Rosamund Community Garden Update May 2023

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

May 03, 2023

Despite the April showers, we've been busy⬇️

1. Recovering polytunnel 1 with Galliford Try - an amazing job in one day, proving again the power of numbers! 

Special thanks to our volunteers who worked so hard preparing the site and digging out the trenches before the day!

2. Building beautiful and sustainable hazel hurdle walls on the garden hub with Rob Stringer 

The day was a success and as well as being very enjoyable, we managed to complete 3 of our wattle and daub panels on the Hub project, which was really satisfying. Rob will complete the other panels this week, which means we can move onto the daubing stage as soon as we have the clay delivered.

It feels really great to be using hazel coppiced from the Merrow woodlands and we are hoping to buy more for our planned brush-edged paths in the Autumn.

Galiford Try are hopefully returning in June to do a cobbing and daubing day to push forward our completion date for the hub. We are also expecting the canvas roof to be fitted in June so it’s all happening at last!

🗓️ MAY EVENTS 2023

🌱Big Job Sunday at Rosamund, Sunday 21st May, big job tbc

📝MORE GARDEN NEWS FROM CLARE

This time of year is so exciting, with the warmer weather, comes a massive growth spurt around the garden. Our orchard is in flower and looking stunning with a promise of autumn fruit, the asparagus is popping up and the fruit bushes are already showing fronds of potential currants.In the poly-tunnels, there are lots of delicious salads and greens to be harvested before they go to seed and are replaced by tomatoes and cucumbers.Last summer we left lots of plants to self-seed and we can now see the tiny seedlings appearing. Lettuces, marigolds, and sunflowers are popping up all over the place, which will look (and taste) amazing!

This year we’ll be using our beautiful arbour dome to grow all manner of plants. The climbing perennials planted in Autumn are all doing well, and we have pumpkins, beans, and nasturtiums waiting to be planted in the new beds around the base.

🕐MAY JOBS AT THE GARDEN

  • Watering in the poly-tunnels when they are dry (check that seedlings aren’t standing in water)

  • Weeding the fruit-cage along the raspberry bed (wear gloves as there are a lot of nettles)

  • Planting out and transplanting seedlings from around the garden and poly

  • Planting the basketry willow wands

  • Weeding and clearing the beds to make room for the new plants

  • Weeding the herb bed

  • Making sturdy bean frames for the climbing beans

  • Continuing to make dead-brush edges to the arbour beds

📰UPDATES & BLOGS FROM COMMUNITY PROJECTS

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

🕊️Exciting News From the Guildford Swift Project

🌻Rewilding Your Garden: How to Create a Thriving Ecosystem in Your Backyard

AND FINALLY🔚

Have you spotted the sugar snaps climbing up our homemade willow sculptures?

... and bees on the blossom? - thanks for visiting us and taking the pic Perla at ZERO Guildford

...plus THIS post on our Facebook page?

See you soon.

Happy May Gardening!

✅USEFUL INFO

🌳GARDEN VOLUNTEER GROUP SESSIONS

We are building some regular groups on Tuesday and Sunday 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm and Friday 10.00 am - 12.00 pm so if you want to come and garden together, just turn up. If you are in our WhatsApp group, please also use this to check if people are in the garden for a session.

💰MEMBERSHIP

The Rosamund Community Garden (RCG) shares a membership system with Guildford Environmental Forum (GEF) for joining info please email [email protected]

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