The East Farleigh Community Network

Autumn Plant Exchange - Saturday 7th October 2017

The Gardening Club will be holding an Autumn Plant Exchange on Saturday 7th October from 11am to 1pm. Members who are dividing perennials often have plants to spare so this is an opportunity to pass them on.

Come and join us, choose some free plants for your garden and chat with fellow enthusiasts over a cup of tea or coffee!

Non-members are welcome for a small donation to our funds. Call 01622 726164 for further details.

National Gardens Scheme, Goddards Green near Cranbrook - 15th June 2017

Next month, on Thursday 15th June, we have arranged an early evening visit to Goddards Green, a five acre garden near Cranbrook. A donation is to be made of £5 per visitor under the National Gardens Scheme which is donated to charity. Members will use their own transport arriving for a 6pm start – directions will be provided. The garden surrounds a 500 year old Clothier’s House. If any non-members are interested in joining us please contact Sue Morris on 01622 726164. There will be a nominal £3pp charge made towards club funds.

During the year we usually have several talks and or visits to places of interest, please register an interest in coming along to our future events via the contact Gardening Club page and in the meantime see below for details of some of our previous events...

Tour of Hush Heath Estate and Winery near Staplehurst - August 2016

On the 14th August, 17 people took part in the Gardening Club guided visit to Hush Heath Estate near Staplehurst. We were taken on a guided walk round the orchards, vineyards and ancient oak woodland by one of the wine-making team, ending with a very interesting tour of the winery with its high-tech stainless steel equipment for pressing, fermenting, bottling, corking and labelling. Afterwards we sat in the sunshine and enjoyed a tutored tasting of two sparkling wines, two still wines and one cider – all of which were delicious!!

Most of the group then moved on to Mill Farm in Marden where we spread out our picnics on a specially mown field in the shade of trees and spent a couple of hours in total peace and quiet. All in all a really successful outing in The Garden of England on a perfect summer afternoon.

National Gardens Scheme, Timbers in Dean Street - July 2016

East Farleigh Gardening Club’s evening visit to the 5 acre gardens of Timbers in Dean Street on 18th July proved a great success. The weather was perfect for the garden tour which took about an hour, followed by drinks and canapés served on the terrace. Timbers opens by appointment as part of the National Gardens Scheme in aid of charity between April and July each year. Members thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening and were most impressed by the wonderful blend of flowers, shrubs, trees and artwork so attractively laid out by Mrs Sue Robinson.

It was a bit of a quiet 2015 due to the organiser’s two sessions of cataract surgery.

Winter Meeting 2015

On Thursday 26th February, East Farleigh Gardening Club welcomed retired professional gardener Laurie Manser from Speldhurst.

Laurie entertained us with stories of his gardening career which began in 1948 and continued until 2012! Having now retired, he keeps himself busy with THREE allotments and frequent speaking engagements.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and after the talk took part in a gardening-themed raffle whilst tucking into home-made cake with a hot drink!

Visit to Hyde Hall Gardens near Chelmsford

On the 1st of August we joined with Barming Horticultural Society on a visit to Hyde Hall Gardens near Chelmsford, belonging to the RHS. The weather was glorious and we all returned exhausted but happy, laden with plants purchased from the shop!

Gardening Club Autumn meeting 2014

On Thursday November 13th members were invited to a talk by Ray Morris entitled 'The Good Garden Guide, a bird's eye view.'

About 20 members attended and learnt about how to make their gardens especially attractive to bird life by providing the right kind of food, feeders, nest sites and general environment. After the illustrated talk there was an opportunity to ask lots of questions and tuck into home-made cake with a hot drink. The wild birds in East Farleigh should certainly be well looked after throughout the year!

Photo's from Gardening Club visit to Little Mill and Poultry Farms

1/5 Little Mill Farm Visit 1

Gardening Club Walk

Gardening Club members spent a very interesting couple of hours on the afternoon of Saturday 7th June visiting the Loose Valley Conservation area.

We were taken on a guided walk by the chairman of the society Bryn Cornwell and were shown all the areas of land they have acquired recently and the steps the society are taking to improve them by planting trees and clearing rubbish.

A working party meets every Tuesday from 10am to 3pm, and anyone interested in volunteering should contact Bryn on 01622 746514.

