Water! More needed! We are hoping that the pond is not quite as dry as it looks and that there is a damp refuge in the bottom where many of our pond creatures will have been able to survive. We have water butts to collect rain and these overflow into the pond. After rain last week there is a very small puddle in the bottom of the pond and the water butts are replenished. We are focussing on more rainwater harvesting; we have replaced the overflow with an old washing machine hose, acquired two new water butts and have bought some connectors to make a bigger water butt chain. It’s quite amazing how much water can be harvested from the roof of one shed and a bottle greenhouse.
The children have manged to find a little produce each week, including some delicious black tomatoes and attractive courgettes.
On the first Saturday in August we had a ‘Thank you Smita’ party as she and Krish are hoping to move north before long to be closer to family. Smita was a founder of the community garden in the village and has given her time, amazing knowledge and enthusiasm to establish the children’s garden club as a village centre of community excellence. It was lovely to see some of our past gardeners again. We wish Smita and Krish all the best for their new adventures and will sorely miss them.
Over the next couple of weeks we will be focussing on our entries for the Sherfield English Garden Show and hope to come away with some prize certificates. We hope to have seen lots of you there too.
Thank you very much to Gilbert’s Nursery for their support and children’s refreshments each week.
Best wishes, Ursula and the Children’s Garden Community Team