General News

The Allotment is beginning to take shape after 4 weeks of reasonably intensive attention. During the course of the week Dave Rowling rotivated the mid area of the plot, turning and breaking the soil up so that we are ready to plant in this area. Two tepee style structures previously erected at the end of the plot have had sweet peas planted the base.



An early morning delivery of manure was taken advantage of, and the compost bins that Chris built, christened with it's first deposits.

Our good friend and neighbour, who seems to be central to all build on the plot was otherwise engaged this weekend assisting another friend, this time with a fence calamity. Not even the offer of Tea, Biscuits and cake could persuade him that his newest friend's fence could wait!

The weather on Saturday was not at it's warmest, and with some rain, focus switched from outside to inside. The area by the Ferrari of a potting bench was dug over, with compost added and raked in, with the opposite side dug over, some weeds removed. This area now requires a little water, raking to remove some of the 'lumpier' areas, and compost added and raked through.

Karen completed the dig behind the compost bins, and yours truly got started at the top of the plot by the poly tunnel, originally to clear the surface weeds, but then got a second wind, and dug the majority of the front over by the time our energy had run short, just a small pocket of weedy ground evading the weekend fork.

Peter Hunnable erected two rather solid looking poles to house the framework for the runner beans, and then proceeded to dig a trench to fill with manure to ensure the soil is suitably deep and fertile to promote healthy growth.

The To Do list seems to be growing, seemingly due to the fact that over the last three to four weeks most of the to doing has been digging. A noticeboard in the poly tunnel displays some ideas for assistance for those of you who would like to chip in ( I was going to suggest dig in, but am all dug out at this point).



There are also some plants in the poly tunnel that now we have dug most of the area require planting, from onions, broad beans, and further potatoes, with the idea being to leave a diagram of planting areas on site.

The trading hut, cabin and surrounding areas received a welcome spring clean on Monday. The paths were cleared of weeds, as were the surrounding perimeter of the hut and cabin, in addition to a general tidy up around the area. Brambles and Ivy removed together with growths in the car parking area.

The frames of the trading hut windows were sanded down, stained and the chairs and table offered some restorative work.

Grateful thanks to Karen S, Karen L, Josie, Dave, Ian and Peter who all chipped in on behalf of the Association.

When first contemplating the potential of plot 63, the area of land under consideration didn't appear that big, and a quick scout and then the drawing of a plan in terms of the proposed project, was organised on the basis of 'how difficult can that be?', we'll have this ship shape in no time.

After two weeks of constant digging, considerable assistance, and still we haven't dug the whole site, am beginning to realise that the plot was far bigger than the initial wander considered. It's a slightly different thing doing rather than the initial imagining, and the task somewhat bigger than perhaps I had given credibility to, If it were not for Peter, Darryl, Karen and various other offers of assistance, not to mention our neighbour Chris (who must imagine what on earth did i let myself into) goodness knows how little would actually have been achieved.

Today however, was to be a non dig day, on the basis that we ought to plant something on the allotment and their were various other items to complete on the'To Do' List.

Our good neighbour - who is now looking to move - completed the potting bench to die for by adding a work surface, and then turned his attention to screwing down and securing the decking in front of the shed.



Whilst all this enterprise was taking place, several rows of potatoes were sown, including Second Earlies (Charlotte), Psycho Myra as I call them (Sarpo Mira), and some Desire. Much to my chagrin this required digging, which rather operated against the notion of a non dig day, but several considerable holes later, filled with manure, compost and the seed potatoes themselves, lunch was taken.



The Shed was offered a thorough coat of protective stain, as was the decking, before attention turned to the raised beds. Two already have strawberries, and the third has now been sown with 2 different carrot varieties, Sugersnax and Chanteney, plus two rows of Celtuce, an oriental vegetable that suggests both the leaves and the roots can be harvested.



With the weather closing in, a small area at the front of the plot behind the rather spartan display of pansies was sown with cornflower which is hoped will add some colour and interest to the front end of the site.



