Ac Baker

We had one of those glorious late winter days here today, which feel like early Spring. Everyone's Spring crocuses are at their peak, alongside late snowdrops and early daffodils.  Fat bumblebees are out browsing the flowers.

Also, the goosegrass (cleavers) is starting to grow quickly. So, as this is a reasonable indication that the soil is warming up, I sowed saved parsnip seeds.  I'd had cloches in place for a week or two to help warm the soil ready.

I also did the sad task of rubbing the blossom buds off the small pear trees with the pear midge problem.  Over the past three days, I've used salvaged heavy black plastic sheeting to mulch under those pear tree canopy areas too.  So we have a chance of containing this outbreak, as long as the new generation of midges can't fly far enough to infest another tree.

My early potato tubers are chitting faster than I expected.  I had been planning to plant them quite late (late April) as they seem to like slightly warmer conditions.  But they may be too far ahead to wait that long.

Here are some of those purple crocuses, although the camera doesn't catch the "bee purple" glow the eye sees.

Riona Abhainn wrote:Took a look at the website, looks like a cool idea.  Nothing in my area yet, but things take time to spread, so I understand.  I think this has a lot of potential to grow and become popular though!

I agree.  We are currently doing very limited sharing food surpluses, between keen gardeners and our neighbours, and through the local Black-led Mutual Aid. But we know there is much more scope to get gardeners, people with gardens, and food-insecure and local produce appreciating neighbours involved.

Impressive work!  We are just finishing off coppicing our hazel.

Those alder hemispheres are beautiful, and interesting.

I also lean towards village-size communities being an important scale in permanent culture.

I grew up in the same village of c. 400 people that my father and his mother had grown up in.

There was scope for people and families who wanted to be more separate and "self-reliant" to be more loosely associated with the village.

But when there was a crisis, people had long-standing relationships to lean into for collective survival and problem-solving too.

A village can be stewards for a varied landscape of a thousand or more hectares.

Villages also have relationships with other neighbourung villages, which are also richer and more resilient than even a multi generational single family unit.

Robin Wall Kimmerer passes on, in her book "The Serviceberry", that all flourishing is mutual.  We flourish in relationships with the whole biosphere.

Yes! We have two key holders now!! So communication in the group is growing.

Here in central England, winter still feels in full swing: wintery showers forecast today, and chilly sun tomorrow.

Time to do the last of the winter jobs like sheet mulching new growing areas, pruning, coppicing, setting up supports for climbing fruit, transplanting dormant shrubs etc.

Our delicious hybrid currant (Ben Sarek) / green gooseberries (known as Nancyberries here!) are already showing green on their leaf buds.

I've also been setting up for sowing Spring crops: putting up cloches to speed up the soil's Spring drying & warming cycle.  These last few years we've lost quite a lot of seeds I've over-enthusiastically sowed in soil staying damper & colder for longer than I'm used to.

One of our gardening neighbours unexpectedly voiced support for our low-dig methods this winter, admitting they'd seen how terrible soil erosion can become.  This is someone who only recently gave up growing annual veg through digging extensively ..

One step at a time.

Thank you. We've put articles in local newsletters: the Neighbourhood Forum, the Residents Association, and the Parish newsletter too, so far.  Lots of support, but only half-a-dozen people making return visits to do gardening so far.

But we're only just coming out of the least inspiring time in the garden, unless you're already fascinated like us .. !!

Onwards!

Sadly, Cristina Crossingham passed away in 2016: https://simshill.co.uk/2016/12/09/sims-hill-mourns-the-passing-of-long-time-supporter-and-bristol-gardener-cristina-crossingham/

Their Website was updated in 2023: http://eastoncommunitygarden.org.uk/planting-plans-info/

Gorgeous, thank you.  We have a long way to go, but that's very inspiring.