March 12, 2017 Working Bee

Our first wet and raining working bee since August 2014 - not a bad record!

The tasks to do and the wheelbarrows were ready and waiting...

The flowering Jerusalem Artichokes provided a beautiful backdrop.

They're almost ready for harvesting.

 Their leaves are long and slender...

 As opposed to the leaves of the Yacon leaves that are furrier and more heart shaped (for those who get confused between the two plants as I do).

Bev and Sarah planning how to protect the remaining corn - a thief stole 40 cobs on Tuesday - that's commercial grade theft! How selfish some people are...

 Katya, her daughter Ella, and her Mum Kathryn - a family affair! Weeding the spinach.

 The powerhouse. John and Nigel turn the wet and heavy compost.

The food foresters!

 Mort with a load of mulch for our magnificent food forest.

 Brendan part of the forest team.

 Jenni too...

 And all the gang loading up - Lucile, Karine, Mort and Brendan.

 New member Dave arrives and joins the mulching team.

 Abbie on the rake and spreading the mulch as it comes in - looking wet but fabulous!

 Karine brings in another barrow full. The rain had soaked both the ground and  cardboard well for the mulch to trap in all of the moisture. The silver lining in the deluge of rain!

 Meanwhile, the feijoa's are ripening nicely.

 Liz's garlic chives in the herb garden always look so upstanding and elegant.

 David tames the overgrown pathway.

 Jane and Allison weed the paths with a fine haul of Oxalis weeds.

 Bev and her team net the remaining corn in a bid to stop further predation.

 Benedicte with her 'sunhat' doubling up for rain duty.

 Trevor well soaked too!

 After about 11am the rain was so torrential that we all relocated to the shed...

 Wet art shot!

 Our rescued sunflowers that had been downed by the rain. One even has its own smiling face.

 Workers staying out of the rain. - rainy days are social days!

 And deciding on an early lunch...
from the time a decision was made to have an early lunch there was 50 mm of torrential rain in just over an hour!

 Meanwhile, Benjamin, Louise and Lucile don't mind the rain and made the most of the puddles.

Lisa and her son Max.

Happy Gardening!

Working Bee - Sunday 12th February, 2017

It was a welcomely overcast day for the working bee as a relief from the hot dry temperatures of late.

Trevor and John work on the compost. With only 2mm of rain so far in February, even the compost needs watering.

Jenni and Mike relocate the bagged noxious weeds out of the food forest to behind the leaf store.

Helen our Hugelkultur looking beautiful and at peace.

The fig tree is laden with fruit - YUM!

All hands to the wheelbarrows to mulch in the food forest. Jenni with a load.

Mike with another

Steph too

Benedicte and Timothe as well.

Riley hard at work...

Jenni and Steph spreading the mulch...

while Bev and Mort bringing in more.

And unloading.

What a team! Riley, Justin and Benjamin all helping to spread the mulch.

Karine unloads more for Justin, her son.

The food forest before the mulching and...

After. Great result!

  

Liz and Sarah tie up netting to protect the grapes from the birds.

Then they trim the lavender hedge.

Sarah concentrating

And Liz doubtful of my photographic skills - and rightly so!

The passionfruit have set well.

Jan enjoying the garden.

Louise, Lucile and Caitlin with a Monarch.

The Monarch loving Caitlin's pink gloves!

Carla and Caitlin (her daughter) weeding together.

Jane weeds the corn.

And Cathy too.

Meanwhile, Trevor and John move on to opening up the tree canopy in the food forest.

Rosie deals with some noxious weeds from the front garden.

and Rose has a bundle of her weeded convolvulus.

Marita with her self-seeded Scarlet runner bean.

And a big Welcome to new allotment holders, David and his son Sam.

It's wonderful to see so many bikes and active transport options at the garden.

Louise, Lucile and Caitlin display their artwork. Superb!

Today's produce. 11kg of Rhubarb = 3 stalks each. Delicious.

Plums both Luisa and Red.

There has been around 120kg of plums in total, harvested this year.

And thanks too to Sinead at the Grey Lynn Farmers market. While Dimitri and Elli with Catherine and Birthe staffed our stand at the Alberton market day today. All selling our organic produce from the gardens to keep us financially afloat. All the work done at the Sanctuary is 100% voluntary and no one is in a paid position so we rely heavily on our fundraising activities.

Happy Gardening!