Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 6th October: Admire the flowers, watch the bees and butterflies, and listen to the birds singing.
This week we have said hello to October and some fine sunny, warm weather. The rainfall for September was 98.5mm, which is quite something for late summer and the start of autumn.
The path to the bench was cleared so that it could be seen again, and the winter squash plants taken up and composted as were the bolted lettuces. Wednesday was our busiest day when lots of volunteers came out to give a hand, however Saturday was quieter, and so beautifully warm and sunny that it has to be said we just sat and took time to admire the flowers, watch the bees and butterflies, and listen to the birds singing. It was a piece of heaven for just that moment in time in that place.
True to form and bang on time, the Michaelmas daisies are in full flower (how do they do that with such regularity and perfect timing?) The bees have certainly been enjoying their blooms as well as the red sedum situated around the pond. There is always something in bloom throughout the year, and each season has its real gems.
We took a good look at the fig tree, however it seems that the birds managed to beat us to most of the fruits; but it appears the fig has more it can give as apparently the leaves have many health benefits, has been used in the past to treat lots of ailments and makes a great fig leaf tea. The other thing we discovered this week whilst admiring the large rose hips is that the outer flesh is edible and very soft and sweet it tasted too – who would have known?
We had an invite to the Nepalese community open farm day at Pent Farm. It was a real pleasure to walk amongst the vegetable plots finding out about some traditional crops, and tasting delicious food grown on the farm and prepared in true Nepalese style. It was a perfect end to the week. The home brewed rice wine was flowing by the gallon, very similar to Japanese Sake, unfortunately had to be avoided or it was likely that the remainder of the day would have been lost in an alcoholic haze!
What’s Next
- Put down some wood chip paths where needed
- Still have radishes to plant
- Keep putting down more compost
- Take up the summer squash plants
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.