Tool sharpening workshop, perfect work for a grey January da
We are developing our Volunteer programme by offering some regular training sessions. Anyone interested is still welcome to drop in informally as before and join in with whatever is happening on a volunteer Wednesday between 10-4 . But we also wanted to time-table some structured workshops to make sure we cover all the basics with our regular volunteers and ensure participants can learn something useful and share what they know each week.
Sessions run from 10.00 am – 11.15. then we stop for tea, before heading out to the community garden plot behind the Cwm Harry building to get on with whatever needs doing. So if you only have an hour or so to spare or all day or maybe want to sign up for a regular slot, please come and visit us.
We are running these sessions in conjunction with Coleg Harlech adult education and can provide certificates, via the college or via Cwm Harry for anyone who wants to be able to offer new skills to potential employers.
So this week, it was tool sharpening. It’s a basic fundamental skill. Pruning knives, secateurs, grafting knives, sickles and scythes, shearers, cutters and the like, all work better when they are properly sharp. You have got your grinding wheels, sharpening steels, oilstones, wet stones, files, emery boards, all that and much more. I think we all learned a lot actually is was a surprisingly interesting workshop and a chance to appreciate your tools.
Rubble filled raised bed base, part of our new fully accessible gardening area
Many of the tools in our toolshed, purchased with help from Environment Wales are old tools refurbished by Tools For Self Reliance. They may be old but they made from quality steel that would be very expensive today and well worth renovating.
We spent the afternoon working on a new set of raised beds, which have been sponsored by Keep Wales Tidy, and designed to be fully accessible. I am sure we have got a lot to learn yet about making the perfect fully accessible bed, but this is our first attempt. 1.2m square raised beds, 60cm high, which allows those with bad backs to be able to access the bed without having to reach too far. It’s a no dig system that could easily be managed by someone with limited mobility. We filled the lower part of the base with unwanted building rubble, cleared from the site previously, as well as some rotten timber, raising the height of the beds, whilst creating some good drainage through the rubble base and providing water storage in rotten wood deep on the bed. Plants like moisture but don’t like to have their roots flooded, as they require lots of air in the soil for good microbial activity, so the raised bed is designed provide for all of these requirements. The beds we are using were designed and built by radnor-raised-beds.co.uk and are a protoype made from local Welsh larch
Next Week: We will working on the tools again, sorting out the woodwork, getting the linseed oil out and finishing off the task of getting all the gardening tools in tip top condition for the coming season.
We will also be finsihing buildign our fully accessible raised beds and getting ready to particiapte in a Biochar Experiment
Things to look forward to:
Propagation workshop -
Seed swap 25th Feb. 10 – 2 (Free event, free seeds, free advice, and meet local gardeners)
Germinating seeds, growing plans for the coming season
