May is a busy month on the allotment, seeds need sowing, seedlings need thinning, weeds need hoeing and early crops reward us with early harvests. And of course our grass paths separating the four areas of the plot need regular mowing.
The Hawthorns in native hedges around the site are smelling good and looking good.
The wildlife all around is equally busy, seriously going about the business of breeding with all its inherited trials and tribulations. The weather, predators, prey availability and the search for food for both adults and nests full their young all contrive to make their lives difficult.
We shall begin our May lottie wander on our own plot to see what is going on. The soil is now easily worked so using the hoe to remove seedlings is easy so the plot is looking tidy.
Our brassicas are coming along well underneath their protective cover.The perennial bug borders are looking good.Multi-coloured radiccio.
Whenever we are working our plot or helping maintain the green spaces around the site, we are entertained by birds of prey, Buzzards and Kestrels soaring or hovering over our heads and around our feet Robins, Blackbirds, Blue and Great Tits, and Song Thrushes search for food for their young hoping we disturb grubs and bugs with our digging, raking and hoeing. More secretive in their search for fodder for young are the Black Caps, Woodpeckers and Nuthatches. Overhead the hirondelles, (Swallows, Swifts and House Martins), having recently returned from their winter haunts greedily scoop up insects on the wing.Although the weather has been warm and dry for a few days now the end of our plot where the clay comes nearest the surface and the topsoil is very thin, water still saturates the land, making working it impossible. But in this wetness in the ridged soil our Red Duke of York potatoes are pushing their purple tinted foliage out towards the sunshine.
Red Duke of York appearing above the algae tinted soil.Our cordon Red Currants are flowering heartily and starting to set fruit.
In the orchards and over the meadows wildflowers are blooming alongside naturalised ornamental bulbs, attracting butterflies, the crinkle winged Commas, the Orange Tips with orange tips to their wings and the wonderful ethereal Holly Blues.
Bulbs and Buttercups under the fruit trees in the orchard.We attract predator insects into the orchards with these insect homes. They are a wildlife friendly pesticide.
The Buddleia Borders are coming to life now and the Spring Garden remains very colourful.
Two plot holders, Phil and Doreen, have created a new bed in a shaded area near their plot and made it accessible for all to enjoy.
Most plots are ready for sowing and planting or partly planted up and sown.
Our May Working Party jobs were decided upon by where the shade was, as it was too hot to work in the full sunshine. We managed to get most of our tasks completed though.
Heads down for weeding the meadows.Kneeling down on the job attacking those pernicious weeds that creep into the meadows.
Our Willow Dome has had its doorway and windows woven and neatened up and the sides pruned and woven. It is a favourite feature with children as somewhere to listen to a story, or as a play den, and as adults for somewhere to escape to at coffee time from the heat of the day.
As we have recently launched our site’s Wise Watering Campaign it is heartening to see guttering and butts appearing on several sheds.
We had a great day out at the RHS Spring Gardening Show at Malvern but we did wonder why it was called a “Spring” show, as on the day of our excursion it felt far from spring-like. Drizzle, strong bursts of cold wind and very little in the way of sunshine. As we wandered around dark threatening clouds rumbled over dark threatening hills. Underfoot the effects of the recent relentless rain could be felt. The paths got muddier and muddier as the day wore on and the groundsmen raced to put down straw and bark chip.They were just about winning the battle.
Shoppers looking out for unusual and special plants in the rows of nursery stands braved the mud underfoot and filled bags and boxes with their booty.
We were disappointed with the show gardens – we only liked parts of each one. The team responsible for the garden which was awarded the much-coveted “Best in Show” card sat at the back of their garden surrounded by empty champagne bottles and looked absolutely exhausted. We could only guess at what time they had finished their build, probably at some hour in the early morning. The planting in their garden was lush and densely packed in displaying the true spirit of the spring garden.
