progress at the Pt Chevalier Dignan Street Community Garden in 2015

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One year ago, in 2014 the Old Homestead garden group took on another challenge, a half green at the Bowling Club, 25 Dignan Street. The soil test was acceptable and the first inputs were cardboard and mulch - approximately 400 squaremeters of double and triple layers of heavy duty cardboard was put down and 150 cubicmeters of mulch wheeled to the garden over the last 12 months.

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First gift, a pile of compost-soil mix from the bowling club ensured we have lots of kale and some pumpkins growing.

First fundraising achievement - a 5,500l Devan tank which we got for a very reasonable price as a second - it took almost a year to get it up and running, very time consuming and not a priority while kikuyu was the prevailing plant type.

Over time there was room for other small projects like

the compost bins built by Bex and Charlotte from recovered pallets

the banana circle dug out under Heidi's watch

a herb spiral created by Ally and Ellen

and of course we have lots of good times and food together

we also received a great opportunity to scavenge a house that eventually got demolished - thanks to Derek and Julie who got the ok from the then owner/landlord to take what we needed - and we did - fence parts, 50m guttering and downppes, pipes & hoses, taps, wood, balustrades, trellises, concrete pavers, bricks, ponga logs, shelving, rainwater bins, trees, plants, planters, .....

and a bit of help from corrections from time to time

Keith (and Niki) came across a redundant pergola and he gifted the garden not just the preloved pergola but donated all the material and time to put it up in the garden; the untreated timber fromHenderson Transfer station is now available for another project, possibly a greenhouse is next on the biggies' list

the 5500l tank put in place where water and connected by a large crew but engineered by Heidi, Logan and Walter, gutter put up with the help of Nick the greenkeeper of the bowling club, Ian and Charlotte; water logging is a key problem which we are still to resolve - more learning required to solve the water puzzle.

A further project, the pizza oven started in March and the neighbourhood kids were keen to help - but it soon became too cold to accomplish. Its final dome construction is now headed by Anne and Walter,

and of course the garden is great to bring the mokopuna along, Deryn's Leyla and Ally's Meg

so a proper sandpit is on the list, too - when the sand comes out from the pizza oven it'll go straight into the new sandpit - stacked functions are one of our core permaculture principles