2009 Garden Diary is here 2008 Garden Diary is here
18/5/12
PALACE INVITE
Ron and Marion Gilchrist who were among the founders of the Garden and who have done so much to promote it across Scotland and beyond, have received an Invitation to the Royal Garden Party in Holyrood Palace in July. They are acutely aware that they are just the representatives and it is the passion and hard work of all the Garden members that is being honoured. CONGRATULATIONS FAIRLIE. All your work has received royal recognition.
17/5/12
RACE FOR LIFE ENTRY
It was a cold grey day last Sunday when our team joined the over 1400 throng to take part in the 5k walk at Eglinton park all for the race for Life cancer charity. The team have so far raised over £250 however there is still time to raise more to be included in this event for this very worthwhile charity. Please contact any of the team you know or Eric.
Those in the photo are...Linda, Ann, Carole and Wendy, joined by non member, Cath Bryce.
9/5/12
BOTHWELL COMMUNITY GARDEN OPEN DAY
The Bothwell Community Garden Open Day will be held on the 26th. May. This garden was modelled
on our own garden and judging by the poster and leaflet really looks like it's worth a visit. (Click on these links to download the poster and leaflet )
14/4/12
TARLAND DEVELOPMENT GROUP VISIT AND POLYTUNNEL NEWS
Our 3 visitors from Tarland Development Group, Aberdeenshire spent 4 hours in the garden learning about our garden development and how the garden is run in preparation for
the development of their garden on a site which was originally a farmer's field. They have definitely won the prize for the longest journey especially to see us.
Our largest poly-tunnel was re-skinned to repair the damage suffered during the January gales on
an ideal windless day yesterday - well done to the team who did it in 8 hours start to finish...
14/4/12
ARDENTINNY COMMUNITY TRUST VISIT
On Friday 13th April members of the Ardentinny Community Trust visited the garden and spent about 90 mins touring the garden before travelling on to Culzean and managed to pick a nice dry day. Have a look at their garden project at www.glenfinartgarden.org . They have purchased an old walled-garden and are just starting to clear the site.
7/3/12
TALK FOR MEMBERS
On Sunday 4th. March Mike Yabsley one of our members gave a talk on seed sowing and growing of
tomato plants to over 30 of our members. He made sure we paid attention as he ran a quiz on seeds
with a prize of Welsh? whisky. Our barn was slightly warmer for this talk than for his last one
as we have now fitted windows and doors which at least keep out the draughts...
Our new lean-to polytunnel is warming up nicely (at least when the sun shines!) and there are
lots of seedlings growing well. It's also a very warm, pleasant place to socialise..
4/3/12
MORE NATIONAL COVERAGE IN KITCHEN GARDEN MAGAZINE!
The garden is featured in a 4 page article with lots of pictures in the April issue of Kitchen Garden magazine.
20/2/12
LATEST COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
The minutes for the latest committee meeting held on January 29th. 2012 are available for viewing/download here .
14/2/12
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sunday March 4th
Mike Yabsley will be giving a talk on sowing seeds and growing tomatoes.
The talk will start at 14:00 in the Garden Barn instead of the Millenium Room in the Fairlie Parish Church since we now have doors and it's much warmer!
Can you please let me our secretary know if you plan to attend so that we can set out sufficient chairs.
OGF Annual General Meeting
Planned date is Sunday April 22nd in the afternoon. The meeting will be held in the barn at the garden - further details will be provided closer to the date.
23/1/12
POLY-TUNNELS
We have a new lean-to polytunnel on the rear of our barn. This was built by a team from the garden and includes a slabbed floor. The tunnel is on the south face of the barn and has mains-power so will be ideal for germinating seeds. We have installed the propagator which was donated by the Hunterston Rotary Club and we are well on our way to growing our own plug-plants.
Our largest polytunnel suffered some damage during the high winds this month. The picture shows
the sticky-tape temporary solution until we decide what the long-term repair solution will be. The incredible force of the wind had pushed back the gable-end of the tunnel and bent the steel struts allowing the plastic skin to slacken and flap resulting in the tear. We also suffered some
damage from flying objects from the garden but we got off pretty lightly.