In other show gardens there were ideas to glean – the fire pit with wooden poles, the pink-painted sticks, beautifully planted original pots and a hollowed out tree trunk as a seat.
However the smaller gardens designed and built by school children were so impressive. We spoke to the youngsters who had created these gardens based on the theme “Sustainability for All”, and were so impressed with their knowledge and skills of communication.
This garden called “Yesterday’s Garden” was based on the post-war era when gardens were designed to provide food.
Wildlife was welcomed in this garden.
The pupils who created this unusual garden looked at how nature reclaimed places abandoned by man.
The following garden was designed and created by pupils from a middle school and featured this green roof on a shed which the pupils also built. There was a vegetable plot and other borders contained plants chosen to attract wildlife.
On top of the shed in this garden was a stick scarecrow looking down admiring the planting.
Recycling was paramount in the minds of many of the young designers. Here raised beds are made from old tyres and the far tower of tyres is a composter.
One group of pupils challenges other local schools to find recycled materials to use as planters.
As soon as we entered the floral marquee the senses were aroused, scents, sights and sounds, and we turned into two kids in a candy shop. Familiar nurseries displayed their wares alongside excited but nervous new-comers but every one was special in its own way. We were particularly taken with the acers, meconopsis, hostas, orchids, sweetpeas and insect-eating plant displays.
As usual we were on the search for new ideas for attracting wildlife to our garden and allotment – we were not to be disappointed.
One garden that seemed to be defying the wet weather was based on a dry hillside dotted with ancient olive trees and lavenders.
In my next blog we return to our day at the RHS Malvern Spring Show and look at patterns we found in plants and in gardening sundries.
The key moment in April came when our allotments featured in a national gardening magazine, “Grow It”. A great article full of photos! And then towards the end of the month the lottie chairman, John and I were interviewed by Matt Biggs for an article in the “Edible Garden” magazine. (Please excuse the name dropping!)
So let’s take a wander around the site starting at our own plot, number 37, where the last of the leeks are still in the ground but the kale is beginning to go to seed. Seeds we sowed a few weeks ago are now germinating and popping their heads above the soil. The autumn sown broad beans are flowering as are our currants and gooseberries. So it is all systems go.
Jude harvesting the last of the leeks with our Wolf weeding tool.Shed painting - not our favourite job!The green roof of our insect hotel.The incredibly coloured flowers of Crimson-flowered Broad Bean.New seedlings of early peas.
As we began our wander we were pleased to see two families from the nearby estate wandering around our interest trail with their children. Later they were sat in the willow dome reading stories. This is what community allotments are all about! We shall start our wanderings at Hut 2, one of our communal huts and move on to the Autumn Garden, one of our “Gardens of the Seasons”.
Colourful welcome to Hut 2, our information centre.A species crab apple, Malus floribunda, is a recent addition to the Autumn Garden.We planted the malus to attract bees - it works!Japanese maples grow in the dappled shade of the trees in the Autumn Garden
Moving on from the Autumn Garden towards the first communal orchard we follow a native hedge in which for the first time a Song Thrush has nested. the parents are busy feeding their young and collect worms and bugs from plots right under the noses of the gardeners.
Thrush collecting food for its youngsters.The empty thrush egg we found a few weeks ago alongside the hedge.We are trying to encourage wise watering on the plots so lots of new guttering and butts are appearing.Ready for action.Have the crows got their own back?
In Crowmeole Orchard flowering spring bulbs are coming to an end as Camassias and Allium push up their flowering buds. The apples, pears and plums are covered in pink or white blossom.
Blackthorn - bees love the blossom, birds love the fruit and allotment holders love to make sloe gin from them.Homes for beneficial insects who will help pollinate the fruit and predate on pests.The Fruit Avenue getting more colourful by the day.
