JOHN BOARDMAN'S WORKING NOTES
13 February 2020
After assessing the strong winds on Sunday, we decided not to open. A large beech tree was toppled just a little further upstream in the Serpentine Gardens, so it was a wise decision. However, on Wednesday, the tree provided us with some very attractive, and large "rounds" of timber which we will enjoy putting to use on the site. Virtually all the raised beds have now been topped up with various sorts of compost and topsoil and the last of the pile of autumn leaves has been used as mulch or put into storage to molder quietly for a few months. The first picking of salad was made and enjoyed to everyone's satisfaction. A first monthly bulletin was posted up so that everyone is up to the same speed on progress and issues. And a very handsome cock pheasant now seems to regard the site as home and struts possessively around the polytunnel.
26 January 2020
This time last year we were working in four inches of snow so we have been making the most of better conditions, though on the other hand the mild weather meant we "caught" our first caterpillar of the year. We were also excited to sow our first seeds of the year - seven different varieties of sweet peas in fibre pots so they can be planted straight out when ready. The new raised bed is now filled and has meant a lot of re-organising of where planters are positioned. Several ton bags have been upgraded with a deeper fill for fruit trees and bushes. Odd corners have been cleared ready for sowing "wild" seeds. Our "corpse flower" produced seed for the first time last year - we now have a tray full of seedlings. Not sure what to do next so we will wait. The last two weeks have both recorded over 50 volunteer hours, all productively used. Very impressive.
19 January 2020
Since the last report, we have had a steady stream of valuable deliveries, large and small. Thanks to volunteers, we have received 14 sacks of horse manure, bags of coffee grounds, bags of sawdust and assorted planting modules. Funded by grant money, we have had six cubic metres of high-quality enhanced topsoil delivered and the team have already substantially filled the new raised bed and developed plans for topping up existing beds and filling empty planters and additional ton bags. Getting ready for spring included mulching several beds with soil improver and preparing fibre, plastic-free pots for our first sowings of the year - sweet peas - next week. The kitchen area has been refreshed with the removal of the old and damp carpet. One of those days where, wherever you turned, there was great work being done by enthusiastic people. The access road walk showed the mahonia in bloom and the dead pigeon on the driveway confirmed "our" sparrow hawk has visited. We are part of the natural community too.
12 January 2020
Although our volunteers had a festive break, we hosted two working parties from the Community Payback Team each side of Christmas. The teams worked hard, efficiently and willingly and delivered great results. As a result of their work, we have an additional 19 foot raised bed, two metal arches erected and painted, an abandoned field gate starting a new life as a safety barrier for children, posts creating a base for a further ten metres of dry boundary hedge and several areas that are considerably tidier than they were. We very much appreciate their contribution to our community endeavour.
Back to normal this week and tidying and sorting has been the main focus together with pruning - apple trees, kiwi and blackberries. The site is looking good and loved and we welcomed some new volunteers and started to put detail round our plans for 2020. This time last year, our records show we were working with lying snow across the site. This year we watched, on both days, skeins of about 100 pink footed geese heading west. In both years, we recorded over 70 volunteer hours for the week. Wednesdays only until 16th February, but always worth a visit. Hope 2020 is good for everyone.
12 December 2019
The big event was Sunday’s Winter Gathering on a cold dry day. The three varieties of pumpkin soup were particularly welcome and were so popular the last arrivals had to be satisfied with a combined version of the leftovers. Setting up and tidying up kept the dozen volunteers busy, the biggest challenge being where to find the last of the robins on the Hunt the Robin trail! Wednesday was miserably cold and although seeds were packeted and useful plans were made, the theoretically warmer space of the polytunnel was not convincing. For once, we even closed a little earlier than usual.
2 & 5 December 2019
Harvesting seed is now complete so we have been able to start packeting seeds for the February Seedy Saturday and also, importantly, sending off the seeds we have gathered for the Heritage Seed Library. This year we were able to send fresh seed of nine varieties of French beans, peas and lettuce to support the stock at the HSL and provide a resource of scarce and genetically valuable seeds to be distributed more widely and hence have a better chance of survival. We still have some to share at our Seedy Saturday on 15th February. We have also been busy preparing. We have been getting ready the tools and materials needed to support the two project days supported by the Community Payback teams, and also putting everything in place for the Winter Gathering on Sunday 8th. And it has at last been fit enough to start moving out fruit trees from rather small tubs (designed to be moveable at two weeks’ notice) to very much bigger ton bags where we hope they will thrive. Just hope we didn’t leave any rogue Jerusalem artichokes in the ton bags! Great work from volunteers in very cold conditions.