Whilst a fair number of jobs continue to be completed, the To Do list seemingly grows as more things are found either as a consequence of another job that has been completed or just the natural progress that is being made. A board with various To Do items is on display in the poly tunnel, and once again anyone that wishes to get involved and 'dig in' so to speak is more than welcome. Please contact Karen or Ray.

In one of the earlier blogs, we highlighted that the big dig had not progressed as quickly as anticipated due to the interest in various bugs and beasties that had been uncovered.

Several bugs were found during the course of the afternoon that provoked quite a debate as to whether they were good bugs or bad bugs. One such example can be seen in the image under, to which no one seemed entirely certain.



After a search on various entomology web sites, it would appear (unless anyone would like to point us in the right direction) that this particular bug is one to be saved as it eventually becomes a ground beetle, whose favourite snack is one of the allotment plot holders principal foes, the slug.

We would however be interested if anyone can identify the following bug that our search in numerous places has failed to find exactly what it is. If you do know what it is would appreciate some advice especially whether it falls into the category of good bugs, or those that may have an adverse affect on the welfare of the produce being cultivated.


good bug or bad bug? any guidance welcome

Saturday morning heralded not the best weather, and whilst it couldn't be described as truly inclement, it appeared to be trying it's best. Having convinced our friendly neighbour Chris that there were further opportunities to put his building skills to the test (we're not sure how long he is going to remain a friendly neighbour) the task in hand for the morning was to build the compost bins for the front of the site. The area of land where these were to be placed still had an incline so some levelling inevitable to get them 'spirit level' level. A deposit of pallets kindly supplied by Writtle Road Nursery had been left to create the latest building masterpiece.

It's amazing the level of discussion that is required, for what is quite a small project. Do we want the pallets this way or that way....no you can't use that one as the slats are not the same size as the other....make sure they're all round the same way, surely that's upside down, it needs to look good etc, and so it continued. Karen, Ray, Chris and with Derek chipping in as an interested observer, debated the aesthetics of some donated pallets and eventually some 15 minutes later, the build began.

After the initial debate, tea and chelsea buns, Chris produced the goods in time to disappear at lunch time for the footie - just the small issue of a door for the fronts to consider.

In addition to the build, a delivery of scaffold planks kindly donated by SC Cousins Scaffolding arrived around 10 ish. The general idea for these to line the outer perimeter of the plot, and any additional to mark out the pathways through the plot. We would like to offer our grateful thanks to SC Cousins for their generosity.

During the course of the week Karen had mowed the edges, tidied the rear of the plot behind the poly tunnel and found a wormery tucked away and erected some pyramids for the Sweet peas. So again plenty of assistance during the week for the project.

Saturday 16th July has been set aside for a visit to RHS Hyde Hall. As members of the RHS we are able to organise free entrance as part of our annual membership, but it is subject to pre booking for which we obviously need details in advance.

Please contact Karen, Ray, Dave or Tony for any further information, or importantly your interest and number of tickets required so that we can get the earliest view of how many to book for.

We are not planning a coach for this visit as it is reasonably local, and if you are struggling with transport, please also let us know as we are confident that some car sharing can be organised, or ideally organise between members.

We hope that everyone will support this event, and further information will be published closer to the date.

Could we please let us know for definite before 15th May so that we have sufficient time to make the booking with RHS Hyde Hall to avoid disappointment.

The Wilderness Foundation, very much a part of the fabric of Melbourne Park Allotment site are holding an open day on the 23rd April from 11am until 3pm. Further information and detail can be secured from Jonathan in relation to the day's event.

For additional information in terms of the Wilderness Foundation you can visit their web site, from which the under detail has been extracted.

Grow and Thrive

The Wilderness Foundation UK operates six allotment plots on the Melbourne estate in Chelmsford, offering opportunities for residents and community members to come to the site for social contact, to develop a sense of community and to participate in growing organic food for themselves and distribution to others in need.

