Latest in the Walled Garden

Saturday 21st September was a great success. Lots of 'new' visitors to the garden. BBQ'd sweetcorn were really tasty. Was great to see so many people enjoying just walking around and looking at what's been achieved in a relatively short time. The garden was only accessible for planting in April this year. We had several stalls, one from Stewart Avenue Allotments in Upminster selling their wonderful jams, chutneys, soups and crumbles. There were teas and cakes and soup on sale. All proceeds were either for The Walled Garden Project or The Friends of Bedfords Park. Also our 'resident' beekeeper was present explaining about the bees and he also had several types of honey  for tasting. Several members of the Walled Garden 'team' were available to answer questions. We also had a group from the 'Challenge Network' giving away free seeds and going taste tests!

All in all a good day.

This week has seen several hundred school children in the park. A collaboration between Havering Council, Essex Wildlife Trust, Clear Village (walled garden) and the Friends of Bedfords Park has seen Heavy Horse log pulling demonstration and talks, petting zoo with various animals, talk with E.W.T and a tour and talk around the Walled Garden. Again a great success.

Bedfords Park Walled Kitchen Garden open 21st September

There is an Edible Gardens Open Day as part of The Capital Growth programme of national events, at the restoration of the Georgian  Bedfords Park Walled Garden Local Foods project on Saturday 21st September.  2pm noon until 8pm.    Come Long and see what we have been up to since the Spring!    Visit our amazing Maize Maze and see 'Cinderella' our huge pumpkin growing quietly getting ready for Halloween.

Work party Sunday 8th September 2013

About time!" did I hear you say? Many apologies for the lack of information posted. No real excuses. Will try to do better.

During the year we've been repairing fencing, litter picking, attempting to keep paths clear, repairing dipping platform, planting saplings and hedging etc. etc.

Today we've been weeding,and mulching, one of the recently planted areas near the Essex Wildlife Visitors' Center which we, together with local Scouts, planted with native shrubs.

This Sunday we had help from 'The Challenge Network' ( www.the-challenge.org) who run youth and community programmes that have the central aim of mixing diverse groups of people with each other. Not only did they help us with the weeding and mulching they also helped in the Walled Kitchen Garden.

We also did an inspection of the 'Round Pond' which has, thanks to all the rain, turned back from a 'bomb crater' into a pond once again. We plan to put a seat, for the use of the public, near to the pond using the money we were granted from Havering Council for successfully retaining our 'Official Friends Group' status with the Council once again.

Easter Sunday 31st March 2013

Apologies, due to a technical hitch, whose name shall remain a secret, this should have been published in March but remained in 'draft' form !?

Sunday 31^st March 2013.  Not our usual work day but we were asked to plant some additional trees in the newly cleared area near to the deer pen and visitors’ centre. 5 of us planted approx 50 trees although we were hampered by the stones and old ‘pathway’. Mattocks were used to break through but some of the area was not suitable. We will have to rethink this.

Also the Essex Wildlife Trust held their  very successful ‘Easter Eggstravaganza’ with crafts and an Easter Egg hunt. We had a table at this event selling home made cakes.

We also did a minor repair to the fencing to the east side of the lake and did some ditch clearance and put some hogging on a wet are of one of the footpaths.