Growing Together is designed to help ‘green’ South Riverside. The Project started in Jan 2020 and is funded by the Landfill Disposal Tax Community Scheme until Sep 2021.
With Lockdown, we have focused on supporting the ground-swell of interest in growing at home. As part of a Cardiff-wide network of growing projects, here in Riverside over 300 households have benefited from a series of weekly ‘Give-Aways’. Local families have turned up to collect free plants, pots and compost throughout the summer.
Lots of tomato, courgettes, pea and bean plants have sprung up in front and back gardens all around Riverside – amazing success by both experienced gardeners and those growing for the first time. Salad and herbs have been enthusiastically grown, cheaper and fresher than the supermarket!
Off-course not everything goes to plan, so our WhatsApp group ‘Growing in Riverside’ with over 90 members, is a place where people share their successes and struggles. Weekly Zoom sessions allow people to ask questions from Sophie from Cardiff Salad City as we develop more confidence to give gowning at home a go.
Interest in plants is expanding to interest in nature generally and all those little insects that help pollinate our plants. Everyone is welcome to join the group, just send your name and mobile number to Louise*.
(* see poster below)
Winter Growing
The Give-Aways have provided an effective impetus to home-growing in Riverside. Growing Together aims to capitalize on this enthusiasm and start embedding growing skills for life. Through our WhatsApp group combined with online and future face-to-face learning in small groups (Covid guidlines allowing), we are supporting winter salad and veg growing. Contact Louise* to get involved in using fleece to grow through-out the winter in our back and front gardens.
(* see poster below)
Removing Paving Stones – growing bigger!
Growing in pots is very exciting but requires time watering every day in hot periods. Some people in Riverside are interested in removing a few of their front paving stones so that they can grow bigger plants directly in the soil. We can help anyone interested in this – making sure paving stones are pulled up carefully and topsoil is used to grow larger shrubs and flowers.
Riverside Health Centre (RHC)
Have you been stuck in a queue in front of the Boots at Riverside Health Centre?
Perhaps you have noticed the two planters there, one full of herbs and anyone is welcome to pick. . .
Along with Grow Cardiff, we are turning that green space in front of the Health Centre on Wellington Street into a Community Garden.
This will be a garden for everyone to enjoy – whether you are just walking past, visiting the doctor or chemist, or interested in rolling up your sleeves …. this is your garden.
We will grow veg, salad and herbs as well as lots of flowers. We will plant an apple and pear tree, with lots of soft fruit like raspberries, gooseberries and currants.
There will be places to sit and talk and share ideas for growing.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Louise*. Get in touch now and help us design the garden or come along when you see things happening.
(* see poster below)
We will be running regular sessions from October 2020 – socially distanced for now.
Mini Garden Boxes
The Boxes have been a big success; they liven up the paved front gardens in Riverside. People have grown herbs including coriander, mint and dill and used in cooking, creating daily world-recipes.
The Boxes are time-consuming to put together, so if you would like one in your front garden, do get in touch with Louise*. Let’s work together, share our skills to create more front-garden greening in South Riverside.
(* see poster below)
Street Planters
Take a look at the street planter in Brunel street….
Another a new planter will arrive in Lewis Street in September 2020.
Could you help look after a new Street planter in your street?
Street-Planter-A4-Poster