It is getting close to Christmas - we had frosts but the weather has also been mild, albeit rainy and windy on certain days. Here is our pictorial Annual Review. Some very good news in terms in funding and projects achieved and the meeting hut is taking shape! Seasonal wishes from all of us and let's hope 2022 is kinder to us all.
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| The roof has been started |
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| The hut, surrounded by trees, is in a lovely spot |
Remember our long-standing project of building a meeting hut? We tried in many ways and we have now raised money through different channels so we can have a building we can maintain and use with the help of our community of volunteers. As community groups soon find out, there are many grants out there, but some come with conditions that are not always possible to satisfy and commitments that are onerous to a small group of volunteers.
Above are some photos of current progress, but of course there is so much to do. More photos are to come as our building, using a combination of new and salvaged materials, is taking shape.
ECCG was recently presented by Simone at a university society's meeting at Othersyde. Tzu Chi Cambridge is associated with the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international NGO and accredited observer of the United Nations' Environment Programme. The Cambridge branch, open to anyone who is interested in grass-root environmental projects, helps at a non-profit farm near Coldham Lane, has sessions in community gardens and tackles litter-picking in a number of Cambridge areas.
We are always looking for volunteers, if you want to join us, please read this post.
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| Photo: Aarón Blanco Tejedor, Unsplash |
At Emtpy Common we have Cottenham Seedling, Maxton and Wayside apples. We also have Concorde and Conference pears. Apples and pears can last longer if stored, well spaced, in dark and cool places like a garage or shed.
Some varieties of apples are too sour to eat, so they are cooked in a variety of ways - pureed, cooked and chopped in savoury dishes, in pies, chutneys and preserves. There are some wonderful, free recipes on this well-trusted, British website:
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| Photo: Joanna Stołowicz, Unsplash |
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| The garden a few weeks back. |
As we have entered September, the weather has suddenly warmed up and has become much more dry (which means more frequent watering for us). It seems that the average Summertime temperatures have arrived a bit late this year.
At the moment, we are currently harvesting many delicious fruit and vegetables from the garden. Here are some of our recent produce photos (thank you to Nicola for providing the photos).
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| Here, a tennis ball is placed on the end of a cane post, which is used to support wiring around a plant bed. The tennis ball covers the sharp end of the cane. |
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| Another idea, involving support of canes, uses the tennis balls to help balance nets securely over the plants. This is very helpful at protecting produce from being eaten by wildlife. |
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| Again, tennis balls are stuck on the end of canes. As seen in the picture, this also works well for canes that support growing plants in our polytunnel. |
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| We are currently in the process of the creation of our new meeting hut. This is a picture of its base, which is made of recycled materials. |
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| In this picture, plastic cloches are used to shelter some of the plants in the bed. We were given them by someone who had not ended up using them. |
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| We used old plastic bottles to support the bottom of tomato plants and help them grow upwards. |
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| Here, plastic bottles are placed over plants that are growing against canes. This protects them from being eaten, as well as reusing plastic. |
As August comes towards an end, we are reminded of many great moments at the garden. Here are some archive pictures of plants, volunteers, visitors and produce from the Spring and Summer of 2019:
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| (1st May 2019) The fire created by the woodcraft folk, when they visited to play music at the garden. |
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| (5th May 2019) Some of our gardeners enjoying hanging out in the trees after a busy Sunday. |
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| (7th July 2019) Our shed after Ben kindly finished its new painting job. |
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| (7th July 2019) Some hover flies enjoying the marigolds around the vegetable garden. |
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| Some of our indoor tomatoes |
Unlike the previous year, it has been a peculiarly cool, damp summer. Unfortunately, these conditions are well-matched for the spread of blight and we have lost all of our outdoor tomatoes.
In August, it is usually difficult to begin sowing in the early weeks (due to the dryness of the soil). Because of this, we normally wait until later in August before sowing for a quick, last crop.
Here are a few suggestions of things you might want to sow outside by Charlotte:
On Saturday the 31st of July, Hilary Cox Condron (in the centre, below) ran a 'Thrive' art workshop (on behalf of Transition Cambridge) at the garden. The workshop focused on exploring how we can 'thrive as a community', particularly how we can meet our needs as well as sustaining natural resources.
