December photo album

Click here to view the December diary page, and to view larger versions of the December photographs.

January is traditionally a time when thoughts turn to next season and we pour over seed catalogues.
Don't forget to think about using our links to Thompson and Morgan, Suttons and Dobies so we can boost our funds a little, at no extra cost to you!

Christmas Greetings

Very best wishes to all at Green Lane

and all our visitors from elsewhere too.

From Sue and Martyn

If you wish to post a Christams message please feel free to use the comments page.

Eric France & Son Metals

Thanks to

Eric France & Son Metals,

EFS Group,

Embassy Works,

Church Street,

Ossett,

WF5 9DG.

Telephone: 0800 5424348

01924 273573

01924 266426

Member of the British Metal Recycling Association

for their help with our can collection fund

Can collection reaps reward.

We had a rather magnificent collection of cans. Now we have no cans but a welcome cash injection of £76 to our Fence Fund. The 'can dealer' had to set some of his men to sorting the cans into steel and aluminium but still he paid us the full amount due. We must sort cans in future into steel and aluminium sacks.
Thanks to Paul on plot 50 for arranging the collection, to Paul and Dunni for making sure all the cans were bagged up ready for collection and to Jan for collecting the cash.
Jan will collect the sacks soon and we will be all ready to go again - so please save all your Christmas cans and make sure all your friends do too!!
Not only does collecting the cans provide us with a source of funding but we are also doing our bit to reduce the amount of waste taken to our landfill sites and also recycling valuable resources. So well done and thank you to everyone that contributed!

Strange but true

We had a short visit to the plot this afternoon to replenish our vegetable store and I took a few photos as it was too wet to do much gardening.
The bale of straw that we left uncovered has developed a head of hair!

And we have some 'volunteer' pea seedlings too!

Every cloud has a silver lining

The weather is awful again today. It seems that weekend weather has plunged on a downward spiral and I am destined to sit in doors. Maybe I am just being too soft and should be out there getting cold and wet!

One good thing about the weather is that maybe some people have been sitting browsing for gifts on the internet. Our Amazon link is starting to earn us commission - so thanks to all who are using it!

I have also had an email from Harrod's Horticultural (no relation to the Harrod's) saying that there will shortly be some commission going into our account. This ends a rather lean period for us. Harrod's have also sent us a donation to our funds as a Christmas gift so many thanks to them. Amazing how supportive this small company have been!!

Don't forget our links when browsing the Internet for gifts as we are very grateful for every single order made through our web site and blog. Every little helps!!!

December Diary

Not much to read yet but the December diary is started so you can click here if you want to be bored! It's amazing to think the diary was started a year ago now. It will be interesting (well at least for us anyway) to see if things progress in the same vein next year. If you have been busier than us - why not post a comment?

Ladybird Life Cycle

Didn't visit the plot this week - due to snuffles and the weather so I have put together this little video instead. To read more about ladybirds on our website click here

So where do our visitors come from?

Just for interest seeing as gardening news is a bit sparse at the moment.

The image on the left shows just where the last 500 visitors to our blog came from.

The image on the left shows where the last 500 visitors to our web site came from.

Please add a comment to tell us something about youself and their gardening. We would love to know something about our visitors. To receive some photos, for the web site, of your garden or plot would be fantastic. We have some photos from our French visitors - click here to view.

November Photographs

November's photos are now of the web site. Click here to access the November diary.
Things are really slowing up and the weather is getting colder and a bit wetter.

Allotment Safari?

If the weather as kept you away from the plot then you may have missed this lost visitor!
Surprising how the wildlife comes out when it is quiet!

One of our favourite insects is under threat from invaders!

Recognise this youngster do you?

His (or her) species is under attack from foreign invaders.

The invaders in question are bad news for humans too!

Click here to read more

Update to the November diary

This weekend it has been freezing! I had three layers of clothing on and still felt cold. It feels as though winter is arriving now - especially as the strong winds have stripped many of the trees of their colourful leaves. Click here for an update of our November diary

Recycling Cans

Paul (plot 50) has arranged for the cans that everyone has been collecting to be picked up. This may happen next week although the company have said that they will only take cans if they are in the large builders' bags. This way they can load them into their lorry easily. Can I ask that in future would you please squash the cans before popping them into the collection bags as in this way we will be able to store them prior to collection much more easily. We will try and create some sort of storage area on plot 46 to accommodate future collections.

Thanks to Paul for arranging this.

Plot 46 Flattened?

The farmer who delivers the manure has levelled (well almost) plot 46.
At least it is in the sort of state that means we can make a start on the storage bins.

