Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 15th January: Compost, wild garlic, weeding and sustainable futures.
Another week has flown by with yet more wind, plenty of rain, and the odd bit of sunshine in-between. We managed to catch a good day on our Wednesday morning session, but Saturday morning was a complete washout once again so not all of the tasks for the week got done. Already it is still daylight by gone four o’clock in the afternoon which is most promising and good to see.
Compost bin three got emptied and spread onto vacant beds making room for compost bin two to be turned into it, hopefully in readiness to use by April with luck. This leaves a rather full to bursting compost bin one to be turned into bin two, and a job to put forward into next week, and so refilling bin one starts all over again.
We pulled up a few of the leeks to share and a large clump of the wild garlic which had self-sown into a wood chip path and had become so large that the stems looked as big as the leeks. We have to keep a check on the garlic and use as much as we can, all of it being edible from the leaves to the bulbs, as it is thriving and will quickly take over given the chance.
Rita, our queen of the Golden Valley area spent quite some time tidying, weeding and pruning the planters at the shops as well as litter picking at Freemantle Park. Before we know it, Spring will be with us once again.
There was a meeting this week with the Folkestone and Hythe Sustainable Futures Forum, and we registered an interest in taking part and to keep up with new developments in the locality. On 26th January at 7pm, the Sandgate Environmental Action group will be meeting again in the upstairs Reading Room of the Old Fire Station in Sandgate Road – all are welcome to attend. Chris Turnbull, a prominent member of the Hythe Environmental Group will be there to give a talk on the history of the group and all the many projects it is now involved with. I (Leonie) will be attempting to follow his talk with an introduction to fast aerobic composting on an industrial scale, which could be used by all of us, including our cafes, pubs and restaurants – the pros and the cons, plus a look at how it is currently being done around the world. So, put the date in your diary and come along if you are interested.
What’s next?
- Finish turning compost bin two then start on bin one
- Still got a couple of empty beds needing compost
- Put wood chips down on some of the paths
- Weed the bed with the honey berry plants
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.