16/1/12
CAROL SINGING
On the Monday before Christmas on a cold night our barn was filled with music ands carols at our (now annual) Carol Singing event. Mulled wine and mince pies along with tea and coffee were much appreciated.
The barn was visible from quite a distance shining out on the dark pre-Christmas night. All we needed were some shepherds and wise men to come visiting!
29/11/11
MAGAZINE ARTICLE
The April issue of Kitchen Garden magazine (out at the beginning of March) will contain an article
on the garden. (see below for picture of visit).
24/10/11
NEWS AND DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
There will be a bonfire and fireworks display in the garden on Saturday 5th November starting at 6pm with fireworks at 6:30pm (weather permitting). There will be tea/coffee, mulled wine, a bar etc.....
There will also be a stall selling all types of Christmas and everyday
greeting cards, wrapping paper and some gifts.
Hopefully you will be able to join us at the garden - please bring along family and friends - everybody is welcome.
The barn now has some windows fitted to the previously open side facing the garden - a door will
be fitted 'very soon now'.
A lean-to poly-tunnel is being built on the south face of the barn. This will be available for germinating and growing seeds in the spring.
The garden now has a Facebook page - search for Organic Growers of Fairlie.
The beds in the garden and the poly-tunnels are gradually emptying as members
prepare for winter however a few are keen to use what little heat there is in the
polytunnels to grow even more vegetables and some have their beds in the garden filled
with plants ready to make warming soups over the next few months.
On the subject of weather this page has now got an appropriate theme and perhaps a couple of lines
from The Cotter's Saturday Night sum up the current weather...
November chill blaws loud wi angry sugh;
The short'ning winter-day is near a close;
29/8/11
TALKS FOR MEMBERS
On Sunday 28th. August some 48 or so of our members and friends gathered
in the barn for two talks by fellow gardeners who shared their knowledge and enthusiasm. Thinking it was still summer (August
after all!) they were not quite prepared for the chilly weather however the tea urn
and kettle were a great comfort.
The chill however was an indication of our approaching cooler weather and shorter
days nicely emphasising the subject of Mike Yabsley's talk which covered what
we should be doing NOW! to make best use of the 'premium' space in our poly-tunnels
to have crops to harvest in the autumn/winter. The picture shows the gathered
gardeners and if you hover your mouse over it you will see the current contents
of the poly-tunnel beds which will be emptying soon. Mike showed lots of potato bags/tubs
already sown/growing which he will be placing on his polytunnel raised bed
once it has been cleared to ensure he has crops over the coming months.
Mike also demonstrated the various methods of taking cuttings. Some notes taken during Mike's talk are available for download here.
The second talk was given by Nancy McQueen who told the gardeners about the
advantages of applying plenty of organic material rather than 'manufactured' fertiliser.
She also outlined the uses of nettles and comfrey to make excellent (if slightly
smelly) liquid fertilisers and also use a mulches.
28/8/11
KITCHEN GARDEN MAGAZINE - VISIT
On Saturday 27th August the garden was visited by a journalist from
Kitchen Garden magazine who is proposing to write a four page article
on the garden. She spent some 3 hours in the garden and talked to a
few of our members and also took lots of photographs for possible use
in the article. The article will probably appear in the Spring of next year.
The word is still spreading!
The Garden Open Day this year was held on Saturday 16th. July. The weather the night before was
rather wet and we put up a marquee in the rain and wind expecting it to be flat on the ground in the morning. Saturday dawned with torrential rain at 07:30am however the marquee was (mostly!) still up and the weather improved until during the day our visitors were sitting outside to
have their teas/coffees and home baking. Hover you mouse over the picture to see the 'helpers' testing the home baking....
Several volunteers ran tours of the garden for the visitors however
many were just happy to wander about.
We even had two stortyimes run by our local librarian for the visiting children in their own gazebo in the midst of the beds.
4/7/11
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
The Garden Open Day this year will be held on Saturday 16th. July from 11:30am to 4:00pm. All welcome! Come and see our second BIG poly-tunnel and the huge variety of vegetables we can grow there.
