Ten Good Reasons to Grow a Green Manure Crop!

1 They're cheap and easy to grow.
2 A packet of green manure seeds is easy to carry home - unlike a large sack of animal manure!
3 They can increase soil fertility.
4 They improve soil structure and help prevent soil erosion.
5 They encourage efficient use of land. So why not grow a green manure crop on your unused land this winter?
6 Most green manure crops are very attractive to wildlife.
7 Bare soil encourages weed growth, so green manure bare ground to keep weeds in check.
8 By taking up nutrients from the soil, green manure crops prevent them from being washed away when it rains.
9 Some green manure plants (legumes) are nitrogen fixers.
10 Green manuring increases the humus content of the soil.

How does Green Manuring Work?

Traditionally, green manure crops are sown and allowed to grow, either until the land is needed again or until the plants have reached a certain growth stage. At this point, they are cut down, dug in to the soil and are left to decompose, releasing vital plant nutrients back into the soil which are then used by the next crop. Obviously, if you are using strict no-dig, veganic gardening methods, then digging the crop into the soil is not really an option.

But if you don't want to dig, then green manure crops can also be composted or used as a mulching material instead.

become a friend for a fiver

BECOME A FRIEND FOR A FIVER
Yes, that's right – it costs just £5.00 annual membership to
become a Friend of Green Peas & Grow Mayow Community garden

What is a Friends Group?
A Friends Group is usually made up of local residents who have formed because they have a common interest in a local green space. The aim of the Committee behind the Friends
Group is usually to support a green space through working in partnership with local authorities
in order to achieve some of the following:

• To provide up to date information to the local community about any aspects directly affecting the green space.
• To identify resources to enable improvements to the green space.
• To organise events or activities for the local community
• To promote, preserve and protect the green space and wildlife that inhabits it for future generations.
• To help to make a green space safer for all.


What will your £5.00 go towards?
We currently publish a bi-annual Newsletter that is sent to members.
Some of our members do not have emails, so your £5.00 will go towards printing and postage costs. However, where we can save money, we do.
Although Grow Mayow Community Garden is owned by Lewisham Council, we do not receive any direct funding, so for future projects and events, we rely entirely on donations and support from other sources in order to bring these initiatives to life.

What you can do in addition
Please help us by joining our Friends Group. Your donations will go towards improvements of the Garden and events which ultimately benefit the local community.
Click on the donation button to subscripe.

A SPLASH OF NETTLES AND A DOLLOP OF COMFREY

Having a patch of nettles and comfrey will have many benefits to your garden or allotment, not only is the stinging nettle one of the most important native plants for wildlife in the UK.
The nettle supports over 40 species of insect including some of our most colourful butterflies.

Comfrey has become an important plant for the organic gardening movement. It has thick, far reaching roots which access minerals deep in the soil, making it rich in potassium and nitrogen. The fast-growing leaves can be cut several times a year to make an organic slug control, liquid fertiliser, leaf mould and compost activator. Comfrey has long been associated with herbal medicines and there is no doubt that it can be effective in the treatment of sprains and bruises. Many people use it to ease the pain of arthritic joints and the roots mashed into a paste may help to heal wounds.
Comfrey also benefits many willdife creatures which are important to crop pollination.

Buff-tailed bumble bee, Common carder bumble bee, Honey bee, Red mason bee, Red-tailed bumble bee, White-tailed bumble bee

Natural leaf-based fertilizer involves putting comfrey and nettle leaves into a container. Fill it with water and cover it. It has a strong odor, so you may want to store it outdoors. To use it as fertilizer, dilute it with one part mixture and 20 parts water. Depending on what you’re growing, different ingredients will add nutrients to this mixture. For example, tea leaves add nitrogen and manganese and alfalfa will add numerous amounts of nutrients and minerals.

Organic slug & snail remedy

Problems with slugs and snails eating your plants? Get two bulbs of garlic, and smoosh them with a rolling pin...take out your frustration on them. Put them in 2 pints of water, and simmer for one hour. Let the liquid cool, and strain into a container. Use one tablespoon of the liquid to one gallon of water. One use of this is supposed to be sufficient, but I use it maybe every two months. Use it on any plant that is suseptible to slug attack.

Snails and slugs are mollusks part of the Gastropod family. The Gastropods family consists of both aquatic and terrestrial members. While the aquatic variety of snails is beneficial to the gardener's pond or to the aquarium owner because it effectively cleans and removes sediments form the water, the terrestrial snails are usually a far cry from being helpful.They have a propensity of munching on greens, leaving unsightly holes wherever thy feast.

Snails and slugs are very similar, but snails are more attractive because they carry a ''home''. Yet, both of them are destructive in the same way, often causing gardeners to rush to their closest gardening center for some products.

While products that attract slugs and snails and kill them pretty much effectively do the job, they are mostly chemical and therefore toxic for the garden soil and often to small animals and pets. It comes natural therefore to seek less harmful manners to get rid of these annoying pests.

There are indeed various ways to repel and kill snails and slugs without resorting to chemicals. Some of this were the old fashioned ways farmers got rid of them before pesticides and other chemical concoctions were invented. Following are some natural methods to get rid of both snails and slugs.

-Walking on Egg Shells

Walking over them bare foot may really hurt! No sound of mind snail or slug will enjoy crawling over them to get to their lettuce. Simply place some crushed egg shells at the base of your favorite plants so they will make a barrier that will keep them away. As an alternative, pine needles may work as well.

-Empty Orange

Cut an orange in half, collect the juice and remove the pulp from the orange. Save the emptied out, concave half orange and place it near the most infested areas in the evening. Place the juice in the refrigerator. In the morning, before having breakfast, check the emptied orange, you will find lots of slugs and snails inside. Then head back home and open the refrigerator and enjoy a fresh glass of home made O.J.!