As we wandered through this orchard a flock of Long Tailed tits in their pink and brown livery flew off in the bouncing flight pattern, having fed on the peanuts in the feeders. Their long trailing tails followed on. We moved on following paths between plots towards the Spring Garden and Sensory Garden near the old oak tree. Plots are full of ridged rows of sown potatoes and white plastic plant labels marking newly sown rows.
Phil and Doreen have planted up a border alongside their plot.Several plot holders are topping up their paths with wood chip.Alan's tyre beds.
The Spring Garden in its second spring is looking so good and has become a popular place for allotment holders and visitors.
The most colourful spot on the site in April is the Spring Garden.Forsythia flowering in the Spring Garden.Spring Garden beauty.
Through the Willow Tunnel is one of our many picnic benches where we stop for coffee on our April wanderings. As we enjoyed our brew curlews called in nearby fields with their mournful song and the Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew busily overhead.
We have just started to shape the willows into a tunnel.The Sensory Garden is growing well now the weather is warming up.
The Winter Garden has passed its peak after being so popular for months. We have been busy giving it a sort out.
The stems of the White Stemmed Rubus look magical in the spring sunshine.The dogwoods and willows grown for their coloured stems have been pruned hard to encourage fresh wands of growth.Fresh Fennel foliage in front of a Euphorbia.
We wandered next through the Woodcote Orchard where the paths are cut short and neatly through the long grass, and looked at the Turf Spiral, a favourite of the children.
Follow the trail post down the neat path.We have been adding another layer of turf to the spiral to create somewhere to sit.
Our final stop on the way back to the car park was the Herb Garden where herbs are now well established. This last section of our lottie wander took a lot longer than the others as we enjoyed a good chat with Dave and Jean. We put the world to rights and shared details of how all our crops were getting on.
Since our allotment site opened three years ago, many allotmenteers have put plaques on their sheds and signs have appeared in all sorts of places. Words of wisdom and humour!
Let’s take a wander and see what we can find.
I fixed this quote to the side of one of our communal buildlings. it is very popular with visitors.Could be true!Lovely sentiment.Memories of "The Good Life".No weeds on this plot!So true!We can't argue with that!Even the site's manure wheelbarrow and a breeze block have signs.I wonder what goes in that barrow?Dave's welcoming sign.Fred's impressive door furniture.
Two youngsters, Ethan and Elliot, seem to have forgotten their Mum, Mandy, when they made their sign. Mandy’s plant labels are so attractive and original.
It is already into the fourth month of the year and so this is the fourth in this monthly series of garden wandering posts. So much happens in April, so many plants start into growth, so many seeds are sown and the weather changes so often. Frost, hail, sun, mild, cold, windy, calm – everything comes randomly and we gardeners get caught out inappropriately clothed. Wildlife is equally confused, with bees, hoverflies, butterflies and wasps appearing on warmer days and disappearing as soon as it cools down again.
Taking advantage of some bonus sunshine.
Some spring bulbs are going over while others are in full swing, some tree blossoms are going over while others are just coming into flower. There is so much to do in the garden, productive or ornamental, and it feels good to be out there doing it.
How red can a flower be!
As soon as April arrives we know the garden will look and feel differently every day. Come around our garden with me and my camera and see what is going on.
The front garden glows in the afternoon sunshine, with every shade of green in new herbaceous growth splattered with the many colours of bulbs.
The Hot Border.Euphorbias below white-stemmed birches.
The Shade Garden is soon to reach its peak time, with its fresh leafy growth and the tiny, pale jewels of flowers. Pulmonarias, Dicentras, Anemones, Arums and Corydalis are all budding up and beginning to flower while the ferns are hardly showing any signs of awakening.
The Shade Garden bursting into life.China blue pulmonaria.Pale pink pulmonaria.Silver splashed Arum leaves.Primrose yellow Anemone.
On the gravel patch, which we call our “Chatto Garden”, new foliage is bursting through. Irises, Euphorbias are starting into healthy growth. The large terra-cotta pot of bulbs is bubbling over with the blue of Muscari and a sprinkling of tiny mauve species Tulips.
