In the last garden session of the year in December, our volunteers at Miller Fold Allotment pruned our grape vine which had happily sprawled across half the polytunnel during the growing season. Grape vines are best pruned around the winter solstice as their sap starts to rise early in the spring and thinning them out means there’s more grapes to enjoy the year after! This marked a ‘putting to bed’ of the garden after a busy year of planting, growing and harvesting and clearing at Miller Fold Community Allotment over the past year.
Last January the garden was looking slightly dog-eared and unkept but since then the community gardeners have worked hard to create a productive, functioning hub for local food growing and events. We’ve cleaned, cleared and planted the polytunnel, cleared paths, repaired the water butts, installed hedgehog and toad houses, painted the noticeboard, pruned currant bushes, made a new sign for the garden, and started remodelling the bird feeder. In the past year we have grown broad beans, lettuce, peas, rocket, sprouts, cabbage, runner beans, carrots, radishes, dill, parsley, tomatoes, chard, spinach and coriander, and harvested apples, blueberries, plums, strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries. We’ve also run sessions making bird feeders, apple juice using local apples, and willow weaving!
Projects for the new year include creating a willow sculpture, revamping our bug hotel, pruning the apple trees and prepping the beds ready for another full-on year. We’re in the garden almost every Tuesday morning from 10am till 1pm. Feel free to join us for a session, or pop in and say hello on your way past. We’re a friendly bunch and always happy to have a chat over a brew and a biscuit.