Bixley Community Garden is located in the Bixley Field Allotments and can be accessed from Willowbrook Road, off Havelock Road.
The garden offers a tranquil and family friendly environment to all budding gardeners.
September 2024 Update
This month our harvest was incredibly diverse. We had: tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, apples, kale, spinach, leaks, pumpkin, turnip, purple potato, courgette, purple cauliflower, runner beans, and so much more. Meet one of our volunteers, Adel (pictured below), who seems very happy and satisfied with the latest crop.
Halloween is just around the corner! It is that magical time of year when kids get excited to carve pumpkins, dress up in fun costumes, and enjoy all the spooky festivities. The thrill of choosing the perfect pumpkin and turning it into a glowing jack-o’-lantern is such a cherished tradition for so many families. It is not just about the spooky fun but also a great opportunity for creativity, community, and celebration!
We are working on building a compost system, which is a fantastic initiative for both gardening and the environment. Compost is one of the best natural fertilizers, enriching the soil with essential nutrients and improving its overall health. Healthy soil leads to stronger plants and better produce, creating a more sustainable food system. Additionally, composting helps reduce organic waste, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions that worsen climate change. Overall, this practice supports not only our gardens but also the health of the planet, making it an excellent step towards sustainability.
And this is how we wrap up September—surrounded by various organic, delicious produce, with the added joy of spotting Fudge, one of the friendly foxes living at the allotment, peacefully enjoying the beautiful sunset.
Written by Natia Machaidze
Community Garden relaunched in 2023
After the pandemic hit in 2020, volunteering activities became increasingly difficult. In addition, we lost many of the Bixley regulars due to people moving to new areas over the last few years. We also unfortunately lost at least one colleague who also passed away during this period. Although gardening activities did not cease entirely, there was greatly reduced activity due to the decrease in capacity. This made it increasingly difficult to manage the community garden effectively which resulted in more weeds being grown than veg.
In spring 2023, the community garden was ‘rebooted’ and thanks to some terrific new recruits and lots of help from the amazing folks at GoodGym, activities have been steadily on the rise again. In June 2023, the garden’s opening times were changed to make it more accessible to a greater number of people. The Bixley Community Garden is now open on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm (weather permitting).
Dairy Meadow pupils discover the delights of community gardening
In September 2014 four groups of around 15 pupils from Dairy Meadow Primary School visited the garden with their teachers. They were given a tour and had the opportunity to taste and smell various herbs, vegetables and fruits.
Pupils ask questions at the tomato patch
The children eagerly participated in the days activities and displayed their curiosity by asking many questions.
One of the many things they learnt was how old food waste is broken down into compost, which can then be used to grow new food crops.
Family Fun Day 2014
The Community Garden played host to the annual Family Fun Day on Sunday 29 June 2014. Activities included face-painting, kite-flying and story-telling, along with a bring and share picnic. About 60 children and adults came throughout the day.
Ellis cooks on the rocket stove
Ellis Pritchard from Ealing Transition demonstrated how to build a rocket stove. Using bricks made of clay dug up from the Community Garden, Ellis constructed a small stove and cooked on it.
Bricks and bees at the Community Garden
Over 50 children and adults from Greenfields Children’s Centre in Southall visited the Community Garden on Tuesday 29 April 2014.
The morning included a number of different activities for the children and accompanying adults to enjoy.
Dhush makes bricks
Daniel Rutland showed the families how to plant vegetable seeds in small pots to take away and grow at home.
The visitors also learnt about “London’s Foundation” which entailed an explanation of local brick-making history, as well as a demonstration of how to make bricks from ‘clay earth’ by Dhush Selvarajah of the Lottery Heritage funded charity Groundwork.
The group discovered how bees make honey, thanks to the expertise of local beekeeper Matwinder Rhandawa who then went on to share some locally produced honey on crackers, which went down a treat.
Finally there was also a quest for flowers with ‘Baz the Bee’!
‘Baz the Bee’ aka Claire Boot entertains and educates the crowd
Rosie Potter, from Greenfields Children’s Centre, said, “The event created quite a buzz amongst adults and children”
Bali Pallan, from Greenfields Children’s Centre, said, “It was such a good turn out. The children and parents really enjoyed it”.
southalltransition.org 
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