Team effort makes light work of scaffold boards

I am conscious that there has been a little bit of a broadcasting gap in relation to Project63, and hope that this small piece will bring everything up to speed.



The project is now producing 3-4 trugs of vegetables every week, supplemented with generous donations from other Association members lifts the amount which is delivered to our chosen charity. Derek has kindly strengthened the door latch on the poly tunnel,and our good friend Chris,(who has seemingly been avoiding us for some time for fear of the next allotment 'would you mind if') kindly fitted three fronts to the composting bins that he built earlier in the year.



All of the potatoes have now been dug up, and the area dug over, manured and rotivated, the courgettes have been prolific, and the squashes are now maturing nicely as is the small square of sweet corn (duly protected from badgers!)

In the poly tunnel, peppers, aubergines, cantaloupe melons, tomatoes and chillies seem to be thriving, but the experiment with stuffing cucumbers doesn't seem to have delivered. Despite prolific growth, virtually taking over most of the tunnel, there is little evidence of anything that could even remotely be stuffed, and it may just be back to the drawing board with this particular item.



Bank Holiday weekend has seen plenty of activity on the plot, with the generous and valuable assistance of Brian and his team from the Community Payback Scheme. Earlier in the year S&C Scaffolding kindly donated over 480' scaffold boards, which have laid dormant waiting to be laid around the perimeter of the plot, and also to mark clearly the pathway through the centre.

Brian and his team kindly agreed to assist. A few blistering weeks of sun, and very little sign of rain, meant the task of digging 7 inch trenches all around and through the centre of the plot was going to prove pretty daunting. On Saturday, with everywhere else in the country receiving an absolute deluge, and Chelmsford missing out, all the boundaries were heavily watered with can after can to try and ensure that the area to be dug was at least manageable.



The team duly got stuck in on Sunday, and with further watering and loads of energy and effort, the ground was excavated, boundary boards placed and staked, tidying up the perimeter and defining the area of project 63. A huge vote of thanks to Brian and the team for all of their effort and input, which otherwise would have taken weeks and weeks to complete.