Keeping The Lights On - Week 3
12 April 2020
Hello all,
How is everyone doing? It's been quite a stressful week of news and I'd love to hear from people at tom.abbeyphysic@gmail.com - how are you getting on? Is there anything we can do to support you? Have you been up to anything interesting (besides negotiating the new one-way shopping system at Tesco!)?
As mentioned at the top of our homepage, Kent County Council have set up a 24 hour mental health crisis text service for anyone having a tough time coping with the lockdown - just text 'Kent' to 85258 to connect with this service.
The weather certainly warmed up this week didn't it - be sure to look out for next week's update article on watering plants, I'm getting really good at it (this sentence started out as a joke, but now I'm already writing it in my head...)
Following last week's update, we have welcomed many new members to the Abbey Physic Community Garden WhatsApp group, where this week there has been an ongoing informal Easter themed pun contest - it's been quite eggscrutiating, but then what do you expect from people who are all cooped up at the moment?
I hope everyone is hanging in there at home - do please get in touch through email, or give us a call on 01795 539915 or 07379 201392.
Very best wishes,
Tom.
Cooking With Alex
The Faversham Community Kitchen's own Alex has excelled herself with this snappily-edited video showing you how to bake perfect simple sodabread. As everyone who has tried it at the garden can tell you - it's a wonderful warm treat for a healthy lunch in lockdown. Click the image to bake some brilliant bread.
Tunnel of Tomatoes
Just as last year, in 2020 the polytunnel at the garden promises to put on a riotous display of rare tomatoes of all colours, shapes and sizes. Having now been planted up with more than twenty tomato plants, including the Abbey Physic Community Garden's own unique hybrid tomato - a bushy variety bearing scores of small sweet fruit.
Your YouTube
The Abbey Physic Community Garden's own YouTube channel has now launched. Please click the image to head to the homepage where you can subscribe to the channel. We can't wait to upload the video of the day the garden reopens to everyone, but in the meantime don't miss the 90 Seconds' Gardening series.
You've Bee(n) Framed
The sad loss of our bee hives over the winter has led to a plan to build bigger, stronger colonies in 2020. As part of this plan, modifications have been now made to refurbished brood boxes (where the queen lays her eggs), to accommodate new, larger frames. These will allow for a swarm size of up to 60,000 bees per hive at the height of summer.
Chilling With Chillies
With the greenhouse hitting temperatures in the mid to high 30s this week, dozens of chilli plants have been potted off and are stretching their roots, ready to rocket up and provide a harvest ranging from the fruity to the infernal.