24 & 27 November 2019
We have been “winterising” the site, clearing out the beds of spent plants, mulching, tidying and cleaning under and over benches and shelves. It is looking steadily tidier, but also clearly “dormant”. But we continue to look forward and get excited by our plans. There is a first draft plan for next year’s sowing and growing – over 150 varieties and where they should go - and plans for projects to be completed over the next two months. We are exploring in more detail how we can contribute to the Buxton Civic Association tree seed germination and growing on project. And we are planning a “potager” – a larger octagonal planter that will provide a snapshot of everything we grow, every plant with a purpose and in a colourful arrangement aimed to delight and inspire. A dream to turn in to a real design over the winter. And for rainy days, we now have a stack of seeds ready to be put into packets ahead of next February’s Seedy Saturday.
10 & 13 November 2019
“I came a few weeks ago and you let me harvest some comfrey leaves to make a poultice for my ankle. I just wanted to say it worked really well – you can see I’m not limping anymore.” Developing a ‘physic garden’ has moved up our agenda. The team has continued to do great work shifting leaves to storage areas, sieving leaves and soil improver and mixing potting and sowing composts ready for the spring. A bit of a break on Wednesday as John delivered the talk he and Gil have been giving to various organisations over the year. They talked about the history of the site and their aim that it should deliver “Wow”, “Never Knew” and “Takeaway”. The Mesolithic flints, the Inniskilling Regiment clay pipe bowl, and the stone hand axes made of serpentine rock delivered all of these and we will take away unforgettable memories. And we continued our response to the challenge of mitigating ash dieback by sowing further local tree seeds. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are all present at Serpentine.
10 & 13 November 2019
From John Boardman…..
When we opened up on Sunday, the water butts were covered in a layer of ice. Yet as we checked out the site we found the fava (field) beans were pushing their way up through the frozen ground. We grow tough beans in Buxton – the sight made us feel good. To that excitement was added the arrival of two metal arches, given by a Serpentine friend. Now the challenge is agreeing where best to put them! We also visited Stockport Community Growers at Woodbank Park and came home with some horseradish roots and a globe artichoke. Wherever we turn, we find generous and supportive people. To ensure we can make the most of these gifts, the team continues to plan the next big clearance and build projects to occupy us over the winter. Anyone interested in planning a pottager?
From Margot Ferris….
On Wednesday the birds sang and swooped and both they and volunteers were cheered by the dry weather. We made the most of the good day by working outside. We moved old leaves and new, moved wetter material indoors to help dry out and we sieved soil improver and leaves, filling tubs and buckets galore. Compost bins were filled. We also welcomed a walking group from Golding Grange in Matlock, led by National Park Rangers, who enjoyed a tour and a place to have a tea break. They are other walking groups are welcome back any time.
3 & 6 November 2019 Frost has meant the leaves have steadily fallen across the Pavilion Gardens and our friends from HPBC have therefore been able to deliver two loads to fill our bays and start the process of converting to leaf mould. They look a particularly good mix and are much appreciated. Shifting stuff to free up the right space for them has kept volunteers busy, and warm, and also a lot of tidying up has happened. Each cleared space starts us thinking of what will be filling it next year. The base of the newly completed octagonal planter has been levelled – no small feat given it holds four tons of growing media! We have taken some care to gather ash leaves and store them in a separate “noxious” area to reduce the risk of spreading the die back disease. It may have limited effect, but every little helps. Undaunted by slow and late ripening tomatoes, we have harvested a great crop for green tomato chutney. Nothing is wasted at Serpentine.
27 & 30 October 2019 Our tallest volunteer, plus stepladder and long handled brush has cleaned the polytunnels’ covering and transformed the amount of light reaching the inside. A great job. Our monthly workshop explored volunteers’ ideas for sowing and growing in 2020. It was a very productive session. We now have to convert the ideas into a coherent plan. We are trialling sowing acorns, conkers etc. to see if we can germinate them and establish saplings for planting out in the community and woodlands. The group also agreed to take on one of Garden Organic’s experimental projects in 2020, underplanting French beans with a green manure. Plenty to do and to learn!
