by Derek Smith
The apple tree, given to us by the Irish pensioners, is in bloom. Quite shockingly so, as April is the month for apple blossom. This is five months on. Though, September is very like April in terms of temperatures and day-length. It seems the tree has picked up on these signals, perhaps enhanced by the dryness back in April. It …
There’s a plant sale on, and we are doing well as I arrive. By the time I leave there’s not much left to sell which is the aim. The tables are outside the garden, and there’s three or four volunteers chatting and selling plants. I wander into the garden; it’s pretty busy. Children playing with Lego, the mud kitchen is …
We had a lot of rain yesterday. It started in the early morning. I can’t say when. I popped into the garden at 7.30 am, holding my umbrella. I had one task and that was to see the rain gauge. It registered 10 mm, a satisfying amount after a very dry month. Just 4 mm in total before this, which …
So little rain this month. All our rain barrels are empty. Our sole source of water is our tap on the standpipe. I have been keeping track of rainfall with our rain gauge, hardly arduous this month. Throughout August, we have had 4mm of rain, while the average rainfall in London for August is 48mm. This is drought. Farmers are …
A coolish day, somewhat surprising, after the hot days, with the temperature creeping up to the low 20s while I am in the garden this morning. But it remains dry. Two days ago we had 3mm of rain which gives us 4mm this month, which is a paucity when August’s average in London is 48mm. Many of our plants are …
There’s a sprig of wheat in the wildflower bed, quite short as the bed is dry. It has sprouted from bird seed. There’s a bird feeder over the bed, and birds are quite messy eaters, and seeds drop to the ground and some sprout. I first noticed this when I did the Cereal Project in 2020. We grew a variety …
There were six ripening walnuts on the walnut tree, almost occluded by the buddleia. Now there are none. I suspect squirrels have gathered them, as they were too big for birds, the size of ping-pong balls. I find one on the ground, just one. I decide to cut it up to see how much the nut has developed. I slice …
The wild flower bed is past its best but we still have California poppies, wild carrot, hedge mustard, corn marigold, flax, purple poppy, white campion, cornflower, borage and teasel. The most prominent is the wild carrot, its flowers somewhat like cow parsley, but when they go to seed, they curl into green, miniature birds nest type structures. It’s the first …
Yesterday was the garden’s AGM. We looked back on the year’s achievements. These included: – Increased footfall from 4546 to 5758 over the year. – Completion of our all-weather shelter, and a side door in the container. – Two solar panels on the container which we use for lighting and hot drinks. – Regular income from plant sales. – The …
In the early hours of Monday (7 July) through to 8am, we had 21 mm of rain as measured on our rain gauge. The average for July is 41 mm; so that’s half a month’s rain in one day day. It gave the ground a good soaking. I examined the earth with a trowel and the rain had soaked down …
