Planting here we come!

This is the last week at Windmill before the extended Easter break and we finally had the water supply restored! This meant that we could plant many types of seeds and bulbs which may have failed to germinate without the supply due to a lack of rain.

One feature that climate change models suggest will become more common is that rainfall will become less regular and more will fall in large storms, so we aim to collect as much of it as we can. It is ironic that this demonstration garden, which shows how to cope with such conditions, ran out of water so early in the season, but also understandable. We are set up to collect large amounts of rain water, with 2 water butts and a dip-barrel taking water off the toilet roof, and 3 water butts and a dip barrel taking water off the kitchen shelter roof. However, these weren't set up until December, and even with all the snow, we hardly collected any water. Tracey thinks that even if the set up had been put in place earlier, the area of roof-collection isn't as much as we need, so we will aim to collect from the roof of the shed (which will need modification) and the polytunnel, as well as any other surface we can use!

A few of the regulars had turned out in force to carry out the planting including Ellis, Alison, Tracey and Helen, and we were also joined by Jonathan.

Items which were planted included leeks in the raised bed, many different varieties of wildflower seed including giant sunflowers and also some sweet peas around the willow obelisk.

Leeks in one of the raised beds

This bare area is to become a beautiful flowery meadow - fingers crossed!

Fruit bushes now flourishing and have finally had a proper water!



Sweet peas to grow up the willow obelisk