20 & 23 October 2019 Sunday was our AGM – informative, thoughtful, well dressed people and productive as we look ahead to the next twelve months. Wednesday was a contrast. Still very productive, but less well dressed and accompanied by a rather persistent aroma. Our friends at Able Tree Service collected and delivered a load of “soil improver” from Waterswallows. On arrival, it was still warm and noticeable from some distance away. Most has now been shifted to a storage bay and will keep us supplied with the ingredients for mixing potting compost and mulching the raised beds. As if that wasn’t enough, we also started spreading well rotted horse manure on another raised bed. Frost seems ever closer and frost will lead to falling leaves so we are ensuring we have space to receive and mature them. We really appreciate the support given by our friends in the community as we build the fertility of the growing areas on the site.
13 & 16 October 2019 A busy week since last Wednesday. Thursday saw a group from Tarmac having a team building day on site during which they did an enormous amount of work including building a new handrail and resurfacing the approach path, completely refurbishing and filling one of the large abandoned octagonal planters, and fitting several bird boxes in place. And it all looks as if it “belongs”. Friday was the last of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Nature Tot sessions, a bit of a party for Tots who were completely undeterred by the awful weather. We have loved welcoming them over the ten sessions – and they left us with a box of useful goodies not least tea, coffee and biscuits! The Sunday was Apple Day – many people, many apples turned in to juice, and great “spoon” puppets facilitated by Stone and Water. Then on Wednesday it was back to more normal activity. Light came to the polytunnels as a result of an annual clean of the outside with brushes and water. Just a bit of finishing off to do over the tops – any very tall volunteers available?
6 & 10 October 2019 We have had our first frosts which have knocked over some of the outdoor plants. The changeable weather has been a feature of the year. Even with the benefit of the polytunnel, we have now finished cropping salads for the year. Looking back at our records, this is very early. Last cropping in 2017 was 7 November, and in 2016 an amazing 12 December! It may have been another very warm year, but it seems to have been the wrong sort of warmth at the wrong time for our plants. But we have new things growing. Overwintering lettuce have been pricked out and wallflowers and Chilean Glory Vine are showing strong seedlings. We have generously been given apples, fruit bushes and compost bins and a further greenhouse is in course. We feel very blessed. The team have worked hard to ensure we are all set up for the Tarmac team day project and that everything is in place for Apple Day.
13 February 2020
After assessing the strong winds on Sunday, we decided not to open. A large beech tree was toppled just a little further upstream in the Serpentine Gardens, so it was a wise decision. However, on Wednesday, the tree provided us with some very attractive, and large "rounds" of timber which we will enjoy putting to use on the site. Virtually all the raised beds have now been topped up with various sorts of compost and topsoil and the last of the pile of autumn leaves has been used as mulch or put into storage to molder quietly for a few months. The first picking of salad was made and enjoyed to everyone's satisfaction. A first monthly bulletin was posted up so that everyone is up to the same speed on progress and issues. And a very handsome cock pheasant now seems to regard the site as home and struts possessively around the polytunnel.
26 January 2020
This time last year we were working in four inches of snow so we have been making the most of better conditions, though on the other hand the mild weather meant we "caught" our first caterpillar of the year. We were also excited to sow our first seeds of the year - seven different varieties of sweet peas in fibre pots so they can be planted straight out when ready. The new raised bed is now filled and has meant a lot of re-organising of where planters are positioned. Several ton bags have been upgraded with a deeper fill for fruit trees and bushes. Odd corners have been cleared ready for sowing "wild" seeds. Our "corpse flower" produced seed for the first time last year - we now have a tray full of seedlings. Not sure what to do next so we will wait. The last two weeks have both recorded over 50 volunteer hours, all productively used. Very impressive.
19 January 2020
Since the last report, we have had a steady stream of valuable deliveries, large and small. Thanks to volunteers, we have received 14 sacks of horse manure, bags of coffee grounds, bags of sawdust and assorted planting modules. Funded by grant money, we have had six cubic metres of high-quality enhanced topsoil delivered and the team have already substantially filled the new raised bed and developed plans for topping up existing beds and filling empty planters and additional ton bags. Getting ready for spring included mulching several beds with soil improver and preparing fibre, plastic-free pots for our first sowings of the year - sweet peas - next week. The kitchen area has been refreshed with the removal of the old and damp carpet. One of those days where, wherever you turned, there was great work being done by enthusiastic people. The access road walk showed the mahonia in bloom and the dead pigeon on the driveway confirmed "our" sparrow hawk has visited. We are part of the natural community too.
