The Garden held a highly successful Open Garden last Thursday evening with around 100 visitors enjoying great music, food and tours between 5pm and 7pm. It set a precedent that we’ll be pleased to repeat in a few months’ time. Warm thanks to all who helped with the promotion and catering to make it such a fun event. Was great too to have been able to ‘open’ our solar pergola in style with Minister Dale Wakefield cutting an impressive woven garden ribbon!
The Garden’s Community plots and many private plots are thriving in the late autumn heat and it’s still not too late to get winter seedlings planted and established before the frosts hit, presumably within a few weeks!
The tail of what looked like a small brown snake was spotted last week disappearing into some undergrowth on one of the dunes. So a big plea to plot holders - Please continue to keep a wary eye open and tidy up as much as possible around your plots. Closed in shoes, gardening gloves and a bit of raking up prior to picking up are wise precautions.
Any dried off plants and weeds can go to the composting area or in the yellow bin outside the Garden gate. Come along to a working bee and ask for help by all means to keep plot surrounds clear and clean.
We’ll be holding working bees again this Sunday May 28th and the following Sunday June 4th from 9-11am. All welcome as ever! If we can, we’ll prepare the community bed to plant sugar snap peas and remake the strawberry bed. Would be wonderful too to build another compost heap as we can never have too much compost!
We have a few wonderful, regular contributors to the bees but it’s unfair to continue to expect a few to carry the load for all. We do keep a record of contributors. Our Community Garden ethos and design is based on contributing, learning and celebrating together. Sustainability is really every member’s business.
Reminder that the timers controlling the waterlines on individual plots have now been turned back to 10 minutes once a day for winter. If you would like advice, or practical tips on watering, soil preparation, plant choice, planting etc, please feel free to contact me and leave a message if I don’t pick up. Similarly contact me or ALEC if you find a water leak or some other concern that you can’t fully fix.
Good news! We’ve had a couple of new requests for plots. New plot holders and members are always welcome! If you are at all interested, please come along on a Sunday morning working bee or contact me.
Good cheer
Bruce Simmons ASCG Convenor