' To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves'
- Mahatma Gandhi
Garden News
The garden looks significantly different as we have strimmed down the majority of the wildflower meadow this week. It's always with a tinge of sadness when we do this but it's an essential part of the cycle to ensure that next year it springs up and looks glorious again. Wildflowers thrive on poorer soils so it's important they aren't left to die back and rot into the ground. In olden times the grass meadows would have been rich in herb and flower for the farm animals to enjoy and the haycut would have been a fragrant mix of sweet grass and flower - something that we've sadly lost sight of.
The sycamores that lined our upper boundary, alongside the footpath, have also been pollarded and this essential work has brightened up the acre greatly. Thank you to Natalie and her Friday team for their hard work. The strawberry plants have been moved to the front of the new soft fruit bed where they'll get a lot more sunshine and hopefully produce even more fruit - hopefully for us and not the birds!
Men in Sheds
As always the Men in Sheds team have been busy on more than one front. This week has seen the emergence of a 'dome' on the pizza oven base, something that should worry our local Domino's! We would like to ensure that our oven has a distinctive look so if you would like to be involved in its 'decoration' (and we need ideas and a project leader too!) then contact Kate at info@space2grow.space. The pond decking is also progressing well and we hope that given fair weather they'll have it completed in about three weeks... no pressure chaps!
Musings - a history of the space
Despite my aversion to technology it can be a wonderful resource - I have one of the biggest libraries tucked in my pocket which can provide a wealth of information after a few taps of the screen. When we came across slow worms, as we strimmed down the wildflower meadow, I was soon able to discover a few basic facts about these elusive legless lizards and that just added another layer of enjoyment to my day. In fact much of my appreciation of nature has come through having a smartphone and having the ability to photograph something immediately, post it to a website or share it with friends on email - which can be a tremendously enjoyable experience.
Recently I've been looking back through the photos I've taken since we started space2grow three years ago and reflected that without the technology in my pocket much of its history would have gone unrecorded. My parents generation certainly couldn't have afforded to process the sheer volume of film that I produce in just a few days digitally and consequently, as memories fade, much is forgotten. I'm taking some time off to recuperate after a small procedure and will spend time putting together a history of the space2grow project so that we can all reflect on the amazing achievements we have all been a part of. If you have any photo's or memories that you would like included in our history file then do send them to Kate at info@space2grow.space and I'll try to weave them into our story.
Last RemindersYoga with Isobel - Isobel launched her yoga sessions last week and everyone who took part have been saying how much they appreciated and enjoyed them. Two sessions are available on Tuesday afternoons and there are limited places available so book now at info@space2grow.space and reserve your spot!
Volunteers needed! We know that during the pandemic many have been shielding whilst we have been obviously cautious and following guidelines regarding safety and implementing new bookings systems. However we are offering additional days to get involved and have spaces available, especially on Friday, so to book a space contact info@space2grow.space!
Finally thank you to Gill who shared some recipes for how to cook those magic little gem squashes; cut them in half, round wise, steam them, take out the pips, and put some butter in them or sometimes fill them with peas or corn and put cheese on top and under the grill. Just remember to remove the pips (unlike Kate!) If you have any great recipes on how to use the autumn veg place share with us.
See you after my 'break'.
Corin.