So our Community Garden project is finally under way!
13/03/2012
Today a fantastic group of volunteers from BTCV and their community project officer Sarah Learoyd arrived bright and early for a hard day’s work. Everyone seemed excited to be involved in such a transformation. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has already lent a hand in the garden over the last two years, and all those who are helping at the moment and will be over the14 month period that BTCV will kindly be working with us. Without a doubt the community garden project would not be possible without all of these wonderful people. To learn more about BTCV and the valuable work that they do see here: BTCV Leeds (and come and visit their stall at our May Day event).
Today’s jobs involved site clearance and general tidying up, digging over vegetable beds, filling in old beds and planting lots of seeds in our newly cleaned greenhouses.
We’ve also had some handymen in today from Leeds City Council to complete the huge job of removing the tarmac, flattening the land down and preparing it for new turf to be laid. We are delighted with this, thanks a million to Julie Meakin and those at LCC who made it happen.
15/03/2012
And we have some lovely new grass! The garden is already taking shape and looking great.
20/03/2012
Today we were lucky enough to have two groups of BTCV volunteers in the garden, the Green Gym and a diploma group so there was lots of work to do; planting seeds and bulbs, moving the shed and the greenhouses, digging out vegetable beds and planting out. There was also some bursts of sunshine which brightened up the day.
Keep your eyes peeled in the next few weeks as an interview with Sarah Learoyd (BTCV’s Community Project Officer) is on its way…
27/03/2012
Today was scorching and even saw some new volunteers get involved in the Green Gym group which is fantastic. The area of the garden which they have been working on (which you can see in the photograph) has already come on leaps and bounds which is amazing considering this is only the third week which we’ve had BTCV helping in the garden. Jobs involved digging over new beds, potting up more seeds weeding and re-potting the plants on the terrace, watering, planting out, re-turfing and clearing the terrace.
The BTCV diploma group also set to work on a low willow fence today to separate the allotment, perfume and mosaic gardens from the main grassed area. Doesn’t it look ace!
03/04/2012
Despite the april showers, we still had a hardy group of green gym helpers in the garden today beginning work on a wildflower meadow. Jobs included digging out turf to create the meadow, filling in old beds, weeding vegetable beds, planting broad beans and watering and planting seeds. What troopers.
10/04/2012
Things were abit quieter in the garden today so thank you to those who helped out for their extra hard work marking and digging out what will be the beautiful wildflower meadow, potting on pea and pumpkin seedlings and weeding all of our vegetable beds…pats on the back all round.
We also had some wonderful news this week that we have been awarded £1000 from the Leeds Rag Community Fund to spend on disabled access in our garden, allowing many more people to access, volunteer in and enjoy this great space. We are collecting the cheque on the 26th April and are currently in the process of getting quotations for a ramp from the side gate so we will keep you posted.
17/04/2012
Today started off awfully grey and miserable but bizarrely as soon as BTCV arrived along with their green-fingered volunteers the rain seemed to disappear and out came the sun and brighter skies. We all breathed a pretty big sigh of relief as it was looking like a very wet one. I think today was one of the busiest days in the garden since the community garden project started as there were nearly twenty people helping. It was also one of the busiest Tuesdays that we’ve had at Inkwell for a while with lots of creativity and ideas flowing with artists, Instrumental musicians, film directors, May Day planners and lots more.
Today’s jobs in the garden involved potting on lots of vegetable seedlings including beetroot, lettuce, radishes, broad beans, chard and peas (yum), digging over and prepared the ground for the wildflower meadow, digging over the flower beds and weeding the fruit plots. Along with tending to the growing seedlings (some of which you might even be able to buy on May Day).
We were also lucky enough to have the BTCV Diploma group of about eight people in on Monday and Tuesday this week, in which they sanded and painted the two sheds and garden furniture a very nice bottle green.
But we do still need you.
If you would like to help transform this neglected beer garden into one of the most creative gardens in the universe then please get in touch.
There are a wide range of jobs to do so don’t worry if the thought of heavy lifting is putting you off as you won’t need to do any of that, we hope that there is something for everyone and lots of new skills to be learnt. As well as getting some lovely fresh air, meeting great new people and doing something very worthwhile – every Tuesday 10-3pm or any point inbetween, at Inkwell (31 Potternewton Lane, Leeds, LS7 3LW). We’d love to have you onboard.
