Master Gardener: local advice and support for ‘growing your own’

Hi. I’m a volunteer Master Gardener fully trained and supported by Garden Organic, the UK’s leading organic growing charity. I’m affiliated with is the Islington Master Gardener group – the activity has been so successful in Islington that the programme has now been expanded to Hackney and neighbouring boroughs. http://islington.mastergardeners.org.uk/.
As a Master Gardener, I have the exciting role of motivating and supporting people and communities to grow their own. Everyone can start to grow vegetables and herbs for themselves, whether in containers or a raised bed in the garden, on a windowsill or balcony. If you are really lucky you have space in an allotment or growing community. And sometimes with a little advice and continuing support and interest from someone else its easier and more fun! That’s where the volunteer Master Gardener programme comes in.
I will use this Green Finger Hackney forum to email seasonal top tips from the Master Gardener programme (thank you to Yeah! Hackney).
However, if you would like some more dedicated support for yourself or a local group, then I would be happy to discuss how I can help you. Each volunteer Master Gardener recruits a number of ‘households’ (can be a household of 1, a couple, a family, a group) from their own neighbourhood. A Master Gardener offers seasonal advice in a light touch, dip in-dip out basis, for 12 months (but note – we’re not a gardening service!!). I can make visits to your veg growing place, email advice and fact sheets, provide encouragement, help you overcome problems I’m based in Homerton and still have some capacity to sign up a few more households.

So, please do get in touch. Marta