Garden News - November 2024

Things are feeling very autumnal now with the short days and wonderful colours everywhere.

Mike has scythed the orchard and the willow fedge around the treebog has been coppiced low, which has changed the landscape and feels like a bedding down process, ready for winter.

Ann has been busy growing seedlings for the polytunnels and this month we will plant winter salads, chards, garlic and broad beans.

We still have apples stored in the shed to use and some lovely late potatoes.

October was busy, with wonderful groups coming and helping our projects move forward!

The Surrey County Council “Communities & Prevention Mental Health Team” came and blitzed around the poly-tunnels, creating lovely wood-chip paths and installing our new water tank.

Mike (from SCC) and Helen cooked up a wonderful lunch in the Hub, using veg from the garden.

A great day was had by all and we are very pleased to be welcoming Mike and his men’s group for regular sessions at the garden.

Galiford Try came and installed our new solar irrigation system on Poly 1, which was quite a tricky job! We’re now all ready to set up our automatic watering system for next year. It feels great to be harvesting all that rain for our ponds and plants. The group also got stuck into a bit of cobbing, so a productive day. More info in Lisa’s update below.

Scott Brownrigg architects chose the best sunny day to come and cob the hub! They loved the design and were determined to finish the front doorway. It looks and feels so momentous to get this done, and makes the space feel cosier.

Part of the team also got to work pollarding the willow fedge. This was a huge task and one we’ve wanted to do for some time. The wands will be a lot more manageable and accessible and it will allow light into the space to plant more willow species around the treebog. The team has also pledged to design an outside kitchen for the hub, which will be an amazing addition to our workshops and group days.

The Duke of Edinburgh students finally got to do a bit of dyeing with the plants they’ve grown over the summer. We had fun experimenting with different techniques and different plants. Although we were a bit restricted by time limits, we managed a decent green and pinky beige from the woad and some nice patterns from the flowers. We’re going to make some rustic bunting with the results to use in the hub and at fairs and events.

Clive Leeke came and ran a wonderful scything course (it was his first ever all-female group) It’s a great skill to learn and the group had a lot of fun scything some pretty tough parts of the garden. We hope to be running the course again next October, so watch out for the event on our website.

The Hub news

We are very excited to announce that we have our first community groups starting to book the hub for their sessions. The Guildford Bodger group came to visit and are looking forward to carving their spoons together.

And we are also pleased to welcome Andy’s Man Club.

The Hub walls are very nearly finished, and we hope to fit the doors in this month. Cobbing becomes more tricky in the winter as the clay needs warm dry days to dry out properly, so our last cobbing session will be with Surrey Hills Society, when we hope to finish the third doorway.

Water Irrigation Installation Day By Lisa Dittmar

On October 8, 2024, we had a fantastic group from Galliford Try come to the garden to install the new solar-powered irrigation system on Poly 1, which we were able to purchase thanks to a generous grant from Surrey County Council.

We split up into teams, with one team assembling the solar pump and panel, another installing the guttering on the side of Poly 1, and a third group helping finish off the foundations on the hub walls.

It was one of our trickier projects, as the solar kit required a lot of attention to detail, and the guttering angles into the storage container (called an IBC) was not straightforward, but thanks to the brilliant problem-solving skills of our volunteers, we got it all installed! There’s still a little bit of hose piping to set up on the irrigation system, but it will be set up once we get a bit more hose piping to finish it off.

The weather was really varied all day, so it was easy to test that the guttering was working as intended! The hub was a great amenity to escape the rain and have a central place to gather.

Family Nature Activity Session with Jane Tyson of Resilient Kids

"I had a lovely, relaxing afternoon at Rosamund Community Garden with Jane. It's a very calm environment and it was lovely to spend time with my family joining in a range of nature-based activities together. There was lots to see and learn about. We're all looking forward to the next session!" - Anna Jolley