Activities

Participants:

- Grow a range of food crops in the outdoor beds;
- Grow fruit and tomatoes in the all-weather poly-tunnels we have erected on site;
- Plant, weed and maintain the plots;
-Participate in workshops to encourage skills development and healthier lifestyles;
-Socialise during lunch and refreshment breaks;

The scheme is open to all and has been designed to be as inclusive as possible, through the provision of raised beds that the elderly and infirm can tend, as well as wheelchair accessible vegetable containers that salad crops can be grown in.

Having established committee agreement to go ahead with 'Project 63' I viewed that it may be a decent idea to try and keep a blog in terms of the project, and how the activity proceeds.

The items are contained within the general news feed and can be read as normal by following the natural news items down the page. However, we have now added a sub heading to the news menu on the left hand side, and by hovering over the news heading, it will produce a sub heading with Project 63. By clicking this sub heading it will take you straight to all the articles that have been published in relation to this project, neatly contained in one space reading as a traditional blog.

image kindly supplied by Karen Lawrence showing the man with a plan flat out, although not quite the flat out that may have been envisaged or in mind.

We hope it is enjoyed.

Sunday proved some welcome relief for the man with a plan, who took all his aches and pains to the first regional motocross event of the season. Monday soon arrived, with the obligatory aches and pains supplemented by some further from the previous day.

Various seeds had now made a dash for air in the dark and warm airing cupboard and these were transplanted into more suitable pots with moist compost mix and a spare area on the window sills found to accomodate.

It is quite easy to understand how a new plot holder could easily become demoralised with the extent of the dig on a new site, and having set ourselves up for a day of digging, digging and more digging, enlisted some assistance for the day. Peter Hunnable very graciously wielded an experienced spade, and starting at one end of the 'to be dug area' worked his way down the site with some alacrity towards Karen who was travelling in the opposite direction. In the meantime, the project owner had made a mad dash in what looked like seriously easy soil conditions down the outer perimeter until the manure heap reached.

Whilst all this was taking place, a good friend and neighbour, Chris Ripley, who had learnt of the mad cap idea and initially questioned my sanity, offered out some practical assistance for the day. Bribed with copious cups of tea, the offer of lunch, cakes and biscuits, set out to build what in the eyes of a novice plot holder can only be described as a 'Rolls Royce' of a potting bench from the various scraps, odds and ends of pallets strewn on the site.(no disrespect to all the other seriously good builds on site). Aside of a work surface still to be procured, this quality piece of craftwork has now been positioned in the poly tunnel awaiting many hands to make hay with all the seed and plant cultivation.



Various stops for tea, and a prolonged stop to photograph what turned out to be the larvae of a stag beetle, eventually conspired to prevent us from joining up the various strands of the dig completely, but significant forward movement had been achieved during the day and some very grateful thanks to the elegant dig from Peter, and the handiwork of our good friend Chris. The results of the days endeavour can be seen at the top of the article.

The offer of help from Daryll in terms of digging over an area of Brassicas which seemed to be suffering, was delivered on the Sunday, with the uprooted specimens used to supply and feed the chickens. It has to be said that this was a great decision in terms of support and assistance, and the precision and neatness of the dig suggested that we really ought to coax some further assistance. A huge thank you for this, and the offer to further dig the area upon which the sweet corn cage is situated.



Our own progress with the dig on Saturday had been somewhat slowed by the photographing of various bugs, beasties and other specimens uncovered as we moved down the patch.



The above image of Haplophilus Subterraneus is a pale yellow / ochre species of slender centipede, with as many as 80 pairs of legs which feeds on earth and leaf mould and can range from 2.5cm to 8cm. According to the wildlife bible consulted, harmless, which is a positive as these were considerable in number.



Not quite so prolific as the above, but again suggested by the bible to be harmless was this beastie Lithobius Variegates which is again suggested to live in areas of leaf litter, cracks and crevices.

