Grow in the Dark
Crossfields Residents Association
'Grow in the Dark' brings life (human, animal and vegetal!) to some of Crossfields Estate's most neglected and heavily-shaded areas through the protection and sensitive introduction of native fungi and plants.
Visitor Information
Crossfields Estate (southern end, behind Wilshaw House)
https://goo.gl/maps/Zbsm84KKysUg3xd27
London
SE8 4SF
The Grow in the Dark wildlife garden is located at the southern end of Crossfields Estate (51.476988, -0.021621). It can be entered from the west between Cremer House and Wilshaw House or from Creekside, on its east end. Sorry, there is no public parking at Crossfields. The space is primarily for the Crossfields community. We ask everyone who visits to be respectful of the community, keep noise to a minimum and carry out any rubbish. Thank you.
Get involved
Volunteering opportunities / Upcoming events
Grow in the Dark volunteers unite! There will be a tea and planning session at 3pm on 2 June 2019.
Get in touch
Photos of the site
Crossfields dense tree canopy
Friday, March 1, 2019
Orange = GitD target zones
Friday, March 1, 2019
Setting up shop!
Saturday, March 16, 2019
The site (looking west)
Saturday, March 16, 2019
The site (looking east)
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Inside Chi's (future) Sanctuary
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Starting to clean up...
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Bags of debris ready for chipping
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Some buried treasures!
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Still lots to do.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
This week they promise not to mow
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Field trip to City Wood!
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Fungi homes at City Wood
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Making bird boxes
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Hanging bird boxes
Saturday, May 11, 2019
No tree too high!
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Nick leads a habitat survey
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Mexican fleabane is everywhere!
Sunday, May 12, 2019
common daisy (bellis perennis)
Sunday, May 12, 2019
doves-foot crane’s bill & violets
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Terrific logo runner up
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Field trip to Oxleas Woods
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Working out amphitheatre design
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
another option...
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
straight and narrow
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
a bit wider?
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
with a twist?
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
trying out options
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
hmmn...
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
A windfall on the estate!
Friday, June 14, 2019
teamwork.
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Why bother lifting? Roll!
Sunday, June 16, 2019
rest time
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Moving the fallen tree to GitD
Sunday, June 16, 2019
the mighty shopping trolley
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Our first fungi!
Friday, June 21, 2019
clearing and leveling
Sunday, June 23, 2019
dead man's fingers!
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Terry plants whist we level
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Erin's fungi-based kombucha!
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
taste-test time.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
more fungi!
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
fungi kit soaking
Friday, July 12, 2019
into the field...
Saturday, July 13, 2019
close looking
Saturday, July 13, 2019
now the adults try
Saturday, July 13, 2019
lunchtime (w Erin's kombucha)
Saturday, July 13, 2019
looking is better than lunch
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Merengue fungi: edible.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
decomposer cake ready
Saturday, July 13, 2019
ready for Fungi Fest 2019
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Rich explains the process
Saturday, July 13, 2019
sealed. Xander will watch over it
Saturday, July 13, 2019
lecture time
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Foxy arboriculture with wood
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
wood and chainsaws
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
we have seating!
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Time flies: our fungi kit fruited
Saturday, September 7, 2019
still growing
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
yum.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
more Crossfields fungi
Saturday, September 14, 2019
up close
Saturday, September 14, 2019
our chairs are alive
Sunday, September 22, 2019
can't wait to see it fruit
Sunday, September 22, 2019
last minute fungi-hat prep
Friday, September 27, 2019
testing...
Friday, September 27, 2019
puffball spikes not so spikey
Friday, September 27, 2019
painting
Friday, September 27, 2019
stencil for prizes
Friday, September 27, 2019
headbands ready
Friday, September 27, 2019
Party set-up in high winds!
Saturday, September 28, 2019
fungi hat and nature craft tables
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Info table
Saturday, September 28, 2019
fly alaric meet dead man's finger
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Teresa & Tariq ready to serve
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Crossfielder Harvey sings
Saturday, September 28, 2019
GitD-themed henna tattoos
Saturday, September 28, 2019
and the choir sings
Saturday, September 28, 2019
he likes the giant puff
Saturday, September 28, 2019
putting things back in place
Sunday, September 29, 2019
the bug hotel
Sunday, September 29, 2019
site of the outdoor library
Sunday, September 29, 2019
seats and steppers
Sunday, September 29, 2019
nice.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
courting chair
Sunday, September 29, 2019
a gateway
Sunday, September 29, 2019
log pile with flair
Sunday, September 29, 2019
done. what next...
Sunday, September 29, 2019
done. what next...
Sunday, September 29, 2019
post-party clean up
Sunday, September 29, 2019What we've been up to
| What we did | When we did it | How many people took part | Who was there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossfields Grow in the Dark Party! | 28/09/2019 - 15:00 | 120 | Mixed ages |
| Party-planning meeting followed by knocking on doors to deliver flyers inviting people to our party and telling them about the project. | 05/09/2019 - 17:00 | 8 | Mixed ages |
| Fungi-head papier-maché: making hats based on different kinds of fungi for a photo booth at the party. | 01/09/2019 - 14:00 | 3 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| GitD end of project party-planning meeting. | 25/07/2019 - 19:30 | 17 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| GitD site visit with Lewisham Gardening Group. | 06/07/2019 - 14:00 | 6 | Mixed ages |
| GitD on-site community consultation. | 06/07/2019 - 10:00 | 4 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| End-of-the-project party planning meeting. | 05/07/2019 - 18:30 | 8 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| Wood delivery and cutting our cherry stump. | 13/08/2019 - 12:00 | 5 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| Fungi Fest! A day devoted to this essential, but elusive organism with mycologist Rich Wright and storyteller Griot Chinyere. | 13/07/2019 - 10:00 | 20 | Mixed ages |
| Kombucha making with mushroom chaga base for Fungi Fest. | 30/09/2019 - 19:30 | 2 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| More clearing out and levelling the space for the amphitheatre and planting in the GitD garden. | 23/06/2019 - 12:00 | 4 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| Amphitheatre design meeting | 18/06/2019 - 18:15 | 3 | 35 – 44 years |
| Hauled a tree that fell elsewhere on the estate to the GitD site for use in the garden: team WORK! | 16/06/2019 - 11:00 | 5 | Mostly adults 25+ |
| Cleaned and levelled the area for the amphitheatre and mocked up various designs in situ. | 09/06/2019 - 11:00 | 4 | 35 – 44 years |
| Field trip to nearby (and very shady!) Oxleas Woods to see what grows and check out their decomposters. | 01/06/2019 - 15:00 | 4 | 35 – 44 years |
| Announced the winner of the logo competition and unveiled the design. | 11/05/2019 - 02:30 | 16 | Mixed ages |
| Announced the winner of the logo competition and unveiled the design. | 11/05/2019 - 02:30 | 21 | Mixed ages |
| Grow in the Dark (GitD) community logo competition. We asked (via email, posters and word-of-mouth Crossfielders to design a project logo. | 15/03/2019 - 15:30 | 3 | Mixed ages |
| Brianna, Nick and Sophie of CET helped us listen to and see the birds, insects and plants that call Crossfields home. | 12/05/2019 - 14:30 | 16 | Mixed ages |
| Our first bird-box building session yielded 6 new nesting and roosting sites for our feathered friends and 10 community carpenters! | 11/05/2019 - 14:30 | 10 | Mixed mainly families |