Blossom, buds and bees

Today's working bee was a joyous celebration for these inconspicuous seedlings. We worked for three hours preparing and sharing and learning and gifting, to make the earth just right for their arrival.

We brought straw bales.

We brought new soil.

We brought creativity

and danger.

We made connections.

We sang songs.

We showed off.

We made friends.

We laughed.

We loved.

We brought gifts to share.

We shared.

We were generous.

We rested.

We welcomed the seedlings into our family and were welcomed, lovingly, in return.

Collective effort (November working bee)

Our November working bee at Albert Street garden began with a look at what the free food stand had on offer. Emily introduces a visitor to the concept.

There were purple Congo spuds, last season Harcourt apples and broadbeans for starters.

Jono and Liv got into the veg-digging spirit of the day.

Nikki and Kai's grandma pulled weeds together.

Alison signed an Australian Food Sovereignty petition.

Ash (from above), Kai and Tom (below) set a compost,

and later Dora joined Alison in one of the central beds.

Meg explained a thing or two to Kai,

while Woody cut back the fever few.

Tom watered the garden, and over the next couple of hot weeks watered in the new seedlings each day.

Meg pondered between jobs.

and Ash took a break with a book.

Kirsten stopped just long enough to snap this,

and we all said farewell for another month. Bye Zero!

Next working bee is on again this Saturday, Dec 9. It runs from 9am - 12 noon at the Albert St garden (beside the library). All are welcome for as little or as much time as you can spare. It would be great to see you, and please bring spare seedlings of all kinds. We especially need to get some tomatoes and basil in the ground.

Splendid October Albert Street session

A perfect morning for work in an exploding garden… ongoing thinning / weeding / planting, and distributing the mature and worm-rich mulch from the composting bays...

October gardeners and visitors: Cameron, Tim, Tracy, Ian, Jason with Sage, Wren and Nia, Lindy with Ginger, Violet and Alice, Alexis, Tia and Jeremy with Jasper and Arden, Mara, Christine, Jeff with Zuri, Phoenix, Atlas and Hartly, Maureen, Stephen, Dora, Patrick and Meg with Woody, Shelley with James and Skylar, Alison…

Random pics of morning's activities...

Compost bays at the start of the day

In the jungle: Cam, Tim, Tracy, Lindy

Building up a sweat as the day heats up

Mara, Maureen, Tracy

Jeff, Atlas, Dora

Sage and Jason

Dora, Tracy, Maureen, Stephen

Gardener Tim

Alexis

Patrick, Lindy

Alice, Ginger, Violet

Jeremy (foreground), Cam, Patrick, Alexis

Cam, Alexis

Compost bays at the end of the day

Calendula collection gang: Dora, Maureen, Tia, Tracey

A bag of sunshine.

NEXT BEE: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14

September Albert Street bee

September gardeners: Fiona R, Shelley with James & Skyla, Lindy with Alice, Ginger & Violet, Tim, Lena, Dora, Christina, Fiona P with Luna & Fab, Cameron, Ian...

A group of dedicated gardeners (known & new faces, young & old souls) spent the morning on hands & knees combing through swathes of prolific plants, thinning & weeding (& chatting), the pickings being collected & added to the open compost bays down the back.

Your documenter spent the morning down amongst the foliage, & took just one photo as we were finishing up... for the historical record. (Apologies to those who had left by then... we'll catch you at future bees!)

Community gardeners : 12 September 2015 : Albert Street Daylesford

November Bee

Over fifty people turned up to this month's working bee and Harvest Swapmeet. A beautiful spring day and plenty of love...

This is what we got up to at Albert St garden:

And then a few of us took off to Rea Lands Park to spread lucerne and plant pumpkins under the fruit and nut trees: