The Tring Allotment Fringe

Gearing up for spring

Spring is approaching and it’s time to put snowy excuses behind us and crack on.  It’s time for some action so seeds have been debated, listed and purchased (50% off at the local garden centre) ready for planting.  We now have tens of little envelopes of hope waiting to be potted up and nurtured into our first harvest.

With help from the Marshalls we’ve been able to resurrect our broken polytunnel.  The e-bay Polytunnel frame (x2) didn’t make it through two bouts of late November winds.  Six metal fence posts and 25m of thick electrical cable tube later and we think we have have a solution.

In other news

• We moved the upturned workman’s shelter from the orchard and made a tool shed
• We fixed up part of the allotment fence to stop those freakin’ hosses
• the water capture system was refined and adjusted,
• Gaz built a nifty seed table.

Marshall’s first visit

15th of November 2009

The Marshall’s have laid the foundations for their raised beds.   Square beds were the order of the day, marked out as the sun set.  Next steps, build the frames, but that will have to be another day…

Onions & garlic

Beds manured and two dug over (after much shifting of muck – thanks Nic!). Onions and garlic in- thanks again Nic! Not sure if the manure will be too strong for them, but feel the need to plant something. Purple sprouting is being attacked – I think it’s birds, so we covered them in some raised netting. Also planted some winter lettuce and borrowe

Purple sprouting broccoli takes the honour

We’ve been wondering whether to plant up any veg or wait until all the beds have been mucked and left fallow for the winter. The sensible thing, I’m told, is not to go rushing in but temptation got the better of us and we’ve planted Graham’s gift. Purple sprouting broccoli takes the honour of being the first veg planted in the allotment.

Three plants went in, two feet apart.  What a satisfying feeling and hopefully ready for the steamer in the spring.

Broc & tunnel

In other news

• Egg thieves!  Yes, so we suspect…
• Four beds have been stocked with muck.
• We’ve put up the poly-tunnel.  Hope it doesn’t blow away.
• Harley the horse is growing on me. Horses have  never really taken to me, but he tolerates me and says hello.

Beds raised

A little lighter in the wallet and few days richer for the experience, the beds have been put into the Arnold plot.  Six little beauties have been installed into the Tring Allotment Fringe.

Help was called in (and offered) and in the end the beds were going in in under twenty minutes. Dan and Andy set to with saw, hammer and, in the dying stages of the day, a sieve.

In other news:

• Gary and Rachel came up and bought apple cakes. One of our beds has now been dug to a depth of six feet
• Winston fought with Baxter.  He mostly lost.
• Charlotte has asked me to mention she dug the pathways.  Brilliant pathways.
• I’ve geeked-out and added a sowing calendar to the website.  Probably a complete folly but its been a great way to look at each plant and work out sowing and harvesting.

You can see the pics from the weekend’s work on Flickr

Measuring up

Measuring up and raking

This weekend we split up the plots. The plan was to divide the plot up into three strips from top to bottom of the allotment for each family. All was measured up and we each have a plot 4.95m/5.7m x 15.2m, with room for paths between them.

In other news:

• Charlotte and I split out our plot into six (not yet) raised beds and helped Andy do the same.
• Knocked together two compost heaps from odds and sods from around the field.
• Chris and Andy went to war on the nettles. The chooks now have free run their patch
• I met an ex-chicken farmer at a wedding who gave loads of handy hints about feeding, daylight exposure  and egg yields.
• And we fixed the roof on main barn.

Very satisfying!

Rescued chickens

MusHelini

Just wanted to mention the story behind the chooks and the reason Andy needs careful watching at all times when he has cash on him. The original 2 TAF chooks are Chocolate (thanks Tori) and Drumstick (like we’re gonna eat it now!) which Andy bought as practice Chooks for our back garden. Yes my fault I let Andy loose in public with cash! and he returned with 2 chooks. Anyway Andy’s practice began in the garden, he set them up and left them for me to clean out, feed and care for, cheers Husband. Did people know that hens are actually as noisey as a cockerel at 6 in the morning? Well I know and Andy is still non-the wiser thanks to his ear plugs!!!

Me bad again! Andy was left in charge of purchasing a chook feeder and waterer for the chook stable at the field so yes I gave him more cash!!! Result: 5 more chooks, all white rescue chooks from a Tesco owned farm, so they joined Choc and Drummer waiting for the others. The next part was our epic dash to Surrey on ‘collection day’ in our little red lego van. After being in touch with the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, we were officially allowed to take on the ex-bats. They had come straight out of their cages that morning from a farm in Dorset, around 2000 chooks and dispursed to different collection points across the south. These lovely chooks are only around 12-18 months old and are destined for the pot if people don’t step in. Watch the film “Chicken Run”, I can see the like-ness in our girls.

Once we’d got our 10 girls we then dashed back to Tring, with feathers flying all round the little red lego van, thought chooks were escaping!! In Tring we deposited them in with the other TAF chooks. After the chook files it was discussed between the TAF that under no circumstances was Andy allowed to buy anymore chooks under the TAF banner and if he did get more they would be his to pay for and care for. There you go Husband its writtten in black and white now you’ve got to stick to it. I’d just like to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU and WELL DONE to the TAF for all their hard work when doing the chook run and stable. Andy’s decided to call me ‘MusHelini’.

First meeting of the allotment Guardian Council

Helena wisely called a meeting for all three couples.  Things were getting confusing.  How much had we spent? Who had put in what? Who’s collecting eggs and who was mucking out (bags not me)?

We’d watched Grow Your Own on TV (v funny) and laughed at the allotment committee but the project manager in me wanted to circulate an agenda and agree terms of reference for the meeting but this was supposed to cas.  Beers were definitely agenda item numero uno.

So, finances were checked, amended and totted up and plans and rotas drawn up.  My major contributions to the meeting were mention of this domain name (went down OK) and a group wiki (err, not so well).  I did also draw the allotment plan and promise to scan in and distribute.

So here they are:

The allotment plan

The mucking out rota (definitely a future wiki candidate, oh yeas baby)

The egg collecting rota

(rules of engagement to be approved)

Chooks are go

Chooks in their barn

We recently took delivery of seventeen chickens for the new allotment plot.  They are all rescue chooks, with five coming from Tesco free-range brood, and the rest from undisclosed battery farm(s).  The Tesco ones are definitely in the best health; some of the others have lumps, bumps and no feathers.

They all seem pretty happy with their new home though.  We’ve housed them in an old out building that Andy and Chris patched up and built a approx 20m x 5m run with homemade gates.

So far the egg yeilds are pretty good.  We have had up to fifteen eggs on some days.  Not bad, hey?