The community garden was a hive of activity this autumn. The weather might be getting colder but our volunteers, community groups and gardening club members have been braving the weather to take part in some exciting activities and projects.
In October we had fun sessions celebrating the beauty of nature with our community groups. We harvested the last crops of the garden, had some great autumnal walks and enjoyed the vibrant colours of the season. Growild Outreach group created some great spider designs during a craft session, and Cando Cooperative Care were busy with clay crafts creating leaf prints- these colourful leaf decorations will be a lovely and cherished Christmas present for loved ones.
The garden provided some Halloween fun for families and children too. Our pumpkin carving session was a great success, and some really spooky lanterns were created. Many thanks to Tesco Wellingborough for donating the pumpkins for this activity. Not only were the children and parents creative with their designs, they also tried some easy recipes to reduce food waste and learn to be more sustainable. The pumpkin pancakes and toasted pumpkin seeds were very tasty indeed.
November brought some heavy skies and loads of rain, but fortunately all our scheduled events went ahead, with much needed sunshine during the activities. This month our community orchard project kept us busy. As well as tidying up the garden for winter, we learnt a new skill with our groups- we planted native fruit trees! This project is funded by the Crown Estate and we created the orchard with 12 trees next to our community garden. Fruit trees are excellent for providing nectar for insects, the fruits are food for birds and other wildlife, and they also provide food for the community. We are planning to use some of the crops for donating to charity, but also to deliver more cooking sessions for families and share easy recipes and create a more sustainable way of living. Bramley apple trees, Victoria Plum Trees and Pear trees were planted by Growild Outreach, Cando Care Cooperative CIC and our Gardening Club families. We learnt how to prepare, plant and protect the trees, and all participants liked to learn about the whole process-from digging a square hole to putting up and securing tree guards, there was something for everyone to do.
The groups also enjoyed planting some spring bulbs, to make the late winter days a bit more colourful next year.
There will be some exciting upcoming activities connected to the orchard project- birdfeeder making is planned in January, and bird box making in February half term for families and children. Find out more and book on to events here.
December might be a cold and dark time of the year, but it's also the festive season! We are very excited about our Christmas sessions for our community groups and gardening club members. Christmas wreath making, mince pies and mulled wine-or hot chocolate for the kids of course, will be all part of the end of year sessions. We will be also making some natural Christmas decorations, and we will be seeking shelter in the warmth of the Visitor Centre to do so. After the sessions we will brave the weather and put up our decorations at the garden area where we have a real xmas tree! Toasting marshmallows might be on the agenda too. Spaces are now available to book for the gardening club session in December on our website. Book here.
As we are heading up to finishing this year, I would like to say a huge thank you to all volunteers, community groups, families, supporting businesses and lovely staff members and colleagues for their continuous support with the garden project. This is an ongoing and ever expanding project and gives joy to so many people in the community. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to everyone who supported us so far, and as always, we would like to see even more community members and organisations being involved in the new year. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyous festive period.
