Compost bins and another bug hotel are all on the itinerary when visiting New Barnet’s innovative community garden

A guided tour of New Barnet’s much-cherished community garden by Wendy Alcock, founder of the Incredible Edible campaign, was a highlight of the group’s annual seed swap at St John’s United Reformed Church.

Wendy (above) gave gardening demonstrations as she went along – all part of her aim to encourage residents to make 2025 the year to grow more of their own food.

The seed swap is a chance to come along with seeds, small plants, tools, pots etc. and to swap them for free with someone else.

An extension to the community garden and green space – along three sides of the church at the junction of Somerset Road and Mowbray Road — was officially opened last year.

Incredible Edible was started by Wendy to encourage home cultivation in gardens and unused land.

The community garden around St John’s demonstrates what can be achieved by clearing and preparing what was previously an unusable rubble-strewn area.

A second bug hotel has been created in the corner of the newly cleared land with the aim of encouraging more insect life.

Another recent innovation – now in its second year – are the compost bins which were installed to produce leaf mould.

When Barnet Council ground staff collect leaves from the borough’s parks, the community garden is an eager recipient.

Rotting leaves from last year were displayed by Dave McCormick, an Incredible Edible volunteer, and long-standing member Barnet Friends of the Earth and Barnet Clean Air.

An extra compost bin was added last autumn when the council delivered a total of 50 bags of green leaves swept up from parks around the borough.

“After rotting down for a year those 50 bags will produce ten bags of leaf mould which is so important in adding structure to the soil.

“We could take many more leaves from the council and what our community garden demonstrates is the great potential there is.

“We hope more groups can establish composting arrangements in the hope the council can be encouraged to give us even more of the leaves that have to be swept up each autumn.”