Hello

we had a great day at the site yesterday, and DA was on hand to take some photos for us.  A few were a bit blurry, but here are the good ones.  We have lots of Pak Choi growing and our seedlings are coming along.  

We also have frogs and newts establishing in the pond, which is especially pleasing.  encouraging these types of wildlife is an good way to control pests without using chemicals.

Recent photos

Hello

although we didn't get any photos this week (and it rained), here are a few recent snaps to give an idea of what's happening at the site.

We have a lot of pak choi growing, and the lettuce and rocket is doing well.  Tomatoes, courgettes etc should be coming through in the next few months.

RW

Lots of seedlings

Hello again

we had another productive visit this morning, focussing mainly on starting as many seeds as possible.  we also prepared the beds in the tunnel ready for growing on seedlings.  We planted our first pak choi too.

Seeds and sunshine in March

Hello!

yesterday's visit was productive and it now feels like we are off to a good start.  A few days of better weather makes me feel more optimistic and makes the allotment come to life.

We have started focusing on  making sure that we have enough seedlings started to get a consistent and varied crop in the summer.  We're trying out a few new things we haven't tried before, such as Jerusalem Artichokes and land cress (which we bought for a bargain from the excellent shop at Stonebridge City Farm).

Yesterday we planted some spare hyacinth bulbs in the flower bed, and started some red onion sets.  We then worked on setting seeds in pots.  We are already seeing some shoots from our Pak Choi seeds so we should get lots of that.  Pak Choi can be quite expensive so it's a good and easy plant to grow.

Here's a photo of JK and DW enjoying the sun whilst helping with planting tomato, aubergine, courgette and pepper seeds.

First signs of Spring

Hello everyone

despite the lack of updates here, we have still been visiting the site.  Given the unusually bad weather recently, we have been limited though.  The shed's roofing felt has blown off and the wood is soaked, so we have another project to work on.

We took a few photos this morning when I worked with JK, DW and JH.  Today's work was mainly focused on clearing up and adding to the 'bender' which we began in November.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of our willow cuttings are beginning to grow, and have developed velvety, soft buds:

We collected lots of loose cuttings which we then planted in between the main structure of the bender so that the willow will grow in and make a living dome.

One of the nice things to see after so much wind and rain is the emergence of bulbs:

That's all for this week.  We will be working on fixing the shed and getting some crops going in the tunnel the next time we visit.

Robin

More work on the pond area

Hello all

the weather has been damp and chilly recently, but we're still making the effort to get some work done at the site.  Recently we have been working on the structure we are building near the pond.  I don't know what it's proper name is, but I have been told it should be called a bender.  It's in the early stages at the moment, but the general structure is in place now.  Hopefully, we will be able to grow some willow amongst the wood to make a living shelter which will last for years.

Anyway, whatever the name should be, here are some photos.

RW

Pond, fence, and willow

Hello

we recently updated our timetables so that over the winter months we will be making two visits per week, staying just for the morning.  A wider variety of people will be able to join in with the work, and we should be able to keep up with any jobs.

Thw weather wasYesterday when we arrived, we found a solitary wild strawberry.  The plants in the polytunnel appear to be revived and may bear fruit again soon.

Most of yesterday's work focussed on the pond and screen.  WB topped up the water level, and we worked on weaving wood into the fence.  Eventually, we will grow flowers up the fence, and we might even create a dome out of willow to go near the pond.

We chopped a large branch from the overhanging willow tree.  It needed to be pruned, and the wood will be used for our projects.  

Inside the tunnel we are still getting courgettes, squash, celery and tomatoes:

Finally, we have a new group member helping us on a Thursday, and he was keen to have his photo on the internet.  This is DA who will be working with us now: