About the project
The main volunteering session at Philips Park for 2023 is every Saturday morning from 10am until 12pm. We have have regular volunteer group but new people are always welcome. We are working over 3 sections, main garden, forest garden and herb garden. Tasks include preparing and maintaining raised beds, clearing and weeding areas and raising plants from seed in the polytunnel. Philips Park is also the location of Incredible Edible’s Apple Day (October) and Wassailing (January).
There might be sessions on Wednesday mornings 10am to 12pm, but please e-mail Mark at marklo@ntlworld to confirm.
Fruit Garden
Over the past six years we have transformed the abandoned former fruit garden set up by the Philips family more than a century ago. We have large areas of raspberries, currant and gooseberry bushes and some thriving rhubarb plants. We also have plum, fig, apricot and nectarine trees against a wall, a healthy medlar tree and a couple of stepover apple trees.
Nursery
A couple of years ago, the Trust for Conservation Volunteers left the park and we inherited a substantial part of the nursery that they had been maintaining. This area has the potential to provide us with different crops each year in sufficient quantities to help out community cafes or develop a relationship with a local veg outlet. It is also a good site to run courses, like the apple grafting courses we’ve run over the last 5 years.
What3Words
Link to the exact location of the garden: Animal Spider Copies
