First, here’s a little video from October’s “Open Afternoon with Apple Pressing” at Rosamund Community Garden - CLICK ⬇️

🗓️ EVENTS AT THE GARDEN

Our “Christmas Wreath Making Workshop” on Sunday, December 3rd is sold out. If you are keen though, please add your name to the waiting list incase a space becomes available » INFO 

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT - MEET SAM🌟

I have loved spending my weekends in the garden ever since I first came here for my Bronze DofE 2 years ago, I chose to do it again for Silver DofE which was volunteering for another 6 months. When I first came I hadn’t done much gardening before. My mum and I were looking after the strawberries and also did lots of other jobs like helping build wigwams for beans to climb up and watering plants in the summer.

This year I was given a job designing and looking after a small border next to the Arbour, we had to relocate the strawberries and also grow some climbing plants. It was good to be responsible for a patch, there was always lots of weeding to be done but I loved tending to the strawberries and sweet peas. We had lots of flowers but didn’t see many strawberries, we thought maybe badgers had been feasting on them.

There is lots of wildlife at Rosamund, I enjoyed looking at the many insects hovering around. I even discovered an underground bee nest! And we have seen slow worms and toads, and all the new insects that came to the pond almost as soon as it was filled. I have learned so much about the garden and the many different needs of all the various plants here, it truly is a wonderful place to be.

🌱GARDEN NEWS FROM CLARE

Last month saw the last of the lovely warmth and we were really lucky to have a perfect day for the apple pressing and open day on the 8th.

It was a great success with lots of families enjoying the space and having a go at making glorious juice in the sunshine.

We raised just shy of £400 which will be well spent on one of our many projects in the garden. Huge thanks to everyone who came and joined in and to our amazing volunteers who made gorgeous food and enabled it to be a brilliant day.

Hub news - another good day with Galliford Try and our volunteers has meant we now only have 2 more wattle walls to daub and a bit more cobbing to complete the building side. 

This week Tim Jones and son installed the wooden flooring. Tim is a local landscaper and carpenter from Albury, so it doesn’t get more local than that!

The roof for the Hub has proved difficult to source, so we are looking at a temporary cover for the winter til we find a solution longer-term.

Pond Update - the pond is now full to the brim after all the rain and Margaret will be organising 2 volunteer work parties to complete the planting and banks over the next weeks (watch out for dates)

Orchard - We had a bountiful harvest this year with a lot of the fruit ripening early. Mike has worked very hard scything the grass (and the entranceway) and has made good use of the hay, mulching various parts of the garden. Some of the hay has been laid in swales to weaken the grasses ready to plant yellow rattle next week. To increase the biodiversity in the orchard, Helen has been in contact with BugLife, who have donated the seed. It will hopefully weaken the vigorous grasses enough to allow more wildflower species to establish and provide food for the pollinators.

Veg - We have a lovely selection of greens in the poly-tunnel and in the outside beds - Mizuna (a mild oriental leaf, great in salads or stir-fry)

Rocket, lettuce, and chard are ready to eat. The kales are coming along in Poly 2 and the stevia planted by Joanna can be used as a sugar substitute in cooking etc.

Ann has been busy sowing broad beans and peas ready to plant out, these will make sturdy early plants for the Spring. We also planted the garlic last week so looking forward to that next year.

📰COMMUNITY PROJECT NEWS

🐝November Bee Update by Peter Smith

CLICK TO READ

🕐NOVEMBER JOBS AT THE GARDEN

• Weed and dead-head the flower bed

• Weeding and mulching in the fruit-cage

• Topping up the bark paths around the garden from the bark heap

• Laying a bark floor in the Arbour

• Weeding and making edges around the Arbour beds

AND FINALLY🔚

Inspired by Wisley!

A brilliant way of making a wildlife habitat and also a place to put tough brash and stalks that take a long time to break down. We pruned the loganberries and put them into our new hazel structure - very satisfying!

🌳GARDEN VOLUNTEER GROUP SESSIONS

We have regular groups on Tuesday and Sunday from 2.00 pm - to 4.00 pm and Friday from 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]

previous update

Happy November gardening