Fruit beds – photogallery from around the plot

Last updated 28th March

The fruit was originally in one of the top beds. The original stuff is still there, but I plan to move it into the new bed on the lower level (complete with fruit cage: promises, promises, so we’ll see). The new bed currently has some raspberry canes and gooseberries.

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Lower level (Lefel isaf) – photogallery

Last updated:  28th March 2011

March Story

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Top beds – photogallery

Last updated:  28th March 2011

The March Story

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Down the back – photo gallery from around the plot

Last updated:  27th March 2011 (newest first)

March 26

Down the back (start of March 11)

Down the back (start March 11)

A lost plot found – Feb 2011

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5th August in the Allotment

Ok, I’ve had a big break…between graduating and guests over. But I’ve stayed on top on the watering…hey i’ve got to enjoy the successes where i find them.

To be fair, it’s been a busy few weeks with graduation and guests and job applications and interviews. But enough of all that. I have a job offer, and I’ll be back to the allotment for a full 2 days work: thurs and Fri 12th and 13th Aug to get things under a bit more control…I see jam in my future (god bless those brambles)

Think the 1st and 2nd earlies are ready

I just love the gawkishness of the sunflowers

return to wild-type

At last: some signs of cultivation

Jam jam jam jam jam...

Allotment 20th June

Sunflowers transplanted

Fruit bed

Peas (and looming blackfly)

Second plot is mine: you can see the pea tripods

The last photo is a bit sad really. The site is really only successful when all plots are cultivated. There is so much wild seed in the air that it often feels we are a hiding to nothing….all this and people are on a waiting list for plots. It’s a bit of a disgrace, though I’m not sure who to be angry with. This really shouldn’t be happening.  There are some motivated and talented allotmenteers tucked away in there working their plots – all happy to give advice for free (that’s what we love…) but their plots (like mine) are hidden behind the long grass. In the meantime, I’ll have to look after my mental health and not get upset about it…

If you are interested in an allotment in Newport, call the council and come and join us.

Newport Council: (01633) 656656

Click her for link

May 23rd- feels like summer

Wow! What a day! I discovered that the bird that has been wakening me up at 5 in the morning since the start of spring is a Chiff chaff. Which is a made up name if ever I heard one. So when he woke me up this morning, I took my breakfast and some fresh brewed coffee out into the back garden and joined my little chiff chaff friend in his salutes to the sun: well, he saluted and I ate. It seemed fair.

I spent an hour planning my allotment day- I get so distracted when I get there, that I have to have a ‘must, should, could’ style list. I finally made it to the allotment early enough to make the site shop – so I bought a couple of cucumber plants, 2 aubergines, a pumpkin, a marrow and 2 rhubarb. A fiver all in. Not too shabby. They all look pretty good too.

I then finished one of my top beds from last year- reclaiming it from the couch grass. It needs to be extended and I pulled back the cover on the slope end and was raking away the grass below it that’s died back it the last year and uncovered some bee/wasp nest. Didn’t hang around for a good look! Not sure what to do. The hive is about 10cm across and was in the dead grass rather than in the ground. Any ideas on what to do? None of my neighbours were about (and it was 1230 and I was in danger of melting into the ground, so I came home for lunch and a cold shower).

I’m about to head back now and see what it all looks like and try and guage if these insects have calmed down any!

From the afternoon: the wasps (and they were wasps, I was finally able to dicide) had calmed down and seemed to be moving on: I really disturbed the nest with one stroke of the rake. It was lying exposed, so I moved it about 3m just off the plot, but I don’t know it they’ll re-group or save the larvae, or what.

Mid May

Well, stop the clock- the potatoes are finally in the ground. Its time to get cracking on with all the other good stuff. I have yet to plant a lettuce, which is not ideal.

I put up 3 bamboo wigwams for 5 broad beans and 10 runner beans. Also, Tesco were selling off gooseberries cheap- you know with a root ball in bag, I can’t remember what they’re called. They were very cheap, and 1 must be close to 100% failing, and the other is slightly better…they have gone into the future fruit bed.basically, the root ball has come away from both while soaking in the bag overnight. There are some root-tip looking projections from the bases of the stems and one of them has some green budding above the soil line. So, I tuck them in the ground anyway. It’s a million to one chance…but as Pratchett says, they come up 9 times out of 10.

I also got permission to go onto the vacated plot below me and forage for wood- they spent a lot of time, money and effort in clearing the plot and putting in raised beds and have finished after 1 year for reasons I don’t think it’s fair to speculate on. Let’s hope someone else takes the plot. Otherwise I hope the brambles grow back faster than the Japanese knotweed…

I think its time to change the angle...finally there's a bit too much on the plot for the global shot

Photos from the M4 corridor

So there's the M4

Quick update from a day out on the bikes (mid-May):
Cycled along canal heading back from 14 locks and found a thousand tadpoles and ducks with ducklings and moorhens (?) With chicks. Within about 4m of M4! Poetic really.

Tadpoles don't mind the noise

No more tapdoles...

Cycled back thru town- saw parts of Newport I hadn’t seen before. And potential yoga venues (if I was looking for avenue…).

last one of little packets of frog potential

With the M4...at my back

Tired after a busy morning sailing on the canal

Just to the right of the ducks

Nesting

[? Text order/ layout]

...there ye go

A 2 bird job

...canal to the left of path

...Any ideas which ones?