Mousehole Community Garden Update 2022
7 October 2024
In 2022 our Community Garden has been thriving. We have held weekly volunteer days throughout the summer where our regular team of volunteers help with planting, harvesting and weeding. At each volunteering session between 5-10 people come along to help in the garden; some are from the wider local community, and some are parents and children from the school community.
Our planting is all organic, on a no dig system, building fertility by adding organic matter. We are using this system as it is very sustainable & has a low impact. This year we have grown:
• Mixed salads/lettuce varieties (red mustard, mizuna, mibuna, green in snow)
• Courgettes, beetroots, spinach, carrots, rocket, broad beans, radish, tomatoes, chard, purple sprouting broccoli, potatoes
• Herbs – parsley (2 varieties) oregano, basil, sage, fennel, mints (2 varieties), marjoram, chives & dill
We have also planted a wild flower mix, & beneficial flowering plants to encourage bees & beneficial predators.
Throughout the spring and summer this year, volunteers have harvested the produce and sold this in the Solomon Browne Hall Farmers Market and in the local school, shops, cafes & restaurants. During the summer term on four occasions children (a total of 20) came down to the farmers market at the Solomon Browne Hall and sold the produce themselves. The children loved being part of the whole process from planting, growing, harvesting and selling. They also enjoyed talking to the customers at the market about this work.
From volunteering sessions to trading at the farmers market, this project is clearly succeeding at teaching skills and giving an appreciation and understanding of the food chain. It is also successful in providing opportunities for different generations to engage and build relationships.
Dax, the Community Garden project manager has also delivered two growing and sustainability workshops with Penlee Cluster schools (in partnership with Paul Church). There were 20 children in each workshop, using the Community Garden to learn more about how to grow food and live life in a more sustainable way.
Dax has also delivered several ‘Growing, Eating, Tasting’ workshops to primary school children (63 children in total). Using herbs and vegetables from the garden and polytunnel, the children were encouraged to explore new tastes and increase their knowledge of healthy food.
More recently, after the summer crop we have had two more volunteer sessions (12 volunteers attended each session), to make new beds in the polytunnel and lay compost. We are planning more volunteer sessions this winter planting fruit trees with families from the school community.By attending our events or hiring the hall you are helping to fund our community projects. If you would like to make a donation you can do so here.