12 January 2020
Although our volunteers had a festive break, we hosted two working parties from the Community Payback Team each side of Christmas. The teams worked hard, efficiently and willingly and delivered great results. As a result of their work, we have an additional 19 foot raised bed, two metal arches erected and painted, an abandoned field gate starting a new life as a safety barrier for children, posts creating a base for a further ten metres of dry boundary hedge and several areas that are considerably tidier than they were. We very much appreciate their contribution to our community endeavour.
Back to normal this week and tidying and sorting has been the main focus together with pruning - apple trees, kiwi and blackberries. The site is looking good and loved and we welcomed some new volunteers and started to put detail round our plans for 2020. This time last year, our records show we were working with lying snow across the site. This year we watched, on both days, skeins of about 100 pink footed geese heading west. In both years, we recorded over 70 volunteer hours for the week. Wednesdays only until 16th February, but always worth a visit. Hope 2020 is good for everyone.
12 December 2019
The big event was Sunday’s Winter Gathering on a cold dry day. The three varieties of pumpkin soup were particularly welcome and were so popular the last arrivals had to be satisfied with a combined version of the leftovers. Setting up and tidying up kept the dozen volunteers busy, the biggest challenge being where to find the last of the robins on the Hunt the Robin trail! Wednesday was miserably cold and although seeds were packeted and useful plans were made, the theoretically warmer space of the polytunnel was not convincing. For once, we even closed a little earlier than usual.
2 & 5 December 2019
Harvesting seed is now complete so we have been able to start packeting seeds for the February Seedy Saturday and also, importantly, sending off the seeds we have gathered for the Heritage Seed Library. This year we were able to send fresh seed of nine varieties of French beans, peas and lettuce to support the stock at the HSL and provide a resource of scarce and genetically valuable seeds to be distributed more widely and hence have a better chance of survival. We still have some to share at our Seedy Saturday on 15th February. We have also been busy preparing. We have been getting ready the tools and materials needed to support the two project days supported by the Community Payback teams, and also putting everything in place for the Winter Gathering on Sunday 8th. And it has at last been fit enough to start moving out fruit trees from rather small tubs (designed to be moveable at two weeks’ notice) to very much bigger ton bags where we hope they will thrive. Just hope we didn’t leave any rogue Jerusalem artichokes in the ton bags! Great work from volunteers in very cold conditions.
24 & 27 November 2019
We have been “winterising” the site, clearing out the beds of spent plants, mulching, tidying and cleaning under and over benches and shelves. It is looking steadily tidier, but also clearly “dormant”. But we continue to look forward and get excited by our plans. There is a first draft plan for next year’s sowing and growing – over 150 varieties and where they should go - and plans for projects to be completed over the next two months. We are exploring in more detail how we can contribute to the Buxton Civic Association tree seed germination and growing on project. And we are planning a “potager” – a larger octagonal planter that will provide a snapshot of everything we grow, every plant with a purpose and in a colourful arrangement aimed to delight and inspire. A dream to turn in to a real design over the winter. And for rainy days, we now have a stack of seeds ready to be put into packets ahead of next February’s Seedy Saturday.
10 & 13 November 2019
“I came a few weeks ago and you let me harvest some comfrey leaves to make a poultice for my ankle. I just wanted to say it worked really well – you can see I’m not limping anymore.” Developing a ‘physic garden’ has moved up our agenda. The team has continued to do great work shifting leaves to storage areas, sieving leaves and soil improver and mixing potting and sowing composts ready for the spring. A bit of a break on Wednesday as John delivered the talk he and Gil have been giving to various organisations over the year. They talked about the history of the site and their aim that it should deliver “Wow”, “Never Knew” and “Takeaway”. The Mesolithic flints, the Inniskilling Regiment clay pipe bowl, and the stone hand axes made of serpentine rock delivered all of these and we will take away unforgettable memories. And we continued our response to the challenge of mitigating ash dieback by sowing further local tree seeds. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are all present at Serpentine.
10 & 13 November 2019
From John Boardman…..
When we opened up on Sunday, the water butts were covered in a layer of ice. Yet as we checked out the site we found the fava (field) beans were pushing their way up through the frozen ground. We grow tough beans in Buxton – the sight made us feel good. To that excitement was added the arrival of two metal arches, given by a Serpentine friend. Now the challenge is agreeing where best to put them! We also visited Stockport Community Growers at Woodbank Park and came home with some horseradish roots and a globe artichoke. Wherever we turn, we find generous and supportive people. To ensure we can make the most of these gifts, the team continues to plan the next big clearance and build projects to occupy us over the winter. Anyone interested in planning a pottager?
