On Monday a group of volunteers were on the acre for the first of our judging days - In your Community ( South and South East in Bloom). The hard work of the previous weeks was self evident as our plants and flowers were looking resplendent. As the judge wandered through the acre he was encouraged to speak to all present, which many were able to do, so I think he left us having got a good feeling for why our acre is so important for us. Thank you to everyone who was able to come along.
Our regular Wednesday was a day of some work but most importantly it was a day to relax and enjoy the gardens. Our first crops appeared from their beds as Gerrard carefully forked out some fantastic potato's which were soon joined by beautiful purple broccoli and all our onions, the latter left to dry and sweeten in the sunshine. The newly created Alpine chimney pot garden was planted out a little further, a unique and stunning addition alongside the Gardening cabin. A new bed alongside the Talking Shed was started with our home grown plants.
Elsewhere beds were tended which are really beginning to shine under continous weeding and care. One group of volunteers spent the morning pricking out and potting on so that we have a great supply of plants to keep our beds looking fresh for later in the year.
At the weekend our fabulous BBQ was completed using reclaimed bricks that Brendan, Aniello and John had cleaned up over the last few weeks. We incorporated a large piece of slate into the design and put a 'soldier' line of bricks on one course, a sympathetic design which fits right into the acre. On Wednesday the new BBQ was christened and we were joined by two teachers from the school in Hackney who had come to see the acre prior to their school expedition. It was a wonderful afternoon, the first of many to come this summer.
Thursday and the gardening group were made busy; Nick had come along with plants from his garden which Libby set about finding homes for. John and Brendan loaded up the trailer with wood chippings to extend our paths. The acre was thoroughly watered as the temperature rose, carried along on a an ever increasing Saharan wind.
Finally to top our week, Farnhams new Mayor elect, Pat Evans announced during her acceptance speech that she'll be supporting two charity's during her year, space2grow and The Hale Community Centre (formally The Bungalow) . For us this is an incredible endorsement, and a real achievement, as it means we can highlight all the good work we do which benefits not only ourselves, but also the growing number of community groups using the acre.