Musselburgh Heart and Soil Summary Report

Summary Report from the Food Growing Support Group

By Sue Novell

The food growing support group gathering at Musselburgh ‘Heart & Soil’ community and school garden on 1st February was an intimate, friendly affair, helpful in building knowledge and community connections. Besides local volunteers Helen, Euija, Sue and Brian, Tim from Pine Hill, a parent with children from the school, Andrew from the Dunedin Multi Ethnic Council committee and Michelle Ritchie from Organics Unearthed attended. While Brian and Andrew worked on turning and layering the compost, Michelle suggested pre-soaking the wood chips in a wheelbarrow before using as brown material, so they take in the moisture quicker for the bacteria and funghi to work.

We talked about using tires as strawberry planters - one of the drawbacks observed is that the soil in them seems to dry out quickly, as all raised beds do in general. What is more concerning is the leaching of toxins through the slow degradation of the materials. We now plan to transition away to a bed with wooden edges. We discussed with Tim and Michelle the planned food forest expansion, that we need to build shelter from the wind as a first priority. A combination of Feijoa bushes and tagasaste as hedge seem like a good idea. Tagasaste grow fast in sandy soil and cut out the wind effectively, while the Feijoa bushes grow slower in between and eventually the tagasaste can be cut out. While watering, weeding and over a shared morning tea in the shade, we chatted about the different vegetables, herbs and flowers growing in the garden, our diverse backgrounds and came away with a feeling of community. 

Keep an eye out for the next Food Growing Support Group meeting! All welcome to attend.