From Margot Ferris….
On Wednesday the birds sang and swooped and both they and volunteers were cheered by the dry weather. We made the most of the good day by working outside. We moved old leaves and new, moved wetter material indoors to help dry out and we sieved soil improver and leaves, filling tubs and buckets galore. Compost bins were filled. We also welcomed a walking group from Golding Grange in Matlock, led by National Park Rangers, who enjoyed a tour and a place to have a tea break. They are other walking groups are welcome back any time.
3 & 6 November 2019 Frost has meant the leaves have steadily fallen across the Pavilion Gardens and our friends from HPBC have therefore been able to deliver two loads to fill our bays and start the process of converting to leaf mould. They look a particularly good mix and are much appreciated. Shifting stuff to free up the right space for them has kept volunteers busy, and warm, and also a lot of tidying up has happened. Each cleared space starts us thinking of what will be filling it next year. The base of the newly completed octagonal planter has been levelled – no small feat given it holds four tons of growing media! We have taken some care to gather ash leaves and store them in a separate “noxious” area to reduce the risk of spreading the die back disease. It may have limited effect, but every little helps. Undaunted by slow and late ripening tomatoes, we have harvested a great crop for green tomato chutney. Nothing is wasted at Serpentine.
27 & 30 October 2019 Our tallest volunteer, plus stepladder and long handled brush has cleaned the polytunnels’ covering and transformed the amount of light reaching the inside. A great job. Our monthly workshop explored volunteers’ ideas for sowing and growing in 2020. It was a very productive session. We now have to convert the ideas into a coherent plan. We are trialling sowing acorns, conkers etc. to see if we can germinate them and establish saplings for planting out in the community and woodlands. The group also agreed to take on one of Garden Organic’s experimental projects in 2020, underplanting French beans with a green manure. Plenty to do and to learn!
20 & 23 October 2019 Sunday was our AGM – informative, thoughtful, well dressed people and productive as we look ahead to the next twelve months. Wednesday was a contrast. Still very productive, but less well dressed and accompanied by a rather persistent aroma. Our friends at Able Tree Service collected and delivered a load of “soil improver” from Waterswallows. On arrival, it was still warm and noticeable from some distance away. Most has now been shifted to a storage bay and will keep us supplied with the ingredients for mixing potting compost and mulching the raised beds. As if that wasn’t enough, we also started spreading well rotted horse manure on another raised bed. Frost seems ever closer and frost will lead to falling leaves so we are ensuring we have space to receive and mature them. We really appreciate the support given by our friends in the community as we build the fertility of the growing areas on the site.
13 & 16 October 2019 A busy week since last Wednesday. Thursday saw a group from Tarmac having a team building day on site during which they did an enormous amount of work including building a new handrail and resurfacing the approach path, completely refurbishing and filling one of the large abandoned octagonal planters, and fitting several bird boxes in place. And it all looks as if it “belongs”. Friday was the last of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Nature Tot sessions, a bit of a party for Tots who were completely undeterred by the awful weather. We have loved welcoming them over the ten sessions – and they left us with a box of useful goodies not least tea, coffee and biscuits! The Sunday was Apple Day – many people, many apples turned in to juice, and great “spoon” puppets facilitated by Stone and Water. Then on Wednesday it was back to more normal activity. Light came to the polytunnels as a result of an annual clean of the outside with brushes and water. Just a bit of finishing off to do over the tops – any very tall volunteers available?
6 & 10 October 2019 We have had our first frosts which have knocked over some of the outdoor plants. The changeable weather has been a feature of the year. Even with the benefit of the polytunnel, we have now finished cropping salads for the year. Looking back at our records, this is very early. Last cropping in 2017 was 7 November, and in 2016 an amazing 12 December! It may have been another very warm year, but it seems to have been the wrong sort of warmth at the wrong time for our plants. But we have new things growing. Overwintering lettuce have been pricked out and wallflowers and Chilean Glory Vine are showing strong seedlings. We have generously been given apples, fruit bushes and compost bins and a further greenhouse is in course. We feel very blessed. The team have worked hard to ensure we are all set up for the Tarmac team day project and that everything is in place for Apple Day.
