Another Sunday - another (mostly) fine day for our community working bee. Good to see the collection of bicycles as allotment holders use active transport to travel to the gardens.
The noticboard lists the tasks for us to choose from, with everyone's favourite - Eat Lunch - to end with.
Preparing the cardboard boxes for use as a barrier under the mulch layer. All of the plastic tape is removed as they are flattened.
Meanwhile, out in the garden Sarah, Jackie, Ann, Christine, Carla, Caitlin, Corinne and Mike clear the communal beds for the Autumnal rotation planting.
Sinead checks in with Sarah after completing her stint at the Grey Lynn Farmers market, selling our wares to bolster our allotment funds.
Richards workshop on 'sheet mulching' being put into practice.
The continual supply of beautiful compost is a workout for those who enjoy the physical challenge. Nigel and Ian are up to the task.
Ian empties the bay ready to start the new compost pile.
Nigel standing by to start the fresh pile.
Our charming young gardeners Caitlin, Timothe at the back, Lucile, Louise, and Tegan.
Fiona and Kira (a student at Unitec) weeding the peas.
Sarah, Sinead, Fiona and Kira.
The rotted down noxious weeds are emptied from the plastic bags and form a layer in the new compost pile. Only 5 weeks of 'cooking' in the bags which were placed on top of a compost pile has rendered the noxious weeds ready to use as a valuable compost ingredient. Hooray!
Adding a layer of brown (carbon) in the form of the well wetted, prepared cardboard boxes.
Meanwhile, John builds a sturdy frame for the next planting of sweet peas. They are not only delightfully attractive, deliciously scented but also one of best earners at the Grey Lynn Farmers market. Hooray again!
Bev, as usual, tries to dodge the paparazzi.
Shonagh came by to tidy up her plot before it's passed on to the next lucky person on the allotment wait list. Luckily for us, Shonagh will stay part of our community as a volunteer and work in the communal areas as time permits.
David has been opening up the road frontage to allow more light onto the side plots and is mulching the rare plants there.
Sarah weeds around the bins.
The working bee in full swing.
Bev and Trevor's son Karl, puts in the posts for some more signs.
Weeding the asparagus beds are Benedicte, Carla, Karine with Timothe and Caitlin.
Always plenty to do in the food forest.
Clare goes to get another load of mulch in the "food forest".
Mountain Pawpaw.
Tamarillo.
Some of our new signage.
Corrine mulching the "food forest".
Pete mulching too.
And everyone's favourite - Lunch!
We shared out the feijoas, french dwarf beans, almonds, and rhubarb.
At our next working bee, we will be having a big push in the 'food forest' and we will be harvesting the Kumara and pumpkins - see you there.
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