Transition Town Tooting

Tag: Young People

  • A Tale of Leaves, Compost and more – Sunday in the Community Garden

    Jenny and Rose hatched a plan to do a group effort on our leaves and compost: shift the heaps around, do some finicky work and try out ideas and new skills too.
    We did other jobs too – many thanks to all, and to Steph for cake. 
    However for photographing I was enchanted by just one story…..

        

    1 raking the leaves


    Once upon a time….
    
    18 people came along to the Garden.

    There was with an age difference of well over 60 years from youngest to oldest.


     
    

    2 making the rings
    of wire mesh


    
    

    3 weaving in sticks
    to hold it all together

    

    

    4 admiring the tower!
    5 adding the leaves










    Meanwhile, back at the compost heaps:
     
    All the separate bins were being sorted
    We were definitely doing things we’d never done before… 
     

    

    carefully removing
    ground elder roots
    older finished compost
    was put out on the beds








    And in another part of the garden, all was peaceful…

    It was a great couple of hours, and it’s not an urban fairytale:
    the story will be continued….
     
    All welcome to the Community Garden any Sunday 1100-1300
    We’re at 5 North Drive, SW16 1RN
    Notices and news on Facebook / Tooting Community Garden
    twitter: @TTTGarden

  • Young people volunteering at the Tooting Community Garden, Sunday 8th Sept

    Thanks a lot to the young people who came along to the garden for four and a half hours, in rain and sun (they are taking part in a Challenge Network programme).
    What did we do?
    The young people selected from a set of helpful jobs in the garden:

    > They ground our bread wheat into flour
    They used creative ways to thresh the wheat (to separate the seeds from the heads); and to winnow it (getting rid of the chaff mixed in with the wheat kernels). Then they milled it into flour. (Come to the Tooting Foodival and you can try Tooting Sourdough bread made with this flour by Furzedown’s Naked Loaf)

    Or: gently treading on the heads

    Bashing the seed heads against the wall

    

    Milling the wheat into flour

    

    Blowing the chaff away
    > They saved home-grown sunflower seeds to sow next year
    > They picked a lot of brambles for the Tooting Foodival
    > They cleared up rubbish out in the entrance to the Garden
    > They prepared a plot and then sowed ‘green manure’ seed
    > They made a series of plant prints for us to use as posters:
     
    Pleased with a full-size print of a sweet corn plant
     
    The day – like any day in the Community Garden – was not only about doing tasks. We looked at what’s growing, tried radishes and rocket, chatted together, sheltered under the holm oak for lunch, experienced of being outdoors all day. And the group prepared a bit more for the one-day project they have designed, which takes place on 21st September on Tooting Common – more info to come on their Facebook page here.
     
    Many thanks to the other garden volunteers and families who came along yesterday, and to Adrian for the loan of the flour mill.
    It was a really good day!
     
    PS: in a fortnight, on Saturday 21st Sept from 11:00-3:00, the Community Garden will be open as part of the London-wide Edible Gardens Open Day. More info to come.