Minutes of meeting 28 October

Click here to access the minutes of the meeting held on Sunday 28 October

The development of Plot 46 into a communal resource.

We have started work on plot 46 with the intention of turning it into a communal resource. To see how we have got to the stage shown above click here.

The next stage will be to level the plot - hopefully we may be able to persuade a nice man with a machine to help with this. If you are a man with a machine and you operate close to our site at Green Lane then we would love to meet you.

Once the site is level we propose to cover the plot with a weed suppressant membrane. We think that there may be sheets of this languishing on some of our tenants plots, after having been used on a temporary basis whilst new plots were knocked into shape, (the stuff that Phil acquired rolls of). If you have any of this material that we can use then please speak to Dunni on plot 51.

Ideas, for the plot, so far are to build storage bays for manure, chippings and poultry waste. We would like to build a sort of BBQ structure to enclose Barry's fires. If possible we would like to pave much of the area but cost may prohibit this. Unless you know of anyone who would like to donate some paving flags to us.

Other ideas so far include a few raised decorative flower beds to provide an attractive welcome to the site. Another suggestion has been for a sort of wooden gazebo structure that could be used for meetings or gatherings when the weather is a bit wet. Obviously all this will take time as we need to raise some funding for this. (I know that we are also trying to raise money for our fence but some awards for which fencing is not eligible may be open to us). If anyone knows of any cheap or even free sources of materials such as breeze blocks, paving, bricks or timber please let us know. As usual I will be writing letters to potential benefactors and will acknowledge anyone who supports us on the blog and web site. If you have ideas about what you would like to see in this area then post a comment here. Also anyone who would like to help with the development will be more than welcome.

October diary

The October diary complete with the monthy photograph round is now on the web site.

Click here to access

The rain held off for the Association meeting this afternoon. Sorry that more of you couldn't make it but the minutes will be posted shortly. Thanks to those of you who managed to attend - your support is greatly appreciated.

Agenda for Sunday's meeting

The agenda for Sunday's meeting can be accessed by clicking here.

Please do try and attend if at all possible. It is important that we have your views. If it is only raining lightly we will go ahead armed with brollies unless someone has a bolt hole that we can hide in.

The meeting is set for a earlier time than usual due to a specific request that the time be altered.
Hope to see you Sunday
Sue

Association Meeting

Can I remind you that the next meeting of the Green Lane Allotments Association will take place this Sunday - 28 October at 1:00 p.m. We will try and keep things short and sweet but please try to come along. As usual the meeting will be held on Jan's plot. No doubt it will encourage the rain to fall. If it rains heavily assume that the meeting is cancelled but if we only have a bit of light rain them bring your brolly.
If there are any points that you wish to make or issues that you wish to raise then please remember that this is the time and place to do it,

Can you also browse the minutes of the last meeting click here to view. so that we don't waste paper and ink printing out copies. A copy will be posted on the notice board for thiise without internet access so please point your internet free neighbours in the direction.

Look forward to seeing you Sunday!

BBC Visit from Radio Leeds

It nearly didn't happen, as the breakfast reporter was called away to a major news item in Bradford. But in the end he made it in his helter skelter mobile. To find out what happened when Green Lane met Daragh click here .

Let us know if you heard us making fools of ourselves - OK then just me making a fool of myself as Beth, Alice and Helen were really very good!!! If I get permission from BBC Radio Leeds I'll post the interviews on the web site then everyone can have a good laugh at my expense.

I must be mad but the radio extracts are available too now - thanks to BBC Radio Leeds for giving permission to use extracts from Andrew and Georgey in the Morning

Thanks to Alice, Beth, Helen, Joe, Pat, Neil and Martyn for leaving their beds early on a cold and misty October morning.

Sunflower Seed Heads

Our sunflowers may have gone to seed but they are looking quite spectacular.
Click on the photo to a larger version. When the Flickt page opens, click on All sizes at the top left of the photo and you should be able to access the larger size image. The pattern that the seeds make is fascinating.

Click here and go to the October diary page where a detail view is also available.

Radio Leeds

I spoke to the Radio Leeds breakfast reporter today and he has confirmed that
they will be visiting us on Tuesday 23rd October - next Tuesday. We have slightly changed the timings due to the mornings getting darker. Now our breakfast show slots will be at 7:50, 8:20 and 8:50.
For the 8:50 slot they would like to hold a sort or impromptu carrot competition so can as many of you as possible provide us with a carrot for the competition. Remember if you come along you don't have to speak on the radio if you don't want to!!
If you can't come along then send a carrot instead and pass on your entry to us on site at the weekend. This could be the fattest, the longest, the one with the most 'legs', the strangest shape. We promise to look after it until Tuesday. This is intended to be a very light hearted competition not one to determione the supreme champion carrot!
It would be good to see people down on site for the whole of the time but if you can only manage the competition then you will be welcome.
It's our chance to get some publicity for allotment gardening so please do support us.