8/6/11
MEMBERS BARBECUE
The members held a barbecue on Sunday May 15th. Although the weather was a little cool and damp our barn kept us out of the wind and was setup with tables and chairs. Around 50 members attended and enjoyed the social gathering. A big thanks to Jade (seen here serving the burgers) for preparing the multiple kinds of burgers and the excellent salads.
5/5/11
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Two Social events have been planned. There will be a Member's Barbecue/Get Together on Sunday May 15th at 3pm - please advise Ann Robinson if you plan to attend. The Garden Open Day this year
will be on Saturday 16th July.
21/11/10
POLY-TUNNEL BUILD
The replacement Poly-Tunnel for our original small tunnel has now been built by Ken from Poly-Tunnels Scotland and an army of volunteers. The plastic skin remarkably was put on the steel framework and secured by four people in only 2 hours during a windless window in the weather. (Move your mouse over the image to do it even quicker!) This new tunnel is 72ft. by 18ft. and will contain 30 raised beds. For more photographs showing the tunnel being built click here .
17/09/10
BARRHEAD AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The Barrhead Horticultural Society have visited the Fairlie Garden a few times. Their winter programme
and events can be found here and here and here.
2/09/10
AN AUTUMN FEEL AND OUR LATEST VISITORS
The garden has an autumn feel to it now with leaves starting to fall and blow about however our poly-tunnel is still warm. We had another group of visitors tour the garden this week. They were the committee from the Eglinton Growers who managed to come on a wonderfully sunny evening and spent a long time with us - so long in fact that they were left in the dark! - the sun had long gone down by the time we all left due to the interest they showed.
11/08/10
INTERNATIONAL INTEREST - AUSTRIA
On 7th to 11th June, Ron was invited to go over to work with the Soil Protection department of the Austrian Government. Everywhere they have the slogan, "Our soil - on which we stand [depend]". Their education in soils is very advanced but they were most interested in the Fairlie community sustainable food system and have asked for a paper on the Fairlie model for the Soil Protection Council for the Danube Valley in the autumn. Of course, the further up the valley, the weaker the economies and so the greater the benefit for the communities of replicating our model. The picture is of Austrian farm scale production of VERMIGRAND, a wormcast enriched with both basaltic rockdust and seaweed minerals.
23/07/10
POTATO BLIGHT(URGENT!)
If you are growing potatoes, can you please check them for signs of blight - this is a very contagious disease and action should be taken immediately.
Suggested actions and pictures of affected leaves, stems and tubers can be found here and here .
The symptoms of blight are yellow leaves with brown spots, leaves with blackened bits on them, black withered leaves, plants that have fallen over. Blight starts at the leaves and travels down to the pototoes. The affected parts should be removed and placed over in the composting area - there will be a sign indicating where potato shaws should be left (this will be in place on Friday 23rd). The affected shaws will be either buried or burnt.
Most new potatoes should be ready now and you may want to lift your potatoes. Those members growing potatoes in bags/pots/sacks - used compost should be placed behind the path at the back of the garden. Note - there is a folder in the barn that contains information on potato blight plus other gardening information.
5/07/10
TALK ON HERBAL MEDICINE
On the afternoon of the 4th July Pamela Spence B.Sc. MNIMH (a Medical Herbalist and Health Writer) gave a fascinating 2 1/2hr talk on Herbal Medicine to gardeners and their friends in our small polytunnel. In spite of the noise from the wind and lashing rain (she did have to pause once!) she still managed to provide us with a fascinating insight into herbal medicine and we all left with a new insight into the subject.
She touched on how herbal medicines are still important in developing countries as the supply of modern drugs/funds could be very unreliable and the local people still need to retain the knowledge/plants to treat themselves in their absence. She also covered herbal medicines use in developed countries including the fact that treating nettle stings with dock leaves is only practiced in the UK! Herbal medicines can have fewer side-effects and can still have their place alongside modern more powerful drugs.
