All is well.

Since my last blog, the cold wind which had been blowing since February has at last relented allowing our normal warmer South Westerlies to come in which does bring in rain but we do need it after the ground had been subjected to drying sub zero conditions. The soil was cold to quite a depth.

Our allotmenteers are a hardy breed and most had been on site at some point during the cold snap to prepare their patch for the season ahead and I include  a couple of pics showing the site a week after the milder weather returned, i.e. the second week of April and looking around I felt satisfied we had a good team on board now, the iffy, maybe, sometime, never tenants had gone and been replaced with keen, knowledgable ,true gardeners. Credit to them all for the hard work put in, let us hope the season ahead rewards.

The mini orchard has now been planted. This is situated on an area in the far corner which was a problem to know what to do with as too wet for a plot here, we tried it. Strange as the patch faces S.W., gets plenty of sun but perhaps the giant trees behind the area prevent enough air circulation, who knows, just hope the 15 fruit trees take off and flourish.

We are more exposed to the passing world now with the removal of boundary trees and the imminent realignment of the Cornish hedge that hides us from the road. This is to allow better vision for us and the coaches visiting Lanhydrock to  exit the new car park, all part of big changes in the area (not allowed to say the E word, but rhymes with great). Some tenants feel uncomfortable with the high visibility of our site but we have been assured that we will be ok with a new screen shortly.

Our social life has us attending an event every month but had a disappointment this month as the day before we were due to visit the St. Austell brewery to tour the works, we were asked to cancel as there was emergency maintenance to be carried out the same w/e and the water was turned off so machines all off too. How inconsiderate! Fortunately, I was able to contact all those going in time as we had arranged to meet there. Oh well, another time, can't be helped.

Must say we are sorry to lose Kevin and Charlotte Chapman who had been with us since day one but found life's other commitments to much to justify keeping their plot. We will miss them in particular Charlotte's lovely smile whenever you saw her. :)

Right, it's good growing weather so I'm off the computer now to get planting, I have a lot of competition this year with all the plots looking good. Glad. Billy no- mates has even risked planting out his runner beans, mine are just considering germinating in the greenhouse. I must be old fashioned thinking the second week in May was early enough. Have always had a gardening calendar in my head, maybe I need to have an update soon.  

This cold wind is taking its toll.

The cold wind which has been blowing from the East since February 20th is taking its toll in several ways, the worst of which is that the morale on the plots is pretty low and may leave its mark.

As we all know, everything is WAY behind, crops that are begging to be released from their cramped greenhouse and cold frame homes cannot be planted in such cold soil as we have at present. We have a good proportion of new allotmenteer tenants who were told at the end of last season not to despair as rarely did 2 consecutive bad seasons occur but unless there is a sudden change in the very near future of the weather pattern this will be the case. I do not want those young families to give up yet but who wants to spend their spare time with children for company on a cold,windy, cloudy allotment site ?
Just for interest, I have put two photos on of my garden at the same time of year, two years apart, the first in April 2011 and the other of the same view 2 days ago (6.4.2013).
Notice the cherry leaves, out full in 2011, now not even budding. Clematis over the arch in full flower in 2011, just thinking about showing buds now. The temp has been around 12 degrees different daily on average. This will knock on for the whole season as far as vegetables are concerned unless we get a lengthy Indian summer. Jet stream, please shift yourself northwards SOON!

 

 

2011
2013

Another talk given to a county garden club, this time the village of St Teath heard the tale of how, why,etc and listened to the journey of the long path to setting up this successful allotment community. The garden club had invited the local allotment group along too so I expected the varied and numerous questions at the end of my talk. I was heartily thanked by the club's secretary and exchanged emails with the allotment group for furtherdiscussions after mutually agreeing to swop visits in the near future. The constant frosty, icy evenings seem to relent a little for me to get home without any problem even tho frost set in later that night.

                              A pic of St. Teath village centre here.

We have one area undeveloped on site, one corner that is quite damp and haven't really known what to do with but after several similar suggestions, we are to plant an orchard  consisting of 3 pear, 5 apple, 3 cherry, 2 plum,
2 crab apple (for the blossom). These have arrived now bare rooted from Fothergills and must be planted as soon as I can, They were substantial trees, arrived well packed and represented good value at under £100 for the lot (exc. the crab apple).

I'll brave the cold wind this week coming, plant them with stakes and ties and if the weather doesn't change, it'll stay as it is. Makes sense.

 

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.....