Two trips to the allotment today …

… am enjoying the annual leave and the opportunity to get to the allotment as often as possible.

Wildlife-friendly structures

Garden Organic says to get lacewing hotels in place by mid-August.

Buglife does a bee hotel made from bamboo shoots

The permaculture garden, by Graham Bell

Borrowed from Edinburgh Central Library, this book is clearly a reference book as there’s so much in it. From large scale projects for a row of terraced houses to a chapter full of ideas that can be completed in a day, it has an informal style and a can-do attitude. The book also has 24 tables of plants suitable for a variety of uses; my only criticism is that the tables don’t get a mention in the index or table of contents.

The inspiring illustrations by Sarah Bunker are clear and complement the text well. She describes permaculture techniques and imagines community living (in the vein of Clifford Harper). It appears that she’s author of Diggers and Dreamers, listed on lowimpact.org. (TODO: explore this site)

Two themes running through the book are edge and height. Taken from forest gardening, the book advocates making structures in the garden to maximise the use of these two components. Another theme is making do with what’s there and reducing inputs — permaculture.

The book is published by Chelsea Green Publishing, who see publishing as a tool for effecting cultural change and want to stop the destruction of the natural world by challenging the beliefs and practices that are enabling this destruction and by providing inspirational and practical alternatives that promote sustainable living.

Mulch around the courgettes …

… I forgot. On Saturday I planted two courgettes given to me by a distant neighbour. Made two German Mounds using uprooted weeds from the allotment and some hedge clippings from my (home) neighbour as the nutrient base.

When I was taking the planks down to the allotment yesterday, I used a large bit of cardboard to stop them sliding out of the trailer forwards. Cut a hole in it and used it for mulch. Have had to anchor the edges down, and used bamboo canes sawn into 6″ pieces. Will see whether it’s robust! Alternatively, I can chuck some topsoil over.

A helping hand is very welcome

I’m almost delirious with tiredness after spending the best part of today down the allotment. Add a vodka and Barr’s cola and I’m in serious danger of wobbling …

Final warning

Seems I’m not doing enough for the Allotments Officer, so I’ve got a final warning to give him a reason why my plot’s not up to scratch or else I’m out. I can’t help feeling that it’s a policy decision to get the 2.5 year waiting list down, and newbies get pressured to make sure they really want to keep the plot. I’ve got 14 days to turn it round, so I’ve emailed and invited him to visit the plot on the 23rd. Got my work cut out before then …

The hawthorn has blossomed…

Not much, but it’s definitely blossom. The first stirrings of blossom are on the raspberries, and the blackcurrant bushes have little swellings underneath the flowers.

I really need to go to the allotment more often — it needs watering and weeding so I can make the most of this wonderful fruit.

Leith Links Allotments on 5 May

Leith Links Allotments were open until 9pm as part of Parks and Gardens Open Day, so after I had finished with the bike ride I took my daughter down. Was taken on a guided tour by a lovely woman, and it turns out that her sons were staffing the gate and her husband was working their allotment. An incredibly friendly family who probably are a mainstay of the site.

Parks and Gardens Open Day 2007

The Edinburgh Civic Trust laid on a day where gardens not usually open to the public threw their gates open, and I organised a cycle tour around a few of the sites. Starting at 60 South Clerk Street with some volunteers from Sustrans — the sustainable transport charity we met members of the public at the Mound and cycled to the botanical gardens. From there, we had a leisurely ride around the North Edinburgh cycle routes to a community back green in Dalry.

May day

Bought some 8′ canes for climbing French beans (blue lake) and took them down the allotment today. Also bought a rake; apart from a hoe, the gardening kit’s complete.

Still no blossom on the hawthorn — the first full moon after the first of May is tomorrow at 6:09am, so it’d better get blooming :)

In other news, lifeisland has a link to the EU federation of allotment gardens. Doesn’t seem to have much on the website, although one publication Allotment gardens — areas of discovery for children may prove interesting in the future. A quick skim shows it’s conference proceedings from 2004 and it concentrates on the positive aspects of allotments for primary school children to adolescents — nothing for infants.