and children. Everyone was happy with joy and happiness. Even the children were happy and today was very organised.” R
We will plan more events like this to keep encouraging families, volunteers and clients to come into our garden. Right now we are busy getting the garden ready for winter: sowing seeds to grow salads in the polytunnel, weeding and repairing paths and collecting leaves to make leaf mould, all in the hope to make next year an even better for the garden.
