Homes for trees, and resting
The first heavy frost of the season fell upon us this weekend, and with the clocks changing we’re all feeling a bit hibernational.
At this time of year, the season’s energy calls us to take stock. We choose what to nurture over the winter, and what to let go of, to allow us to rest deeply and emerge renewed in spring.
As with every season, this is a process we honour in and for the garden as well as for ourselves.
A period of rest
10 Trees is taking a well-earned break over the next two weeks. We’ll be back from Tuesday 11th November.
After that, we’ll just be offering our regular weekly activities, and letting our bigger gatherings quieten down until the spring.
November and December
Tuesday 11th November sees the return of Pickle Club for six weeks in the run up to Christmas, with more quick pickling, plus dyes, salves, fermentation and more. Please do book quickly - the sessions filled up in just a day last time, and we’d like to see both new and old faces there!
We will also still be offering kitchen gardening days on Wednesdays 10am to 1pm, where we slow down and use our hands in the peace and beauty of our food growing space.
And our community gardening days on Fridays 10am to 1pm will continue with a range of activities, from composting to willow done building.
Two of these Fridays will also be special work days - on Friday 21st November there will be an adventurous seed-collecting trip into the Peak with National Trust rangers (ever ridden in a National Trust truck? It’s bumpy, and fun).
And on Friday 28th November we will be gathering again with the rangers to build homes for these seeds at 10 Trees. Please do sign up to help - whether it’s building raised beds, spreading bark chip or potting up the seeds, we need all hands on deck!
Homes for trees
Both of these days will help a community tree nursery for the High Peak and Hope Valley coming into being. And this is very much a seed we want to gently nurture over the winter months.
We had a great conversation with lots of different people and groups from across the Hope Valley at our Autumn Celebration earlier this month. There was plenty of energy for coming together as a constellation of communities to plant more trees. We’ll be sharing what we heard from everyone in November.
Grow trees in your own time and space
If you can’t make those dates, you can also help grow trees in your own time and space.
Whether it’s in your school, allotment space, home, or any other little patch of ground you have access to, you don’t need much space - and when you’re done, the sapling you have cared for will support tree planting projects across the area.
If you’d like to help, please get in touch before the end of November.
And if you’re already involved in tree planting, we’d like to help spread the word about what you do. We’re creating an online network of tree growers and planters - drop us a line for more details. If you were part of the community conversation this month, we will be in touch!
What else do you want to do in the garden?
Another important seed to nurture at this time of year is our spring and summer programme of gathering, growing and healing events and experiences. We’ll be imagining and creating this in November and December, and we’d like to offer space to others where we can. If you are involved in an activity that needs a garden space, or would like to collaborate, please get in touch.
PS. If you’re curious, you can find out more about Dark Peak Soul, the social enterprise that is nurturing 10 Trees, Open House and other projects across the valley.