08 Mar The Big Dig
Saturday 22 March
The Big Dig is a national volunteering event designed to encourage local people to get down to their local garden and get their hands dirty, learn something new and hopefully decide to continue to help throughout the growing season.
There are around 50 edible gardens across our Borough and at least 8 of these growing spaces will be opening their gates and looking forward to a helping hand from their local Waltham Forest residents. Activities taking place include:
A Vernal Equinox Celebration
12pm-3pm
Church Lane Community Garden
Harold Road
Leytonstone E11 4QX
Seed sowing, seed swapping, a potluck feast and barbecue, plus an interactive ideas bank for future Garden workshops. A triangular patch of land reclaimed in 2012 from dereliction and neglect with the help of a Transform grant. Now a community garden growing organic produce, hosting regular workshops and social events under the auspices of Transition Leytonstone.
Let’s Grow Together
11am-2pm
Higham Hill Children’s Centre
313 Billet Rd
Walthamstow E17 4GD
020 8527 1737
hhdc@highamhilldaycare.co.uk
www.thelloydparkcentre.co.uk
50p Entrance fee. Children go free.
We are developing the front garden into a growing area for the children to use. Currently it is a wasteland and not a very pretty/useful spot. On the day we will be planting vegetables and flowers, which will involve making raised veggie beds to grow vegetables in, and planting flowers on the perimeter. We will provide art and craft activities indoors to support this event and refreshments will be on offer too.
Priory Court Gardening Club
10am – 4pm
Priory Court Community Centre
11 Priory Court
Walthamstow E17 5NB
pcgardeningclub.org.uk
Potatoes! We need help digging the small allotment bed to get ready for the potato crop. With a bit of painting to brighten things up! Priory Court Gardening Club started in 2011. We grow mixed vegetables in raised beds in a paved area. Soon to have a cherry, pear and plum tree.
Planting Day
10am-4pm
Greenway Avenue Community Play Garden
Off Greenway Avenue
Walthamstow E17 3QQ
020 8926 0195 (evenings)
greenwaycommunitygarden@gmail.com
We are a relatively new volunteer-led friends group and we will be having a planting day in the community garden. There may also be a range of things to do from weeding to making compost bins to planting and tidying up around the garden. Feel free to come along and enjoy the space – maybe even donate a plant to the cause.
Plot spring-cleaning and garden maintenance
10am-1pm
Markhouse Common Allotments
Queens Road
Walthamstow E17 8PJ
07906 553893
hameed.pryce@sybourncc.org
Low Hall Children’s Centre has its own half-plot allotment, run by a small team of volunteers. There are weekly Gardening Club sessions for families and special events over the year, and the crops are used in cookery sessions at the Centre. As in the last two years, we are inviting local volunteers to join us in a ‘Big Dig’ getting the plot ready for the new season. As well as digging, cutting grass and doing general tidying, this year we will be building raised beds and erecting a shed. Everyone welcome, including accompanied children over 7, drinks and sandwich lunch provided.
Plant a vine grow your own wine
11am-1 pm
OrganicLea
Hawkwood Plant Nursery
115 Hawkwood Crescent
Chingford E4 7UH
www.organiclea.org.uk
Come for an introduction to growing grape vines to make wine and juice. The session includes a tour of Organiclea’s vineyard and a sampling of local wines.
Full details are available on the Big Dig website www.bigdig.org.uk
You can also sign up to tell the garden you are coming!
In London, the Big Dig is organised by Capital Growth and over the last two years over 100 of the growing spaces in their network have welcomed thousands of volunteers to events on their growing spaces. The Big Dig day in London is funded by Urban Food Routes, a project run by The Plunkett Foundation, and supported by the Mayor of London and Seeds of Change.