The glaucous sword shaped iris leaves.Spears of Euphorbia griffithii "Dixter" piercing the gravel.The thistle like spiked and variegated Galactites tomentosa.Muscari blue and tulip mauve give a gentle colourway to the big pot.Bright welcome at the gate - yellow Mahonia and red Cydonia.
Trees and shrubs are a little later coming to life in the spring, the miniature Chestnut’ sticky buds are only just bursting while the Amelanchier lamarckii and Spiraea “The Bride” are in their full white ball gowns.
"The Bride" is always such a good arching shape.The long arching raceme of Spiraea.Amelanchier blossom like delicate stars.Chestnut buds burst out in salmons, russets and reds.
In the side garden by our main entrance the two potted apple trees are in full flower, with blossoms of many shades of pink, promising lots of juicy fruit to enjoy. We have added a second House Sparrow nesting box giving six nest holes altogether and hopefully a little less noisy bickering. The new box is apartment living as opposed to the terraced original. Right by our doorstep is a pot of violas in an unusual colour combination of blue and brown. In front of the garage door our replanted alpine troughs are beginning to come to life.
Our miniature apple trees welcome callers.Apple blossoms - pink beauties.Sparrow city.Alpine troughs protected from the cold winds.Unusual colour combination.
Wandering into the back garden it is hard to know where to point the lens first as so much is happening. The fruit trees are in blossom, tulips add their jewel colours in every border and new leaves are appearing on most shrubs and perennials.
A mass of Damson blossom against a blue sky.Jude, "The Undergardener" at work in the "Shed Bed".
The garden is full of sound, scents and movement. In the pools Pond Skaters perform their dances on the surface and tadpoles wriggle in black masses in the shallow pebble bay. Around each flowering shrub bees and hoverflies flit and buzz. In nearby fields Skylarks sing their “high in the sky” songs and the haunting call of Curlews reach us from the damp land alongside the nearby fishery. But the strangest sound of all is the regular sound of Tawny Owls calling to each other – have they lost their biological clocks? The calling starts mid-afternoon on most days.
Lush growth at the pool side.
Scent is provided by Viburnum, Mahonias, Wallflowers, Flowering Currants, Hyancinths, Daffodils and the last of the flowers on the Daphnes. Herby scents come with the new fresh greens of the mints, thymes, marjorams and fennel.
Strong in scent beautiful in colour, the last flowers on the Daphne.The complex flower head of a viburnum.
In the Secret Garden it is the tulips that take centre stage, in so many colours and shapes.
The Secret Garden awakens in Spring.The darkest orange tulip.
Some of the most impressive new foliage is to be found on our acers, growing under the trees we grow as a wind break, acid green, lemon yellow, flaming orange and salmon.
New brightly coloured foliage shines in mottled shade.Glowing red fresh, new leaves.
We have eventually relented and cut down the last of our many grasses. We leave them as late as possible and often leave some too late and end up cutting new growth coming up within the old. This Miscanthus napalensis was left until last, understandably.
Old grass and new acer.
Just to show how fickle the month of April can be, the day after I took the photos for this blog we woke to three inches of snow and large flakes continued to fall all morning. Many tulips and daffodils were flattened and our clump of Black Bamboo was pinned to the ground by the sheer weight of snow.
Iris swords piercing the snow.
I shall finish with two shots – one before the snow and one after. This lovely old oak tree root is our miniature stumpery – all we have room for!
The Secret Hills visitors centre is situated in the small market town of Craven Arms a half hour drive from home. A Monday morning visit to the dentist took us to Church Stretton half way to Craven Arms, so to celebrate us both being given a clean bill of health we decided we deserved a coffee at the Secret Hills.
The visitor centre itself is an interestingly shaped building with a curving roof topped with greenery. It was one of the earliest green roofs. The inside features a library and coffee shop with occasional displays of art and crafts as well as exhibitions to celebrate all that make the South Shropshire Hills so special.
