“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date"– William Shakespeare, The Sonnets

London Permaculture Festival 2025

We had a strong presence at the London Permaculture Festival, where five graduates of our Permaculture Design Course from 2022-23 delivered workshops. It was truly inspiring to see how these graduates have embraced the learning from the course and further developed it.

Hina and Niru conducted a fascinating workshop on growing Southeast Indian vegetables such as bitter gourd, fenugreek, and bottle gourds in Wembley without a greenhouse. They covered everything from obtaining the seeds, the best ways to germinate them, how to cook with them, and even offered tastings. Chickpeas grow well here; although you don’t get many, they are easy to grow and don’t need special care. If you haven’t tried growing ginger, give it a go next spring. It’s ready to harvest in the autumn. Treat it like a houseplant, giving it a warm, sheltered window or conservatory with a bit of shade, and you can even put it outside in the summer.

We also learned about unusual edible perennials grown in the community garden and many of our gardens, which we don’t always realise are edible. For instance, Border sedums (now reclassified as Hylotelephium), commonly known as ice plants, are prevalent in many gardens. They are easy to grow, thrive in the sun, boast bright pink flower heads, and are fantastic for pollinators like late-flying butterflies and bees. The leaves are also edible; they make a refreshing addition to salads and taste like cucumber.

Northwick Park Community's stall in the marketplace at the London Permaculture Festival, Cecil Sharp House

Still going strong despite the heat

The community garden is thriving, thanks to the ongoing efforts of our dedicated volunteers who are weeding and watering despite the extreme temperatures. The plums are ripening, and the apples are developing well after recovering from a moth issue earlier in the spring. Next year, we plan to implement pheromone traps and handpick caterpillar webs sooner.

We also tackled another of the flower beds at Preston Road Station in two sessions, one of which was dedicated to digging up a large grass that had outgrown the space.

We used the chop-and-drop technique again to provide mulch and coverage for the beds. It’s already broken down nicely on the bed we tackled in May.

Whilst the bed isn’t looking perfect now, we will replant in autumn to allow the plants to settle in over the winter.

Preston Road Station platform digging out the grass

Preston Road Station platform before we started

Preston Road Station platform after finished digging out the grass

Dates for the Diary

Dog Show - Saturday, September 20th

Halloween Dog Walk - Sunday, October 18th

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and hope you continue to be an active member of our community. Join our WhatsApp gardening group for announcements about garden and station tidy-ups. Email us info@northwickparkcommunitygarden.com

Thank you for your continued support!

Eleri, Iris and Jo Northwick Park Community Garden Trustees