The highlight of the afternoon were the herbal preparations Pamela made for us on the day. We had Lemon Balm tea, the juice from Goose Grass (Sticky Willie to you and me) and also were able to sample an ointment made from Chickweed. All these were extremely simple to make as she demonstrated.
The tastes (and effects) were interesting and at times unexpected (see photo) but we were only able to obtain from her a 'small' sample of a tincture made from preserving a herb in a bottle of vodka.....
Pamela is proposing to run a 4 x session weekly workshop in the garden on a Tuesday evening starting 10th August. This is dependent on numbers - if anyone is interested please contact us via the Contact Us page. For further information on Pamela and the treatment available from her and to contact here see her web-page at www.medical-herbalist.net
Thanks to Pamela for an interesting and enlightening afternoon.
4/07/10
THEY START THEM YOUNG! - BOTHWELL COMMUNITY GARDEN OPENS
Almost two years ago a group from Bothwell came to see our garden and Neil explained to them its design and operational features. The Fairlie-style, Bothwell Community Garden is now open and is a very busy place attracting people of all ages, having fun and working to grow delicious food.
FAIRLIE'S IMPACT ACROSS SCOTLAND... AND BEYOND!
The Fairlie Garden web-site regularly attracts visitors from all over the UK and from Europe. The site receives visits from gardeners who find us when looking for information on vermi-culture etc using search engines and end up not just finding the information but (as the site tracking shows) end up exploring the whole garden-site and finding out about our village and group.
Such has been the interest in our innovative gardening system that a new company, Greenway Consulting, was started and launched at the Gardening Scotland Show last year. Through talks, seminars, workshops and site visits, Fairlie-style gardens are now planned or operational across Scotland - in Paisley, Kilmarnock, Beith, Bothwell, Roslin, Forres ... and even Plymouth.
Earlier this month, Greenway were invited to work with the Government in Austria for a week. Their schools "Our soil - on which we stand" campaign has led to a great respect for their land throughout their population. They were impressed by the intensive care we give to our soil in the Fairlie Garden and would like to see the model replicated on their communities. Greenway Consulting is now able to provide organic worm compost to those unable to have their own wormery.
Our OGF strap line is "... leading the way for sustainable communities".
Through the hard work of our Members, we are certainly doing that.
Fairlie may be a wee village, but it punches way above its weight! "
26/06/10
GARDEN OPEN DAY JULY 2010
Over 250 visitors came to visit the Fairlie Community Garden on Saturday
26th on what has become our annual Open Day . The weather was luckily not
too hot as the new large poly-tunnel gets very warm and is now producing a huge amount of produce. Experienced gardeners were also surprised by the amount of produce in the outdoor raised-beds.
Garden tours and demonstrations of wormeries and hot-box composting
were included and there was a welcome cup of tea/coffee and biscuits provided by
the Fairlie Church Kirk Cafe and homebaking provided by members of the garden.
Ron Gilchrist from Greenway Consulting was on-hand to provide advice on sustainable food
production and also provide worm compost to those unable to have a wormery.
The Fairlie Gala Committee provided a licensed bar for 'thirsty' visitors and the Youth Club provided a Tuck Shop for the children. Michelle's Fast Foods (Fairlie) provided a selection of hot and cold snacks.
For the children present there was a chance to reuse, reduce and recycle by
making very creative and imaginative things out of junk.
(This was run by Anne Gregory from the Eco committee at the church).
A small group of children led by Nancy MacQueen went on a bug safari around the garden in search of worms, spiders, woodlice, aphids and a birds nest.
There was also a children's colouring competition for two age categories : 8 and over and under 8.
Ellen Gordon spent the day working magic with her face paints and a lot of children had very colourful faces. Carmen Hall brought her owl 'Magic' and tortoise which proved popular.
For the adults present there was a chance to buy plants/cuttings/seeds as well as flowers from the Ayrshire Hospice stall. There was Fairtrade jewellery made by Touchstone West Kilbride, artwork by local artist Joan Davidson, produce/goods from Fairlie Fairtrade, second hand gardening books and Kate Dahlstrom from the Largs & District Bee Keepers gave tastings and information on Honey production. Postcards and pictures of Old Fairlie were on display. Visitors had a chance to win a raffle prize, with all prizes being donated
by members of the garden.
