Hemlock Happenng 2011

DIG IN volunteers once again provided a fantastic information stall at the Hemlock Happening giving away approximately 100 plants to some of the hundreds of people who attended. Children and adults helped to create a wonderful well dressing made up of petals, seeds and pulses while talking to volunteers and Lauren about the project. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day and for all the hard work put ino making this a perfect opportunity to spread the word about DIG IN and growing your own food.

Dig In Local Food Project

I am just over a month in post and really enjoying my new role.

• Outreach sessions growing salad pots and cooking with allotment produce are planned with Stapleford Surestart, and I hope parents will be coming down to the Dig In site over the summer.

• I have met with the First Steps Project to explore how more people from the project can be supported into volunteering with Dig In. The first new volunteer will be visiting the site in May.

• I have been linking with local schools. I am supporting Foxwood school to plan their garden area and plan to support some sessions on site. I will support a visit to the site by Albany Infants in May. My next plan is to make links with Albany Junior.

• Links have been made with the new Framework "Access to Nature" project, and a session on site is planned for May.

• A group from Castle College will be volunteering on the site in May.
  

I am very keen to get local children involved in creating a beautiful new sign for the site. Watch this space....

Lauren
Dig In Project Worker

new dates for workshops 2011

Hello everyone, some DIG In workshops/activities have been arranged. Funding secured from Broxtowe Action Fund has allowed us to go ahead and repeat some well loved and well attended workshops. DIG IN AGM 23rd May 7 pm at the Carnegie Centre, Warren ave, Stapleford .This is an open meeting and welcomes people who want to know more about DIG IN or join the group. Please contact me for more information. Willow weaving 18th June 10-12 or 1-3-Come and learn the skills of weaving with willow and make a garden decoration to take home . Tutor Helen Domleo- booking essential . Bee Keeping 16th July 10-12 TBC. Look inside the Hives and learn about bee keeping. Tutor Lee Atkin. Booking essential . Pond Dipping-17th August 10-12 Learn about biodiversity and how to maintain a wildlife pond with Long Eaton nature society.Booking essential. All workshops are free and will be outdoors so wear sensible footwear and clothes. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please book via 07943700302 and leave your name and contact details.

Spring 2011

An awful lot has happened since last entry. Several of us visited the Summerwood allotment mainly to look at their compost toilets (very impressive) but also to just look at another site.
It was huge, had countless sheds & greenhouses, not one but 2 eco loos, a clay pizza oven, a bee hive and a very natural looking pond. One of the fun things was a bicycle powered apple press which we persuaded Kathy to have a go on.
We came away more inspired and more determined than ever to get an eco loo on site. If I can remember how to do it I may post some pictures.
The other really major thing is that we have secured some local food funding and got a project worker, Lauren Kinnersley, for the Dig for Life project. We are hopimg this will help us do all sorts of events and developments, particularly to draw in more people to Dig-In and build in some sustainability. Mary V

Dig In Pumpkin Festival 2010

Just back from a wonderful Pumpkin Festival at Dig In. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, and even luckier with the number of fantastically artistic people who volunteered to help us carve pumpkins to decorate the site and who cooked fabulous pumpkin-based food for the event. Dave, our pumpkin poet last year, visited us again to provide another brilliant poem, this one with its own dance, and Pulp Friction provided us with non-stop hot pumpkin soup.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered both beforehand and on the day - it made a huge difference to be able to spread the workload, and really helped our 149 visitors to have a great experience. Thank you also to the Groundwork team who added to the work of our regular groups to make the site look really spick and span on the day. And we mustn't forget those who entered the competitions, especially those who made the huge effort required to bring along their giant pumpkins.

Congratulations to our Prize Winner Mr. Fisher, with his 110kg monster pumpkin, and to Mr. Genivere who was a worthy runner up. Both gentlemen have generously donated their pumpkins and their seeds to us, so we look forward to giving these out next year and seeing what folk manage to grow from them!

Here are a few photos to give you a flavour of the event.

Pumpkin Fun for Albany Nursery

The morning and afternoon classes of Albany Nursery visiting Dig In today to have a look around the allotment and help us harvest our pumpkins, ready for our Pumpkin Festival on 30th October.

They had a wonderful time looking at the bee hive and the pond, testing out the different smells of the herbs and choosing pumpkins to lift. 

Then they discovered how big the biggest pumpkin ever grown was (currently 1725lbs and 5.15m in circumference), by standing in a circle the same size as the pumpkin's girth. After that, we weighed all the children, added the weights together and found that they would need 3 classes the size of the morning group to weigh the same as the record pumpkin, or 4.5 classes the size of the afternoon group (which had less pupils). We rounded off the visit with a taste of pumpkin pudding, which nearly everyone tried (even the adults!)

Thank you to the staff at the Nursery and all the parents, grandparents and carers who came down to make the visit possible. And a special thank you to our allotment neighbour who helped make the visit extra-special by showing the children their chickens and letting them help to feed them.

Capital One - September Volunteer Work Party

On Thursday 30th September, an intrepid band from Capital One came to Dig In to help us revamp the planting around the pond, and to do battle with the Horseradish Monster!

They worked with a will, digging out the worst of the weeds, planting up with new pond plants and wildflowers, and removing huge amounts of algae from the pond.

Horseradish removal showed what a brute this plant is. The roots of the plant are incredibly deep, and you need to wear safety goggles to avoid the juice from them going into your eyes, and waterproof gloves to protect you hands. The team ended up collecting 3 buckets full of horseradish root - if anyone wants fresh horseradish sauce, we can help!

The pond area now looks great, so many thanks to Capital One for all your efforts.