In response to our email about sharing expertise on growing food in your own garden, several people kindly offered to show their gardens to people interested – the idea being to encourage home grown food.
The first garden to be shown in this way was June’s garden in the east of St Albans. The plan was to learn from this pilot open garden before offering further gardens to visit.
The event was publicised to people on our mailing list and the garden was open on Saturday 24th April, 3–5 pm.
Description of June’s garden
Food is grown in both the back and front gardens.
In the front, which is south facing, behind a shrub hedge there are three raised beds and in summer some pots for tomatoes.
The back garden which is a bit bigger than 10 metres by 10 metres is designed to include the following: space for growing vegetables, herbs and fruit; plants for colour and wildlife; features to attract wildlife: seating; space to erect a rotary washing line; compost bins and water butts. There are raised beds, a pond, an earthmaker compost bin, fruit trained on fences.
At the moment (27/3/10) growing in the garden are the following vegetables – purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, some salad greens. Fruit plants include strawberries, blackberry, boysenberry, plum, crab apple, gooseberries and redcurrant.
