First signs of spring have been showing for a few weeks now: snowdrops in bloom, frogs in the pond but the real clincher is the email from Redbraes Community Garden. As Julian Siann puts it, the committee have been sharpening their spades for the growing season.

Tomorrow (Saturday 5th March) the  committee, chaired by Warren Canham, will meet in Redbraes Hut to plan a busy year ahead. “Hopefully the weather will be good enough to get into the garden,” he says drawing up a list of jobs to be done:  “digging/ weeding general tidying up. There are also some maintenance jobs that need doing – including  painting the shed, greenhouse and blockwork planters”.

As always it is cheering to see spring arriving at Redbraes, last time we were down there the cold winter sun was shining on the Polish war memorial to Wojtek the Bear.

Too long since we visited Redbraes but made up for it on a beautiful summer day when the Athens of the North felt a lot further south.  We found Julian Siann watering pots of potatoes. After a long, cold spring the garden is bursting into life – or ‘going like a bomb’ as Julian puts it – but now the ground is need of rain as well as warmth. 

“It’s been a tough start to the growing season,” says Julian.  “We had such a long cold spell everything is very late and now a long dry spell means it is hard to keep lettuces from bolting.”

But Redbraes, still basking in the success of last year’s Edinburgh in Bloom, is in good heart.  Pink and white flowered strawberries cover one of the beds with a promise of good berries to follow. A smart new greenhouse (built out of recycled material by Davie Thomson) sports healthy looking young tomato plants.

And there’s expert help on hand once a month when Ben Dell from the Botanics comes to spend two hours working in the garden thanks to funding raised by Greenleith (Ben has also been helping to plant the new Children’s Orchard in Leith).

Redbraes is likely to be in the news again soon. Journalist Jenny Mackenzie also dropped by recently and is  writing a piece for the Neightbourhood partnership bulletin.

And they are pretty good at going downwards too – Alex, Julian and Jean plus this year’s monster parsnips!

“Hi folks…it’s onwards and upwards,”   there’s an upbeat email from Julian Sian and with good reason. It’s been a great year for the award-winning Redbraes Community Garden and clearly they will not be slacking in 2010. Julian has a  list of energetic plans  for discussion at Saturday’s committee meeting (and we’ve been digging up a Christmassy recipe inspired by the sight of those parsnips).

One way and another Redbraes is a pretty inspiring place. A growing number of local people are keen to get involved, either helping out or growing their own produce. And, having won Edinburgh in Bloom award for best community garden, Redbraes is also pleased to be getting  visits from groups asking for tips for their own community garden.

Saturday’s meeting in the hut will be discussing plans for more building ( decking and walkways into the wildlife area) and sowing and growing (vegetables, summer annuals and plants for sale).

But there’s also time for celebrating and relaxing so here’s that Christmassy recipe which would go pretty well with any roast meat, or vegetables for that matter – and would probably take just one Redbraes-size parsnip.

Honey roast parsnips

500g parsnips, 3tablespoons clear honey, 2 tablespoons grainy mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper

Mix honey, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Arrange parsnips (halved and quartered) in a roasting dish, tossed and turned in the honey mixture so all pieces are well covered. Roast for 30-40 mins in a hot oven (turning half way through).  they are ready when they are tender and golden and just a bit crispy at the tips.

Flashback to summer: what the judges saw

Congratulations to Redbraes! The good news came in an email from Julian Siann, ‘Redbraes takes first prize’!  That’s all the volunteers needed to know; after a year’s hard work Redbraes had won the award for best community garden in this year’s Edinburgh in Bloom competition.

There will be celebrations of course.  Not just at the official award ceremony on 2 Dec at the Assembly Rooms. But as Julian says, ” I think we deserve an award ceremony of our own don’t you?”

But you can be sure that won’t interrupt the hard work at the garden where they already have plenty of plans for next year. And they will be pretty busy in the next few weeks with the Canadian Navy work party on Monday, a bonfire party on 7 November, the  Zimbabwean band Grassroots performing on 22 November. And on top of all that there’s funding to investigate the feasibility of a mino hydro scheme on the Water of Leith – work starts on that in November. There’s more about the plans, and a video of a similar hydro scheme already up and running in England, on Greener Leith website.

Meanwhile, all the best to Julian (pictured below with Jean Thomson) who is soon on his way to Rwanda hoping to help start a town planning course at Kigali University. But he will be back at work in Redbraes in a few weeks.

The sun shone on the latest Redbraes open day celebrating the work of volunteers. Thanks to Becky Govier for the pictures.

Grass is cut, borders are blooming,  fruit and veg are ripening fast and faces are smiling. In short, the stage is set for Edinburgh in Bloom judges visiting  Redbraes Community Garden any day now.

Julian Siann and Jean Thomson have put in a special effort to get the garden ready for judging. But local people of all ages have become involved  since the garden first opened just over a year ago.

That’s why Julian decided to enter the garden for the community section of Edinburgh in Bloom. This section of the competition puts a little more emphasis on people than plants so  judges will  be looking for evidence of community involvement as well as good design and floral displays, cleanliness and composting skills  plus benefits to wildlife.

There’s all of that, and more, at Redbraes. Especially the community spirit encouraged by the committee chaired by Davie Thomson and energetically supported by our local community policeman, Simon Daley.

Room to work, rest and grow at Redbraes

“If we win it will be a great boost for everyone involved,” says Julian. “And if we don’t the effort has still been worth while.”

Whatever the judges decide, the committee have great plans for the future. And Julian’s long wish list (“put together on the back of a fag packet with Davie!”)  includes covering for the seating area (for those days when the sun doesn’t shine!), timber frames for polytunnels, and salvaged timber to build a platform for wildlife viewing (“Simon can provide the decking”).

To put it another way, the garden is already a winner. “There is something about the place that always puts a smile on your face. You always find yourself laughing there,” says Becky Govier, the garden designer, who sent us these pictures of the open day.