Chick No1 arrived at 6.15am today. After 23hours i had to give it a helping hand out of the shell as it was struggling to get out. Fingers crossed i should get some more.(5 eggs left, i think 4 are fertile)
I will keep a cock bird if i have one and will sell or put the girls in our allotment run.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Orchard
Hi there guys,
Have today contacted several organisations who should be able to assist us with management plans for the orchard for continued fruit production as well as native species habitat. When they get back to me I will update more.
The orchard will need some kind of grass maintenance, preferably by grazing or cut for hay and hopefully we can do this when we get a few of us together to strim the edges of the allotment? Uneven orchard floors are great for invertebrates and cutting between 5 and 15 cm high is optimim.
That is short-term later on in the autumn we will need to prune the trees a little and this will be a significant task so at the time volunteers will be needed as its far to much work for just one or two people. realistically we could prune the trees over two to three year cycle to spread the work load.
Fruity quote "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is slow-ripening fruit" Aristotle.
That is it for now toodle pip
Have today contacted several organisations who should be able to assist us with management plans for the orchard for continued fruit production as well as native species habitat. When they get back to me I will update more.
The orchard will need some kind of grass maintenance, preferably by grazing or cut for hay and hopefully we can do this when we get a few of us together to strim the edges of the allotment? Uneven orchard floors are great for invertebrates and cutting between 5 and 15 cm high is optimim.
That is short-term later on in the autumn we will need to prune the trees a little and this will be a significant task so at the time volunteers will be needed as its far to much work for just one or two people. realistically we could prune the trees over two to three year cycle to spread the work load.
Fruity quote "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is slow-ripening fruit" Aristotle.
That is it for now toodle pip
Monday, 29 June 2009
Chickens
The Nuns have said yes to our chicken project. This is great because some of the group don't have room at home for chickens. I will put in some Bantams and we will get some rescue battery hens, Question is how many?
I was up at 6.30am today doing plot allocations and i think its worked out fine.
Meeting with Mark Oaten MP........
This went very well and he is backing the village 100%.
Maybe we can expand the allotment project sooner rather than later.
This weekend I'm doing the plot contracts and i hope to have them done by Sunday.
I was up at 6.30am today doing plot allocations and i think its worked out fine.
Meeting with Mark Oaten MP........
This went very well and he is backing the village 100%.
Maybe we can expand the allotment project sooner rather than later.
This weekend I'm doing the plot contracts and i hope to have them done by Sunday.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Update on Land.
The Orchard....
Didn't see this in the long grass.
Some of the parking.
More parking.
The lockup.
View North.
The field is now mowed.
Today I've been looking at what to plant when the plots are ready.
I found this list on a forum, if anyone has more ideas please contact me........
Chard
Chinese cabbage
Corn Salad
Florence Fennel
Kale
Japanese Greens (Mizuna)
Japanese Onion seed
Kohl Rabi
Baby Leeks
Lettuce (sow a hardy variety for winter use)
Mustard
Peas
Perennial herbs
Radishes
Salad leaves
Salad Rocket
Spinach
Spinach Beet
Spring Cabbage
Spring Onions (White Lisbon winter hardy)
Summer Radish
Turnips
Winter Radish (end of month)
Winter Savory
Carrot Autumn King 2
I think this lot should keep us going.
Next week I'm pricing raised beds.(timber ect)
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The plot sizes
Today was interesting, myself and Dave took some Bamboo canes and marked out a few trial plots.
All week I've been worried 20 plots would not fit in the field. Sarah has marked out the field on graph paper and we've been trying to fit on the plots. Well today went well we think we can do 20 x 125 m2 plots with room to spare.
Also today we visited Shirrell Heath allotment to get some ideas about planning our plots. I will say this just made me more determined to start planning my layout today.
We have seen big plots, small plots ,tidy plots messy plots and they are all brimming with fresh veg and fruit.
I would suggest a visit to a local allotment to see what you like and dislike .This would give you a head start with your plans and you can put them down on a plot-plan.
All week I've been worried 20 plots would not fit in the field. Sarah has marked out the field on graph paper and we've been trying to fit on the plots. Well today went well we think we can do 20 x 125 m2 plots with room to spare.
Also today we visited Shirrell Heath allotment to get some ideas about planning our plots. I will say this just made me more determined to start planning my layout today.
We have seen big plots, small plots ,tidy plots messy plots and they are all brimming with fresh veg and fruit.
I would suggest a visit to a local allotment to see what you like and dislike .This would give you a head start with your plans and you can put them down on a plot-plan.
Friday, 26 June 2009
All Systems Are Go
Welcome to our new allotment project.
We are a small group of people who wished to grow our own produce but didn't have the land.
Step forward ED (that's me).
I have been trying to set up an allotment project in our village for some time now. Due to brick walls (parish council ect) i decided to lobby our MP.
A meeting has been set for 29/06/09 to discuss our issues.
But we have had some good news.
We have a plot of land in the gounds of a local pastoral center kindly rented to us by the nuns .
The land is due to be ploughed soon and we will take over from 6/8/09.
But we have had some good news.
We have a plot of land in the gounds of a local pastoral center kindly rented to us by the nuns .
The land is due to be ploughed soon and we will take over from 6/8/09.
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