ON Wednesday, December 4, we celebrated three years since the first trees were planted in Fox’s Field’s Forest Garden, writes Helen Gillingham, from Transition Town Wellington.

November was a productive month, staying mostly dry allowing the grass within the Forest Garden to be mown (mostly by Steve using the council’s big mowers - thank you), which provides an amenity space with picnic benches which we put up in the summer using some second hand cable spools from Aerosols/KDC One (Thank you for this donation).

We like the way they look a bit like a big cotton spool which evokes some kind of visual tie to the historic textile mill, although this was of course using wool. All the bushes in the “fedge” or food-hedge got the grass trimmed and mulched around in November, and most of the windbreak trees along the railway were weeded around too. The mulch in the new area in the forest garden is now completed and ready for the understory and groundcover plants.

We’ll be planting fruit bushes and perennial vegetables in December from the grant from Blackdown Garden Centre and putting up signage in the herb area to identify 30 different plants, with their medical, culinary and dye uses with any cautions and a QR code for more information. These signs have been a long time in the making with professional photos of the plants starting back in June 2023. Thanks to the Transition Network for their grant to make these. We aim to eventually label all the plants so we will start on the next batch soon.

Trinity Orchard got some TLC in November too, on the only really rainy day, working on clearing brambles on the east side. We hope to cut back some overgrown laurel to let more light in from the south onto the fruit trees sometime in December or January.

Linden Meadow saw two scything sessions to trim weeds from around the young trees with another two booked in December including our now traditional early morning Boxing Day session for those who would like to have a break from the eating and drinking and get some fresh air and exercise.

Longacre saw an enjoyable bramble clearing session in some autumn sun in November and we hope to have a repeat of this relaxing activity in December!

If you’d like to join in with Transition Town Wellington’s Community Gardening Sessions, everyone is welcome to help, no prior experience needed and you don’t need to commit to them all.

They are on different days to try and accommodate for people’s free time, just come if and when you can! For directions and more information visit www.ttw.org.uk/calendar

Friday 6: 9am Community Gardening @ Fox’s Field

Tuesday 10: 9am Scything @ Linden Meadow

Thursday 12: 9am Community Gardening @ Fox’s Field

Tuesday 17: 9am Bramble Clearing @ Longacre

Friday 20: 9am Community Gardening @ Fox’s Field

Monday 23: 9am Community Gardening @ Fox’s Field

Thursday 26: 8.30-11am Boxing Day Scything Session @ Linden Meadow