We'll endeavour to upload various images of these beasties to the rogues gallery and if anyone can assist with recognition this would be greatly appreciated, so that we can tell whether they are good for the plot, or likely to cause untold damage to the produce if left (albeit a little late at this point in time).

During the second week, various seeds planted indoors with a view that there would be something to Sow once we have prepared all the ground. The airing cupboard has been duly evacuated the new crop of potential veg, and a sneak peak every evening to see what developments have taken place.

Preparing all the ground turned out to be quite a challenge, with Karen picking the corner area of the plot to turn over.

This excavation turned up various bricks, a concrete post, and other debris which in the spirit of a true green enterprise, was recycled by Peter who viewed that this little collection would make pretty decent hard core.

Yours truly continued the dig and levelling out from the newly levelled (or so we viewed at the time) raised beds, raked over, and our now copious collections of couch grass put aside as we continued to make slow progress down the plot.

A pallet placed at the top end where the intention is to build some further composting bins, and a polite enquiry made as to the availability of pallets from our good friends at Writtle Road Nursery.



Was this all going to prove too much for the man with a plan? a constant supply of tea and biscuits was of great assistance, as was a little respite to quaff the offerings.

Dave Rowlings got truly stuck in and assisted with some of the dig which has been hugely appreciated, and whilst progress may not have been quite as quick as I may have imagined,(I think a slight over ambitious estimation in terms of where we may be) progress there has been.

photographs courtesy of Karen Lawrence

Welcome to the update post for project 63, and the author can advise that the aches and pains from the weekend's endeavour, some in places where I didn't realise it was possible to ache, have been truly worth it. Over the weekend we have had assistance from Derek, Ian, Dave, Josie and Les which have allowed us to achieve just about what I felt may be possible in three days.

A shed from a retiring plot owner was located on site this morning, on top of the area which had been painstakingly raked and flattened friday, only to find that the topography still represented something that was far from flat.



After a few adjustments, some filling and taking away, the shed was deposited just as the heavens opened. The shed posse hurtled to the poly tunnel for shelter, and after the downpour passed, secured with angle iron and fixings through the floor.

The front was then decked, although I must possess the only spirit level that has a kink in it, as every time we adjusted the soil base we then found we were out somewhere else. After much faffing about we eventually settled that the base was level (ish), cut and secured to the front area of the shed.

At the front of the plot, the raised beds were all re aligned and levelled, and the border area of the plot marked which now requires digging over and as much of the couch grass removed as possible.



With some of the area now marked out, and a rough plan left in the polly tunnel, a list of jobs to do have been inked on a whiteboard inside. We already have offers of assistance from Darryl, Peter and Dave, and hope that you may be interested to see what is going in, participate and perhaps dig in.

For all further information in relation to Project 63, please contact Karen or Ray Lawrence. We look forward to hearing from you.

Project 63 I hear you murmer. Sounds like Roswell, an alien invasion perhaps, or some scientific experiment that takes place behind closed doors. Well neither of these in this case.

Essex Youth Build rather reluctantly had to give up their allotment on site, plot 63. All rather sudden, and at a point of the year where planting, sewing etc pretty crucial to make the most of any plot.

The Melbourne Park Allotment Association committee quickly got together to assess whether it was practical for us to take on this plot from the council as a project. An outline idea was hatched and presented and with broad agreement, the council were approached with a view to the Association taking the plot on board. To accommodate this a charitable donation was made to Essex Youth Build, and within the space of 48 hours this week, and with everyone broadly supporting the basic principals established, project 63 was christened.



The basic tenets of the project set out to ensure that:

- all the hard work, energy and effort put into the plot by Essex Youth Build would not be wasted and the plot not slip into disrepair whilst in pursuit of new tenants

- that as the majority of existing plot holders grew sufficient product to meet their needs, that the majority of produce cultivated would be donated to charitable causes

- to encourage plot and association members to perhaps experiment with fruit and vegetables that ordinarily would be shied away from or not considered to grow or cultivate

- that with sufficient imagination and support the project may further strengthen the sense of community that exists on the Site.