As well as a visitor centre the Secret Hills has wonderful, varied outside spaces which afford the local community and visitors the chance to explore meadows and copse and walk alongside a small river and a pool. but there are also surprises wherever one goes.
The Undergardener and I began our visit in our usual way by visiting the coffee shop to enjoy a cappuccino and latte respectively. But join us as we slowly amble around the acres outside.
We ambled slowly through a young sloping woodland of coppiced Hazels, whose leaf buds were bursting the tangiest green. The trail took us across a rough area of Teasles and tough grasses and led us to the River Onny, which in this section is a calm, slow moving stream.
Near a bridge carrying the road over the Onny, clumps of Daffodils were in the spotlight of the sun’s rays, affording them a see-through look.
We enjoyed the peaceful, slowly moving waters of the Onny with rashes of seedling Himalayan Balsam and the occasional glossy petaled Celandine growing within the dappled shade of the waterside trees.
After half an hour of gentle rambling, we left the Onny and wandered across a meadow where the sticky buds of recently planted Horse Chestnut trees were coming into leaf in one corner and as we were about to leave the field, in the opposite corner we came upon a community clay oven, looking like a giant pot. It’s domed clay top was carved with spiral patterns, like the shells of a Ramshorn Snail.
The huge sticky buds of the Chestnut Tree look and feel as if they are coated in treacle, and as they open the green of the fresh leaves is bright as a Golden Delicious Apple.
A bridge across a dried-up stream invited us into a wood of spindly trees.
We crossed the wooden bridge into the patch of woodland, and beyond it we were in for a surprise for we spotted two pieces of sculpture in the trees. so it really is true what the old children’s song said “If you go down to the woods today you are in for a big surprise”.
We looked at the details, the teazels and spirals of branches, and looked up inside the chimney shapes.
After exploring the sculpture and listening to the Great Tits, Chiffchaffs and Goldfinches calling in the tree tops, we made our way back to a bench on the riverside for a rest. A Dipper flew rapidly only inches above the water and passed just below our feet. These are beautiful birds like fat Blackbirds with white bibs. They feed around the rocks in shallow fast-moving streams where they watch from rocks constantly dipping up and down, but this one moved so fast and we didn’t see it stop to feed. On the opposite bank of the river tall trees grew thickly on a steep slope. Here we watched Nuthatches, Treecreepers and Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding frantically and flying from tree to tree. But the real treat was the view of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a very small black and white woodpecker which is now so scarce in the UK.
After resting our legs we aimed for the bridge that crosses the Onny where it becomes shallower and more rapid. Here the Onny took on the guise of a upland stream. From the bridge we spotted more Dippers and a Grey Wagtail, before moving on across the corner of a field where a stile showed us the way into the small Nature Reserve. We watched a pair of Red Kite soaring over the tops of the tallest trees. We made our way through the wood on narrow muddy tracks until we found the river once again. Following its banks we returned to the visitor centre dropping in on the community allotments on our way. Here tiny plots of land are available to local residents where they grow vegetables.
The Secret Hills is an amazing community resource for the market town of Craven Arms and a special day out for visitors.
Yesterday we spent the day up at our allotment, with the aim of sowing mini-meadows and planting out Brassica plants. But firstly the grass paths separating the plot into its four beds needed a good cut. That done we prepared two narrow borders along one edge of the plot, raking the soil finely but adding no fertilisers or organic matter, for this is where we were creating our mini-meadows.
We sowed a mixture of 3 packets, a white cornflower called “Snowman” a native cornfield mixture and a Californian wildflower mixture. It seemed so strange to feel how light the seeds felt in my hand – a meadow in the palm of my hand.
We hope that our little strips of meadow will look good for us and fellow plotholders to enjoy, attract beneficial insects and bring in attractive butterflies. We particularly want bees to arrive to help with crop pollination. And of course they all entertain us while we are gardening.