-Let Them Get Drunk

When it comes to drinking, snails and slugs are avid drinkers that will enjoy a beer every now and then. Fill a shallow pie pan and fill it with beer. Place it out in the evening. By morning, they will enjoyed their beer, cheers!

- Adopt a Garter Snake or a Toad

Both will likely dine on snails and slugs. To allow toads to stick around create a toad house.Box turtles, in particular love to feed on slugs. Garter snakes instead appreciate rocks, try to create a rock garden for them, they will love it!

-Use Copper

For some reason snails and slugs dislike copper. If you put out strips of copper wire or copper mattings, the pests will very likely not cross over them.

-Get Them Salted

This is mostly for those with a strong stomach and that want to kill the slugs instantly. Simply gather the most slugs as possible and drop on them some salt. This will literally melt them which is not the ideal method for the faint of heart.

As seen, there are various natural ways to keep snails and slugs at bay. There are also some organic remedies now even sold at gardener's stores. With less snails and slugs, you will see less and less destruction and you will allow time for your favorite plants to finally recover from the extensive damage.

Become a friend

BECOME A FRIEND FOR A FIVER
Yes, that's right – it costs just £5.00 annual membership to
become a Friend of Green Peas & Grow Mayow Community garden

What is a Friends Group?
A Friends Group is usually made up of local residents who have formed because they have a common interest in a local green space. The aim of the Committee behind the Friends
Group is usually to support a green space through working in partnership with local authorities
in order to achieve some of the following:

•To provide up to date information to the local community about any aspects directly affecting the green space.
•To identify resources to enable improvements to the green space.
•To organise events or activities for the local community
•To promote, preserve and protect the green space and wildlife that inhabits it for future generations.
•To help to make a green space safer for all.


What will your £5.00 go towards?
We currently publish a bi-annual Newsletter that is sent to members.
Some of our members do not have emails, so your £5.00 will go towards printing and postage costs. However, where we can save money, we do.

Although Grow Mayow Community Garden is owned by Lewisham Council, we do not receive any direct funding, so for future projects and events, we rely entirely on donations and support from other sources in order to bring these initiatives to life.
You can also join our events and will be the first to know about our workshops & courses.

What you can do in addition
Please help us by joining our Friends Group. Your donations will go towards improvements of the Garden and events which ultimately benefit the local community.
Email us greenpeas.uk@gmail.com and we send you a membership form.
Thank you

Compost hints & tips

Love Your Leaves

Now is the time to start collecting your leaves .
It's easy to turn your fallen leaves into nutrient rich leaf mulch. Leaf mulch is a dark brown, pleasant smelling, crumbly material that makes an excellent soil improver and lawn conditioner. It can also be used in seed and potting mixes.

Making leaf mulch is easy...
STEP 1:

Use a bin liner, old gardening bag or

FREE brown bags from Soutwark council available in your local libary or call us.

STEP 2:

Fill up your leaf mulch bag with leaves

STEP 3:

Leave your bag in an out-of-the-way place in your garden for about a year. By then you will have a bag of leaf mulch that is ready to use.

Grass mowings
Mix well with browns to avoid a slimy mess. Alternatively, leave on the lawn whenever possible - they will soon disappear and feed the grass; this will not cause 'thatch'. Can also be mixed into a leafmould heap, or used directly as a soil mulch.

What can you compost at home?
The key to a healthy compost heap is to keep a good mix of green and brown materials, and stir regularly. There are lots of everyday items that you can add to your compost such as:

Grass clippings
Shredded prunings
Garden prunings
Cereal boxes
Nettles
Toilet & kitchen roll tubes
Tea bags
Egg boxes
Young annual weeds (e.g.chickweed & speedwell)
Ashes from wood, paper or lumpwood charcoal
Fruit & vegetable peelings
Tumble dryer lint (from natural fibre clothes)
Old flowers
Corn cobs and stalks
Ground coffee & filter paper
Cotton threads
Pond algae & seaweed (in moderation)
Torn up cardboard
Weeds
Wool
Spent bedding plants
String (made from natural fibres)
Comfrey leaves
Egg shells
Rhubarb leaves
Pine needles and cones (slow to compost so don't put too much in)
Old natural fibres (e.g. woolly jumpers or cotton t-shirts cut into small pieces)
Dry leaves, twigs and hedge clippings
Newspaper (scrunched up)
Shredded paper
Woody clippings
Garden prunings
Feathers
Tissues, paper towels and napkins (unless they have been in contact with meat, fats, oils or disease)

How to get Started

Improve your soil by digging in leaf mould or garden compost.
Make your own compost by recycling vegetable peelings, tea bags and plant prunings.
Prevent weeds from growing by spreading a blanket of composted bark across the surface of bare soil.
Choose naturally pest and disease resistant varieties of vegetables and fruit.
Make your garden a haven for wildlife and beneficial insects and animals will control many pests for you including slugs, greenfly and snails.
Use biological controls to control many pest problems in the garden or greenhouse.
Accept a degree of imperfection and you'll learn to live without fertilisers and pesticides.
Stressed plants are vulnerable to disease, so keep them well watered.
Try companion planting - strongly scented flowers are planted next to edible crops to deter pests.
Regular inspection of your garden and plants will help to prevent problems from getting out of hand

We grow

We believe more food can and should be grown locally and sustainably. We have our own site, Grow Mayow Community garden & nursery, where we grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and vegetable seedlings ,companion plants and flowers, in the poly tunnels and on site,

We offer opportunities for all to get involved.

We are a non profit organisation. We are rely on voluntary contributions so any help is always welcome.