Garden Update 5 March 2014

Quite busy since last update in October. Needs must pay attention to DWP rulings which state that the unemployed claiming benefit should not work more than 16 hours per week on voluntary projects, which makes things a little hard and especially one is trying to forget one is unemployed and trying to keep the mind positively occupied

Having spend some time looking up information on permaculture and watching video offerings on the net – containers holding logs did seem to support the notion that wood core beds would be an effective method to feed and keep plants watered during the heat spells – yes you know we have them – 22 days last year without rain. One big tire filled with manure compost leaves and a large amount of log wood held a zuccini which continued to produce huge marrows and courgettes way past the first frost, so am happy to produce more of these tires. What will be interesting is not touching the original except of course for adding organic materials mulches over winter and the rest of the year

Other tire towers are being refreshed now – although the original intention was just to add organic mulch – however am delighted the decision was taken to add wood core because it seems that far too many have been sitting directly on a hard surface which does not allow worms to come and go freely. Bricks or stones were added to lift the tire, and to provide a chill out parlour for the worms - they do seem to enjoy various environments other than perpetually swimming through the soil :).

Manure (horse and cow gratis Pollock Park), autumn leaves salvaged from the garden, roads and parks (thanks to GHA and LES) wood and logs (thanks to Galgael, the Payback Team, George from Gumtree, and Anastasia and Richard who went out to George's place to pick up the sycamore logs three times bless them :) ) and garden soil layers to cover the wood and start the microbe break down.

We (including Josie, Stewart and David ) have been also busy emptying our some of the black boxes in order to :

• move the greenhouse and boxes around without pallet truck

• repeat the tire refresh wood core brick/stone worm chill out pad happy planting spaces to hopefully provide a site which does not require much watering over the heat phases (apart of course from when seedlings and plants have been moved and the vital connections lost - then of course watering is more often than not vital) while providing lots of nutrients / less disease or pest problems

Last year's bee garden was such a success but lots of crops were swamped by the phacelia - this year's challenge is to work out how to grow both happily together

Bio organics suggest that a healthy garden grows 60% compost material and 40% crop. Early tatties are in, seedlings are on the way and the wall flowers and crocus are blooming – the Canaria is about to start. A patch of leeks is coming along nicely and we are finding plants around the garden

Sadly the tree house was burned down last year - but Galgael are considering whether they might like to build us one - that is if the dad's don’t get together to build on. Galgael built us two Hugel beds – large beds with log core and manure and other organic matter to make raised mound into which we have already planted cuttings from soft fruit. Fruit trees have been surrounded with a mix of wood manure and ...? yes leaves - there has been a great supply of leaves this year and hoping for a great supply of grass clippings later. Trees in the outer garden have also been surround with wood core lasagne mix and have some fruit cuttings so that should be interesting

The Payback team came in for a brilliant week and helped tidy up, clear up, move the primary school tire beds space out from under the tree into what is now the fort. What a dirty task... but it is beginning to look great. Most of the tires have had the refresh treatment and hopefully the garden should be ready for planting up along with other tire projects when Ibrox Primary Eco Group come down to help next week

Ibrox Primary honoured us with their assistance in the Shearer Candle Bee Garden last Wednesday, planting out primroses and sowing phacelia and poppy seed all around . There are two new beds in the bee garden which were built by the Payback Team with wood donated by the Galgael, compost from Scottish Water, and organic & leaf material from Elder Farm :). Franki came in to give a hand in the bee garden and am quite sure that his good permi influence created the swales - yes the bee garden has swales – and they are slowly growing :)

There is a discussion going on about tires at the moment - some say that they are full of heavy metal which is in danger of leeching into the soil, some say that sampling has been taken and shows that tires do not leech into the soil. A few of the tires in the herb yin yang patch at the bottom of the garden has soil which has been there since 2010, which could be tested so that we can finally lay this to rest

Currently no one is dependant on food from garden to fill the pot. Mostly food is given to community dinners. So if consumed not much, however if contaminated we shall have to turn all tires over to growing food for pollinators which will surely be happier solution than sending them off to be burned or chopped up for mulches etc

Some ideas apart from growing flowers and plants are :

• bins - 3 or 4 in a tower lined with a bin liner

• dog poo bin - 3 or 4 combined with manure leaves and worms and a lid hoping the dog walking community will figure it out

• compost bin - plant material breaks down quickly

• cold frame effect - protecting new plants from chill and wind

• seedling protection - a collar over the seedlings may stop those pesky pigeons from feeding on the seedlings

Still no solution for the Community Trust

We sent out over 3000 of the survey and got over 1000 reposes ticking the eco community box

After this we were sent a copy of Lady Elder's original Conditions of Deed of Gift in which she states that the building should be used for toilets, storage and keepers residence so that help clarify the position. Sadly, since this information came out, members of the committee, previously so keen to communicate with the community seem to have dropped out, but these are hard times

Clearly we need to regroup and start raising funds. The car wash idea was a good start, and I am sure we can come up with a load more. There surely is no question of just sitting on our backsides with hands out and expecting the machine to pay. Where is the community pride or fun in that. So currently the plan is getting the garden ready for the event raising. Meanwhile there is concern that City Properties is not arranging for rainwater to be directed to mains instead of West Gable End. I have purchased a month's occupation of a mumble server for Elder Farm to discuss this and other issues. Anyone is welcome to use it to talk to friends and catch up. Mumble settings are Name of Server : Elder Farm, Address elderfarm.mumble.com and port number 9014. Currently only 15 members can use it at any one time although hundreds may register

If it turns out to be a success the site can be updated to allow more members to use it at once but so far we have not had any nibbles when inviting members to come and talk - Not surprising really – out of a global occupy hardly 25 members had time to manage mumble meetings – peoples lives are full especially city folk and families

There is talk of a garden for the Govan Fair up at Water Row

If community groups and members were to be invited to grow /donate plants, and to bring them up to the site by the end of Govan Fair weekend, might result in community actually working together on the design of the garden. Some tweaks can be added to ensure plants do not fail, and then with help from the Payback Team who will hopefully be free after the games, we can add compost from Scottish Water, wood from LES and or Galgael, perhaps a few tires and Govans got another bee garden :)