Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 10th November: Time for tea and biscuits and a Mighty Mouse.
Where has the sunshine gone? We have seen a fleeting glimpse of it this week, but it soon scuttled behind a cloud so that it has been gloomy and dull every day. It seems we are stuck in this weather pattern but hopefully it will change soon.
It is easy to forget how quickly it gets dark now in the afternoon. Plans get made to do things, but before you know it, the sun (wherever it is) goes down and it stops anything and everything. Such was the case this week when some of the lads from Napier Barracks came out to help start to shift our delivery of compost from ‘The Friendly Farmers’ up to our compost compound in the garden. They are unable to turn up until after 2pm, and before we knew it we were plunged into darkness! The good news is they are fast and strong which meant the task got done and there was even time for a celebratory cup of tea and a biscuit.
Having the compost ready to hand it meant that we could continue to apply a good mulch of it to some of the other plots. We also continued with laying some of the wood chip paths, clearing more of the rampaging nasturtiums and yet more weeding and general clearing. The leaves are still falling, and so the task of collecting them will occupy us for a few more weeks yet. The hedge got another cut, which we hope will now be the last for this year.
All this activity and application of organic matter was getting our garden robin very excited as he would flit in and out of the plots, retire back to the trees and sing at the top of his voice which was a delight to see and hear although he is too shy to be able to photograph clearly.
Not all the wildlife is so welcome. Having sowed some 300 broad bean seeds for The Community Garden and for Pent Farm, they were put inside one of the greenhouses at the farm. On the next visit to the farm it was clear that a mouse had discovered the seeds and had dug up quite a few and had made short work of them right there and then. The next idea was to cover the seed trays in a metal mesh to stop them being eaten, which usually works, but not in this case. So having lost many more seeds the last resort was to upend some large and tall plastic pots to stand the seed trays on. Fortunately for us this seems to have done the trick as no more damage has occurred, although it could only be a matter of time! More seeds have had to be ordered…
What’s next?
- Sort out the potted bay trees
- Sow some more broad beans
- Move some more compost and wood chips
- Clear more leaves and add to the leaf compost bin
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.