Clic"And summer’s lease hath all too short a date" Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare. When does Summer end and Autumn begin? Meteorologists say Autumn begins on 1st September. Traditionalists who go by astronomical periods say it is the date of the equinox; this year September 22nd. Shakespeare beautifully sums up a common feeling we might share of the ebbing away of the sun and warmth of summer into the clouds and the cool of Autumn. This year is no different I suppose and the recent weather certainly is "Autumn like". We have lost the blazing heat of mid August and replaced it with cloud, rain and wind. I was mulling this over on Plot 106 (where else? 😄) this morning as I was picking produce for the table. Very autumn like produce, not the runner beans, courgettes, salads and cherry tomatoes of high summer but their cousins, of the Autumn. Anyone who grows or has grown potatoes will know that excited feeling, perhaps tinged with a bit of trepidation when the time comes to see "how they have done". Whether the spuds are in the ground, a bed, a pot or growing bag that feeling is real. I had it as I lifted the first root of my maincrop potatoes. The variety is "Picasso" that were chitted from late February and planted out on that traditional day, Good Friday, April 12th. As you can see, I had a good result. About 2.5kg from the root and big enough to be jacket baked, always a bonus. Then some mange-tout peas, variety "Oregon". And sweetcorn " Damaun". Then finally, that luscious tomato "Marmande". Very lovely. Enjoy Autumn ....
k here to edit.
0 Comments
National Allotment Week 2020. Day six. Saturday 15th August
Happy with the current season on Plot 106. It started very well with bumper crops of broad beans and rhubarb in April and May and has continued with good crops of shallots, courgettes, runner beans, mange tout peas, early potatoes and globe artichokes. Right now coming in are cabbages, squashes, marrows, sweet corn, french beans. Fingers crossed for cooking onions, salad onions, sweet peppers, cooking tomatoes and maincrop potatoes next month. Growing well for the Autumn and winter are cabbages, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and sprouting broccoli. Here are some pics taken today. Tomorrow is my last post for National Allotment Week 2020 and I will be discussing health and wellbeing and gazing into the crystal ball for the next stages of this fascinating project .... National Allotment Week 2020. day five. Friday 14th August
In an ideal world, every allotmenteer would take over in the Autumn or the Spring which are best suited to kick start work. May is not the best time but nonetheless, it worked for me. Having been let loose on such a large area is exciting but also a challenge. Most have grown some veg at home but more likely on a small scale. What I did resist the temptation to do was to blitz 106 and try to create something that takes months, in a fortnight. I did that by setting myself target area to get ready on each visit and stick to that. By September the whole plot was tamed. As the main idea on an allotment is to grow food ( there are other important ones too, that I will explore in a later post ) by the end of June, I had planted runner beans ( a social media buddy gave me a tray of plants ), a couple of courgettes, some late potatoes ( somebody, Unknown left a bag of chitterlings tubers on my doormat ) and some sweetcorn. Over the first year, they were joined by swedes, turnips, pak choi, broad beans, celery, tomatoes and peas. My principles for the crop management are 1. Not to grow for bulk but for seasonal eating with any gluts frozen or preserved 2. To grow all plants from seed and tubers that have not been been hybridised, with a focus on " heritage " varieties used for their flavour 3. No use of any chemical weed killers, or " pest controls " 4. Whilst having a modicum of rotation, not to get hung up about that but rather to grow blocks of plants together, rather than rows 5. To explore companion planting; planting flowers and non edible plants for that effect, and their beauty 6. Feed, feed and feed the soil with manures, compost and green manure cultivation 7. To have a mini vineyard with a target of ten bottles for Christmas gifts 2025 ( I am T Total ) 8. To greatly enjoy the physical and emotional benefits provided by 106 Tomorrow, I will give a snapshot on the allotment as it is right now, on Saturday some notes of what others are up to on their plots and we will end National Allotment Week on Sunday with wellbeing and health .... National Allotment Week 2020. day four Thursday 13th August
Key in hand, head buzzing with ideas and warm sun on my back I began my tenancy of Plot 106 Lancing Manor allotments in May 2019. And tenancy it is. I am now well on in years and whilst enjoying good physical and emotional health do temper those grand plans of youth with a heavy dose of practicality. As a mate cheerfully reminded me at the time " Andy, your next decade ends at 80 ". Thanks ! There is a general conception about the profile of allotmenteers. Old, retired and people with time on their hands spring to mind. On my way the grammar school in Yorkshire many years ago I would walk past one of the local mills and next to it were the allotments for presumably, primarily, their retired workers. Anyway, even at that early hour the tenants were there. So that was my first sighting of an allotment. At least an organised growing area other than a veg plot in the garden. I jest not that flat caps, pipes or even a whippet were in evidence. Mr Bolland lived two doors away from us and had an allotment there. He rode his bike around and you could see evidence of his labours on the panniers and bag. He did smoke a pipe. He did have a whippet ( called Nell ) but my memory fades as to whether he wore a flat cap. Plot 106 was by any standards overgrown. But as I try to do, spinning that to my best advantage meant that if it grew all those elderberry bushes, field bindweed, fat fen, blackberry briars and the like, then it would certainly grow beans, potatoes and carrots. The state of the plot meant that I had to make a very early compromise. The plan was to have it all as " no dig " by growing green manures mulching with manures and compost to build up the fertility level and humus that are the essential of no dig. Some of the briars had stems and roots literally as thick as your arm and not wishing to go into the blackberry business they would have to be dug out. Another very important point about renting an allotment is that unless you are lucky, you are initially going to have to involve yourself or