Loose Valley Conservation Society talk by Bryn Cornwell

The Gardening Club talk on Thursday 6th March 2014 by Bryn Cornwell, chairman of the Loose Valley Conservation Society was enjoyed by 25 visitors. We heard about the history of the valley, how the Society became established and all the work they have carried out to conserve wildlife and improve the area for future generations to enjoy. Home- made cakes and hot drinks were followed by a question and answer session and a gardening raffle. Later in the year we hope to organise a guided walk in the valley to see everything first-hand.

WINTER MEETING - The Work of the Loose Valley Conservation Society

Thursday 6th March 7.45pm for 8pm - In the Old School Hall

The Work of the Loose Valley Conservation Society

An illustrated talk by the chairman of the society, Bryn Cornwell

(The talk will be followed later in the year by a guided walk in the valley)

Tea and cakes | Raffle | Question time

Admission £1 members £3 non-members

Gardening Club Past Events 2013

EARLY SUMMER MEETING - BUBBLY, BITTER AND BUMBLEBEES

A guided visit to POULTRY FARM, MARDEN

Thursday July 11th @ 6.30pm for 6.45

An opportunity to see how commercially successful organic and conventional farming can be achieved in a wildlife-friendly way.

Peter Hall, the third generation of H E Hall and Sons http://www.hehall.co.uk/ will talk about how modern technology is harnessed to grow organic apples for Sainsbury's and grapes to make the sparkling wine sold in the House of Commons' restaurant! The farm has the only remaining organic traditional hop-garden in the country supplying the Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire. Crops are also grown by conventional methods, yet Peter is committed to farming in a way that enhances the environment, making special provision for the bumblebees and birds which abound in the fields and hedgerows.

After touring the farm we will see the working oast where the farm's hops have been dried and processed for more than a century, and finish with a tasty ploughman's supper, strawberries and glass of wine in the 130-year-old barn - which also houses a restored church organ dating from the 1820s, available for anyone to play if they'd like to!

The visit starts at 6.30pm at Poultry Farm TN12 9LS and finishes at the barn and cold-storage facilities at Little Mill Farm TN 12 9AU on the other side of the village, To reduce the number of cars needed to drive around the farm we could meet at Little Mill and 'car-share' to Poultry Farm

Non-members are welcome to join us. There will be a charge of £4 a head for refreshments. Please reserve and pay for your place by 7th July.

Contact Sue Morris for more details - 01622 726164

East Farleigh Gardening Club Events 2012

Spring Meeting - Wednesday 25th April 2012

WI Hall 7.30 for 7.45pm start

Laurie Manser will talk about his 'Memories of life as a Garden Boy from 1948'

• Refreshments will be served after the talk
• Gardening Themed Raffle

Entrance £2 Allotment and Gardening Club members £3 non-members

Further details from Sue on 01622 726164

Gardening Club Past Events 2011

Unfortunately due to prolonged ill health, the organiser of the Gardening Club has been unable to plan any events over the summer period and the 2011 Produce Show which was scheduled to take place at the end of August 2011 had to be cancelled.

Hopefully it will be possible to organise events for 2012!

Gardening Club Autumn Meeting - Thursday 24th November 2011

Church Hall 7.30 for 7.45pm start

Dennis Worcester from Burham will give a talk on 'Walking Sticks'! This may sound a curious subject, but rumour has it that he is a very entertaining speaker.

He started making sticks about eight years ago, and now sells them at various country fairs. He will tell us something of the history of this very familiar and useful object which we still use even in the 21st Century. His talk also covers the making of walking sticks from the collecting of the wood, to the carving and finishing. It may not be strictly connected with gardening but seems an appropriate country pursuit for us to learn about and may encourage the more creative among us to take up a new hobby!

Entry £2 Allotment and Gardening Club members £3 non-members

Refreshments and Christmas Raffle

Stall at the Village Fete - Saturday 2nd July 2011

East Farleigh Gardening Club joined forces with the John Bunyan Leaver Charity Allotments to run a stall at East Farleigh village fete.

We sold surplus vegetables and plants and had a very successful afternoon raising £53 which will be shared between the two organisations.

Wisley RHS gardens - Saturday 4th June 2011

The day dawned dull and chilly, but soon brightened into a beautiful day for our long-awaited visit to Wisley RHS gardens.

We joined with Barming Horticultural Society and the Maidstone Fuchsia Group for the trip, arriving around 10.30am after a very easy journey. Five hours seemed to fly past as we enjoyed the wide variety of displays - roses, water gardens, superb herbaceous borders, garden designs, wild areas and sampled the delicious cakes in the tea rooms!

