This second Working Party session started with a check on the compost. Lifting the lid revealed a wonderful steamy heap of decomposing vegetation – a big thank you for the know-how to Compost Works, a Fetcham based organisation promoting composting in Mole Valley. Give it a few months and we’ll be digging this into a vegetable bed or two.
The grass had grown a lot since our last working visit as the weather had been intermittently sunny and rainy in the meantime. We set to work mowing and strimming the grass and thinning the tree area to the rear of the site. All surplus vegetation was put to one side for composting. We wouldn’t have time to shred the shrubs and branches today and we had been eloquently told by Compost Works of the folly of composting grass alone! Off to B&Q (thankfully a quick walk from the site) to get some tarpaulins to keep the cuttings dry.
A mound of pea shingle had been put between the grass and the car parking area several years ago and the more robust weeds and coarse grass had taken up residence. Once cleansed this shingle can be put to good use elsewhere on the site, but meanwhile we have to clear it to a builder’s sack (or two as it happens) in a holding area. We debated whether this was just back-breaking work or good exercise, as it was possible to get a rhythmic routine. The differing opinions probably represented the glass half-full or half-empty rhetoric!
The growing area began to take shape and looks neat and tidy. Such was the effort being extended that some of the tools were giving up! The front of the site had what could loosely be called a flower bed against the wall – a bank of unretained soil with matted weeds. We had started cleaning this at the 1st working session and continued with this today. Our plan is to build a raised flower bed retained by new sleepers. We can picture this but it will take a serious amount of hard labour to achieve it.
Designing the garden including the beds layout is next on the list. So the site was meticulously measured. Oh for a square site! Never mind, if we measure some right angled lengths from the building or the fence this will help us double check our measurements….won’t it? Perhaps we should have done that garden design course first!!
We packed up in mid-afternoon suitably exercised and tired. Much progress had been made. The next working session is the following Saturday, but in between the Project Team will get together for another evening planning meeting.
The grass had grown a lot since our last working visit as the weather had been intermittently sunny and rainy in the meantime. We set to work mowing and strimming the grass and thinning the tree area to the rear of the site. All surplus vegetation was put to one side for composting. We wouldn’t have time to shred the shrubs and branches today and we had been eloquently told by Compost Works of the folly of composting grass alone! Off to B&Q (thankfully a quick walk from the site) to get some tarpaulins to keep the cuttings dry.
A mound of pea shingle had been put between the grass and the car parking area several years ago and the more robust weeds and coarse grass had taken up residence. Once cleansed this shingle can be put to good use elsewhere on the site, but meanwhile we have to clear it to a builder’s sack (or two as it happens) in a holding area. We debated whether this was just back-breaking work or good exercise, as it was possible to get a rhythmic routine. The differing opinions probably represented the glass half-full or half-empty rhetoric!
The growing area began to take shape and looks neat and tidy. Such was the effort being extended that some of the tools were giving up! The front of the site had what could loosely be called a flower bed against the wall – a bank of unretained soil with matted weeds. We had started cleaning this at the 1st working session and continued with this today. Our plan is to build a raised flower bed retained by new sleepers. We can picture this but it will take a serious amount of hard labour to achieve it.
Designing the garden including the beds layout is next on the list. So the site was meticulously measured. Oh for a square site! Never mind, if we measure some right angled lengths from the building or the fence this will help us double check our measurements….won’t it? Perhaps we should have done that garden design course first!!
We packed up in mid-afternoon suitably exercised and tired. Much progress had been made. The next working session is the following Saturday, but in between the Project Team will get together for another evening planning meeting.
