As the days shortened and the cold weather set in it’s easy to think that the pace of activity slowed down at the Greenhouse Project. However, nothing could be further from the truth, if anything it ramped up. The inside pond and our kettles may have frozen, and the rain may have refilled the water storage tanks, but our amazing volunteers have been undeterred. The winter months have been all about preparation and planning for the year ahead both inside and out.
The Greenhouse Diaries - A winter update
Credit A.J Critch Wildlife
Frozen kettles and a busy Winter at the Greenhouses. Lynne Goodacre provides us with an update.
Lynne Goodacre
Inside the greenhouses crops such as onions, garlic, kale, broad beans have been sown, and Pak Choi and mustard leaves are now ready to harvest. The heritage fruit trees, planted last January, have had their first prune to ensure they continue to grow as espalier trees along the wall. We are looking forward to them bursting into blossom very soon. We also have a wide range of fruit bushes growing outside, including raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and jostaberries and these have all had their annual prune.
Our friends from the Green Gym have been helping us to build support structures for some of the fruit trees inside and with the annual task of cleaning off all the moss and debris that accumulates on the outside glass roofs. Another large delivery of compost has been used to prepare the raised beds ready for planting.
Lynne Goodacre
Volunteers in the workshop have been constructing new shelving and storage units for our tools, making new signage and chopping kindling wood and seasoned logs for sale. The income from the kindling and logs supports our work.
Many visitors are impressed by what’s happening inside the greenhouses but over the last few months a great deal of work has happened in the outside areas. If you’ve visited Witton Park recently you may have noticed that a lot of woodland management work has taken place. This has generated a massive amount of bark chippings some of which has been used to mulch all the outside areas and paths. A new seating area and wildlife habitat has been created in the forest garden and the beds between the greenhouses prepared ready for planting. So, next time you visit us make sure you check out the outside areas as well as the greenhouses.
This is only a snapshot of all the hard work that has been going on over the last few months. More to come in the Spring.