At the end of the day the plant shop proved difficult to resist and many people were tempted to choose new items for their gardens. All in all a very successful outing, and we thank Barming HS for inviting us.

Gardening Club Past Events 2010

Birds and your Garden - A talk by Ray Morris MSc (ornithology), Thursday 11th November 2010

East Farleigh Gardening Club will hold their Autumn meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 11th November in the Church Hall, Lower Road.

There will be an illustrated talk on the private lives of birds in our gardens by Ray Morris MSc (ornithology).

There will be refreshments, a themed raffle and the opportunity to ask questions.

Everyone is very welcome to join us for the evening. Admission is £2 for members, £3 for non-members.

Any questions? Call Sue on 01622 726164

View Poster for Birds and your Garden talk...

Autumn Produce Show - Old School Hall, Saturday 18th September 2010

On Saturday 18th September, East Farleigh Gardening Club will host a Produce Show in the Old School Hall.

There will be classes for home produced vegetables, flowers, wine/beer/cider, cakes, jams and pickles, plus children’s classes for the under 13s.

The Hall will be open for entries from 12 noon to 1.30pm ( forms available from various village locations) or contact Sue on 01622 726164 or sue@sjmorris.plus.com.

The hall will be closed for judging to take place between 1.30 and 3pm.

The hall will re-open to the public from 3 to 5pm for scrumptious teas, a themed raffle and the nail-biting prize-giving ceremony!

Please support this new village venture even if you are only able to enter one or two classes, or simply come along to admire the entries.

Any questions? Call Sue on 01622 726164

View Poster for Autumn Produce Show...

Come and meet your FELLOW GARDENERS! - Saturday 19th June 2010 from 2pm

A joint social event for allotment holders and Gardening Club Members (new members welcome!) to be held at the allotment site just off Vicarage Lane, access via the service road just before the houses, on Saturday 19th June from 2pm.

Barbequed burgers and sausages served in buns will be for sale with a choice of salads or bring your own steaks/fish/veggie options to cook yourself plus glasses, plates and cutlery and your own choice of drinks. You may also want to provide a chair.

PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT THIS EVENT

• MAKE NEW FRIENDS
• ENJOY GOOD FOOD IN THE FRESH AIR
• AND RAISE A GLASS TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY!!

Not a Member? - Why not join and come along!

Any questions? Call Sue on 01622 726164

RSVP

View Poster for Event...

WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!!! - Tuesday March 16th 2010

In praise of the Compost Heap by Nick Robinson

Gardening Club members and allotment holders enjoyed an excellent and informative talk on composting, entitled 'What a load of Rubbish!'. Nick Robinson who was previously Head Gardener at Yalding Organic Garden, kept us interested and entertained by his professional presentation.

Even seasoned gardeners learnt many new tips to improve both their compost heaps and their gardens, and there was a lively question and answer session after the talk.

Look out for future meetings and events to be held in association with the Allotment Group.

Gardening Club Past Events 2009

Gardening Club Get-Together - Sunday 13th Sept 2009 from 1-4pm

The lunchtime meeting of the Gardening Club was a great success despite the overcast weather and we all enjoyed the delicious buffet!

We managed to find time to discuss future plans and a number of suggestions were made for talks, visits, social events and other interesting projects.

As we have reached the time in the gardening year when we tend to have masses of produce, one idea was to begin compiling a Kitchen Garden recipe book full of tasty, tried and tested ways to use up our surplus fruit and veg. This book would be sold to raise funds as well as being very useful. With this in mind I wondered if you could e-mail me your family favourites in the following categories:

Asparagus, Rhubarb, Courgettes, Beans, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Leeks, Apples, Pears, Plums, Soft fruit.

If there is any other 'glut' item you can think of then please let me know!! It will take a while to compile and print something like this, so it is a fairly long-term idea which will probably not be finished until autumn 2010.

View Recipes...

Sue Morris

Yalding Organic Garden with Guided Tour - Sunday 31st May 2009

The inaugural meeting of East Farleigh Gardening Club was held on Sunday 31st May, when 11 members visited Yalding organic garden for a guided tour.

The weather was glorious and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, learning many interesting and informative facts from Mary our guide. Our visit was rounded off with a sociable get-together in the café, where we sampled the homemade cakes, local ice-cream and fruit juices and discussed ideas for future events!

View Pictures of Visit to Yalding Organic Garden...