After a quick coffee we scattered chicken muck pellets and fish, blood and bone fertiliser onto our brassica bed and raked them in well. I then trod over the area to firm the ground and raked again. Brassicas enjoy firm soil and they are less likely to bolt and help them fill out better.
We decided to plant the Brassica plants in trenches with raised sides to act as min-dikes. With all the talk of drought and possible hose pipe bans we are trying out ways of watering wisely. These trenches should ensure that any rain is directed towards the plants.
We packed away our tools and locked up the shed after a busy, productive couple of hours. Back to the community hut to collect one of the site mowers and the grass strimmer, and we were off to mow the grass around the community meadow area and the turf spiral. But we wandered around the site first and found three real little gems.
This first gem we found was a native fritillary growing in a batch in the first of the community orchards and the second, a more unusual fritillary, in a small patch in the Hazel Grove.
The third gem was a hatched shell near one of the native hedgerows. This little sky blue beauty is the egg of a Song Thrush, so we were delighted to find it. Thrushes are becoming more frequent on the site as our community wildlife areas are becoming more established. We often see them feeding under the feeding stations or rummaging in the leaf litter beneath the hedges.
We mowed and trimmed for a couple of hours before our backs shouted “Enough! Enough!”
The long-awaited and eagerly anticipated day arrives. First outdoor sowings on the lottie. A big flask of coffee, a bunch of bananas and half a dozen apples in the trug and we arrive at our plot with blue sky above and warmth of the sun making us feel good.
We began by tidying our paths, I mowed and Jude, “The Undergardener” trimmed the edges. Instantly the plot looked the business. We removed the cloches that had been warming the soil for a fortnight and discovered warm, moist soil below all raked to a fine tilth.
Cloches in place warming the soil ready for sowing.
The tools for the job collected from the shed, seed packets at the ready and the sun on our backs – ready for off! I use a range of tools by Wolf – three handles, short medium and long, and a range of inter-changeable heads. For today’s sowing I got ready a wide rake, narrow rake, cultivator, drill-maker, seed-sower and hoe.
Tools at the ready.
Where the soil had been warmed with a covering of cloches we sowed legumes, Broad Bean “Super Aqualdulce”, Pea “Sugar Ann” which we enjoy by eating the young pods whole, Pea “Oregon Sugarpod” a mange tout type. First job is to take out a 2 inch deep drill six inches wide with a draw hoe and then keep watering along it until the water stops draining away quickly. The seeds are then placed in the drills and covered with dry soil to keep in the moisture and a final topping of compost to act as mulch and to clearly mark where we have sown. Although we label our seeds as they are sown we take this second precaution against the Blackbirds who enjoy pulling our labels up and throwing them on the paths.
Waiting for the heavily watered drill to drain.Two rows of Broad Bean seeds neatly set out.The darker compost mulch marks the rows of peas and broad beans.
When we returned home we planted up our first batch of seed potatoes, Rocket and Kestrel. The Rocket will be ready first, hopefully within 11 weeks and the Kestrel a few weeks later. Kestrel looks good with its purple eyes and tastes good too.
Potatoes chitted ready to plant.We grow our potatoes in potato bags, using old compost as the growing medium.
Our allotment plot is only about 150 square metres but we cultivate it with wildlife in mind and have several features to actively attract the wildlife that can support our gardening efforts. We endeavour to garden for wildlife and with wildlife. Some we attract some is here anyway.
Many beneficial insects are attracted onto our plot to help us fight pests and pollinate our fruit and veg. The most important insect predators are probably Ladybirds. Lacewings and Hoverflies. Their larvae are voracious pest eaters.
We have created an insect hotel on our plot to attract the beneficial predatory insects. Our “hotel” is made from bricks with holes of varying sizes, wooden posts drilled with holes and every available gap filled with twigs, canes, cones, dried grass, in fact anything that may be seen by insects as somewhere to shelter and to hibernate. On its roof we grow Sedum which will flower and attract more insects and we have added a log for insects to hide under. We know it works as in the spring on warm days Ladybirds pour out to sun themselves on the bricks which hold warmth.
