Happy Xmas from Empty Common

Pic: Pixabay

Xmas is next week! Season's Greetings to all our readers across the world... we sometimes look at the analytics and noticed we have followers from far and wide...

In mid November, Empty Common Garden had a spot on the Transition stall at the Circular Cambridge Festival. Here are Simone and Michela presenting the garden in the Speakers' Corner. Simone talked about what the four seasons are like at Empty Common while showing the pictures prepared by Charlotte. Michela talked about what Empty Common offers to children and she shared her experience of building bug houses. Thank you Jacky Sutton-Adam for the support pre talk and to Elena Moses for the photo.

Here comes December...

December has been a mixed bag. We had some freezing spells then the weather got mild again and now we are experiencing fog... Despite the cold and fog, volunteers are still working hard in the garden. Outside it's bed clearing time, weeding and covering all exposed soil with compost and manure. We are getting some fresh one...

The polytunnel has been cleared and cleaned. We were surprised that the lettuce survived the frosts as it was not a winter variety. Unfortunately most of the chilli peppers sulked and perhaps we should take them into a warm house next year.

The Old Burwell wheat that was planted in November has been netted. Meanwhile in a home in Cambridge beans are drying, getting ready for next year...

I have still lots of pictures to share, so watch this space for some archive images... Happy Xmas everyone!

Empty Common's festive tree...

This message was sent yesterday... "Our beautiful Christmas tree was decorated with snail shells, Brussels sprouts and baubles from our garden. Volunteers worked together to clean up and turn over the three sisters' patch... we were a small but mighty group and it was, as always, a beautiful day in ECCG." 

Thank you all for sending lovely photos and information... this is appreciated by members who cannot come every week and readers from all over the world. Here is the list of our readers... we are big in Russia!

Readers from the start until now....

United Kingdom

3207

United States

3009

Russia

1575

France

386

Germany

191

Ireland

163

Canada

126

Ukraine

80

Czech Republic

49

Romania

47

Pumpkins, courgettes, squashes.... what is the difference?

Pic: Good Heart Farm

Click on text boxes and infographic to enlarge... 

Please click on the graph below to enlarge it if you cannot read it!

Happy Halloween from Empty Common Community Garden

Yesterday about 50 people, including families shared our seasonal celebrations. Prior to the party, a lot of weeding and wheat planting went on. The garden was given rare Old Burwell wheat, so we can do our bit, alongside other public spaces, to increase seed stock. Enjoy our pictures...

Pumpkins with tealights

Apple bobbing from a tree...

Fish was on BBQ, veggies and sausages too!

Our new stick swing

A view from the BBQ

Two volunteers having a snack

Swinging away

A party for people of all ages

Nasturtium seeds pickled, a kind of caper!

More pictures from Rebecca....

Our review for 2015-2016

Charlotte reported to Transition Cambridge at their AGM about the Garden's progress and projects. This is a review of what has happened in 2015 and 2016. The year is still not over yet... so remember to support our future event for the Pumpkin Festival on 30 October! Click here for more information.

Autumn bounty + planning ahead a bug- and butterfly-friendly garden

The garden is still lush as the weather has been warm, with the odd cold day and the odd rainpour. The volunteers are still hard at work and love to share how lovely the garden is looking just now... It is also teaming with wildlife....

A pit stop before buzzing off

A glorious autumnal day

The wild area

Our mound, still yielding veggies

Mushrooms... friends or foes?

A friendly chat, always available!

Look at these dramatic blossoms!

If you are looking ahead, here are two informative sheets with tips on how to encourage friendly bugs and butterflies into your garden.

 

Save the date - Pumpkin festival: Sunday 30 Oct, 1-3pm

September is the month for... Seed Saving

Thanks to Rebecca & Mary for this event...

For anyone interested in learning some tips for Seed Saving, join us on Sunday 25 September, from 12 noon, to hear Mary (one of our regulars) chat informally about her experiences - and how she does it. 

Then put these tips into practice by having a look around the Garden for some seeds to save, before the squirrels claim them!

We'll have some envelopes for you, but if you've got any spare ones, do bring them along!

If you'd like to join us in the garden for hands-on gardening, please come from 10.30am.

See you on Sunday!

Last of the summer grapevine

It is still summer and the temperature is still good. Today it might be raining but we are having nice weather and the watering rota is still en force.

Volunteers have been busy in all sort of ways and I have lots of photos to share with you... the backlog is quite big too so we will have a now and then post until the pictorial cupboard is bare. Thank you for all the contributions, we have come a long way since this blog started and Charlotte and I had to come up with ideas to fill the space!

Have also managed to put the logo up and the one of our partner for many happy events, Transition Cambridge.

Here are some beautiful snapshots of flowers and foliage adorning the garden; even annoying weeds can be pretty...

Then... May 2016

'Really busy day yesterday with 18 people, several new. Lots got done so that was brilliant. I stayed behind just to have a quiet time in the garden as it was just so beautiful with the phacelia and rocket and hawthorn in flower... all the young plants growing away.... It was lovely to find others coming to do just the same.' Charlotte