Minutes from the Planting Planning Meeting of 15.3.23
1. Sowing and Planting Priorities for March
Home Sowing : Chris B has brought in all his seedlings – tomatoes, chillies, leeks and peppers. Angela has brought in dwarf runner beans. The beans will remain in the caravan until Martin has brought more manure for the hot boxes, and will then be transferred to the boxes. Chris’ plants will be transferred into the hot boxes immediately.
Chris B will take squash seeds to plant at home. Mike still has leeks at home, Pauline has cucumbers at home and Angela still has some Tendergreen beans at home. Broad beans and onions have been planted.
Tasks:
Beetroot needs sowing in multi cells in the bottom poly tunnel.
Brassicas need sowing thinly in seed trays.
We did not discuss peas/potatoes/chard/spinach or carrots. Any comments?
2. Plot Preparation
Tasks:
A2: Dig out garlic and move to where the other garlic is. Cover with cardboard where the leeks were.
B2: Take up brassicas. Move spring cabbage to a raised bed.
D : Mow the rye when the weather improves.
3. Top Polytunnel:
Needs flooding.
4. Strawberry bed/area immediately below fruit cage/upper fruit area : all need weeding.
NB Next meeting to discuss what we put in raised beds and top green house.
5. Events:
Mayday stall : has been booked. We will be selling plants on the stall and giving out leaflets about further crops for sale from the garden.
Tapton Lock Festival (9th September): Martin and Chris B will be present, aim to provide information on Inspire.
Staveley Canal Basin (24/25th June): stall (free) shared with Transition, provide information.
Chesterfield in Bloom (16th July) : maybe to provide a seed swap opportunity.
6. Funding: Mike has sucessfully approached Ron Mihaly for £200 for water pipes.
7. Rootstock: Has arrived and has been heeled in.
8. Wild Areas : Chris A is clearing brambles from this area – H asked how wild the bottom area was to be left? To ponder for the next meeting.
A Newt has bee seen in the pond.
A Newt has bee seen in the pond.
Next Meeting : 12.4.23
Minutes from the Planting Planning Meeting of 15.2.23
1. Sowing and Planting Priorities for February/March
Home Sowing : Mike has taken leeks, Chris B has taken leeks, chillis, tomatoes and peppers. Pauline volunteered to take cucumbers and Angela took dwarf beans.
Priority Planting at Inspire : Broad beans, beetroot, onions all to be planted into 6 cells and put in the top polytunnel.
NB Brassica sowing will be a priority at the next meeting.
2. Compost
Martin will buy one Silvergrow seed compost bag, the bulk order to be made with Wickes.
3. Plot Preparation in February/March
A1/A2 : chop phacelia down and put cardboard on top.
B1/B2 : take out brassicas, dig out bindweed, sow parsnips and garlic.
C1/C2 : weed
D : mow on high setting
4. Mayday stall, other public facing events
Mike will check the price of a stall and book one. Revolution House requests fall on Sundays so will not be taken up.
5. Potato Day : Inspire made £375 from the event. Annual costs are around £1,000 (insurance, compost, sundry pieces of equipment). We may make around £400 from the Mayday stall, leaving an estimated shortfall of around £200. Angela agreed to research Derbyshire County Councillors covering Inspire so Mike or Chris can approach them. Update : Councillors identified, and they have money!
6. Rootstock area : Martin has cleared brambles and will next plant potatoes.
Next meeting : 15.3.23
Minutes from the Planting Planning Meeting of 18.1.23
1. Seeds being sown at home/potatoes being chitted : Mike volunteered to take potatoes to chit, Chris B will take leeks/peppers/squash/chillies and tomatoes.
2. May Day stall : Agreed we should sell tomatoes, leeks, courgettes on the stall, and to produce a leaflet detailing plants that would be available for purchase from the garden in the next month. Mike and Pauline agreed to head up a small group to investigate the cost of securing a stall for the day. Rota of helpers to be sorted in due course.
3. Compost : Chris B will use his own compost to start off plants at home. Meanwhile, Martin will buy a peat- free bag from Wickes and The Range and bring them to the garden so we can assess quality before buying. We are likely to need at least 30 bags of compost.
4. Care and positioning of plants once brought to the garden : Martin will obtain 12 bags of horse manure to set up hot bags for the young plants, to guard against frost. The young plants will be started off in the top polytunnel until the end of March, then moved down to the bottom polytunnel.
5. Top polytunnel – by the end of February this needs to be weeded and cleaned. The compost currently in it then needs to be moved to the top greenhouse and the polytunnel flooded in preparation for planting. Summer planting will be (looking downhill) tomatoes on the right, dwarf beans on the left which will be picked early and replaced by salad crops.
6. Wilderness – leave, but keep on top of bindweed, teasels and brambles.
7. Potato day left over stock/ communicating with the general public : Chris B will discuss domain name/email address issue with Alastair after Potato Day. Currently, the general public has no way of contacting us.
8. How best to label – ongoing discussion!
9. Root stock : Martin would like to develop our own supply of fruit tree root stock.
Next Planting Planning meeting : 15.2.23