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

February working bee: a hot summer's day

The prospect of yet another 38°+ day kept the numbers down for our February working bee. The plan was primarily to get the garden mulched and thoroughly watered. Dora came early to avoid the heat, and was joined by Tony, Anita, Luke and Kate, with Edie and Isla, Jeff with Beatrice, and Ian.

Despite what is now an extended heatwave – with the average temperature since mid-January around 34-35° and very low rainfall – the garden is looking in remarkably good shape and in fact quite beautiful… huge thank-you's to all the volunteer waterers. Toward the end of the morning Jo showed up as did Yael with Akira and Essie, bringing some produce to share. Also Rebecca, a grateful user of the garden, who harvested some snow peas, chives, a few cherry tomatoes, broccoli and kale…

Below: the morning and the garden in pictures. (Next working bee: Saturday 8 March)

Albert Street January working bee: after the break and in advance of the heat

 

An unhurried and relaxed turn-out for the first working bee of the new year… Lena, Tony, Jo, Alison, Ruby, Pete, Vaughan, Anita, Ian, Dora, Luke, Kate, Yael & Matt (with Akira & Essie) gathered at Albert Street.

Some people are still away, others have just returned from a break. There was a general noting and nodding agreement that the garden was in fact looking pretty good! …all that was needed was some tidying up, edging, a little weeding, some mulching, compost-turning (special thanks to Vaughan who put in a solid session at the compost) and a very conscientious watering ahead of the upcoming 27-35-39-38-40-36-24 degree week. Other than the maintenance, some home-grown capsicum seedlings brought along by Dora were happily accommodated. It was also generally and pleasingly noted that produce is being progressively harvested and there is little evidence of any wastage.

The morning saw a lot of chatting, many exchanges, greetings and discussions. Apart from general news and specific gardening talk, Rae Lands Park was raised in quite a few conversations with there being a general resolution to bring more attention and resources to that arm of the Community Garden project this year. Note: there will be a Rae Lands pictorial update posted in the next few days.

Meanwhile… some garden details …

(there are tiny mulberries in there....) 

(disappearing leeks and expanding cabbages)

(this broccoli has been steadily harvested)

… some activity views …

Anita

Tony

Anita again

Pete, Lena, Vaughan, Matt with Essie

… and lots of chatting!

Vaughan, Lena, Tony, Jo, Ruby, Alison

Vaughan (at work), Lena, Matt, Akira, Pete, Anita

Jo, Luke, Tony

Luke, Pete, Kate, Jo (behind Tony), Yael

At the end of the morning Yael shared some wonderful broccoli from a particular household garden in Perrin's Lane…

... later in the day it found its way into a rather tasty pasta that was part of the meal a few of us all shared at an evening picnic by Lake Daylesford.