Greenfingers Charity News

 

Greenfingers Charity will run Trains in the Garden At BBC Gardeners’ World Live! Interactive working railway designed by Andrew Christie will take visitors on a real train journey at the annual garden exhibition 17 June 2026 Greenfingers Charity is delighted to once again participate in BBC Gardeners’ World Live (GWL), running from 18-21st June at the NEC, Birmingham.   The much-loved industry charity, which funds and creates magical therapeutic gardens for children’s hospices nationwide, has a real treat in stores for visitors to this year’s edition of the GWL: The spectacular ‘Trains in the Garden’ show piece, designed by driver and rail enthusiast, Andrew Christie, located at exhibition space SC6.   This wonderful show garden, which features a working model garden railway, was inspired by Andrew’s love of trains and the many years he’s spent driving the mainline and running model railways. Visitors can look forward to driving the train themselves and being transported on a journey that was inspired by Andrew’s local community and heritage.   Andrew’s live steam locomotive, the G Gauge, ‘Louise’, will be on display in all her glory, whilst the garden itself is the summit of Andrew’s colourful Fox Bank layout at his home. The train is named after Andy’s wife, Louise Christie, who is the keen gardener in the family and a great supporter of Andy in this project.   Speaking to BBC Gardeners’ World Live about his design, Andrew said: “This is my story of how I fell in love with steam engines and climbed the ladder to become an Engine Driver. Watching steam engines tackle the Lickey Incline behind my grandparents’ garden and playing with model railways my father built for me.”   Visitors over the age of 16 can drive the train for 30 minutes at a time, bookable on the day for £25. There will also be a plant and feature sell-off from 4.00pm on the Sunday, with the proceeds going to Greenfingers Charity.     Continuing to speak of his life as a committed rail enthusiast, Andrew said: “I started volunteering with the Severn Valley Railway when I was young, and hands-on jobs – plus the thrill of driving a small steam engine at 12 – set me on the path to becoming a driver. I’ve now spent 20 years driving on the mainline and 15 years with steam, and I work as a driver instructor, passing on what others taught me. My passion continues at home in Bournville, where my family and I enjoy our garden railway and support local community and heritage events”.   Long considered a must-attend events in the gardening calendar, BBC Gardeners' World Live will be buzzing with a series of beautiful show gardens, top gardening tips from celebrity experts and blooming good shopping opportunities for plant lovers, diehard gardening enthusiasts and budding green thumbs alike.   Greenfingers Charity Operations Director, Neil Sewell, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Andrew to bring Trains in the Garden to Gardeners’ World Live, an event that’s very special to us as it’s where our own journey as a charity began. While Andrew’s garden tells the story of his lifelong passion for railways and the memories that inspired it, we know from the gardens we create in children’s hospices just how powerful outdoor spaces can be in helping people connect with treasured moments, interests and experiences. We’ve never seen a garden quite like this and I think it will be a massive hit with visitors. In fact, I’m greatly looking forward to having a go at driving one of the trains myself!”   The event is open from 9.00am - 18.00pm on Thursday 18th June - Saturday 18th June and 9.00am - 17.00pm on Sunday 21st June. For more information and to buy tickets visit: https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/visit/   Alongside Greenfingers Charity, Trains in the Garden is supported by Blackcat Bridges, British Garden Centres, Brunel Models, CJS Heritage Engineering, Cross Country Trains, Footplate, Garden Rail Magazine, Garden Railway Specialist, Severn Valley Railway and Thrive. “Trains In The Garden is set to be a big display!” Andy concluded.   ENDS     About Greenfingers Charity Greenfingers is a national charity dedicated to supporting life-limited children and their families who spend time in hospices around the UK.  The charity is committed to creating, beautiful, well-designed outdoor spaces for children to enjoy with family, friends and siblings, whether through play and fun, or therapeutic rest and relaxation.  To date Greenfingers Charity has created over 70 inspiring gardens in children’s hospices around the country and has a further waiting list of hospices that need help. Keep an eye on Greenfingers Charity's social media channels (@Greenfingerscharity on Instagram and LinkedIn, https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/ and @GreenfingersCha on X) throughout the challenge for updates direct from the mountain, including photographs, videos and daily progress reports from the team.   MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GREENFINGERS CHARITY from Linda Petrons – linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk – Tel 07908 221240 or Kimberley Hornby George – kimberley@hornbygeorgepr.com – Tel 07851 610573.

Loss And Gain Of Plantable Area

 

As previously documented I'm giving up the Plot 1A end of "Averlon" The name I gave Plots 1 & 1A when I took on plot 1 in 2017. By giving this plot up I will be loosing:-

9 number 2.4m x 1.2m Beds = 25.92 m²

1 number 1.2m x 1.2m Bed   =  1.44 m²

1 number 1.2m x 1.2m Leaf Bin Bed = 1.44 m²

1 number 1.0m x 1.0m Comfrey Bed = 1.00 m²

Which equals a Total Amount of growing space of 29.80 m² 

A 1.8m x 1.2m (6ft x 4ft) greenhouse will also be lost as will the timber storage racking in the corner of plot 1A

At the moment I'm also in the process of building my Back Garden Allotment (BGA) as I can nip in and out during the day to work it, when different areas are in the shade.

