Growing Wild in Godstone

Growing Wild in Godstone

© Surrey Wildlife Trust

The very first Growing Wild community garden day at Bay Pond was a lot of fun (if a little soggy)!

A lovely combination of families, friends and individuals joined us on a not-very-sunny Saturday morning and got stuck in to the first step of creating our inspiring wildlife garden.  It was a delight to see the big old barn once more filled with the buzz of happy activity after its long winter standing empty on the meadow’s edge.

A generous donation of peat-free seed compost from Nags Hall (Knights Garden Centres) was spooned into ‘seed trays’ salvaged from the recycling – mushroom and tomato punnets, egg boxes, milk bottles and tetrapaks were successfully repurposed into new homes for seeds of wildlife-friendly plants. 

We sowed calendula and open-flowered dahlias for the daytime pollinators, midnight candy for night-flying moths, borage to garnish our Pimms (ahem…I mean, for the bees), and lots of delicious veggies for us and the wildlife to enjoy. 

Thanks to the expert guidance of our staff and volunteers, most notably Andy Holdaway and Pam Whyman, adults and children alike were able to take cuttings from buddleia, lavender, bay, and more, and to propagate mint, sedum and house leeks from the plants in the existing garden. 

Everything that was sown and planted has been taken home to be grown on by the community members who joined us on the day.  Once the seedlings are flourishing we hope they will bring some back to the garden, keep some for themselves and perhaps even have enough to pass on to other friends, so that from its first days this project can fulfil its aspiration to create ripples of connection and inspiration in the wider community.

Bay Pond Nature Hub Project