Tim Prater

The fencing is nearly finished, and the wind break mesh is in place, they give the new hedge the chance to take hold.

The donated bench hitched a ride to the garden, and is now in place, so we shall have to decide where we will be taking a break with a flask of coffee and a biscuit, or this month, a mulled wine and mince pie!  Thanks to Paul for arranging the transport.

We would prefer to use the ‘no dig’ method in the garden, for a variety of reasons, and this week we have started to use a cardboard mulch to cover the ground, topped with whatever we can find to start the process of enriching the soil and getting rid of any unwanted growth.  By the time the spring comes around, these newly mulched areas should be workable and ready for planting.  Regular visits to collect well-rotted horse manure which spread on the ground, will also have time to be drawn down into the soil by worms, and weathered.

Discussions are being had with a very local and experienced bee keeper, and all going to plan, there should be some announcements in the near future about bee hives having a home in the garden….exciting times indeed!

What’s next?

• Paint the bird boxes

• Continue to put down paths and mulch the hedge

• Protect the broad beans with stick and string supports.

• Maybe start clearing the pond site of any rubble.

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This was a week of absolute contrast.  On Wednesday it was lashing down with rain, but troops turned out for the morning session and we planted most of the hedge until soaked through to the skin and covered in mud; such dedication.  Not only were we there, but so was Paul the Saga Head gardener, putting up the new fence alongside the site of the pond.  The fence is a requirement as the pond is in a public place, and we are very grateful to Paul and Saga for it, and very smart it looks too.

On Saturday we managed to finish the rest of the hedge in glorious sunshine, and even got the posts for the windbreak in place, with a little time left to collect more leaves to set out some new pathways from a gateway entrance, to the compost heap.  As soon as we turn up at the garden to do something, the resident robin makes itself heard, following our every move and making a dash for anything edible that gets unearthed.  It sits on the wall or in the trees and bushes and sings its heart out.

This week the garlic and the broad beans have started to show through the ground, the pea shoots grow longer and start to unfurl. We pulled a couple of leeks for the first time, just to see how they are doing.  There are not many of them this year, but this time next year……..

Apart from our usual sessions on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, there are always other things to be done.  Some of us went to the Hythe hops meeting to find out about this great community project.  We have bought four hop plants which will arrive sometime in March, and paid £5 for our yearly subscription to the scheme.  This is the second year for the Hythe hops, which now has over a hundred members, from New Romney to Folkestone, all growing just one or two hop plants in their garden or allotment in order to share the harvest and then later the beer after a couple of microbreweries have done their magic.  So we are dreaming of supping our own beer at our garden picnic next year!

What’s next?

• Paint the bird boxes

• Put up the windbreak mesh

• Continue to put down the paths

• Spot hoe identifiable weeds

• Make a start on the pond!!

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