I will basically be undertaking square foot type gardening in the 9 number 1.2m x 0.9m raised beds.

Thus the total square metres of space I have is 9 x (1.2m x 0.9m) = 9.72 m²

Thus I have lost a total of 29.80 m² - 9.72 m² = 20.08 m² of Growing Space. 

Calculating the volume of compost needed to fill the top half of a single raised bed as I'm filling the bottom half old decking tiles and woodchips, thus equates to 1.2m x 0.9m x 0.225m = 0.243m³ 

Thus 9 number beds equates to 9 x  0.243m³ = 2.187m³ 

As 1m³  = 1000 Litres then I require 2,187 Litres to fill just the top levels of my 9 raised beds.

“Mel’s Mix” was created by Mel Bartholomew, of Square Foot Gardening fame, and after much experimentation. Mel concluded that his formulation of 1/3 peat moss or coconut coir, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 blended compost yielded superior results in only a 6 inches (15 cm) depth.

 
The benefits of the mix included keeping soil friable and virtually weed free with all the necessary nutrients. This mix eliminated the need for artificial fertilizer as compost is added each time you re-plant a square which provides enough nutrients naturally.

2.187 m³ required in total thus  2.187 m³ / 3 = 0.729 m³ which equates to 729 litres of Clover Irish Peat based compost, vermiculite and blended compost/Coir will be required.

Beware Of Beehomie

Beehomie, an online retailer of garden and power tools, receives overwhelmingly negative reviews across consumer platforms. Customers cite severe issues with delivery delays, unresponsive customer support, and poor product quality. [1]

Key takeaways from verified consumer feedback:

• Customer Service & Shipping: Many users report paying for express delivery and waiting extended periods, with some items never arriving. Complaints frequently mention unresponsive emails and invalid or disconnected phone numbers. [1]
• Product Quality: Reviews for core products, such as their cordless trimmers and metal trimmer heads, are highly polarized. While a few praise the tools for being lightweight and useful for light garden tasks, several others complain that the items are made of thin, dangerous metal or fail to fit standard brush cutters. [1, 2, 3]
Company Location: Despite advertising in markets like the UK, buyers frequently note the company is actually based in Hong Kong, making returns incredibly difficult or prohibitively expensive.

Check out the overall TrustScore and read the latest scam or delivery complaints directly on the Trustpilot Beehomie Page. [1]

Oakland Gardens Deals Of The Week

 

This week’s deals are live at Oakland Gardens! We’ve added some great new offers this week, including our 2m x 20m garden fleece, strong woven bird netting, 50 x 3 litre deep plant pots and 4 x 45cm black saucers. The 45cm saucers are a perfect fit for our 50 litre pots, making them a handy add-on if you’re stocking up on larger pots for the garden, greenhouse or allotment. We’re also still running a few of our most popular offers, including the 15 x 30 litre plant pots, 35cm saucers to go with them, and the 300 x 30-inch split canes. Discounts are applied automatically at checkout, so there’s no code needed. Just add your items from the weekly deals page and the savings will be taken off for you.

 

Stock up on our 50 x 3 litre deep plant pots, a great choice for roses, shrubs, climbers, young plants and general potting-on jobs around the garden. Their deeper shape gives roots more room to establish, while the sturdy plastic design and drainage base make them a reliable option for regular use through the season.

 

4 x 50 Litre Heavy-Duty Plant Pots — now only £30! These large 50 litre heavy-duty plant pots are perfect for growing bigger plants, shrubs, small trees, vegetables and patio displays. Strong, practical and built for regular garden use, they’re ideal for giving roots plenty of room to grow. This week’s offer brings the pack down from £38.95 to just £30, with the discount automatically applied at checkout. Plus, you’ll get free UK delivery. Offer ends Sunday 24th May

 

 

4 x 45cm Black Saucers These 45cm black saucers are a great match for our 50 litre plant pots, fitting perfectly underneath to help catch excess water and keep patios, greenhouse benches, decking and growing areas cleaner. They’re made from sturdy plastic and work well as a simple water reservoir, helping plants draw moisture back up when needed while reducing mess from watering.

 

2m x 20m Garden Fleece Protect your plants with our 2m x 20m 18gsm garden fleece, ideal for covering rows, beds, shrubs, young plants and delicate crops through changing weather. It helps shield plants from frost, wind and hail while still allowing light, air and moisture through, so your plants stay protected without being smothered. A handy choice for gardeners wanting quick, lightweight coverage across larger areas.

 

 

 

15 x 35cm Black Saucers Our 15 x 35cm black saucers are ideal for pairing with 30 litre plant pots, fitting neatly underneath to help catch excess water and keep patios, greenhouse benches, decking and growing areas cleaner. They’re a simple but handy addition when watering, helping create a small reservoir so plants can draw moisture back up when needed. A great choice if you’re potting up in bulk or refreshing larger containers for the season.

