Forthcoming events on-site in October.

Saturday October 1st – CSA Open Day
This is the penultimate day of British Food Fortnight and also national UK CSA Open Day therefore we too will be holding an “open day”. This is an opportunity for people to come along and see what we are doing and hear the story of how we came about and have developed the site.

Saturday October 8th – Apple picking and hog roast
Orchardshare (who manage the orchard on our behalf) will be having a major apple picking session 10.30am to 1.30pm. A group from GoodGym will be coming along to help but the team would really like Dry Arch members and supporters to come along to help as well. As an added incentive (to meat eaters) Dan is also organising a hog roast and sale of our very own pig products on-site that afternoon. As well as the freshly cooked meat pre-packed sausages and roasting joints will be available to purchase from a refrigerated van.

Sunday October 16th
This is “Apple Day” and Orchardshare are organising a celebration of the apple harvest with food, juicing apples, music and games 2-5pm. Keep an eye out for more details.

A New Bridge

We’ve got a great new bridge – well done Keith!

On the path to fitness…Many hands make light work part 2!

Well the weather was foul but that didn’t deter the great bunch of people from GoodGym Bath. Once more they astounded us by showing us how much physical work can be done in such a short time tonight.

Having ripped up an old path last week they returned and have relaid the path with a fresh topping of bark and wood chippings Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

Good Job GoodGym!

Thank you so much GoodGym!

Many hands make light work

GoodGym Bath rip up the old central path

Who needs fancy gym equipment when there’s strength training opportunities at Dry Arch?

More teamwork!

Teamwork

More teamwork

Enjoy the lettuce GoodGym!

Take 14 people complete with fitness and enthusiasm, mix with a beautiful sunny evening at Dry Arch and stand back and marvel at what can be achieved in 30 minutes!

GoodGym Bath ran up from Bath to Dry Arch this evening (24.5.16) and did a fantastic job for us by ripping up our badly overgrown 40m long central path in our lower growing area and dumping all the detritus on a compost heap. It was a brilliant example of team effort and group problem solving to get the job done so effectively and efficiently.

We’re hugely grateful for what the group did. It would have taken 2 or 3 of us pretty much all of a Sunday work session to have achieved that when there is so much to do at this time of year.

Many thanks GoodGym. I hope you didn’t get too many facetious comments from anyone seeing you running back carrying your well-deserved complimentary Dry Arch lettuces!

A great community planting day

Well despite a far from promising weather forecast we had a tremendous day today and planted squashes, courgettes, celeriac, celery and beans many and varied. Not only that we had volunteers on hand to help with hoeing and thinning and watering. It was lovely to welcome friends old and new. The cakes were good too! It was lovely too to get a future generation of growers involved in watering and hoeing – we even had Spiderman putting in an appearance!

It’s the big planting day – Sunday May 31st

With summer fast approaching (honest) we need many hands to make light work of getting most of the rest of the summer’s plants in the ground this Sunday.

Lovingly propogated and nurtured in our polytunnels we’ve beans, courgettes, sqash and more to get in.

If you fancy some not too strenuous planting then come along at 11am on Sunday 31st May and lend a hand. Refreshments for workers will be available by the time we finish at 3pm.

If you happen to come by car then please park in the village centre and walk down – it’s not far.

Spring time arrives at Dry Arch

A sunny sunday attracted the team to get stuck in to some land preparation, watering emerging polytunnel plants and pruning herbs on herby ridge. Even the new rotovator (replaces ‘the beast’) had an airing. There was time for discussion on the future of Dry Arch at lunchtime. Perhaps you can come along and add some wisdom?, we won’t bite.

  

  
 

At Dry Arch we are going to plant 50 new apple trees – and this is where you can get involved!

Sponsor a tree. We invite all our supporters to become members of a new orchardshare scheme. Your support helps us pay for the new trees, and in return you get a share of the produce (in the first year, this will be from the established trees on the site). Sponsorship is £10 per tree per annum (maximum one per person).

Tree Planting & Wassail, Saturday 10th January. We invite you to come along to help plant the new trees, from 11am onwards. At lunchtime there will be some food and drink, followed by a celebratory Wassail and bonfire at about 2.30pm. Musicians are invited to bring instruments and join in an informal music session by the fire. This is an opportunity to become a part of the venture to establish a new orchard at Dry Arch. Entry is free, donations are welcome.

Getting there. The Dry Arch site is at the end of Holcombe Lane, Bathampton. There is very limited parking at the site, so if travelling by car, please park nearby, and walk down Holcombe Lane.

Regular events and volunteering. Even if you are unable to make it on 10th January, please do consider becoming a Sponsor. We will be holding other events during the year and there are regular volunteering opportunities on this very attractive site. It’s within walking distance of the canal towpath, and has lovely views over towards Solsbury Hill and Bath.

To become a sponsor, please send a cheque, payable to “Bathampton Community Co-operative”,  to Alex Robertson, 91 Hantone Hill, Bathampton BA2 6XE. Please don’t send cash in the post. Or you may pay for sponsorship at the event on 10th January.

Want to visit a produce show with a difference?

Then you need to pop along to Bath Area Growers Alternative Produce Show in Alice Park on Sunday August 17th from 1pm until 5pm.

You may even fancy entering one of the competitions.

For all the details visit the Bath Area Growers website at http://www.bathareagrowers.org

Herby Ridge celebrates its first year

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Herby Ridge is in full bloom and it was only started last year. Already it has produced lots of curly leaved parsley under ‘spooky tree’. Now other herbs are flowering and attracting lots of beneficial insects to Dry Arch. I took some photos last week amongst the humming of busy bees collecting nectar from self-set Borage & Buddleia.