Master Gardeners across the country have clocked up an incredible 10,000 volunteer hours since May 2010, a number soon to be swelled by the arrival of our latest recruits in north London.

A clear but chilly weekend (19-20 May) saw eighteen enthusiastic new Master Gardeners come from across Islington, Camden, Hackney and Haringey to Islington Ecology Centre for the spring North London foundation training.  They learned all about the volunteer Master Gardener role: how to get people involved in growing their own food, run a seed sowing demo or reach the wider community and all about best organic gardening practice.

Big thanks to current Master Gardeners Kate and Vicky who shared their inspirational tales and top tips about the transformation of neglected sites into thriving community growing spaces at Cordwainers Garden in Hackney and Toffee Park in Islington.  We had a tour of one of Islington’s hidden green gems, Olden Community Gardens, and learned all about soil and site analysis down in the raised beds. Thanks to Philip Turvil and Anton Rosenfeld from Garden Organic for their informative and lively sessions and to Cath at Unpackaged for the delicious lunches and cakes.  Last but not least, a big thank you to our new and enthusiastic batch of new Master Gardeners for all your ideas and readiness to get stuck into your new role.   Welcome everyone!

Contact a Master Gardener near you via our interactive map (more pins being added as you read this…)

For future Master Gardener training events, register here for updates.

http://islington.mastergardeners.org.uk/get-involved/register-for-updates/

Potting! Top tips for running demos

Having fun making paper pots