By Anna Sayburn
Water, water, everywhere - but not a drop in the water butts. One thing I'm learning as a novice gardener is that a bit of rain doesn't mean you can get away without watering. Although we'd had a steady drizzle overnight and earlier that morning, the beds were dry, the lettuce limp and the newly-planted onions gasping. The water butt gave a pathetic dribble that half-filled my watering can, then gave up.
Water, water, everywhere - but not a drop in the water butts. One thing I'm learning as a novice gardener is that a bit of rain doesn't mean you can get away without watering. Although we'd had a steady drizzle overnight and earlier that morning, the beds were dry, the lettuce limp and the newly-planted onions gasping. The water butt gave a pathetic dribble that half-filled my watering can, then gave up.
Volunteer Adrienne, who is more often to be found at the St John's garden, knew what to do. The staff at the nearby Secret Garden garden centre were happy for us to borrow a trolley, two big water containers and their hose. We filled up the containers and Adrienne heroically dragged the trolley up the hill to the Edible Garden, with me pushing from behind on the steep bits.
It's amazing how fast water goes when you have a thirsty garden to water. We prioritised the tomatoes, onions, courgettes and squashes. The squashes are amazing - bulbous yellow growths that spill out of the bed and across the paths, along with a riot of greenery. The courgettes and artichokes were looking spectacular, too.
Robert turned up with a massive crate, which will form the basis of our new compost heap. I'm beginning to get a sense of how sociable the network of gardens are - Robert described the launch of the Sensible Garden, with Captain Sensible himself and much support from the local pub. Adrienne talked about the barbecue at St John's last week, when the team enjoyed sitting out eating and drinking in the garden late into the night. As Robert said, it's not just about building gardens, it's about building communities. A good thought to end on, as I finished the watering and pulled on a pair of gloves to tackle the weeding.
It's amazing how fast water goes when you have a thirsty garden to water. We prioritised the tomatoes, onions, courgettes and squashes. The squashes are amazing - bulbous yellow growths that spill out of the bed and across the paths, along with a riot of greenery. The courgettes and artichokes were looking spectacular, too.
Robert turned up with a massive crate, which will form the basis of our new compost heap. I'm beginning to get a sense of how sociable the network of gardens are - Robert described the launch of the Sensible Garden, with Captain Sensible himself and much support from the local pub. Adrienne talked about the barbecue at St John's last week, when the team enjoyed sitting out eating and drinking in the garden late into the night. As Robert said, it's not just about building gardens, it's about building communities. A good thought to end on, as I finished the watering and pulled on a pair of gloves to tackle the weeding.
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