Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 8th January: Happy New Year!
Looking back at the archive Sandgate Community Garden updates on the Parish Council website reminds us that the New Year newsletters for 2021 and 2022 both commented on the very high winds. This year seems to be no different.
The rainfall for December was 88.6 mm, the second highest recording for 2022. November had the most rainfall of 194 8mm, whilst July was the lowest at 5.4mm. It seems that our total rainfall will be close to the yearly average, just that it is arriving all at once and the ground has become saturated. At the Enbrook plot, this causes few problems as the drainage is very good, however all our other sites are well and truly squishy underfoot and damage to the soil structure can occur by working it or keep walking over it so it is best to wait until it dries out a little.
We had a good turnout in the garden on Wednesday and the weather was kind, however there were high winds and rain on Saturday. We cleared some of the beds at Enbrook, and put down some fresh compost layers of around two to three cms which should be all that is needed to keep the plots going all year. The idea of a ‘no dig’ plot is that the ground should be covered all the time with either a crop or failing that a good sheet of new compost. We are gradually emptying compost bin number three which is our own made compost, to make room so that bin number two can then be turned. The original cap of old carpet we had to keep in the warmth and keep out the rain had all but disintegrated after a good couple of years, but luckily one of our members had renewed some carpet in their house and had a few spare pieces – and so our compost bins are looking quite presentable with new carpet in place.
Clearing some of the old vegetation revealed two pairs of secateurs that were lost. This is a common occurrence, and we often find lost items either in the compost bins or amongst the foliage somewhere. Happily the secateurs can be revived with a bit of TLC involving plenty of WD40, but we do not invest in expensive tools exactly for this reason.
We have a little purple sprouting broccoli which was ready for a picking this week, as well as a bit of kale, and surprisingly a little winter lettuce and chard. Our main purple sprouting crop is a later variety and will not be appearing until probably the end of March or Early April.
Much of the food for the next couple of months is about relying on stored harvest that is if you are eating seasonally and local. However, way back in the distant past, and now experiencing something of a revival, foragers find fresh vegetation to eat all year round, and there is a great deal of information out there about this. A huge amount of salad burnet can be seen growing just outside some flats in Golden Valley, and there are plenty of fungi examples to be seen both at Enbrook Park and in the woodland above Sandgate. Below are pictures of two examples found just this week. The brightly coloured turkey tail fungi is very common throughout the world, packed with antioxidants, enhances gut health and is said to help in fighting cancer. The other is aptly named ‘jelly ear’ used in the past for sore eyes and throats. It is edible, but is not highly prized, as eating it is apparently a bit like chewing on a ‘pencil rubber with bones in it’ – think we might give that one a miss for now.
What’s next?
- There is still a little to clear and compost to put down
- A few paths could do with some fresh wood chips
- A bit of weeding to be done near the herb garden
- Finish washing and drying some of the nets/fleece
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.