Month: September 2020

Hello my name is Jan Rogers, I was born July 1962. I met Mike Rogers when I was 16, he had four children living with him. We  married in  1979 (with the children’s permission).

As the years went on we had six boys together, so we totalled eight boys and two girls.

 In July 1992  our lives changed forever: after a horrific event I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and depression. It was Mike and the children that kept me going, to be honest they kept me alive.

I’ve always loved gardening and outdoors and was always very sporty. Mike managed to revive my love for the garden amongst other things. I have for many years run a community garden in Ponthafren Association Newtown. This is a mental health charity based in Newtown and Welshpool: thanks to their open-door policy, anyone can pop in for a chat, or  take part in courses provided,  and come and help in the garden.

Over the years, I’ve seen my garden, along with other peoples’ gardens ,lifting people’s moods and putting a smile on their faces. We put plants and veg out in the yard for donations so the garden is totally self-funded. About five years ago we opened the garden to the National Garden scheme,  and now we usually have two or three open days a year. This helps in a few ways –  people get to see the garden but also plays  a huge part in reducing the stigma that goes  with mental health issues . Our garden was also chosen to be filmed for ‘Glorious Gardens from Above’ , shown on BBC One.

I could manage most things in the garden but if it was fences, walls, paths etc. which needed replacing, I would shout to our  ‘tribe’.  Mike would rally whichever sons weren’t working on that weekend to sort it all (as volunteers!).

In August 2019, my whole world fell apart. We lost Mike very suddenly.  Even my love for gardening was slipping away. Over the next six months I kept busy doing nothing really, it was a blur. I couldn’t face the garden at home or in fact the garden at Ponthafren, as Mike and I were a team.

We bought a bench in memory of Mike and placed it in the garden, I had started popping in and sitting in the garden there but this was as much as I could do.

Then lockdown, PONTHAFREN had to close its doors but the staff carried on helping those that needed it, from home via phone and Zoom. The next few weeks were a blur but at once point  the police, the mental health team and the doctor were on the scene: I went to stay on the outskirts of the little village with one of my sons, his wife and four daughters. After a few weeks my son came home with some seeds as he had rented a small field, and decided to plant veg. He asked me to sow the seeds as he was working full-time but I decided to involve his four daughters. We popped the seeds into pots having picked up seed pots and trays and it just seem to grow from there. The garden was soon full of veg and sorted. I decided after several weeks I needed to face the demons and go home but we don’t have a garden for veg as our garden is full of shrubs and flowers.

It was then I thought about the Gardening for Disabled Trust Charity. I measured up and came up with a plan for three raised beds and a greenhouse.

When I got the go ahead, it was such a boost that I ordered everything but knew there would be a delay with the greenhouse due to Covid. Once the wood and soil were delivered, I was on a mission. The only thing was because of lockdown and my health problems only our son, his wife and daughters I stayed with previously could come and and help. But we managed,  and very soon I had hundreds of seedlings including tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, a range of all sorts of beans, peas, brassicas, corn on the cob and more. Our back garden was full, our porch was bursting and also the downstairs bedroom which had been empty since our last son had moved out. It was a mission in itself to keep everything watered, but it was a mission I needed to help keep me going.

Then I got thinking, I can’t possibly plant all these in this garden. So I contacted local villages to ask if I could put a table with an honesty box by the village hall. The money raised I would give to Ponhafren .

I struggled sleeping but now instead of sitting in the garden I had a focus, I had been given the money to buy the wood so the greenhouse was a lifeline when everything was slipping away. It gave me a purpose – it didn’t change what had happened but it gave me a reason to stay.

I had spoken to the police and they gave me a card with a reference number on. This meant I  was able to drive around the villages to water the plants and to collect the money. I totalled up  the money and after all the seedlings had been sold I gave it to a staff member along with the collection boxes. I had also put a fundraiser page on Facebook, so that people who didn’t have cash on them were able to pay through this. In total this raised over £1300 but for me it was as much about helping the people that were also struggling: through this, others were able to carry on and get out in the garden as it was one of the very few places they could buy seedlings due to lockdown.

So you see the grant you gave me has not only helped me, and my family but has had a huge positive knock-on effect. I even had emails and messages to ask if I would put certain plants down the bottom of the road so people could get somebody to pick them up and I also had a request to put a box of plants on the number 75 bus!   I thought this was certainly different but it turned out that the bus driver picked up shopping for local or elderly people that live close to him. Some of these people had always bought plants from us so were over the moon when they found out that I taken the garden home and, although on a smaller scale, carried it on.