November diary

The November diary has now been started on the web site click here to access. One feature of last week for me (other than piles and piles of manure being delivered), has been the wonderful leaf colours. I have never noticed before that leaves on one half of the tree turn colour sooner and also fall off the tree sooner. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise as presumably the side facing prevailing winds will lose leaves first.

More Affiliated links

Especially for Christmas we have two more affiliate links from which you can buy a special gift and help our funding too.

Our New links for Avon and Boots are accessible from the side bar.

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.

Winners!!

Three plots on our site won recognition in the Wakefield Allotments' Competition.

Congratulations to all three couples. To find out who the winners are click here.

Sunderland's Pickle Factory

It's not just squirrels who are storing food for winter!
Click on picture for larger view

So who has been eating our hazel nuts?

Under our hazel bushes are lots of broken hazel nut shells.

Just wonder if someone like this could be the culprit?

I haven't seen any squirrels on the site. Has anyone else? We certainly have some in the garden at home where they are busily stealing the peanuts put out for the birds and burying them. Click here to read about grey squirrels and view the video clip of a squirrel busy in our garden. Must admit we did encourage him or her. If squirrels are helping themselves to the hazel nuts then they are welcome to them. I took some home and they weren't paticularly nice.

Web site is back 18:03

I have just emailed support and web site is now back - don't know if it was a coincidence or really good service!!

Let's hope it stays with us!!!

17:50 Our web site appears to be temporarily unavailable

It would seem that our web site is not available at the moment - I will keep checking and post here when it is up and running again. I assume it is at the storage end of the chain!!!

September's tour of the site is now ready to view

Click here to view the larger photographs. Scroll down to the bottom of the September diary page.

Lots of bare soil and signs of autumn this month!

September's diary

September's diary has been updated click here - September's photographs will soon be posted!

Poppy says ...

OK Pat - I agree that they are prize winning parsnips but I was hoping for something a little different for dinner!

Remember these?

The photo above was taken in June after brassicas had been ravaged by pigeons. The picture below of the same cabbages was taken this month. These cabbages weren't even netted just left as a stark reminder of the pigeons presence!

Or what about this?

This was our broccoli at the end of August - it had suffered a caterpillar attack whilst we were on holiday. We removed the caterpillars and now, just a few weeks later, it looks like this.

Moral: Don't be too quick to pull it up and throw it away!! The 'pests' don't always win.

Should the government directly support allotment regeneration?

Allotment spending seems to be another example of postcode lottery. Some councils provide their sites with sheds, wood and paving and others spend a pitiful amount on their sites.

So is it time the government stepped in and put some ring-fenced funding directly into allotment regeneration?

Click here to read why I think that they should. If you agree with me then do what I did and write to your MP!

The Government department responsible for allotments is The Department of Communities and Local Government - I wrote to them too but just got a stock reply saying that they couldn't dictate to local councils, which wasn't the point that I made in the letter. I sort of knew that already - I wanted some direct givernment support.
In the Planning Policy Guidance 17: Planning for open space, sport and recreation which was added to their website in August 2007. I could only spot word allotment mentioned once (correct me if I am wrong) and this mention was as seventh in a list of ten areas which come under the broad title of Green Space.

In an article on their web site dated 16 March 2005 (a very short article) it stated
"What is our policy for allotments
Allotments and community gardens are valuable green spaces that can help improve people's quality of life by promoting healthy food, exercise and community interaction.
Communities and Local Government (Communities and Local Government) is responsible for government policy on allotments. It is our aim that allotments should be properly preserved, promoted and cared for."

Strange it seems that this page on the web site has suddenly disappeared! I'll post a link if it reappears.

By the way Hazel Blears is the minister in overall chrage of this department so I am going to try her next! At least we can let them all know that we exist!

You may also be interested in the publication Allotments - A Plot holders guide. It was published in December 2001 and is freely downloadable. Page 5 - What can I expect to be provided? may be of interest.

What do you think? Do you live in an area where allotments fare well? Tell us about it! .

Is this white blister or white rust?

At the weekend I noticed some strange 'growths' on one of our brassica leaves. Other plots seem to also have the same thing. In all the years that we have been allotmenting, I have never seen this before. The closest that I can come to identifying what is wrong is white blister (also known as white rust). The photos that I have found though just don't look the same as mine - see below. Also the information says that this is a fungus prevalent in mild, damp seasons!
Anyone any ideas?

Latest Tenants' Agreement

For those of you on Green Lane who have never seen your tenants' agreement click here. This is the latest version provided by the allotments' officer.

Request from Site Secretary

Can I ask everyone not to use the communal plot - (the one with the pussy willow tree) - as a dump for unwanted materials - see photos below. The burning area must only be used for burning wood from the site. The burning is organised by Barry so please check with Barry before placing materials there.

