Rosamund Community Garden Update March 2023

a garden for the community in Guildford, Longdown Road, GU4 8PP

March 05, 2023

BOO!

Willow fairy door in progress with Lisa!

🗓️MARCH EVENTS 2023 

🌱Willow Weaving Part 2 - Making Obelisks at Rosamund with Lisa,  Sunday 12th March from 10.00 am - 12.00 pm

After the success of part 1, we’ll use up the rest of the willow to make garden supports. First come first served (limited to 8 people). Message [email protected] to reserve your space.

☀️Wildlife Pond Big Job Sunday at Rosamund with Margaret, Sunday 26th March from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm 

This is a drop-in session to finish planting and landscaping the wildlife pond, so please come and help us with this beautiful addition to the wildlife garden. All welcome. We'll put on a brew or two of Rosemary tea to keep us warm and they'll be biscuits and maybe a cake! ☕

⚒️Cobbing the Hub with Helen, Clare, and Mike. Thursday pms (tbc)

Weather dependent. All welcome. Check the WattsApp group chat. 

🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏻Community Garden Hedge Planting Day with ZERO/GEF/Rosamund in Bramley GU5 0LR , Wednesday 15th March from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm 

🌧️Rainwater Harvesting Project with Ben McCallan from ZERO and Lisa Dittmar at Rosamund, Thursday 30th March,  2.00 pm to 5.00 pm

In this session, participants will put guttering and water butts onto the poly-tunnel to harvest the rainwater for irrigation. It's a Surrey County Council "green prescribing" initiative. 

📅APRIL EVENT 

🌱Hurdle Making with Rob Stringer at Rosamund,  Sunday 30th April 11.00 am to 3.30 pm  

Come and learn to make traditional split hazel hurdles with Rosamund Workshop leader - Rob Stringer. Rob, a local woodland manager, will teach the art of splitting and weaving coppiced hazel wands.

Bring a packed lunch, refreshments provided. 

Price £30 ppThis workshop will provide hurdles for our Hub natural building project, as stage 1 of our wattle and daub workshops.

📝Garden News 

After a very productive February, preparing the garden, and pruning the trees, March is the month for starting to sow seeds in the polytunnel. Ann has already raised and planted broad-beans in poly 1. They are under fleece at the moment until frosts have passed and there are more to come from her greenhouse.

The seeds are in the kitchen if anyone wants to do some sowing. The compost and trays are in poly 2. It’s better to start seeds off indoors and plant out once the seedlings are established. This way they’re easy to see in the beds and less likely to be eaten by mice.

Last month, Lisa ran a lovely willow weaving workshop where we made beautiful bird-feeders. Check out our video of the day on Facebook and/or over on Instagram. This month we’ll learn to make obelisk plant supports and use up the pollarded willow wands.

Helen has found someone to design and install a lovely new gate and we have asked Lorna Bannister to design and create a beautiful sign for it. Lorna has made all the gorgeous signs around the garden.Peter has been researching bee-banks and will be running a workshop to create a habitat for solitary and bumble bees to nest in. Dates tbc.

Sam is doing his Duke of Edinburgh Award and on Sundays volunteers at the garden with his mum Penny. They've been busy making our new strawberry bed in the Arbour and are moving the strawberries in this month.

🕐MARCH JOBS AT THE GARDEN

  • Weed and prepare the beds ready for planting

  • Clear around the base of the fruit trees and mulch with woodchip

  • Sow seeds for March in poly 2 in modules (seeds are in the kitchen in the tin)

  • Clear brambles away from poly 1 and at entranceway

  • Mulch along the outside of the fruit cage next to the raspberries (this is our comfrey bed)

📰BLOGS & UPDATES FROM OUR COMMUNITY

💧Welcoming Bees & Newts to Our Wildlife Ponds by Margaret

🐝What’s Happening with the Bees at the Bottom of the Garden? by Peter Smith

🌱Willow Coppicing by Clare

🌳GARDEN VOLUNTEER GROUP SESSIONS

We are building some regular groups on Tuesday and Sunday pm (2.00 pm - 4.00 pm) and Friday am (10.00 am - 12.00 pm) so if you want to come and garden together, just come along.

Joanna is at the garden on Tuesdays at lunchtime, so another possibility.

If you are in our WhatsApp group, please also use this to check if people are in the garden for a session. 

🔚AND FINALLY

Perhaps you have something you'd like to contribute for our April edition if so please get in touch. 

💰Membership Info

The Rosamund Community Garden (RCG) is sharing a membership system with Guildford Environmental Forum (GEF) and we are delighted to offer a 1-year option to join both RCG and GEF for £15 for the next year or pay £10 just to join RCG for the year to 31st March 2023 - email Adrian, GEF Membership Officer at [email protected]]

Happy Gardening! From the Rosamund team

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