St. Cleer garden club

The interest around the county about our project pleasantly surprises me as several village and town garden clubs have approached me to come along to their friendly meetings and give a presentation of our association. I do enjoy spreading the story of how we came to be formed, what obsticles had to be overcome before we could even start, how we go about everything, etc.

St.Cleer garden club were the latest to ask and as I drove out on what was officially the coldest March night for 30 years, I wondered (a) what sort of audience I would have and (b) would I be there for the night if the snow forecast descended?

I needn't have worried, the secretary Jean and her husband were very welcoming and the members, around 23-26 in number were keenly interested in what I had to say, the questions at the end were confirmation of their enthusiasm for our successful project.

I don't have a projector but take along 15 large A4 laminated photos and hand these around as I talk about that particular aspect.

The talk was cut down a little from my usual 90 minute speel as all needed to get home in good time in view of the weather but I was thanked and the club donated £25 towards plants for our community gardens which will be used to good effect.

I ended by displaying the shield we won for Cornwall in bloom, (grow your own category winner), telling this story, before inviting them back for a tour of our site when everything was actively growing and was pleased at the positive response. Glad I managed to wet their appetite.

This talk was the 6th I have carried out since we started and with St. Teath due to be visited next month, folk now know who we are and why we are quite unique in what we are trying to achieve.

The friendships that are formed on these evenings between the clubs go on far beyond one night and is a worthwhile exercise.

Thank you St. Cleer for a nice evening.

I need not have worried about the snow either, it thankfully didn't materialise but I could have done without the 10 mile detour around narrow, bendy, frozen country lanes to get home thanks to Cornwall Highways closing the A38 for roadworks overnight, nice one!

The pic is of the talk to St. Breward garden club in 2012.

Weathervane installed

As a continuation of the blog in November of last year, I'm pleased to say that our weathervane is now proudly erected on our main shed. It looks superb and has had many a positive comment already. It was so difficult to decide on what to do with the prize money won for the best in category 'grow your own' awarded that would benefit everyone on site, all of them had contributed in us winning this fine accolade.

Included here are two photos of the 'vane, comes from an old English word 'fane' meaning flag. Naughty aren't we after last year's ban on flags? But we are not 'old English', well only Jim is.

The record breaking wet season last year has meant the sheds are looking in need of TLC and the work has already started on this as weather permits, as they will be the focus of attention during the year when we show off our new asset. It will be important that the site incl the back of the sheds used at present for storing things away we'd rather not have on show, looks good from the adjacent rough field as within a few weeks will be transformed into a coach park and our car parking area too.

It's not known at the time of writing where our entrance gate will be once the work as above is finished, so it is possible Hilda the boat and our community entrance gardens may need to shift. If the gate is too far from our dedicated car park when transporting heavy items or for disabled members, we'll have to alter the location. Hoping we can leave all as it is.

I am delighted at the look of the weathervane, it will remind us over the years
why we won it.  

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.

Cathy

Having the admin for a large allotment site isn't always as easy as it may seem, every day there is work in the background going on whether it be plot renewal forms to write and post, socials and group visits to organise or just plot changeovers, being amongst the numerous jobs. I am ably assisted by my lovely wife Ruth and whilst the 'job' is enjoyable most if the time, there are times when another train of thought or maybe just another person is needed that I can rely on to attend and assist at a function such as a garden club visit when the volume of visitors is more than I can focus on to get points across.

All of our committee are helpful and approachable when a second opinion, decision or a job needs doing, I wouldn't change any of them but if I am really stuck, Cathy is the lady who will put forward a sensible, fair opinion and plan for action usually without any prompt as she's spotted the problem already.
 
Considering the busy working life she leads, Cathy will make several visits to her plot each week but always has time for a friendly chat with anyone, having said that, there's no-one to talk to in the first picture below which looks as if she's got the whole 3 acre site to turn over on her own, she's seen clutching a hand trowel ready for action. This photo was taken by the National Trust the day we opened.

These frequent visits have paid off as she won, fair and square, the best full allotment this year, 2012 which was judged by 2 independent people. Cathy was delighted to receive the Viv Brock memorial cup engraved with her name (to be kept for one year) even if it was the first time Ruth and I have ever seen her blush with pride on the presentation. An engraved whisky glass to commemorate was given too, to be kept for ever.

The willow working course that was attended by Cathy was put to good use and when the judges inspected every plot early in July, the arch seen below impressed them as being one of the unique features on a 'different' and 'interesting' allotment. This shot was taken just after the creation of the arch and before the sweet peas took over.

Another photo below shows most of the committee with Hilda the boat who the day before this pic was replanted with spring bulbs and plants and looks a bit bare. From L - R is Dennis, Ruth,Sue,David,Glynis,Me,John,Sheila,Jim and Cathy. Missing from the picture are 3 more key committee members, Kevin, Billy and Neil.

I want to end this last blog of the year, from me anyway, by thanking not only Cathy for being there when I need her, the National Trust local team for their continued support and of course ALL of OUR team, each of them contributes something different to make this a heck of a brilliant, successful, award winning allotment site. Have I mentioned about the award before?

A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL GROWING SEASON 2013 TO YOU ALL !