At Beelarong Community Farm where I lease my allotment we have received a grant to improve our building and paths to make them more accessible, and to build some raised garden beds designed for use by people in wheelchairs.
The first job is to start preparing the site by transplanting some plants, removing a brick wall, and dismantling a raised garden bed to give clear access. To that end we had our first working bee last Sunday. It was a beautiful day and we had a really good turn-out. I lost count of the number of volunteers but there were folk all over the place wielding tools, shovelling earth, moving plants, even moving a guava tree.
I am not sure why, but there is something therapeutic about wielding a sledge hammer to fell a wall.
Dan doing some damage to a brick wall
My friend Barbara came over for the afternoon to help. We teamed up with Craig, the three of us worked like a well-oiled machine, while Craig slashed and hacked and worked up a sweat Barb and I worked as his backing group!
Craig clearing the ground to transplant the Taro
Then all we had to do was hose in the plants
The next job was transplanting a Strawberry Guava tree. We left Craig digging a hole big enough to bury an elephant while Barb and I barrowed in the compost and manure.
We all stopped for a cuppa and cake
Ground cleared, wall knocked down, and time for a cuppa
“take five”
Days like this are great fun. There’s a lot more work to be done but we made a great start.
Allotment Adventures with Jean 
Aug 17, 2012 @ 20:20:16
Looks a busy day, and you got lots done. Hope it carries on that way.
Aug 18, 2012 @ 07:58:48
Thank you for visiting. We achieved everything we set out to do that afternoon, with lots of laughter. We will be holding more working bee’s as the job progresses.
Aug 21, 2012 @ 19:07:01
A fantastic example of how more means less. More people = less work! Lovely to see that so many people turned up and got stuck in Jean and really lovely to see where you all garden together in harmony (ok, so I dare say its not totally harmonious but here in wintery Tasmania, let me keep my fantasty vision of tropical sunny harmony for the moment 😉 )
Aug 22, 2012 @ 16:11:03
It was a great afternoon. Very satisfying when you see what you have achieved as a group. And as far as creating harmony – digging in the dirt, together with cake and a cuppa, works every time. (Don’t tell your professor I said ‘dirt’ because what I really meant was ‘growing medium’). See, I remembered.
Aug 22, 2012 @ 20:41:28
Lol, also “root growth zone” is the new word for “hole” 😉
Aug 23, 2012 @ 07:06:05
Thanks for the giggle Narf, “root growth zone”? Must remember that the next time we want to plant a small tree at the farm. Can’t wait to use it.