Allotments

The green house was made out of 2 donated ones joined together.

A polytunnel frame was loaned and erected.

< Spring 2010: Initially we bordered the beds with wood but soon realised that this was too much work for the moment, so just roughly marked out beds and put in whatever we had ready. Maybe the autumn would be better for making proper raised beds. Once the top row reached the archway we started on the lower row: it was obvious we wouldn’t use the entire plot this year so the final quarter, near the churchyard, was planted with crimson clover for 12 months.There has been an insane amount of weeding required, mare’s tail, ground clover, bindweed and also comfrey sprouting up everywhere. One of the first things I did on the plot in March was mark out and plant comfrey, not realising entire walled garden was a huge comfrey bed!

Allotment Open day, August 3, 2010

...Or the party on the plot! We threw open the gates on Sunday 1st August and invited the whole village, and our friends, come see how successful our communal grow scheme has been in first season.

< We had folk ballads wafting across the garden thanks to Gordon, Steve. Jules and others. Cakes and savouries, tea and cider were sold from the ‘Spot on the Plot’ Cafe, and then we had the ‘Two Mikes’ on the barbies. Many thanks to Roy and Kate from the Somerset Arms for their generosity, especially the stunning rump steaks from Stourhead, which we cut up and took round so everyone could try it. Steak night in the pub on Thursday anyone? Special thanks also to Diana for the straw bales.

July 2010: Rain at last, and lots to pick and eat.

Also this weekend, at last, have cover on our polytunnnel frame! > Not quite finished but nearly there, and some of the plants from the overcrowded greenhouse have already moved in.

Maiden Bradley Village Fete – August 28, 2010

< Our contribution to this major cultural event is worth recording for posterity: the Community Allotment Scarecrow Competition. A fair and democratic vote was held, by giving out a voting slip with every program.

So – an amazingly successful weekend, in which we had loads of fun, raised loads of money to help village shop, showed our neighbours what we been up to behind those walls. At its height there were over 80 people present, and one local resident said ‘ this is what the village used to be like 50 years ago’.