October diary

I have added to the October diary. Click here to read more and view photographs ofl some more lovely autumn trees.

This one is a horse chestnut.

Feed the birds day

The RSPB "Feed the Birds Day" is Saturday October 27th. Click here to visit the RSPB website for more detail.

Allotment site in Castres

Odette one our regular French visitors has sent us some photographs of the allotment site in Castres. Castres is one of Wakefield's twin towns and is in the Languedoc region of France Click here to view her photographs.

Merci beaucoup pour les photos, Odette.

What about some photos from our other visitors from across the world?

By the way Odette, have you noticed that I have repaired the sign?

Green Lane Messages

Next Full Meeting
Sunday 28th October at 1:00 p.m. on Jan’s plot.
Agenda to be posted later
Please let me know if there are any items that you wish to be added to the agenda by the Friday 19 October – A copy of the agenda will also be posted on the notice boards and the web site.
Please email me to let me know whether or not you will be attending. We need to know even if you do not intend to come along as this can affect our planning etc. Remember if you feel that you have something to say or an issue to raise then this is the time to do it.
In the case of heavy rain you can assume that the meeting will be cancelled but if it us just drizzling then bring along an umbrella and we will try to kept things short and sweet.
Hope to see you there!

Clearance of Communal Plot
In order to clear rubbish off the communal plot we have arranged for a skip to be delivered on site on Friday 19th October. If anyone could give us a bit of their time and help load some of the rubbish from plot 46 (the one with the pussy willow tree) into the skip we would be extremely grateful. Please do not bin the cans!!!
Just half an hour of your time whenever you are able would help considerably.
Please don't arrange for any manure, or any poultry waste to be tipped on the plot until we sort out some storage bays.

Radio Leeds
Radio Leeds is coming on site on Tuesday 23 October to feature us on the breakfast show. Get up early and come and support us if you can!
At the moment it is expected that we will have slots at 7:20 and 7:40 (updates will be posted next weekend)
Again please let me know if you can come along and thanks to those of you who have already agreed to take part or at least be on site.

Email
Could you let neighbours without email/internet access know the contents of this message or point them to the site noticeboard - could you also ask them to pass on their email address to me if they have access to email so that they can make sure that they are kept informed.

October Diary

The October diary has now been started. The months seem to fly by. It does tend to be difficult to guess which month is which at the moment though. Last weekend was much nicer weatherwise than the middle of July. Pity that the nights are edging in though. Today was as different again as it poured down and roads around work were flooded again. I think as the soil in the fields is so hard the rain just ran straight off and onto the road. Fortunately it was just a shallow flood. Just hope that the plot gained some benefit from the deluge. Click here for our October ramblings!

Strange Fruit and Veg

Do you remember Joe's loving potato? Well Simon from Derry's Field Allotments in Woking Surrey has sent a photo of a parsnip that he grew. As it is ex-rated I can't possibly post a photograph here so if you dare to take a peep then click here! (Over 18's only!)
If you have an unusual fruit or vegetable that you would like to add to our gallery then email the photo using one of our email links. Tell me where you grew the specimen and I will add it to the gallery. I will only identify you using your first name but full name must be supplied. Come on I am sure someone has an equally strange find!

Do you know your weeds?

Weeding is a job that is never over on the plot. As soon as a bed is weed free - seeds are set to germinate and start the whole process off again. It may be sad but I quite like weeding - I find it quite relaxing and strangely satisfying. Must admit some weeds are quite attractive (after all they are only wild flowers growing in the wrong place). Other weeds are last year's crops such as the 'volunteer' potatoes that have been missed during harvest or the annual flowers that have spread vast amounts of seeds in places where they were never intended to grow! Most of us who have spent time on the plot can recognise a weed but do you really know exactly what you are pulling up? Click here to read more about the plants that we constantly do battle with. Some being more troublesome than others.

One weed that I really do hate is goosegrass (you may know it as cleavers or something else as it appears to be know as many different names!).



It has barbed leaves that scrape the skin if you tackle it with bare arms. The same barbs allow it to 'stick' to any unfortunate plant growing nearby. Its seeds are also barbed and hitch a free ride by attaching onto clothing or animals fur.


From a tiny seedling it grows to large proprotions. If you don't pull from the base the brittle stems just break off leaving the root in the ground to regrow. It's just a complete pest! Maybe you think differently and have another weed top of your most hated list. Take part in our new poll or post a comment to tell us about it. Even better do both!

Make a wormery

No doubt whilst you are digging you will come across our slithery friends so why not have a go at making a wormey for the children. Not the composting type but a viewing case where you can watch the worms at work.

Click here for more instructions. Why not send us a photo of your craftmanship too?

Web site glitches

Just for information. The server on which our web site is housed is having some problems. This means that the site is often unavailable for a few minutes at a time. This has been happening fairly regularly but I am assured that they are working on a solution. In the meantime if you can't access the web site then please leave it a few minutes and then try again.