Sunday 15th August, 12 – 4pm
In collaboration with the Walworth Allotment Association, last Sunday we held a workshop led by Chris Collins, focusing on how to develop a small garden plot and plant to support wildlife.
Chris used one of the allotment spaces to serve as an example of how a plot could be used to maximize yield, whilst not compromising the ethics of organic farming and creating wildlife havens. He covered dividing an area into manageable plots, which make for easier control and crop rotation for the next year, whilst touching on how to establish a perennial or annual flower border alongside the beds to encourage insects into the plot, which bring about a balance of predators. He added that ponds and the lesser found garden bog also aid in creating biodiversity and counteracting pests and disease on your plot.
There were really great inputs from other gardeners and network members which allowed Chris to speak more on the necessity of companion planting for taster crops and deterring pests, intercropping for higher plot yields and foods whilst waiting for others to mature, as well as how to create your own natural garden fertilisers and the many varieties of composting you can bring to your plot or even balcony space.
Chris Collins has been gardening since the 80s, with his career journey beginning as an apprentice gardener with Brighton parks department. He is an alumni of horticultural studies at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and has been involved in a multitude of horticultural projects, in a practical and consultancy capacity. You may recognise him from his many appearances on television. We hope to be able to welcome him back in the autumn for a practical work session in one of the gardens.