2023 Recap & Reflection

My first full year as custodian of Gamrie Gardens

Community Gardens, Geodesic Dome, Planting a Woodland, Wildflowers and our first harvests.

Before plunging headlong into the springtime bustle, I'd like to ease out of my winter hibernation by taking a moment to reflect on the summer and fall of 2023. Things became so hectic on the land and with all my projects that I couldn't keep up with providing monthly updates. I hope to be able to do that, and so much more this year, but I won't make any promises this time. My main goal is to take it a little slower and enjoy the journey - not that I din't enjoy 2023, it was just a complete whirlwind. So much happened in the gardens and on the land this last season and I've hardly shared any of it. One of my goals starting this project was to record it and share the journey, I know a lot of people are curious about attempting similar things, and I think there can be a lot to learn from my mistakes, and experience doing this for the first time. I had huge learning curves, reality checks, and upon reflection, loads of progress! I recently realised that we managed to complete all the goals we put forward for 2023. What a bonkers year. Somehow everything and nothing like what I expected for my first year as a land owner in Scotland would be. Here's some of the highlights of the year that I'd love to share with you. I'm sure I'm missing lots, it was nuts! As per usual, Instagram and Facebook are the best ways to get daily updates of progress, shenanigans, learning curves and general silliness.

I kicked off the year hugely motivated. January saw me diving headfirst into tackling the monumental task of building our website from scratch. Alongside this, I started our social media presence and began advertising our community garden plots for rent. Behind the scenes, I worked on logo development, branding, and delved into the intricacies of planning permissions and development. As well as a lot of research into grants, community garden by-laws, planning permissions, and other projects that were similarly done - as well as communicating and networking with anyone who could offer me advice on my new endeavour or was interested in getting involved. Turns out there was a lot of eager support in the neighbourhood.

February marked a pivotal moment as I proudly unveiled our website to the world. I sent out calls for volunteers, donations, and support. The response was overwhelming, and our community gardens began to take shape with volunteers jumping on board to help make the gardens a reality.

March was a flurry of activity as I juggled indoor seed starting with laying the groundwork for outdoor planting. I spent my days mapping out the community gardens, creating signs, networking, planting wild flowers & vegetables, working the earth into gardens, weeding, propagating hedges & hosting volunteer days where we created a public entrance, managed to build composts and a communal shed as well as get to know all the gardeners who had claimed their little plots.

In April I started building our geodesic dome trading stall & greenhouse, with the help of my family. We also planted over 300 native tree species on my birthday, donated by our community which, in my heart, makes it the most magical young woodland around. We also joyfully welcomed two baby chicks into the world. I also started helping out on a neighbouring farm with orphan lambs, planting trees, and creating a homestead - invaluable experience for me that I loved being part of!

By May, our community gardens were in full swing. With the completion of the dome, we started showcasing our produce, plants, and eggs, inviting community members to stop by and pick up fresh produces in exchange for donations towards garden development. The gardens were starting to flourish with wildflowers and the addition of more native and fruit trees and our first veggies were starting to pop up.

As June rolled around, I witnessed the progress of our community garden members. It was so lovely being out in the gardens on a nice weekend, seeing and handful of other gardeners digging around in the dirt. The dome acted as an invitation to anyone curious about what we were up to. Many people in the community had seen my websites and posts, but hadn't seen the land or met me in person. This was an excuse for them to drop by and have nosy around, which I encouraged! We traded herbs, potatoes, potted plants, seedlings, fruits and some local arts & crafts all for donation towards the garden development.

July brought warmer weather and constant garden maintenance. The wildflower section was really blooming now, adding bursts of color and texture on the retired grain crop. I was able to start offering wildflower bouquets to the community and even got a few custom requests! This made me so happy and excited. I'd like the land to be carpeted in wildflowers one day.

August marked a new chapter as we started outsourcing our gardening skills to raise funds for our projects. It was a busy but rewarding time. Participating in the Gamrie Creatives festival was another highlight, we had the opportunity to set up a temporary storefront, which was opportunity to meet people who hadn't heard about us yet. I yapped for hours all weekend and gained invaluable advice and support from locals and tourists alike. Our produce sold out, and I had so much fun spreading our message to even more wonderful people.

September brought an abundance of berries and veggies, which we gladly shared with the neighborhood. Managing to put up a fence along the entire open border was a significant achievement, marking the continued growth of our community gardens. We also sent a message to the community for anyone who had excess harvest - this happens a lot with apples & plums, and many of them end up going bad and wasted. We offered to come and harvest them, and put in the in the dome for donation, as well as making lots of plum jelly for friends and family.

As October rolled around, I shifted gears to prepare for the upcoming year. From laying out plans for the 2024 gardens to harvesting garlic, potatoes and onions for winter storage. I focused on laying out no-digs, and layering the gardens in cardboard, composts & hay to help the soil rebalance intself for the following year.

November was a time for reflection and self-care as I took a much-needed break to recharge from the year's endeavors. In all honesty I had pushed myself too hard the first year. I was so motivated and driven, and I did most of it myself! Of course, I had volunteers and family around when it was really needed, but no one felt the complete drive, focus and ambition as I did. I do aim on taking it a little easier this next year. At the time I felt like I was never getting enough done, there was always more to do. I always had a few projects on the go, more lined up, deadlines to prepare for the next event etc. And I dindn't do anything half-assed, I wanted beautiful labels for the tea, full colour graphics in the pamphlets and to source the best packages, materials and ingredients for everything. This took a lot of time, energy & money that I didn't really have, but found a way to make it work.

In December I started regaining motivation and energy. I began planning and preparation for the year ahead. Revamping the website, writing applications, and planning permissions became my focus this time aiming to plan far enough in advance to make it easier on future me. I started thinking about inviting WOOFers to come help out, about ways I could make the gardens less maintenance, about prioritising my crop choices and in general learning and reflecting from 2023.

As I look back on the journey of 2023, I'm filled with gratitude for the countless hours of hard work and the unwavering support of our community. I'll also remember to be easier on myself, there were days where I felt that things were at a standstill and nothing was being accomplished, but looking back I am in disbelief about how much was done! If I get half as much done this year, I'l be thrilled. I recently looked through my website to revamp it for this next season, and I realised the 3 main goals I put forward were all done by May! 3 months of work. Wow. Watch my website for a big update coming soon with this years goals and if you haven't already, sign up for the newsletter. I really will try to get them out more frequently this year. And please, if anyone sees me stressing, or on the verge of burning out, tell me to re-read this post as a reminder of how much progress we have made. I really can't wait to see what adventures await this season!