The only problem with the glorious sunny weather we’ve been having is that as there is no water supply on site we’ve spent hours transporting water to keep everything hydrated.  The positive side of having no mains services on site is that we’ve been able to develop friendships with local people and organisations who have kindly given us access to outdoor taps and bathroom facilities.  Paula Jane’s Tea Room have really made us feel welcome and host us for lunch most days we run the project.

Here are a few of the other highlights of the past couple of months:

The best part of the project is always having the opportunity to get alongside the people we support and help them to engage with and enjoy the Garden.  It has been great to see them learn new things and take pride in a job well done.

With the help of our visitors from Brandon, Mississippi we were able to dig out and rehome the trees that were planted across the site.  We were then able to strim the ground and cover it with black plastic to keep the weeds under control until we can cultivate the ground properly.

The site has been buzzing with insect activity.  It’s been lovely to see plants like the oregano absolutely covered with different species of bees.  We’ve also discovered a chirpy colony of sparrows in our hedge.

As we don’t use any pesticides or chemical sprays on the garden it has been exciting to see natural pest control taking effect: here the ladybirds are hoovering up aphids for us!

The only unwelcome visitor is our resident fox.  It’s not that we object to him prowling the site but he has a habit of digging in the beds in the polytunnel, uprooting our tomatoes and peppers in the process.  Someone donated us this pigeon scarer and for a couple of days it spooked the fox out of the polytunnel.  It doesn’t work any more but we like having it around.

We have big plans and ambitions for the project going forwards.  You can find out more on our Green Meadow Garden Page.  Thanks for reading!