It was finally time to sow wildflower seeds in Peel Park.
In late March, after recovering from covid and battling with the vagaries of the English weather, Darran McLane of Bloom Gardening Bristol bravely tackled the thick moss and tough amenity grasses covering the bank on Peel Park. Using his battery-operated strimmer to cut vegetation back to its roots, he also made sure he exposed 50% or more of bare earth to allow our wildflower seeds some room to germinate. After that, the earth was lightly raked to create grooves in which the seed could settle and the Peel Park bank was ready to sow.
Jack, who grow lots of plug plants for LANCE Trust for his Duke of Edinburgh Award, along with his brother, Ethan, had the honour (if you can call it that) of sowing the first few meters. Then, in early April, both groups of Long Ashton Brownies joined us to enjoy the experience of sowing seeds for wildlife and the future.
Only 4g of seed is needed to cover 1x square metre since wild seeding requires an extended period of establishment with room for both fast-growing grasses and slower-germinating flower seeds. We laid a grid in advance for each group and each Brownie scooped one pot of carefully weighed seed mixed with sand for their square metre(s). After that, they labelled their own hand-hewn hazel stick to identify their square for the future.
We think it’s fair to say that everyone had a lot of fun and now all we have to do is wait for those seeds to sprout!
For the last word, for those who want to know why battery operated garden tools are better than those that use fossil fuel, here’s a link with some eye-watering stats to take on-board.
Keep your eyes peeled for signs of new life down at the bank in Peel Park, but please also ensure you and others avoid treading on, or disturbing, any of the soil, seeds or markers.