 

Oakland Gardens 🌱 Growing with you every season

Worm Tower Caps

This morning I harvested a load of long coach bolts from my mans shed, and using my trusty soldering iron melted a hole in the middle of the bottom of the 100mm (4")  Plastic Pots

This configuration gives the capping pots a nice handle to lift them off and back on when filling the worm towers, but better still adds weight to the plastic pot to prevent them just being blown off the top of the worm towers.

They look like Church hand bells, and I think they are quite cool, but there again I'm 68 and an allotmenteer so my concept of cool is shaded and questionable these days.  

My sister Elaine brought me two tugs of grass from her back garden that was freshly cut this morning, and my son-in - law brought two sacks of a week or two old grass. I did hear my neighbour Sid cutting his grass and I will likely be offered that when he sees me over the fence in the next coupe of days. 

More scaffold boards are coming Monday 15th June to enable me to complete the next two rows of beds.

This link will take you to my journal and will show all things worm towers related.

Giving Up Plot 1A

Up to now this was my kingdom that I named "Avalon". A very kind plot neighbours Adamos & Sarah who lived in the flats behind my two plots, used to take annual photographs from their 4th floor flat balcony for me. 

That stopped when they migrated back to Lithuania to buy a plot of land and build an off grid homestead. Tragically Adamos who was a thrill seeker & stuntman died whilst ice diving in a river in 2025 leaving behind Sarah and their three young children.  

I originally took on the left side of these two plots (Plot 1A) in 2012 and worked it and got it completed and recovered from nature and the bindweed from 2012 to 2017. In 2015 I got an additional half plot at Spencer Road Allotment, but then managed to negotiate a free car park install by the contractor building the Parchment Close estate in 2016 and in October 2017 I took on Plot 1 and gave up Spencer Road allotment in 2018.  

Click this link for the full History Of Mill Green Allotments

Here is a photograph taken because it had snowed in 2022, from before the Climbing Frame Greenhouse (CFG) and the All Gold Raspberry boundary beds were formed along the main path, but one can see that the four 600mm wide by 2.4m raspberry beds had been constructed.  

Here is a photograph from 15th July 2022 where one can see the infrastructure getting in however the top right corner had yet to be formed. The raspberry beds had not yet been constructed and the Climbing Frame greenhouse had not been formed in the corner framed by the path between the path between plot 1 and Plot 2 and the boundary beds on the main path didn't happen until 

I originally took on the left side of these two plots (Plot 1A) in 2012 and worked it and got it completed and recovered from nature and the bindweed from 2012 to 2015. In 2017 I got Plot 1 

Plot 1, what's shown in the photograph above is not up to date? 

I tried buying a cheap drone that didn't work. I tried to get someone with a drone to take aerial shots for me and they let me down so you don't see the Infrastructure changes on Plot 1 that I have made since getting my cancer and autoimmune disease that made me officially registered as "disabled". The raised beds I have been installing since 2024 as I'm no longer able to get down on my hands and knees to weed and sow at ground level. 

Getting back to the point of thus blog, there are things I need to remove or transfer from Plot 1A onto Plot 1 before I give the plot up on the last day of September 2026. 

It is with great sadness that I am giving up plot 1, but I have to be realistic in my capabilities and reduce my plot footprint and let someone who has the time to work plot 1A take it on.

Here is my To Do List for the next four months, once I can drive and walk again! before the 1st October 2026 

Grapevines - Take cuttings and try to propagate to grow on plot 1

HotBin Wormery - Empty and move to plot 1  

Leaf Cages - move cages and contents to plot 1

Compost Bins - empty and use for filling raised beds and possibly move a few Daleks onto plot 1 

Greenhouse - I was thinking of possibly moving to plot 1 but because of having to step in and out of it, which is now difficult and dangerous I decided to donate it to Wally as he is a mate and could do with replacing his tired polytunnel that need a new skin every couple of years. 

Garden Table & Bench - The Table my be useful on plot 1, however the bench is ole and I would not trust sitting on it these days.  

Comfrey Bocking 14 Bed - I need to take root cutting and form a new comfrey bed on plot 1 

Comfrey Pipes (two  number) - Possibly leave one for the new tenant and move one onto plot 1 . 

Netting & Hoops - Remove enough materials for me to use on Plot 1 and on my new home allotment plot of raised beds I'm currently building. Leave the remainder for the new tenant  

Weed Membrane Sheets - Remove what's required and leave some for new tenants 

Paving Blocks for holding down netting etc. - Move to plot 1 

Paving Slabs - Remove so that all paths on Plot 1 are paved and take excess home for the back garden allotment.  

Tall Boy Store - Remove from plot 1A onto Plot 1 or possibly to the Back Garden Allotment (BGA), I have a sentry box vertical store I made from the original 8ft x 6ft timber shed that I bought in 1992 that has seen better days. 

Shed - Remove contents and distribute else where.  

Bindweed - Trim back and remove as much as possible so not too bad for new tenant

Work still Needed On Plot 1 - Complete transforming the framed beds into raised beds

And finally, fore fill my duties as the Mill Green Allotment Site Rep and show my beloved Plot 1A to the next person on the waiting list, and hope they are going to be a nice neighbour and fit well into the great community we have going on at Mill Green Allotment.