Compost making – an environmental service?; a profitable business?; or food for the plants? Richard Wallis, the composting guest speaker, has convinced us that HCFA can manage its composting facilities with all three objectives in mind.

The bank holiday weekend meant that numbers were thinner on the ground than normal. Those who did attend were treated to an amusing and informative demonstration on the art of composting.

Richard explained the essential components of good compost – aeration, layering green (grass cuttings, hedge trimmings etc) and brown (wood chippings, bark etc) materials, heat retention and moisture. These factors all improve the structure of the compost and the microbial activity necessary for breaking down the organic matter into essential elements (nitrates, phosphorous, potassium, calcium etc) for plants.

We then set about turning…….. the theory into practice (and the compost pile). Richard showed us how to layer, turn/rotate and insulate a composting heap.

HCFA would like to thank Richard for his expert guidance. We were all left wondering why such beneficial materials are called a waste at all – as they say one mans waste is another mans compost.
 

We'd like to remind everyone that it's not too late to enrol on our new City & Guilds Level 1 in Horticultural Skills course which starts on October 1st. The course is being run in co-operation with Capel Manor Horticultural college at Gunnersbury Park and Hounslow Homes.

Enrolment takes place on 13th September so don't delay if you just want to improve your gardening skills and knowledge or maybe start a new career in horticulture find out more by clicking the link below:

City & Guilds course in Horticulture

Hounslow Community Farming Association is a regular stallholder at the Twickenham farmers market. All produce has to be grown within 100 miles of the market, the HCFA site is four miles from the market so it doesn't get much more local than that.

HCFA has also cornered another niche. We're the only organic (well chemical free since we haven't got the Soil Association seal of approval yet) vegetable stallholder at the market. Judging from the sales receipts and the interest we have had from passers by suggests that local and organic tick all the right boxes for markets goers.

So if you want unusual varieties of cucumbers, beans, chard, seasonal beetroot, carrots, turnips, potatoes, leeks and parsnips or our own homegrown honey come and visit us at the Twickenham Farmer's market!

www.lfm.org.uk/markets/twickenham/

So far our guest speakers have treated us to some excellent practical and theoretical horticultural training opportunities – and Jessica was no exception.

An allotment holder and (soon to be) graduate in the Kew Diploma, Jessica delivered a very professional series of planting and seed bed preparation demonstrations - supplemented with a detailed knowledge of the Brassica family.

Consequently, we managed to plant out a whole bed of cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, borecole and chard (not strictly – well not at all - a Brassica) fully enlightened as to why the Brassicaceae family is also called the Cruciferae family. More useful Brassica facts will be revealed in the workshop “factsheets” soon to be posted on the website.
 

Just a quick reminder about the Brassicas workshop coming up on 6th June

Jessica from Kew Gardens will be delivering the next HCFA workshop on brassicas. We will be taken through the preparation, planting and pests of a number of brassica varieties including – Kale, Borecole, Purple Sprouting Brocolli, Red and Curly Headed Cabbage and Chard. We will also be looking at techniques for protecting brassica crops from pigeon.

Subject: Brassicas

Guest speaker: Jessica Evans

Date: 6th June

Time: 10:30 to 12:30

Venue: Faggs Road allotments - www.hcfa.org.uk/faggs-road-site

Cost: £3 entrance fee

We look forward to seeing you there.

For further information contact Alex Morrell – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Peter Clarke delivered his second, and HCFA’s fourth, weekend workshop. The HCFA workshops are quickly developing their own unique teaching style; explanation, demonstration, participation. And, with this template in hand, Peter furnished us with some pearls (well beans) of wisdom from his treasure trove of horticultural knowledge.

We started with broad beans (since we are a bit late in the planting season from broad beans), moved onto peas, then runner beans and finally dwarf french beans.

