Spring and it feels a bit like a war zone in the community garden; slugs, snails, mice pheasant and pigeon all seem to have equal shares in our labours. We are trying various methods of control and trying to plant enough to lose a bit. After all, we all have to share the space. A last resort is to trap but my thoughtsare to encourage more predatory animals to the area to try and keep the numbers of pests down. Maybe a Barn Owl box set up in one end of the new shed? A hedgehog living under the shed would do their bit as well, so if you know of someone looking to find a home for an injured Hedgehog then look no further than our community garden.
Photos: Val H.
The weather hasn’t been kind and the Devon clay soil is taking an age to warm up. Some seeds don’t seem to mind it but others are just refusing to show their heads! A good crop of weed seedlings must be telling us that the soil is beginning to warm but the Parsnips do not agree. The biting wind too is having an effect on plant growth but we are optimistic that we can catch up soon.
There are always plenty of jobs to keep us busy and if you think you would like to join in then turn up on a Wednesday or a Friday or call us to arrange a visit.
Andrew Sanders, Community Garden Volunteer Coordinator