Saturday 2nd November
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Report written by Alex Murtough (he/him)
YouTube - if you ask for the right things - is quite the haven for gardening advice.
You can learn to mow and grow - or weed and seed - and there's a particularly healthy glut of guidance on planting.
I know this because I started my Saturday by searching (YouTube): how to plant bulbs
I watched several videos.
I was particularly impressed with Geoff from Australia, who demonstrated every conceivable tool one could use to dig a hole (for a bulb), before I realised his real interest was to sell the BULB-DEMON-2000 (which does, I admit, drill a hole in perhaps 2 seconds)
I left for the special Barnfield and Woodfield Estate feeling decidedly under-confident, especially without a BULB-DEMON-2000
Yet my anxieties were calmed as I met Mike, Lucy and Sedef (on their first GoodGym good deeds - a huge welcome!!), and we started the morning by collecting spades and taking them to a freshly mown autumn lawn.
We were soon joined by Alison, Caitlin, Cherian, and Nivia, and Mike (with my anxiety fading) showed us the bulb-planting to-dos with calm and poise. And I nodded in a way that suggested I knew all about this.
Dividing gorgeous spring bulbs (delectable types of daffodil) and spades, our group (with Barnfield resident, Callum, and Steve joining too) swiftly got to digging turf pockets, making roomy space, and planting our spring flowers to come.
With pastries and coffee to finish, we said our farewells :)
I feel excited about returning in March to see what nature does with our efforts! Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and work - I had a super lovely time and hope you did too!
Here's to next time!
Camden
AIC's cold weather shelter helps 16 Londoners each and every week - you'll be making sure things are ready and inviting for the evening's guests :)