Marsh Lane Allotments in the Media

Marsh Lane in 2010

The Council meeting last week didn't go far to lift our spirits regarding the future of our site. However, it was great to see the room over-crowded due to the number of plotholders who turned out - we outnumbered the councillors by at least 2:1!

And the local paper (Hungerford edition of the Newbury Weekly News) had the full story on the front page and continuing inside.

A few weeks earlier I summarised our successful year of community events in the local ChainMail magazine (covering Jan-March 2016). I didn't consider that it could be my final post as an allotment holder :-(

Here's a link to my article in the Autumn issue of ChainMail. I was hoping to encourage people to make their own compost.

http://www.hungerford.org.uk/chain/issue_128/haha.htm

There's likely to be more media coverage before this is resolved, but I really hope we have a happy ending to this sorry Christmas tale...

Wind, Stupid Wind and Wind

Ugh! Windy weather - too windy! Cloches are blown about, compost bin lids turn into frisbees, broad beans are leaning and, most irritatingly, my hair gets in my face and bugs me!

However, I'm on leave and Plot 3 needs digging, so that's what we did (when I wasn't hiding in the greenhouse during yesterday's rainstorm).

At least there was no rain today and it was a bit warmer so we got a lot done (which is why I didn't take many photos). Plot 3 is quite well protected by the trees, but still anything put down today was blown away.

We picked up a free petunia from the Hungerford Wyevale Garden Centre yesterday, so that got planted up in a hanging basket that someone had left in the communal area for re-use. We figured Plot 3 needs a bit more pretty-ing up than the other plots at the moment and I'm pleased to say it's survived the wind so far!

This is the dodgier side of the new plot. There are a lot of raspberry plants, including some yellow-fruited variety, but it has a lot of grass and other weeds that need clearing. Still, it looks like we'll get more raspberries from this plot than from Plot 8 where I think I've managed to pretty much destroy our plants with my pruning technique :-(

This pheasant egg wasn't a victim of the wind - more likely a magpie by the way its been pecked out.

Helicopters were flying back and forth yesterday - I thought they looked a bit arty in this touched-up photo, with someone else's beanpoles to prove they're over the allotment site!

We're still picking rhubarb for our desserts but had to chop another flower off the Victoria rhubarb, which has nearly finished its season - the leaves are beginning to collapse. So, we're eating the Raspberry Red now - a couple of long stalks is enough for the two of us.

Here's my latest ChainMail article - all about the wildlife that we share our allotment life (and veg) with - I really must make my next article more positive!

Marsh Lane Open Day
15th August 2pm BBQ, tombola, produce, stalls

Chain Mail Article (March-June 2015 edition)

It's tricky writing these articles about 2 months in advance, especially in February thinking about the lovely months of March to June. So I opted for a hints and tips article and a bit of encouragement for any newcomers to the site. I'm pleased to say we've had at least three people added to the waiting list as a result of them reading Chain, so I'll carry on doing the articles.

Anyway, here's a link to the article if you haven't seen it already.

We're still in need of new plotholders as we have empty plots and no waiting list to speak of. Hopefully now that Gardener's World is back on TV we'll get a few more sign-ups. And the weather is cheering up which is also a nudge for people to get outside and do something - let's hope so!

And here's a photo of a fossil we found on our plot ages ago, because every blog post needs a pic :-)

A Big Sprout?

No, it's a cabbage! The first of this year's.

There are masses of white fly so we had to remove lots of outer leaves, but there's plenty to have with fresh carrots (carrot fly damaged unfortunately) for our Quorn roast dinner. We're a bit concerned that the parsnips may have succumbed to carrot fly too, but we'll wait till Christmas to find out...

And as we've just finished decorating our Christmas tree I'm feeling Christmassy so here's the annual shot of the lovely Hungerford a Christmas lights - always stunning!