The project set off in earnest on Easter Friday, and it is planned to pen a blog or diary on the web site charting the progress and activity of the project.

Please check back in regularly for further updates. For further information in terms of the aims and ambitions, or general news in relation to this development, please contact Ray or Karen. Equally if you would like to get involved, again please contact the above.

[webmaster]

In an era when instagram, Facebook, twitter and other more immediate forms of social exchange exist, it was a really pleasant surprise to receive a hand written letter through the post, something that seems to be fading away in modern times.

Arthur and Ada have taken the time to write to the Allotment Association thanking you all for the gifts arranged for them last year and a copy will be pinned to the Association noticeboard for all to read. Their letter suggests that they have been in high spirits during the winter, and looking forward to warmer weather to take advantage of the Lodges vouchers.

First of all a rather belated happy new year to everyone. Following the success of the inaugural Allotment growing competitions in 2015 (pumpkins - featured on the site), we are looking forward to the 2016 event and something different. Starting off as the 'Sunniest Sunflower' (sounds like a quote from Blackadder), we are offering sunflower seeds to all those that would like to participate. Enquire at the allotment trading hut or via Karen Lawrence / Tony Holbrook or Dave Rowling. The idea is that the association will provide those interested with seed, with the aim of growing the largest sunflower. We need to decide how we are going to judge, whether it be the tallest or the biggest head, and we'll let everyone know.

So don't hesitate, get your seeds and see how you fare. This is just a fun competition, so no dirty competitive tricks.

keep watching the notice board or gate for details of the judging date and best of to all concerned.

[webmaster]

A polite reminder to all those that have yet to renew their membership for 2015/16. The membership is only £2/- and it helps towards keeping the Allotment Association ticking over. There are quite a number of members who have not yet renewed and hope that you can get down to see Tony / Ian / Dave or Karen at the trading hut and re pledge for the year.

thanks in anticipation.

I regret to advise that if the date is still outstanding in your diary you have missed the event not to be missed, the Allotment Mince Pie and Coffee Morning featuring the still mysterious and legendary mulled wine, courtesy of Tony Holbrook.

Thank you to everyone who braved the rather blustery conditions, and hope that you enjoyed the morning. It was especially good to see so many faces, including Peter Fox, Ada and Arthur Cornell. A special thanks to all those that helped to make the event happen, from clearing out the trading hut yesterday, to re stocking today, plus the food contributions and donations to the raffle.



Outside a little 'administration' the morning also saw Arthur Bird and Chris Perrin awarded their trophies for the best plot and best newcomers in 2015 respectively.

For those that may not meet prior to some other significant event that takes place this month, the Association wish everyone the very best of seasonal greetings, and a happy and above all healthy 2016.

The Association has found itself in the news on more than one occasion in 2015. From Arthur Cornell's decision to hang up his trusty fork and spade after 69 years, then being judged and awarded the best large Allotment within Chelmsford by the City Council produced two separate pieces of coverage. Finally a full page spread on October 29th under the headline 'Gardeners say exercise and produce is key to good health'.

PDF copies of the articles should anyone be interested can be downloaded from the site.
Mpaa 2015 In The News 2
Mpaa 2015 In The News 3

For all those plot holders that have ordered manure, we are pleased to advise that delivery to site will be on the 8th and 10th December. Please remember that if your plot is not completely accessible and the manure is delivered to the road, it must be removed to the plot within 7 days.

It just wouldn't be right to keep quiet about Tony's legendary mulled wine, and we are pleased to announce that it will once again be gently simmering at the trading hut on the 5th December. Infused with his own brand of ingredients, this beverage is worthy of more than just a passing sip, and we look forward to seeing as many members as possible to help us consume on the morning.

Apart from encouraging everyone to enjoy a good drink, it's an ideal opportunity to catch up with everyone before one of the years major events takes place a couple of weeks later. Doors open at 10.30 and best of all the morning is completely free!

we look forward to seeing as many as possible