Frances from the Fairlie library was on hand to provide information on the activities available for children during the school summer holidays and encourage new members to the library.
The committee would like to thank all those who attended and also thank the members who worked hard before and during the day to prepare the garden for the visitors.
23/05/10
TRANSITION HELENSBURGH - VISIT TO GARDEN
Members of Transition Helensburgh visited the garden on a beautifully hot Sunday afternoon (note the headgear!). They even brought their working gloves with them and laid some bark on our paths for us. We like those kind of visitors! - they have been invited back...
13/05/10
BARRHEAD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY - VISIT TO GARDEN
On a fine Wednesday evening (for once during a visit!) 19 members of Barrhead & District Horticultural Society visited the garden. They were shown our raised-bed designs and also our old and new poly-tunnels. Hot-box composting and wormeries were covered in the tour and they left with new ideas for their gardens. We would like to thank them for their generous donation to our funds.
29/04/10
VISITORS FROM NAC LEARNING DISABILITY SERVICES
Marianne Kilgour and Karen Good from North Ayrshire Council Learning Disability Services are shown with Ann Robinson - our secretary (centre of picture). They visited the garden to see our raised-beds and were investigating how to install some raised-beds at their centres for use by their clients.
VISITORS FROM COMMUNITY WOODLAND ASSOCIATION TRAINING DAY
The morning session was held in luxurious Michael Lynch Centre for Enterprise, Ardrossan, but the greatest interest was in the visit to our Garden. The Training Day was oversubscribed with 23 attendees and already there is a waiting list for the next one. CWA showed their appreciation by presenting us with £100 of tree / shrub saplings.
31/03/10
GARDEN VISITORS
Chris and Maarten from 'Moffat Can' came to visit the garden to see our raised-beds for possible replication in Moffat. They were shown around by Ron, Neil and Nancy. (Ron took the picture so does not appear...). Like ourselves, the Moffat community face the challenge of building a GYO garden on contaminated land. They found it useful to see how our raised bed mini allotment system works - with the sand barrier under each bed, this is essentially large scale container gardening. An extensive study of the new polytunnels was deemed necesssary during one of the torrential showers however there were sufficient lulls to allow them to see the raised-beds. They then went on to visit the Bothwell Gardeners.
11/02/10
GARDEN DEVELOPMENT
Work at the garden is progressing well - the new polytunnel (85' x 26') has been erected and the front and back doors will be installed week commencing 8th February. The floor has been prepared with soil, membrane and stone chips and 61 small raised beds (6' x 2') have been erected. The beds have been filled with soil and compost and are ready for members to start using. The beds have been numbered and allocated and the details will be emailed to members and posted in the barn.
The Supplier has erected 46 mini raised beds (8' x 4') with a further 14 beds still to be installed. A good proportion of the new beds have been filled in the approved manner, with a soil compost top layer. The beds have been allocated and details will be emailed to members and posted in the barn.
Approval has been received to proceed with the refurbishment of the existing polytunnel to the level of the new polytunnel and to install some wormeries.
The development at the garden could not have proceeded without funding from the Climate Challenge Fund and LEADER Ayrshire. Furthermore, progress to date has only been possible with the help from members.
A GLITTERING (FOR A LITTLE WHILE!) PRIZE
The Organic Growers of Fairlie recently received a delivery of £350 worth of hand-tools courtesy of Garden Answers magazine. The magazine is currently running a competition for articles on community gardens and the garden was lucky enough to have an article published in the March 2010 issue. (available from February 9th) The picture shows the delighted gardeners unpacking the tools ready to start filling the new raised-beds. (the tools were not quite so shiny at the end of the day and will be well used!)
5/01/10
PHASE 3 CONTINUES
The Phase 3 build continues with our second poly-tunnel almost complete and filled with raised-beds. See the Second Poly-tunnel build page for step by step photographs. New raised-beds outside the tunnel are also being filled with soil.