During the autumn and winter period we are going to clear this area and create a storage area for manure, wood chippings etc and any dumping will just make our task all the more difficult. Also the allotments' officer covers the cost of the rental of this plot on behalf of the allotment association on the understanding that it is used for the stated purpose.

Dead links

I have repaired the link from the dahlia posting. Please let me know if any links in the blog do not work so that I can deal with them.

Pat's Sweet Piccalilli

Those of us who have tried this can vouch that it tastes really good! It uses courgettes instead of cucumber. Have a go while you are still trying to think of what to do with your courgettes or maybe to be more accurate marrettes - OK so they are probably marrows by now!

This piccalilli goes really well with pork pie - especially eaten outdoors on a sunny day! Click here for the recipe
By the way what happened to all the courgette recipes that must be out there - it seems most of our readers are too shy to contribute!

Do you love potatoes?

Well maybe they love you too!



Email me a photo of your interesting potatoes or any other strange shaped vegetable and I'll post it on the blog.
Joe grew this special valentine for Pat or did Pat grow it for Joe?

Do you want your dahlias to continue flowering?

Many plants benefit from regular dead heading and dahlias are one such plant. So which of the stems below would you cut out? Both of them - neither? Are you unsure then click here to read more.

Let's hope that we don't have an early frost or you could be dead heading for nothing!

So should we compost weeds or not?

This isn’t as clear cut as you might think.

Weeds are very rich in minerals and nitrogen. If they are all removed and burned you are in effect stripping nourishment from your soil. Many, particularly nettles, are very good for compost heaps as they speed up the rotting process and consequently heat up the heap. The more heat that is generated by rotting compost then the more seeds and disease are killed.

Some say that you can compost any sort of weed as long as you leave it on the heap for a few years before using the resulting compost. Some say that you should dry out the weeds and then compost them. Some say that as long as you don't compost strong roots and seeds then you can compost anything.

One thing that is for sure is that whether you compost your weeds or not you will always have plenty of them on your plot. For one thing weed seeds can lay dormant in the soil for very many years. Apparently bindweed seed remains viable for 30 years or so. So maybe you may just as well compost your weeds and have some benefit from them as removing them will have little effect.

Though you won’t eradicate weeds altogether unless you resort to some form of deadly chemical warfare, you will find that the type of weeds found on your plot will change over the years. Some species colonise uncultivated soil whereas others will move in after soil has been cultivated for a while. Like other plants different types of weeds prefer differing soil conditions too. You can guarantee that if weeds won’t grow on your plot you are unlikely to have much success with more choice crops.

They say that if you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen but it could just as easily be if you can’t stand weeding then give up your plot. Maybe you can just learn to live with them – after all some people call them wild flowers!

So what do you think?

Minutes of Meeting on 29 July 2007

The minutes from the meeting on 29 July 2007 are now available on the web site - click here to view. It isn't too late to send in your views about the time, place and frequency of the association meetings. But could you please email by the end of this week.

September Diary

Our September diary has been started - doesn't time fly? Click here to view.

August's diary is also complete click here to view

Wakefield Express

If you missed us in the Wakefield Express - the article is now on their web site. Click here to view. Pity that we have had no takers though. Hope it isn't because the email address is slightly wrong! If you do wish to support us them please use the email link on the sidebar.

It's Our Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

GREEN LANE ALLOTMENTS' BLOG

It is exactly one year today since our blog was born! Can't let the day pass without a mention.
Disappointed not to have received any birthday cards though. Does it mean that no-one has remembered our birthday?

Blackberry and Apple Oaty Crumble

If like us you have lots of blackberries on your plot then try this delicious oaty blackberry and apple crumble click here

Funding Support from the Co-op

We have been successful in obtaining a Community Fund Award from the Co-op . The council have also found us some money to pay for half of the phase one part of our security fencing. This should mean that with funds already raised we can now afford to replace the main gate and the fencing to either side of it. (Let's hope the price hasn't increased too much since we obtained a quote!).

It's very encouraging to know that we can now actually start on some improvements. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us either through a donation or providing us with an affiliated link. Thanks also to those of you who have earned us commission by buying through these links. Thanks to those on site who have organised fund raising projects and also everyone who has supported them by taking part in these projects. We still have a long way to go before our project is complete so please do keep supporting us. Any new ideas for increasing our fund will be carefully considered,

Want more strawberries next year?

If you would like to increase your number of strawberry plants for more delicious fruit next year, you can do this without buying more plants. Try potting up plantlets formed along the runners that are freely produced by strawberry plants. It is advised that the last week in September is the latest that you can do this, so there is still time to have a go click here to read more.

