Working Notes - October 2023

29 October –The garden is a wonderful place. It gives us somewhere to relax, express ourselves and interact with nature. During the majority of the year it also gives us a space to grow healthy, organic food if we so wish. And so, as the nights start to draw in and the days get colder, it’s time for us to give a little back to the place that keeps us healthy and well fed.

This week our volunteers have been doing just that, starting the process of emptying our raised beds of anything that won’t withstand the winter and concentrating on feeding the soil. And, as with everything we harvest, we save what seed we can to plant the following year or package for one of our seed swaps. Melissa was even kind enough to donate a bag of diatomaceous earth to the garden, in case anyone’s houseplants need a little extra TLC also. But it’s not just the soil we’ve been feeding. Today we had a small group of children attend the garden to make bird feeders from pine cones, peanut butter and seed. Though it was quite the messy job all the children did a super job and marched home with a feeder or two to hang in their gardens.

Our seed planning meeting has been arranged for Tuesday the 14th of November, with a follow up on Tuesday the 5th of December to discuss plans for the raised beds and well being groups. Each meeting will take place from 11.30 a.m, in the social tunnel. We also have the AGM lined up for the 19th of November, from 2.30 p.m in the school room at Poole’s Cavern. And with maintenance work due on the raised beds, polytunnels and cold frames it looks like November is lining up to be one of our busiest months yet.

22 October – Apologies for this week’s email being a little later than usual. I arrived home from the garden this Sunday to a very poorly 3 year old who has needed some extra TLC. Though young Harvey is starting to perk up it was a shame he wasn’t well enough to join us for Apple Day, as I’m sure he would have loved the simplicity of it all. Chopping, crushing and pressing apples into a sweet, sticky juice, all on hand cranked machinery, is enough to bring out the child in even the most mature of us. And the end product wasn’t bad either. With a few visitors on site to sample our juice, as well as Janette’s apple tarte-tatin and Linda’s lemon madeleines, it turned out to be a pretty good day.

15 October – Walking the dog this morning, with the first overnight frost still fresh on the ground, it felt that winter had suddenly arrived. With last weeks warmth fast becoming a fading memory, our volunteers have been on hand throughout the week, clearing out the raised beds of tomatoes, courgettes and more, in preparation for sowing our winter veg. There was also a lovely autumn display of gourds and dried sunflowers to admire in the social tunnel.

Discussing next year’s plans with the Sunday group we pondered planting ideas, from what we know can grow in Buxton to what we would like to see grow. It was a fun talk, with discussions of the everyday mushroom and its health benefits to the more exotic Callaloo, with its ability to adapt to varying climates over time. Please feel free to discuss what you would like to see more of throughout the week with your day organisers and hopefully we can put together a diverse plan for next year.

You may have also noticed there is a bit of scrap metal dotted around the garden in the form of old fences, cages, etc. I have spoken with a local scrap man about coming to remove any items which are not wanted or have no use. If there is anything someone would like to keep for a project or to take home please discuss this with your day organiser and keep to one side for safe keeping.

Lastly a big thanks to the Wednesday group for once again going on their annual apple adventure, returning to the garden with crates bursting full with a great variety of apples.

8 October – I hope you are all putting this little late summer sun to good use. Here at the SCG, our volunteers have spent the week collecting seeds including calendula, nasturtiums, marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers and coneflowers, all of which will be packed for our seed swaps early next year. We are also looking to put together our seed and planting plans for 2024. If you have any ideas for what you’d like to grow please speak with Melissa or myself and we can look to start getting the ball rolling.

1 October – It’s safe to say the best of the weather is certainly behind us. Throughout the week our volunteers have used their time to storm proof the garden, re-staking the brassicas and removing any netting. They have also been preparing for the change of the season, emptying our leaf mould bays and preparing the raised beds and cold frames for some much needed repairs.