The "Seedlings" Story. Plot 51B

In 2018 the site welcomed a new group, the Marconi Belles who initially took over the plot opposite the trading hut. The plot was definitely in need of some attention, and Foggy Hau and the Belles have kindly agreed to provide their story. With the blessing of the Belles this item is spread over two different posts.......to keep everyone on tenterhooks for the next episode. A huge thank you to the group for sharing with us. All words and pictures courtesy of Foggy Hau and the Marconi Belles.


Plot 51B - Growing more than Fruit and Veg

Hello, we are members of the Marconi Belles Women Institute (WI). When you hear the word’s WI you might think - Jam and Jerusalem, Calendar Girls and baking cakes. In fact, we are charity that raises money and awareness on issues relating to women and their community. Just as importantly we socialise, learn new skills and have a cuppa. Marconi Belles are a relatively new WI in Chelmsford with wide portfolio of activity groups (we call them sub groups) which happen outside of our monthly meetings.



We are The Seedlings - the gardening sub group. We meet up throughout the year to visit gardens together, do volunteer work, have a drink and chat. Then we got talking about growing vegetables and fruit as a communal group … you can guess what happened!
A little group of us Seedlings decided to take on a allotment together in 2017. It was a mixture of practical necessity (as we all have small gardens) whilst sharing knowledge over a cuppa. It took a while for us to find a allotment site that would suit our needs. Then we visited the Melbourne Community site in Summer 2017 we were impressed. The excellent facilities and the welcoming atmosphere really won us over. So we applied for a half plot and waited.

It was a windy afternoon in February 2018 when we finally got to see plot 51B. The plot had the usual debris from neglect and tough woody weeds but we saw the potential. So we had a chat, agreed, signed the contract and our little allotment group started. The plan for 2018 was to clear the site and get planting.

On a sunny Saturday in April ‘The Groupies’ (The Seedlings Allotment mini group), family members and Missy the dog got to work clearing the site of years of rubbish and rotavated soil.




Then in May, we discovered the extent of bindweed covering the whole plot! We quickly treated the first wave with herbicide and then again in Midsummer. We got hold of lots of secondhand weed membrane and covered as much of the area as possible. This was a bit of a setback for us but the weed killer got the bindweed and creeping thistle under control.
Now a bit delayed but we carried on. Summer 2018 we grew a small collection of vegetables (donated and homegrown) in a less weedy corner of the plot to see how they grew. In hindsight, this was a good decision, as it was such a long hot dry Summer most of the weeds under the membrane gave up.




The seven raised beds were built over late Summer and Autumn of 2018. These raised beds were made from reclaimed timber, plastic sheeting, cardboard, old turf and a lot of help from various family members. Then, 10 tonnes of screened topsoil was delivered on a dull November afternoon. Luckily the driver was kind enough to fill two raised beds with his grab.



Again, Team Groupie swung into action the next day and moved our hill of top soil into remaining raised beds or various bulk bags (for storage). In the end, seven raised beds were either full or almost full. It took some time but we finally got to the exciting part … we got planting winter vegetables! So in went red cabbage, Italian black kale, broad beans, rainbow chard, winter salad mix, garlic and pot calendula.




Keep checking into the website for Part two of the Marconi Belles journey, and once again a big thank you to Foggy and the team for sharing their story.