Newsletter - July/August 2019
What’s happening at North Brighton Community Garden?
SO MUCH.
At the start of July the garden was still looking rather empty (besides a green blanket of frosty oat sprouts that we might have accidentally planted after realising the straw bales we spread across the whole site contained the seed!!) Winter was very much committed to blasting us with rain and wind as we tried to organise working bees, build raised beds and pour a concrete base for our shed.
However, looking back over the past two months, maybe the wild weather didn’t hold us back as much as I had originally thought… (plus, some sunny days and VERY committed members did help).
We have a shed!
🌧💧Hip hip for raaaain! We have a rainwater tank now. And yea, we are pretty stoked about it 😍😏 Thanks to our dedicated members who ensured this project was a success 🌟👏
We realised we were missing something kind of important…water.
But not only for the community garden, but for the nearby bbq area. As we work at the garden we often pass by the bbq and recreational area nearby. It's often left dirty and I didn’t blame the users - I blamed the lack of water! I want this area to achieve its full potential, and I must admit, I felt that this lack of water greatly undermined this goal! Many parents and park-goers share similar sentiments....
Yes, this having a water connection here would be a benefit to the garden and our volunteers, but this would serve the wider community!
A tap (and/or drinking fountain) at this site would:
💧Give drinking water to all park users
💧Give drinking water to dogs
💧Allow bbq users, park users, and community garden users to wash their hands
💧Provide hygiene and safety (treat oil burns from the bbq!)
💧Help keep the area tidy
So many other parks, bbq areas and recreational areas around Holdfast have them - so why not Bowker Oval??
The Council came to our rescue…!
We contacted our local members (special shout out to Councillors Jane Mary Fleming and Clare Lindop who met with us for a chat about this). Within the blink of an eye Council unanimously agreed to install a tap for public use near the bbq and also install water for the garden!! Such an amazing outcome and we are very thankful. 🌼🌿
Hügelkulture - It’s the technique we will be using in our raised garden beds.
This technique is essentially the practice of placing larger pieces of wood on the bottom of the bed or in a ditch and covering with soil/compost to attract microbes which will eventually break down the wood, increase soil fertility and help to store water. This approach also saves money on purchasing expensive soils and will be an educational point of interest for the garden, especially for those who can't afford the setup costs of wicking beds. We will be documenting the process as our sponsors SA Composters would like to promote the idea too.
Here are some photos that help explain the technique:
General Membership is open for business
You can apply for a general membership via our website www.northbrightoncg.com/membership or in-person (at the next working bee).
Working bees galore
Here’s some photos from our working bees over the past two months:
Dates for your diaries
(Key ones are 7th and 11th of September!)
Well…
That might just be it for now. We have some exciting stuff coming up (in the way of individual plot allocation, an official open day and more events) so stay tuned.
Thank you for all your support!