Oh, here's my latest Chainmail article - Hungerford's quarterly publication. I think I wrote it in a hurry :-/

British Legion Horticultural Show and Chain Mail Article

It was show time again yesterday. It's a shame so many of our fellow plotholders don't fancy the idea of 'showing' or were away. The event sounds so much grander than it is, with sadly only 2 or 3 entries for each of the vegetable categories.

Our Hungerford show is a very local-type show with 'nice', 'normal' looking veg rather than monstrous exhibition vegetables! That's not to say I don't like seeing the monster veg, but I know we'll never go to the efforts of growing it!

So, we entered a few photos and produce for the following vegetable categories:

•  4 White spuds - we got a winner! Jamie's potato-polishing did the trick :-)

•  5 Bush tomatoes - we didn't win. Our tiny toms looked a bit sad wobbling around on a white paper plate!
•  5 Dwarf French beans - a winner. Our first French beans of the year too!
•  Longest runner bean - mine was over 30cm, but the winner was substantially longer!
•  5 Carrots - I think we won this because we left the full leafy tops on
•  Any other vegetable - I had a big yellow Patty Pan squash. Looked pretty and won!
•  Selection of any four veg - Got a 'highly commended' (loser) sticker for my beetroot, colourful chard leaf, purple mangetout and Rondo-carrot. It looked colourful, but Neal's display looked much better.
•  Funny shaped fruit/veg - our mutant Desiree potato won that one for us!

Some of my photos won, but I can't remember which - will post later if I find out.
I was going to put an entry in for chutney but didn't get my act together, so I'll save that for the Hungerford Food Festival next month. There were plenty of jars of pickles and jams though and the flowers were lovely.

We unfortunately couldn't attend the prize-giving and auction so I'm not sure who won best in show. I hope it was a plotholder!

This was our haul of Chopin potatoes from about 5 plants - many more had slug damage
(they're not the winning carrots by the way!)

Oh, and my latest Chain Mail article is here, if you want a little read. 

ChainMail Article June 2014

It's April showers all the way today so I don't know if we'll get to the plot. Shame really, I want to make some chive flower vinegar.

I'm in the process of writing my next Chainmail article - Hungerford's quarterly magazine. This will be for the June-September edition. Unbelievable! I'm still trying to work out what happened to February and March this year!

Here's a link to my article in the previous edition. Inspired by some of the lovely wildlife visitors on Marsh Lane and who I'd like to see more of!

Chain Mail Article 3

This year I've been contributing to the Hungerford quarterly newsletter, Chain Mail. 

The latest one is here, in the Christmas edition, under the title 'Digging HAHA?'

The aim of the articles are to highlight the positives one can take from having an allotment - as an individual and as a community. 

Being on private land means that our site will always be at risk, particularly with the current housing plans being discussed. Of course, as plot holders we understand that more houses mean a larger requirement for allotments but unfortunately not all planners see it this way.

Although Hungerford is a rural town surrounded by green fields we are always being told that there is nowhere to have a permanent allotment site. So I, and fellow plotholders, need to keep raising the awareness of Marsh Lane Allotments which are often boasted as an asset but do not currently have a long-term future.

Looking at Hungerford on Google maps would make anyone think there must be some land available - unfortunately housing developers seem to have claims on every spot though..

No space for allotments?!
The highlighted field is the Marsh Lane site

Plotholders, in the guise of HAHA (Hungerford Allotment Holders Association), manage the site for the Council, so there's very little input required. We just need to find some available land.

KEEP FLYING THE FLAG for a permanent allotment site for Hungerford!

Chain Mail Article 2

Just a quick link to my second article for the Hungerford Quarterly magazine, Chain Mail.

I pretty much summarise what I've written on the blog over the previous months and try to raise the profile of the allotments within the local community. We need all the help we can get with the short lease still hanging over us.

Anyway, here's a link to the article.

And here's a photo of a hover fly that I took on our wildflower patch on Wednesday - every blog post should have a pic :-)