Clare Millington

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2026! 📅 EVENTS AT THE GARDEN 🍎 Saturday, 7th February, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Wassail With Us - Free and fun event. A Wassail is an Anglo-Saxon tradition of blessing an orchard to ensure a good harvest. The celebration involves decorating a tree, singing, poetry and apple juice and snacks. Limited to 50 spaces, so grab a ticket HERE   🍂 Saturday, 28th February, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm -   Family Nature Connection session with Jane, a perfect event for families...

Welcome to the last newsletter of 2025! By the way, if you missed our Clare on BBC Radio Surrey on Sunday - here’s the link at 1:18:53. As we move towards the quiet of Winter, the low light and shift in temperatures make for reflection on the year and allow time to tidy, cut back and put things to bed. Poly-Tunnels The gorgeous salads in poly 1 continue to yield spicy leaves full of goodness, but they won’t put on any more growth until February, when the days start to lengthen, so pick them...

I think we can safely say that the summer is over and the Autumnal rains are replenishing the soil and ponds in the garden, after the thirsty, but enjoyable months of sunshine. This year, we haven’t had to water the fruit-cage or the orchard, and even the new Forest Garden has needed minimal watering. This proves that no-dig practices and deep mulching really work to lock moisture into the soil, maintaining vital fungal pathways. Keeping soil covered with plants through the year is also a...