Seaford Community Garden

Yes! On Wednesday mornings the gates of Seaford Community Garden, at the Crouch, are now wide open and welcoming to all. The relaxation of COVID rules meant that at the end of May we were able to host a swarm of extra, very happy visitors who had bought tickets to the first of the annual National Gardens Scheme’s Seaford Trails. Allison said the Seaford Sunshine Strummers Ukulele Band, who made an impromptu appearance in the Crouch Gardens, made a huge difference to the atmosphere, so much so that some people stayed for the whole afternoon. ‘We were very thankful to the weather gods,’ she added. ‘There had been a frantic clean-up to make everything look wonderful and people were very glad to be out and about enjoying the weather.’ The photos on this page reflect the day. Other gardens taking part in the trail that day were Burford in Cuckmere Road, 34 Chyngton Road, Cosy Cottage and Madehurst in Firle Road, and Lavender Cottage in Steyne Road.

The wet and warm weather has made everything sprout upwards and outwards but, mused Allison, volunteers were having to fight a continuous battle against weeds. But we’ve taken the old gardening adage to heart: ‘When the weeds start growing it’s time to get sowing’. Outside, newly sown runner beans, courgettes and kale have appeared, while in other beds French beans and peas have been planted. Within the poly tunnel, the annual crop of tomatoes is growing strongly, so Phil was to be seen squatting to tie the healthy stems to the curly metal poles that were placed in the soil a few weeks ago. We’re hoping that the rising temperatures and (hopefully only intermittent) rain will produce plenty to show our visitors.

James’ hard work sprucing up the wildlife pond has also paid off, with clear water and grateful pond life, and a wonderful show of yellow irises in the margins. Among these, volunteers Ann and Gemma recently found the outer case of a newly hatched dragonfly. The adult had already flown so we can’t be sure of the species but we suspect it was a Broad-bodied Chaser.

Of course, interested visitors have a habit of asking questions that not all volunteers can answer, particularly when it comes to identifying plants and advising in what conditions plants should be located. But, thanks to the tenacious efforts of Katie, separate areas within the garden have now been identified, each with its own name – such as the Rose bed or the Cuttings bed or the Pond – for each of which Brian, Abdul and Cameron have made easily visible signs. Laminated A4 sheets with a photograph and information about key details of plants within that area are attached to these signposts. We hope that with the help of these sheets, volunteers and visitors alike will be able to find the answer to many of their queries. This is a new project so we’d love to hear what you think and if there are any ways in which we can improve things.

We’ve always seen the garden as a learning resource and we hope this is another step in that direction.

More good news: tea breaks are back for our volunteers. Hooray! It’s beginning to feel like normal.

Our garden, situated behind the Peace Garden off East Street, is now open from 9.30am until 12.30pm each Wednesday morning. Watch this space for Saturday openings when we will have produce for sale. Fingers crossed, we will also be opening as part of the Macmillan Trail on Saturday 24th July.

The Garden Team Photos from top: Veronica ignites the new gas burner; Bill and Mike at the Open Trail; The Sunshine Strummers; runner beans; Phil secures growing tomatoes to their poles.