From the plants grown in our garden at home I have also put them to good use by giving them to local people who are self-isolating and also groups that have been providing meals and delivery of these meals to the vulnerable. So again another positive knock-on effect. Alas my greenhouse came too late for this season but I have even more  plans for next season. In fact my sons are putting the greenhouse up over the next couple of weeks so I have Christmas potatoes ready to go in there all planted in pots and growing well.

Finally I just want to say a huge thank you to all involved with the Gardening for Disabled Trust  – you are truly lifesavers take care. Janet Elizabeth Rogers MBE

Lavender

Lavender is known to be helpful in headaches, skin irritations, and hair loss. It is often used in aromatherapy, owing to its marvelous smell. A refreshing cup of lavender tea is sure to lift your spirits.

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm is a perennial herb of the mint family and is helpful in headaches, insomnia, and indigestion. It’s refreshing smell and taste make it a popular flavouring ingredient.

Basil

Basil’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make it a healthy addition to your diet. It is often used as a garnish. Basil boosts the immune system and the gastrointestinal system. It is considered beneficial for eye, liver, and heart health.

Chamomile

Chamomile is known to boost immunity and cardiovascular health. Chamomile tea is quite popular, but it can be used for seasoning as well. Aside from its medicinal properties, they provide aesthetic value as well!

Herbs can be very beneficial for your well-being, provided they are used thoughtfully. One should not forget that herbs cannot overcome poor diet, toxic relationships, and lack of sleep and exercise. The herbs mentioned above are not only healthy but are easy to grow, as well. Gardening in itself is a fulfilling pursuit, and having a herb garden is bound to cheer you up!

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. My name is Simon Gibbins. I have been strawbale gardening for over ten years now. We live
by the edge of the Viking Way in Lincolnshire. I got into this great method quite by chance. When we
moved into this house, luckily a massive garden came with it. It was completely overgrown and
untouched for years. With a lot of hard work, we got it to a manageable condition. Although my
family were all farmers from the lovely Lincolnshire Fens, my mother and father had decided to up
sticks and move to sunny Brighton, where my identical twin and I were born. I stayed there for some
twenty years and then moved back up country to Lincolnshire. So, although farming and gardening
was in my blood, I knew nothing. So, I read. A lot.
When my wife was young, she was involved in a serious car accident and injured her back. The
specialist at the time informed her that it would get worse as she got older. This was proving right.

And long periods bending in the garden cause serious pain. I started to look on the internet for a
more physically friendly way to garden. I found strawbale gardening from the States. I tried it for the
first year with mixed success and then started to really get into it and adapt it for our UK climate. It
really worked. As regards my wife, due to the height of the strawbales bending is at a minimum. You
can strawbale garden from the sitting position very easily. So, wheelchair users can really get into
this method. Plus, because you can put strawbales on any surface including concrete, its great for all
round wheelchair access. With strawbale gardening you see, you don’t need soil, so it follows that
you can have a fantastic garden almost anywhere.

I was having a well-earned pint in my local hostelry, when a pal suggested that maybe I start a
Facebook page on the subject. And so strawbaleveguk was born. I began to think that maybe there
was something worthwhile in this strawbale gardening method. I kept experimenting because an
essential part of the process is getting the bales to compost inside, fast. You do this by adding
differing quantities of water and a composting medium such as organic lawn feed. I designed a
maturing schedule over about seventeen days that suited our climate.
I secured a Virgin start-up loan and with the help of Lincoln University I produced a DVD on the
subject entitled The Strawbale Gardeners Handbook Vol 1. I believe the only one made specifically
for the UK climate. They also helped me put together a website www.strawbaleveg.co.ukI now visit groups with my workshop which is informative and great fun. I have grown many types of 

vegetables in strawbales including runner beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, cabbages,
and many more. It is a very environmentally friendly way to grow vegetables as nothing is ever
wasted. When the strawbale is “tired” this can be up to two years later it makes first class compost.
Plus, a strawbale garden looks great. I now have many followers who advocate strawbale gardening,
I do hope that you will give it a grow. I now have a brand-new e-book that has been featured in
Kitchen Garden magazine. I am always available to help where I can. I can be reached through my
website www.strawbaleveg.co.uk simply go to the get in touch page.
I do hope this has been interesting and informative and encourages you to give it a grow.