Meeting with Allotments' Officer

Yesterday the Allotments' Officer sent me email copies of a letter that he is sending out to all tenants with information about the meeting on Tuesday 3 June (next Tuesday).
I am concerned that you may not receive this mail in time for the meeting. On the agenda are security of the site and revisions to the Tenancy Agreement. You should receive the proposed revised agreement or at least part of it in the post but just in case I have copied the document sent out by the Allotments' Officers onto the web site. It would be useful for you to have read through it before the meeting. Click here to access revised agreement
Can I remind everyone that the meeting will begin at 7:00 on the site car park. Please do try to attend. Please bring something to sit on.

May diary and photo round!

These photographs were taken on May 29 2008 - May has been a bit of a mixed bag really. We had late frosts during the second half of the month that caught out those who had been tempted into planting out tender plants a little too early for our part of the world. Then we had strong winds just as the trees had leafed up, giving them and the young plants on the plot a battering. We also had several days of rain at the end of the month and also some really hot and sunny days. The combination has kick started the plants into a growth spurt -unfortunately the weeds are making the most of the conditions too! The day when the photographs were taken was a lovely day. It was mid week (I thought that I had better grab some photos before it rained again) during the bank holiday week and school holidays so there isn't much evidence of people activity. However over the month plenty of work has gone in to getting the plots in shape. We are losing the bare earth look! Still hoping for a good summer!

Click here for the May diary page - It's not quite complete as we have a video that needs editing which will be included later!

10% Discount on ALL watering products

Harrod Horticultural are offering 10% discount on all products in their watering category. The offer will last through June and is available to anyone ordering using the link from our web site. To qualify for this special discount you must mention Green Lane in the offer box at the check out when ordering and must use one of the links from this blog or our web site.

Click here to access the items on offer

Greenhouse relocation

Phil on plot 49 was selling this greenhouse for £50 as long as the buyer dismantled it and transported it. Never one to miss a bargain we took him up on his offer.

To read how we got on see the May diary on the web site for the last full week in May.

Can you spot the difference? It's a bit economical with the truth!

BBQ Postponed

Due to the poor weather forecast for next Monday 26 May 2008 - it has been decided to postpone the planned spring BBQ until Sunday 8 June 2008 when it will become an early summer BBQ! Hopefully this may give us a better chance of some good weather and less chance of suffering from soggy sausages!
I hope that those of you who were unable to join us on 26 May will be able to come along on the 8 June. To help with arrangements could you let us know whether or not you will be able to come along. Fingers crossed!

Our first strawberry

Our first strawberry of the season

OK so it is growing in the greenhouse and I will get only half of it - but there is always something special about the first one!

Thieves and vandals

We have twice been the target of thieves this week. During the first visit the thieves were disturbed and made off so must have decided to come back again to finish off the job. The really annoying thing is that the damage that they cause breaking into sheds by far outweighs the value of the things that are taken. This time it would seem that their prime targets were stoves that plot holders used to boil water for a drink, and fuel. An oddment of tools appear to have been taken more to break into other sheds rather than for any value. Our desire to increase security isn't to protect items of value, plot holders have learned from bitter experience not to leave valuable items on site, it is to try and curtail wanton damage caused to sheds, greenhouses and crops. We always report incidents of theft and damage to the police and would welcome any information regarding these incidents. Meanwhile we continue our attempts to provide a secure boundary to the site but we are only a small group of people and we need a large amount of money! Isn't it time some government money was put into this area as after all we are doing everything that the government pay lip service to? Click here I have written to MPs and government departments but all they do is pass the buck back to the council who tell us that they just don't have the funding available! Have any other sites had more support from their MPs than we have? It would be interesting to hear of experiences elsewhere - use the comments area to post any comments.

Meeting with the Allotments' Officer

MEETING WITH ALLOTMENTS’ OFFICER
3 June 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
On the site car park – please bring a seat!
Agenda – “Revised Tenants’ Agreement” and site security.
Everyone is urged to attend.
Draft agreement and details will be distributed on behalf of the allotments' officer as soon as he lets us have them.

