Welcome to the Ipswich Organic Gardeners' Group Website

Welcome to the new Website for Ipswich Organic Gardeners' Group (IOGG)

We hope it inspires you to come to the talks and visits we have going on. Do leave any questions or comments for me if you fancy.

Organic Gardening is now much more mainstream and has gone hand in hand with a rise in green ideas. We are a group that has always had a passion for plants, but we also have talks on wildlife and sustainable living. We are hoping that we can inspire you to go organic too.  Do check out out our group's history and the info on Henry Doubleday, Lady Eve Balfour and those other pioneers of organic methods. 

Finally, if you are new to computers, try clicking on pictures and words that are underlined- they might lead you to new places on the site. Do feel free to share any of this with your friends, click on the "recommend this to a friend" at the bottom of the page. 

Happy gardening,

Sheila Firman, Chair Ipswich Organic Gardeners' Group (IOGG)

TOPICAL TIPS

Finally the clocks have 'gone forward' and we have that extra bit of light in the evening. Just remember that it is only the beginning of Spring, and cold frosts are waiting to attack anyone foolish to rush into planting outside. Sowing outside too soon can be expensive and heartbreaking. If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, with even a little heat, you can set started on sowing tomatoes, peppers and other tender plants. If no greenhouse can you use a sunny windowsill instead?

When the weather is as good as it has been lately, and you want to do something, then get out into the garden and start on the weeds which are romping away. Unless you have a compost heap that gets hot can I sugest another way to get rid of them? Take an old dustbin (before the wheely bins), or something with a fitting lid to prevent anything falling in, put it in the garden out of the way and in the sun if possible. Fill it with water and put in the perennial weeds such as couch grass, nettles, or dock etc, and mares' tails which, with their deep roots which take up the otherwise unavailable minerals. You can put comrey leaves in as well. Replace the lid and wait, and wait. When you go to check on progress take a big breath before opening the lid and having a stir around. (Now you know why I said out of the way!) The lovely smelly water has all the nutrients from the weeds and no chance of anything regrowing! You may need to strain the liquid if using a watering can and rose.

Organic growing aims to increase the fertility of the soil. and thus the quality and growth of the plants in it. This is helped by recycling plant waste into compost, and weeds into a liquid fertiliser. You may need in the beginning to buy in organic fertilisers such as chicken pellets and liquid seaweed feed, but as you continue organically the expenses become less, espicially with your very own smally water.

Next time I'll talk about ways to protect you plants from the hosepipe ban.

The Last Visit- January- Anglesea Abbey

Greenways Project; Megabash

Belstead Brook Park MEGABASH!

oin the Greenways Project, Friends of Belstead Brook Park, Ipswich Wildlife Group and Access To Nature for a day of coppicing, dead hedging, bonfires and more in and around Millennium Wood and Spring Wood. Refreshments including baked potatoes and toasted marsh mallows! Meet at Bobbits Lane car park. More details from the Greenways Project 01473 433995 



SAVE KILN MEADOW

The Final Act Update!

The only option which secures the future of Kiln Meadow for wildlife and people is

OPTION 1 - Declare the land as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR), to be managed in perpetuity for the benefit of wildlife and local people.”