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Learn about the benefits of an edible, wildlife-friendly hedge

Saturday 31st January • 11am-3.30pm

Join us for the day to learn about planting and maintaing an edible, wildlife-friendly hedge. Hedges are very beneficial for nature: they offer shelter (nesting and roosting spots for birds), food (berries, nectar & pollen) and safe travel routes (hedgehogs and other mammals use their cover to move about). We can also harvest food, herbal remedies and natural dye material from hedge plants. This day will teach all about hedges: about which plants to select, how to space them out and how to maintain your hedge.

In the afternoon you’ll have the chance to put what you have learnt  in the morning into practice by planting the new hedge at Kentish Town City Farm. We are replacing a hedge that disappeared with the landslide in 2022 and used to provide a highway for hedgehogs from Hampstead Heath to come to the farm. As well as providing cover for them the new hedge will include a diversity of plants for moth caterpillars and habitat for the large numbers of birds on the farm.

Timetable:

11am-12.30pm – How to design a hedge with a diversity of plants that provide benefits to people and wildlife.

12.30pm-1.30pm – Lunch of soup, bread and dips will be provided

1.30pm-3.30pm – How to plant a hedge – get practical experience of planting a new hedge at the farm

All welcome. RSVP essential: if you want to come along you need to let us know so we know numbers for lunch, which is provided. You can register by completing this form: https://forms.gle/1ui6RkBCTFKzLc3G7Growing Club on Saturdays at Kentish Town City Farm community garden

VOLUNTEERS 10.30am-1pm • FAMILIES from 11.30am-1pm

9th September • 16th September • 30th September • 14th October

Come and join us to learn how to grow your own food. We are running sessions to teach about all the aspects of growing from seed. You’ll be able to grow plants for the garden at the farm and to grow at home on your windowsill, balcony or garden.

Email: growingclub@ktcityfarm.org.uk if you have any questions or would like to let us know you’ll be coming along.

Kentish Town City Farm would like to express our huge gratitude to garden designers, Lauren Munton, Deborah Anderson and John Tolman for their Sensory Garden recreated at Kentish Town City Farm from the Hampton Court Garden Festival.

On Saturday 15th July a permablitz jointly organised by the farm and Permablitz London (www.permablitzlondon.com) transformed the smaller community garden to create an edible, medicinal, sensory space – a feast for pollinators with flowers arranged in a river of colours. Over 30 people joined the permablitz to prepare the soil, plant the 500 plants and lay down a mulch to minimise moisture loss.

Kentish Town City Farm is local to Lauren and she used to bring her daughter to visit the farm and this lead her to approach us to offer to transfer the garden from Hampton Court after the show finished.

The three designers says: ‘We are so proud that our Sensory garden will be relocated to such a vibrant location that benefits the community. In the past, plants in flower show gardens would be discarded after the show rather than benefit another site. The RHS is now actively encouraging relocation which we applaud. With this new garden we hope to encourage visitors to consider plants
as multi-sensory, and inspire them in the creation of their own planting schemes – the senses are there to be awakened and fed and plants have an enormous role to play.’

Susannah Hall, Garden Educator at Kentish Town City Farm says, ‘We are very excited about this project and expanding the design to spread the plants throughout the growing space so that the entire growing area becomes a Sensory garden. We take a permaculture approach so want to include insect attractors and perennials with the fruit and vegetables we are growing across the Farm, and these plants are a perfect match’.

To find out more:
www.deborahandersondesign.com
www.laurenmuntongardens.com
www.permablitzlondon.com

We need your help on Saturday 15th July 10am-5pm

Please come to help us install a sensory garden at Kentish Town City Farm that is being recreated from a garden at Hampton Court Flower Show.

The garden, A Feast for the Senses has been designed by Deborah Anderson, Lauren Munton and John Tolman. Their aim with the garden is to: ‘awaken the senses of sight and taste, featuring only edible plants planted in a river of colours’. They have chosen flowering plants for their culinary or medicinal benefits to humans and to provide nectar and pollen for insects.

At this permablitz (www.permablitzlondon.com) we will be planting the 600 plants throughout the community garden at the farm.

During the day there will be short workshops to explain about the edible flowering plants, the planting techniques we are using to support resilient, healthy plants and installing an irrigation system for efficient watering.

Join for the full day 10am-5pm or drop-in to help when you can.
If you want to join us for the full day please email growingclub@ktcityfarm.org.uk so we know numbers for lunch which will be provided.

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The Growing Club is for
VOLUNTEERS 10.30am-1pm
FAMILIES from 11.30am-1pm

Growing Club on Saturdays:

8th July • 15th July • 22nd July • 29th July

5th August • 12th August • 19th August

2nd September • 16th September • 30th September

14th October

Come and join us to learn how to grow your own food. We are running sessions to teach about all the aspects of growing from seed. You’ll be able to grow plants for the garden at the farm and to grow at home on your windowsill, balcony or garden.