August Photo Album

Today was a beautiful summer's day - remember those do you? Just in case the weather remembers that it's bank holiday weekend and takes a turn for the worse, I decided to make the most of the sunshine and take the August photos.

Click here to view the larger album at the bottom of the August diary page.

Who needs Ikea?

Our new al fresco dining room suite!

















This cluster of logs provides an ideal spot for us to relax with a drink, (or as today a fresh picking of greengages), between bouts of weeding and planting.
It is made from reclaimed logs left on site by a local tree surgeon. It has a double function as it also provides a habitat for minibeasts too!
A sort of designer log pile.

Gill's Blog

Gill on plots 36 and 37 (I think) has started a blog and it is already looking great - to pay it a visit click here.
Any other Green Lane plotters with their own website or blog?

Pigeons again?

Back from holiday we found that the cabbages that we had planted just before we left had been devastated again!
So how did the pigeons get under the nets that covered the newly planted brassicas?

Well they didn't - this time the culprits were caterpillars. Not just any caterpillar though as most caterpillars do no harm to crops and instead feed on nettles or other native wild plants. The culprits are the caterpillars of Large White Butterfly (on the left) and Small White Butterfly (on the right). Generally these are known as the Cabbage White butterflies.

Still on the subject of France

Just before I went on holiday Odette sent me these photos of her vegetable patch in southern France, in Wakefield's twin town of Castres.

Click here for a larger view and also to visit the web site to see more photos of Odette's garden.

If you are a visitor to our site from another region of the UK or one of the many countries from which we have visitors (see the map on the sidebar) then you too could have a page on our web site by emailing photos and a bit of explanation - in your own language if you like - to our contact email address on the sidebar. It would be great to see what gardeners are doing in other parts of the world!!

Back from the French Countryside

Wondered why nothing was happening on the web site or blog? Well just got back from a peaceful week in the Ardeche with no links to the electronic world out there! Took these two photographs of roadside vegetable gardens or jardin potager

This one was in the hills (well mountains) above Lablachere.

This was at Saint Genest be Beauzon opposite from where we were staying in a renovated olive mill built in the 1700s.

I'll post some photos on the diary page later just in case you are someone who enjoys other people's holiday snaps - promise not too many and if you don't want to look at them you needn't need you?

Photos now posted on August diary page Click here

Next Association Meeting

Date and time of next meeting:

At the April meeting of the association people asked for meetings every two months. However problems over weather and holidays meant that the last meeting was poorly attended.

The next meeting is scheduled for the end of September beginning of October. To ensure that as many people as wish to can attend the meeting could I ask you to let Sue know of your preferences for date and times and those to avoid. For instance do you want to keep meetings on a Sunday and if so at what time? Would you prefer a midweek meeting in the evening and if so what time and day? Do we want meetings less frequently over the winter months? We are open to suggestions. It is pointless having a meeting if few attend as we don’t want to make any decisions without people having the chance to have their say. Could you please contact Sue either on site of by email greenlaneallotments@hotmail.co.uk by 1 September 2007.

July diary is complete.

The July diary is now completed click here to read more and the August diary has been started click here to read more.
Maybe it should be August month of courgettes - if you have ideas for how to make use of a glut of courgettes then share them by making a comment on this post. No doubt Pat will come up with a recipe or two!!
Your ideas may be amusing rather than practical but remember children read our blog!!

Links to web sites mentioned in the comments:
Italian Taste
Chocolate Courgette Loaf

We made the local press!

We made the Wakefield Express last weekend. They published an article to support our appeal for help in funding a security fence.

Don't forget though anyone can support us without it costing a penny - just use our affiliated links click here to order from:
Harrod's Hortcultural
Thompson and Morgan
Gardening Naturally
Greenfingers

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Competitions 2007

This year's competitions are:

• Largest Pumpkin
• Largest Onion
• Longest Parsnip
• Tallest open sunflower
• Best allotment wine (all to taste)
• Best allotment pickle / chutney (all to taste)
• Best scarecrow (for the kids)
• Hottest Chilli (Paul to taste)
• Heaviest tomato

• Heaviest carrot
• Longest runner bean
• Heaviest potato
• Best grass head (for the kids)

Each competition costs £1 to enter.

Each individual competition will only be run if 3 or more people enter it.

The competition is scheduled to be held on Saturday 18^th August. Is everybody happy with that date, or due to the weather we have had and its effect on the crops, do you want to move the date back into September?

Alastair is running the competitions so please either talk to Alastair as soon as possible or make a comment on this post (to ensure that comments come from plot holders on Green Lane please state your plot number in the comments).