Skate Park Family Picnic Sunday 30 March Stanbridge Street

Grab the picnic rug, bring some lunch and come on down to the Daylesford Community Park – AKA the Skate Park and Playground – from 12–3pm next Sunday 30 March for a picnic and family gathering.

Starting next week, the Daylesford Community Park Working Group are inviting families and gardeners to meet at the Stanbridge Street park on the last Sunday of the month. It's a chance to catch up, play and energise the playground.

It's been decades in the making and it has some way to go to being a truly nurturing play space for our children. A huge thank you to those who worked so hard to get it to this stage. A fantastic vegie garden and orchard has already been planted, and a few shade trees need some tender loving care. If you're feeling energetic, bring a shovel or a garden hose and we can see what needs doing to help along the plantings.

First family gathering: this Sunday 30 March 12–3pm
Next 2 gatherings: Sunday 27 April 12–3pm / Sunday 25 May 12–3pm

We hope see you there!

Jen, Donna, Fiona, George and Jodie

Chilling out in autumn: March working bee

We had a warm & clear late summer/early autumn day for our March working bee… Pete, Luke & Kate with Edie and Isla came early to water and turn the compost. Over the course of the morning they were followed by Dora, Tia & Jeremy with Jasper & Arden, Sam & Saaci, Ian, Lindy with Ginger & Alice, Sarah, Simone with Smooch, Louise, Tony, Matt & Yael with Essie, Akira & Dante, Tom, Jo, Joy, Laurell, and Pete (the second!)… 25+ gardeners in all had a busy morning! and Tom provided a live soundtrack.

With the warm weather and regular watering the garden is looking bountiful… corn, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, strawberries, pumpkin, lettuce, cabbages, potatoes, leeks and numerous greens and herbs are at various stages of fruiting, flowering, flourishing and being progressively harvested. Many of the beds are so dense & luxuriant there are few 'weeds' to speak of and those that are there are hard to see.

The morning's main activities were to untangle, thin out, lift and stake some large & over-crowded tomato plants; to remove a few other plants, mainly brassicas, that had completed their natural cycles… these were added to the compost; to generally tend the beds and edges and thoroughly water. Coriander, rocket and parsley seeds, and some sunflower seedlings were sown/planted where spots could be found… The swap meet fluctuated in size over the morning with people trading various fruit, veggies and preserves from home, and with beans and tomatoes from Albert St being added.

There were lots of passer-bys looking in during the morning with Daylesford bursting at the seams on this ChillOut weekend.

Below: the morning in pictures, thanks to Tia & Jeremy!

Smooch oversees proceedings

Dora with produce, Tia with Arden

Jasper & Arden do some heavy lifting

Ian & Jeremy (a couple of stake-holders), Sam & Tony judging brassicas

Louise, Simone, Ian & Sam at work on the tomatoes

Akira, Essie & Matt shredding & mashing brassicas for the compost

Sarah & Lindy take a break, Tony & Pete get serious about hose fittings

Lindy & Alison  

Some swap meet produce

Tom & Tony compare notes

The music's nice but... will we ever go home (sigh) ?

Finally some post-bee views of the garden...

Next working bee — SATURDAY 12 APRIL — 10am