We encourage birds to visit our plot to feed off pests who want to eat the leaves of our crops. Our bird feeders attract Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Longtailed Tits and Great Tits who feed particularly greedily on aphids and caterpillars. We have also put bird boxes up to encourage birds to raise their young, both open-fronted boxes for Robins and holed boxes for members of the tit family, as well as roosting pouches for Wrens. the birds are so confident now that they use the feeders when we are gardening close by.
Flowers decorate the plot for our own enjoyment and the feel-good factor, but we only grow flowering plants that attract wildlife such as Sedum, Marjorams, Cowslips, Primroses and Evening Primroses that will attract butterflies, bees and hoverflies. Some species of butterfly overwinter by hibernating in our shed as adults or as larvae. The one in the photo took a fancy to my hat hanging on the shed door as his winter haunt.
The Tortoiseshell Butterfly is exploring the flower buds of our Sedum, which once fully in flower is busy with insect life.
We leave some plants to go to seed each year for wildlife. The Fennel’s yellow umbrella’s of flowers attract wasps and hoverflies. Wasps are useful on a plot as they are the only insect that will consume the caterpillars of Cabbage White Butterflies.
The seed heads of Globe Artichoke are a magnet for finches especially Goldfinches, but when in flower they bring in the bees.
Our next plan is to develop a strip of wildflowers so that we have our very own mini-meadow. This will also act as a Beetle Bank attracting beetles into the shade of the plants, and we need beetles on our plot as they consume slugs and their eggs. We leave bundles of sticks around and these attract the best predatory beetle of all, the Violet Ground Beetle, which we see whenever we cultivate soil or do any weeding. the males are large with iridescent violet wingcases.
It goes without saying that we garden organically, we mulch a lot and grow green manures to protect the soil. The health and well-being of our soil is of paramount importance. We only feed it with natural materials to provide nutrients – manure, compost, green manures, seaweed feed and our own comfrey liquid feed. We maintain two compost bins on the plot.
The front edge of the plot is planted with wildflowers as a narrow border in front of the first row of fruit bushes. They bring in insects and give a welcome to visitors. Calendula and Heartsease self seed there each year so never need to be re-sown. They make enough green growth to be useful addition to the compost bins.
The next gardening for wildlife blog will be about our garden at home and its wildlife.
Late Saturday night we were digging jazz at our jazz club. Early Sunday morning we were digging soil on an allotment. Double digging at its best! At Shrewsbury Jazz Network we enjoyed a brilliant young band called the JJ Wheeler Quintet. JJ the young drummer leads the band and composes and arranges their music. We had a great night.
Sunday morning we, the Undergardener and I, woke early anticipating a mild sunny day, just right for helping out our Daughter, Jo and Son-in-Law, Rob on their allotment. After a short drive we arrived and Rob opened up the gate. Jo was elsewhere enjoying learning more about jewelry. The three of us aimed to finish preparing the plot for sowing and planting. Their plot is divided up into small beds divided by grass paths and we were determined to dig, rotovate, feed with poultry manure pellets and rake them all level.
Unfortunately I forgot that essential blogging gardener’s tool, my camera so I had to use my phone.
Jude, the Undergardener, and Rob weeding the onion bed (plus my shadow)Jude, the Undergardener helping sort the onions, without my shadow.Onions weeded and fed.We finished planting and putting up supports for the new cordon apples.We finished off the luxury insect hotel.Success! Paths cut, edges trimmed and all beds ready for the sowing and planting season.
'The most important and informative publication on wildlife of our times' - The Independent. This blog is a member of The UK & Ireland Natural History Bloggers group: www.uknhb.blogspot.com
greenbenchramblings 