others in some pretty demanding physical work. I had some help from mates in these early days that I will name check in a later posting. And via our combined efforts a great clearance occurred and about a quarter of the plot was rotovated. Rotovating on allotments or anywhere else for that matter has its proponents and champions if the land afterwards is to be used productively. It is said that perennial weed roots get shredded and regrow with a vengeance. I have not noticed that on 106. I took the following four months to double dig the rest of the plot to get out what was needed. And I started to do some planting and sowing, these photos give a flavour. Tomorrow I will give my 12 month summary on what happened up to May 2020 .... Having been invited to look at Lancing Manor allotments, I met with the " overseer " John on a bright morning in May 2019. These allotments ticked important boxes for me. They are a couple of minutes walk from my home, are well protected by modern fencing and security and are beautifully situated on the edge the South Downs National Park. Distant sea views are on offer. The land is an area behind the Manor House that was pulled down in the 1970s. Two blocks of allotments, opened several decades apart. All are on south facing, gently sloping land and are surrounded by trees around the perimeter and the wider area known locally as " Mcintyre's Field ". John told me that there were four allotments that he would like to show me, three in the top area and one in the lower. John opened the gate, took us about 20 metres and said that this was the first one. I straight away decided that this was it. Number 106. A number that had become important to me in my role 2006 / 2017 as Chairman of the local community association, being the route of the Compass bus that comes through our part of the village and onwards to either Worthing or Henfield. I had promoted its use for years and even organised shopping trips and walks for members to join in. So 106 it was. I did take a look at the other three plots but really my mind was set. I said " yes please " to John, who gave some kind word of encouragement and of realism about having a plot. I like people who share knowledge and John had forty two years of it. A considerable privilege to have John looking after us all. I took some photos and walked home planning away. Next day I had a key and made a start. These photos reflect that. All the while the clearance was going on thoughts appeared. Deep beds or borders ? Fruit cages ? Grow plants from seed or buy them in ? Big questions. More tomorrow
I rent Plot 106 at Lancing Manor allotments in West Sussex, UK. I rent from Adur District Council and in 2020 / 2021 the cost for the year for a 5 rod allotment is £58. Depending on availability, they offer 5 or 10 rod plots. The 10 rod is £110 for the year. Anyone over 65 years of age gets a 30% discount. Incidentally, the fact that allotments are still measured and charge by their " rod " size is a throwback to the history that we spoke about yesterday, and, just to confuse the matter a rod is also know as a " perch " and a " pole ". Anyway, we will accept that the rod / pole / perch is about sixteen feet long and wide. Around all the plots are pathways, some of which are well maintained and some that are very overgrown. The pathways are important as that is your means of getting to your plot , to barrow in manures and composts or wheeling out your prize pumpkin to weight it and see if you need to contact The Guinness Book of Records. A very important point about Lancing Manor allotments is that there is water. Both stored in tanks that top up as they are used and taps to which we can attach a hosepipe. Important generally but essential at the time of our current heatwave. I decided to try to get an allotment at the Manor in Spring 2019. My thoughts were that there would be a long waiting list and it might take a few years. Wrong ! Having completed the online form, I got a call back and appointment to view the next day. Very exciting. I will tell you tomorrow how the viewing went. The photos above give an idea of what I saw when I first looked at plot 106 ....
Starting today, Monday 10th August it is National Allotment Week. And the overall theme for this year is " Growing Food for Health and Wellbeing ". But how much do we actually know about allotments and their history ? In my case, not a lot, so I have been doing some online reading that I would like to share. Turn away if you know already ! There are references for allotments going back to Saxon and Norman times, the former as a result of gaining " common land " by forest clearance but there were no rights as to who should have one. Until the 18th century it was lip service to the idea with land being " enclosed " at a ferocious rate by landowners and the church to the detriment of others. The General Enclosure Act of 1845 came in not with the altruistic view to share resources but more to attempt to defuse revolutionary thoughts and belatedly, starvation. It was hardly a big change though as it resulted in 2,200 acres of the enclosed 650,000 being given over to allotments. However, it was a law of the land and a start. The Smallholding and Allotment Act 1907 imposed responsibilities on parish, urban district and borough councils to provide allotments. Two seismic events in the 20th century, the World Wars, completely changed the attitude to allotments and growing food. There were genuine fears of the nation not having enough food in wartime. During the First War, land close to railway lines was freed by the rail companies to provide plots for their workers and then for the public. That answers the question as to why when on a rail journey you see allotments. In the Second War, the government were so concerned about lack of food that a national " Dig for Victory " campaign was launched, turning parks and open spaces into allotments. In 1950, Parliament passed a new law that meant that 4 acres of allotment space had to be provided per 1,000 in the local population.
Tomorrow, I will begin to tell the story of my allotment at Lancing Manor ... https://www.nsalg.org.uk/news-eve…/national-allotments-week/ |
AuthorI launched this website on 16th August 2020 to bring together my thoughts on gardening,, its importance for health and wellbeing and two projects running concurrently, a renovation of my own garden on the West Sussex coast at Lancing and a nearby allotment. But also to learn from other gardeners about the inspirations for their plots, about their gardening projects and enjoyment of beautiful plants and gardens Archives
February 2024
Categories |