Once again Peter was very thorough and it was difficult to remember all he said. Consequently, inspired by Peter’s crib sheets, HCFA will be publishing some post workshop “factsheets”. But, if you can’t wait, here it is in brief;

Broad beans; sow in October or March, no supports, watch out for black fly and bean weevil. Peas; plant in succession March to May, space twigs in rows for them to climb, harvest regularly, watch out for pigeon. Runner beans; very tender – plant after the last frost, need 8ftish supports, pick from August onwards. Dwarf french beans; no support required, plant after last frost (Borlotto particularly tender), sow in flat bottom trench 1-2inches deep.
 

Ray Hulm was the guest speaker at the third HCFA weekend workshop.

The plan was for participants to prepare and sow two beds during the two-hour workshop. Ray had other ideas!

Clearly our lack of experience showed and, as Ray explained, it is worth investing more time in seed-bed preparation to avoid disappointment. So under Ray’s expert tutorage we finely raked the seed-bed and carefully set the seeds out along perfectly aligned rows.

Other handy hints picked up during the course of the morning; never leave carrot thinnings lying around (and possibly interplant with marigolds/onions), be generous with the seeds when sowing parsnips, pigeons like turnips so beware, beetroot is a relative of spinach so eat the leaves and scorzenera is an odd root vegetable.

Many thanks to Ray and once again to Nathan for fighting off a cold to cater for the masses.

HCFA, in partnership with Capel Manor College, are developing a horticultural training facility in Feltham to enable Hounslow residents to study a City and Guilds course in horticulture. The details of the opportunity are outlined below:

Duration: The course will run from the 13^th September 2010 until June 2011. Candidates are expected to attend the course for one day a week during term time for a total of 33 weeks.

Places: We are able to accommodate 12 students on the course. 

Costs: The course costs £55 to individualswho qualify for means tested benefit. The course will cost individuals not in receipt of means tested benefit £411. There are no course fees charged to Hounslow Home tenants. Students must supply their own safety boots (safety boots cost between £30 and £40).

Course content: Candidates will study 4 core units – ground preparation, container planting, application of organic mulch and watering – and at least 4 optional units (from a list of 60 optional units) ranging from pruning hedges to laying paths and turf.

Entry requirements: This is a practical based course with very little written assessment, however, candidates should have good written and spoken English language skills.

Application process: Individuals who are interested in attending the course should contact Emma Tomkins on 020 8583 4602 to register their interest. Candidates will then be asked to attend a short introductory session at Capel Manor, Gunnersbury - www.capel.ac.uk/gunnersburypark/.

Location: The majority of the modules will be taught on the HCFA site at Faggs Road - www.hcfa.org.uk/faggs-road-site. However, candidates will be expected to attend a few modules at Capel Manor College, Gunnersbury Park.

Progression: All candidates will be encouraged to seek horticultural placements with local horticultural institutions and businesses or further education opportunities in horticulture.

Please note: Course costs are correct at the time of publication and may vary depending of future Government programmes

Background to the organisations:

HCFA - Hounslow Community Farming Association (HCFA – www.hcfa.org.uk) is a horticultural education and environmental regeneration charity. Trustees and members are developing an abandoned allotment site in Feltham as a horticultural resource for delivering practical education to local community groups.

Capel Manor Gunnersbury - Capel Manor is London’s only specialist horticultural training college and is recognised as a vocational centre of excellence for horticulture. Capel Manor has specialist staff and training resources in a number of horticultural disciplines.

Hounslow Homes - Hounslow Homes is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) managing housing services to Hounslow Council's 16,500 tenants and leaseholders. It is committed to providing a training programme to its residents to help them participate in making decisions about their housing services, to engage with their local communities and to introduce them to employment opportunities. 

Just a quick reminder about our Root Vegetables workshop this Saturday.

The guest speaker this time round is Ray Hulm, a Royal Paddocks allotment holder and experience grower. Ray will be demonstrating how to prepare and plant carrots, turnips, parsnips, beetroot, swede and scorzonera.

This workshop runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm at our allotment site off Faggs Road, in Feltham

More details can be found on our calendar here.

We hope you can make it along!

Another successful workshop on Saturday (17th April) saw the HCFA herb garden planted!