Good use of the 'quiet' time

The primary use of the membership of the allotment association is of course to grow your own veg and fruit while getting healthy exercise but a 'spin off' of that is to encourage the friendships made on site through the common
interest of gardening, we have a really good community spirit here.

A way of doing that is to have a good programme of social events outside the boundaries of our field and with that in mind, Ruth and I have arranged for there to be something on every month this year that those interested can take advantage of. It's noticed that around 50% of our group enjoy these events, the other half prefer just to stick to their gardening, which is fine as if all took part, the numbers would be difficult to manage, coach hire, venues to book, etc.

We use this quiet time to arrange with organisations for our visits but the response to emails and phone calls is hit and miss, some very good but others you need a lot of patience to wait for replies, hence the final date cannot always be given as early as we'd like. We'll get there soon because if too long is taken, a visit is made to speak to staff face to face, they can't get out of that!

Our problem is that the venue want numbers and we can't give that until we know a date so we book a provisional number, then nag folk nearer the time to make that figure a reality.

The events on the allotment diary will happen and would ask our members to look at the diary page and decide what interests them so that when dates are finalised a commitment can be given to come along and also suggest what else they'd like to see and do. The response to the Rosemoor garden trip last year was surprisingly poor which is unusual, normally we are oversubscribed. We had to cancel the coach booking and specially discounted admission price negotiated.  Perhaps the wet, cold season dampened enthusiasm.

Added a couple of pictures of events last year, a coach trip to Suttons seed trial grounds and our first seed swop day both of which were well attended.


Some work on our plot being done when weather permits, the manure pile, a delicious mix of horse and calf which promises to reward us with extra large crops from it's nutricious, delightfully well rotted structure is benefitting from being turned to allow frost to break down even further. Beautiful. 

Frosty Morning on the Allotment

Decided it was time to clean the tools and clear out my locker in the communal shed today, well can't get on the plot to dig or prepare beds cause it's frozen solid!   Made the fatal mistake too of wearing my wellie boots and no thermal socks.....memo to self not to make that stupid mistake again.   Done all the jobs I can at home sat beside the warm fire, planned the beds planted them out in my mind umpteen times.   Trawled the multitude of seed catalogues dropping on my hallway floor, watched the Victorian Kitchen Garden DVD with Harry Dobson and my hero  Geoff Hamilton's DVD.   I think he should be compulsory watching for all budding allotment holders, his helpful no nonsense approach has come to my rescue many times.  Anyway as I said I had no option now  but to head for the plot itself and collect the tools for their spring clean and any running repairs needed.  Can you love a spade? I do...it fits perfectly in my hands with the wood feeling so smooth and oozing the tender loving care lavished on it by  past gardeners.  The business end is pitted with age but slices through the soil easily and is just the right weight for me to be able to throw the lovely manure, now protecting my soil, around with gusto..........yes I know I should get a hobby....I do....gardening.    While I was up the plot however I was amazed just how much frost was around.   The poor pond was frozen and the pink ducks looked like they could have done with hats & scarves.  



 

Frosty Greens for tea...

           Mind you it did look quite pretty the way some of the veg had been frosted

 

but the poor wheelbarrow looked a bit sad..... 

Waiting for spring......



 

 

...but spring is just around the corner, walking around Lanhydrock last week I saw snowdrops, primroses and daffodils out in flower.  In my own garden my welsh poppy has not stopped flowering, my tulips are about an inch (2.4cms for those of you of metric bent) above the soil and my broad beans are up and doing well in the greenhouse.  

Trying a new variety for us this year - Mr. Jones - anyone grown it before?  Okay feet have now thawed out so need to go and have cup of coffee and feed the chickens.







New Season

2013 has to be better hasn't it?   As Mike has said we've had the wettest season in years.....but we are allotment holders and we are forever optimistic and 2013 will be a bumper year for us!  My new found enthusiasm knows no bounds and I even made the under gardener come up to the plot with me to do some weeding in the rain today! I sat at the table last night and looked at all the seeds I plan to grow and realised my 'eyes' are bigger than my plot, some serious pruning out needs to be done, problem is there are so many plants I want to grow!   I foresee many hours of agonising over which variety of carrot to grow, reading and re-reading their 'form' and discussions with the under gardener on how we can maximise the beds.......no doubt over a few glasses of our homemade gooseberry wine.  When I ask for another plot Mike please just keep saying NO...

 Well I have made start - sort of - I've washed the first of thousands of pots, a slight exaggeration maybe but it certainly feels like it - as the mountain remaining in our pot box isn't getting any smaller.  Remember the programme about a hoarder called Mr. Trebus?  Well I think I'm the female version!  

May have to recycle some pots up to the allotment as freebies later this month.....

Waiting list reduction

The tenancies are renewed annually every January and the fees are coming in slowly now Christmas is over but unlike the previous two seasons, the pattern is suprising us here at HQ. Since opening in 2010 and the initial take up of the virgin plots, it has proved quite hard for any new applicant to take advantage of any vacancy, they have been few and far between. The only plotters to depart have been those that have been requested to do so or anyone moving out of the locality.
This coming year there have been several terminations by members for various reasons but one has been that the 2012 growing season was so poor and the toil for another year was too much to take on for so little reward. This disappoints as in my experience in life not often can I recall a poor season has been followed by another although I can understand someone with limited time would be frustrated by their yield last year. Being the wettest year since records began in 1910 really proved to be the last straw for a few, tired of constant weeding and seeing their crops rot or not even have their seed rows germinate at all.
It has not been a problem to fill the vacant plots as the patient waiting list now has the door open to join our community at last and we are to hold a 'newbie' induction day next Saturday, 5th Jan. This entails listening to me for 10 mins about our dos and donts on site, issuing them with a 16 page information pack of all that they can enjoy from the area, a tenancy agreement, the rules and a gate entrance key. They are then shown their plot and once the fee is paid for the year, can get going whenever they want. The previous week, the vacating plots had been cleared of any debris left and a new plot No.sign made to give a good start to making a success of their new pastime.
Talking to other allotment site committee members, this seems to be the norm on other sites that those who are less committed (apart from other good reasons, poor health, etc) have decided enough is enough which is a shame considering the pleasure obtained from growing your own is so pleasing.
The pictures I will put on here asap, two are of soggy times on site this year and the third just a photo of a sunny day, a rare sight in 2012 but hopefully a common occurence in 2013. Optimism is important.