Do please try to attend as it is essential that everyone has a chance to air their views.

BBQ

Can I also remind you of the BBQ on 26 May - no meeting just a chance for a bit of socialising and a break from all the hard work that has been going on. I know some of you will be on holiday but hopefully if there is sufficient interest shown we can arrange another one shortly. Please let us know if you will be attending so we can provide some extras to go with your meat!! If you can't attend but would like us to organise something again at another time then get in touch with a suggestion of when would be a good time for you.

New weapons to ward off vandals?

New anti vandal device?

No kebab making lessons!

If you have any photos of Green Lane plotters not gardening then send them to me and I will post them on the web click here. Please make sure that you have their permission to do so though as we don't want any falling out!

Rest and Relaxation

After all the hard work on the plot in the heat of a summer's day - a man deserves a break and a drink with a couple of mates!

Wagons Roll.

Is it a wagon train?

Is it a human snail?

No it's Charlie and Gill's new greenhouse!

How many?

So how many moths do you think are pictured here? By the way has anyone any idea what type of moths these are?

And how many frogs can you see in this pile?
Click on the photographs to access a larger image. The moths were on the allotment plot and the frogs in the garden.

Association BBQ and Meeting

The next advertised meeting of the Association which was due to be held on 26 May 2008 has been cancelled. A proposed meeting with the allotments' officer will take the place of this meeting - the time and date will be posted when it has been finalised.

Instead all who garden on the Green Lane Allotments site, are invited to a Spring Barbecue on the 26 May from 2:00 p.m. This will hopefully take place on the communal plot or thereabouts. The committee do hope that as many of you as possible will be able to come and enjoy a bit of well earned relaxation and a bite to eat. Please bring along your own meat and drink - more details will be posted as necessary.

Can you please let us know if you will be joining us so we can have some idea of numbers etc. Do try and come!

13 month old carrots

Last weekend we dug up the last of our overwintered carrots. The carrots were planted 13 months ago and have been providing us with fresh vegetables from about late July. So we have had fresh carrots for 9 or ten months. We have found leaving the carrots in the ground means that the carrots keep better than if they are dug up and stored when they tend to dry out and shrivel. Obviously we do have the inevitable losses click here for more.

Have your say on site security

There appears to be controversy from some quarters regarding how often the entrance gates should be locked. The allotments' officer after consultation with the council's Access to Services Department and their independent assessor decided that the gates should be locked at all times. Most plot-holders are now complying with this decision and feedback that I am receiving seems to confirm that most people support this arrangement. I have created this post to give plot-holders on Green Lane the opportunity to share their views with other tenants so we know where everyone stands. Please give your plot number when posting a comment. I would really appreciate it if as many people as possible could take the time to post a comment.
To post a comment:

1. Click on the comments link in green - it will say 0 comments or 1 comment etc.


2. Type your comment in the box - make sure you add your plot number.


3. Copy the set of letters and numbers in to the Word verification box making sure that capital letters are used where shown


4. Click the radio button next to Anonymous - unless you have a Google account and wish to use that ID. (This could be a Hotmail email account address e.g. xxx@hotmail.co.uk and your email password)


5. Click on the Publish your comment button.


6. If you have made a mistake copying the set of letters it will refuse your comment and supply a different set of letters to be copied - this is to prove that you are a person and not a machine generating SPAM!

May Diary has been started.

Another wet Sunday so I have worked on the May diary instead of the plot. Can't really believe it is May already. By this time last year summer had started and almost ended hadn't it? The little scene on the right was just a meeting that I observed from my house window this afternoon. If you want to read more click here.

To be honest I was maybe better off staying at home today - if you receive email updates from me check your email to find out why - if you don't receive email hopefully you will be able to read the same information on site tomorrow weather permitting.