Juliana Vandegrift, Heritage Project Manager for Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, writes: The Environment Trust’s model market garden in Marble Hill Park received a welcome visit from Richmond’s Stepping On Out group on Wednesday 6th April. Stepping On Out are regular visitors to the garden and this time they helped with Spring planting. First of all they planted pots of

Fifty people assembled yesterday at the Guildhall Library for the launch of "Feeding London: the forgotten market gardens" at its first showing in central London. Juliana Vandegrift, Heritage Project Manager, introduced Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, the Environment Trust project that organised dozens of volunteers to research and produce the exhibition with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The weather has been warming up and finally shoots of new green growth can be seen at the model market garden.

Our cabbage, kale, lupin and chive seeds have begun germinating in our cold frame – these seeds were planted earlier in March in our own, home- made seed compost made from finely sieved leaf mould and horticultural sand.

Horticulture students from the RACC enjoyed a visit to the Model Market Garden in Marble Hill Park on 24th March led by Sophie Harman, Community Garden Co-ordinator. The aims of the Model Market Garden are to conserve the heritage of market gardening and to involve local communities in growing food whilst also educating visitors in basic horticulture. This visit helped the students reinforce the learning they have done at college.

Cut flowers will be a colourful feature of the Model Market Garden in Marble Hill Park this year. We expect that they will bring pleasure to the hundreds of park users who visit the garden every month in the growing season. Today was dedicated to planting 'Black Star' gladioli corms and some mixed varieties.

Tender and True is a heritage variety of parsnip dating from 1897. Volunteers sowed the seeds today in the Model Market Garden in Marble Hill Park. The grass had its first cut of the year and the green is beginning to show on the gooseberry bushes. The growing season may not be up to full speed but it has certainly arrived.

See photos full size on flickr

The Environment Trust welcomed another group of Keep Active walkers to the model market garden on Saturday 19th March.

During this session the group got their hands muddy helping plant our first crop of early potatoes, Ratte. As well as being a tasty new potato Ratte is also a heritage variety and so perfectly suited to growing in our model market garden - showcasing heritage varieties.

This Saturday a group of Keep Active walkers joined us at the model market garden. The sun was shining and it certainly felt like spring was on its way.

After a tour of the garden looking at what we currently have growing and what is soon to come the group had a tasting session of healthy snacks and drinks based on what we will be growing this year.

Members of the Ethnic Minority Advocacy Group (EMAG) took a trip through market garden history on 3rd March with Education Officer, Ed Bartram. Ed's work in schools with Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow has reached more than a thousand children and parents. He has now adapted the sessions to suit people of all ages.

What does Horticultural coordinator Sophie Harman get up to on a rainy day at the model market garden? Build a cold frame of course!

Built entirely with re-claimed materials the cold frame has been designed to flat pack when not in use so we can store it for the next season. To help protect the seedlings from slugs, snails and other insects we will staple in place a weed suppressant lining.