Muck & Magic

Last week we had our first open day of 2013 and it was a real success. My day started early with an appearance on BBC Radio Sheffield's Breakfast programme with Georgey Spanswick. I'd never been on radio before and it was a real treat. Georgey was a great host who completely put me at ease and was a good laugh.

Then it was on to the open day, which a lot of people had put great efforts into putting together. There were two workshops on composting - beginners & advanced - that both attracted about a dozen people. I wasn't aware there was so much to composting but everyone seemed completely engrossed. As I was involved in the volunteering side of things I couldn't sit in but as a group we've gained some valuable knowledge which will help in seasons to come.

Composting is all about improving the soil and that's what our volunteers were doing too. Of course we're all volunteers but a volunteering marathon arranged by Sheffield University provided 11 extra pairs of hands for those jobs you never quite get round to.

We have a soft fruit area and the area in between the rows of fruit had become overgrown with weeds. This was actually good soil and our volunteers cleared the soil of weeds and topped up some of our beds with it to make them ready for planting. Once cleared we began filling the area with fresh wood chippings to help keep down the weeds. Eventually these will rot down and the whole process will start again. It sounds easy when written down but this involved a lot of shovelling and barrowing of both soil and woodchips.

It's heavy work and all of our volunteers can say they earned the hearty vegetable stew on offer for lunch. We finished the day tired but with a great sense of achievement at the transformed patch of Lotti. There's more to come on 16th March - see the website for details. By then I know we'll be itching to start planting just as soon as the frosts stop. When they do we know we'll be ready.

Winter weather

Weather affects what we can grow and the work we can be doing in our gardens and allotments. Here in Sheffield, as with most of the UK, it has been snowing. Perhaps more pertinently there have been sub-zero temperatures, freezing the soil and limiting the work that could be carried out. As a result our open day for January was cancelled.

Before the weather turned really cold I did make it down to Lotti where more preparation was underway. I have previously promised more on crop rotation and i will get around to it. I'm waiting for our open days on 16th February & 16th March, where there will be free workshops on composting and plot planning to take advantage of. I've already mentioned that we've been preparing our raised beds for this season's planting. As well as clearing the beds we've been topping them with manure  - where we can get it - and well rotted compost for the brassicas.

I admit this may not be the most exciting of photographs but it does demonstrate the culmination of some very hard work. It will be all the more satisfying when we come back to it later in the year to harvest the veg. Fingers crossed the weather permits better growing conditions than last year.

In addition to the work on Lotti, Hillside Harvest is working with Sheffield Council to improve access to the allotments. Personally I walk down and if you've seen my earlier blog on Rivelin Valley you'll understand why. For others who live further away, or with equipment to carry, a car is really useful. Parking on Hagg Hill is not ideal so we're working on a path to link the lower allotments to a car park off Rivelin Valley Road. There is a path through Reaps Wood but some work remains to connect the path to the allotments. There is a small brook to be crossed and some undergrowth to be cleared. We are hoping that we'll have volunteers to help on our next open day and possibly a sleeper or two for a small bridge and steps up the bank of the brook. If all goes according to plan there'll be a more pleasant and safe route through the woods for all the allotment holders toward the bottom of Hagg Hill. I'll be reporting on progress as it happens.

Back on the allotment we were also moving fruit trees. Hillside Harvest has had to scale back operations and has handed back a couple of plots to the council. Recently some fruit trees were replanted on our main site. I think they'll make an attractive addition to the site entrance and hopefully be bearing fruit for many years to come.

Nothing to do!

Nothing grows in the winter so there's nothing to do, right? Wrong as it turns out. It's an annoying truth that when you think nothing is growing those pesky weeds are still soldiering on. Yesterday down on Lotti there were 5 hardy perennials (allotment regulars not plants) rooting out those unwanted guests. As unexpected bonus to our efforts was some red onions we found that had evaded harvest.

Not all weeds need be completely unwanted. Dandelions, which along with cockroaches may be the only things to outlive a nuclear winter, make a nice snack for hamsters or rabbits. You might want to try them yourself in a salad. Either way, the earlier you get them out the easier it is. Just make sure to take the whole root out - or as much as you can manage - or you'll find them coming back again and again.

There are some members of Hillside Harvest who know what they're talking about and others, like me, who are just beginners. When running a community allotment it can be tricky knowing what's to be done. The first thing I do when I get there is to ask advice from a more experienced member. There is also a handy list in the shed that lists all the jobs to be done that month.

Winter is the time when the allotment is prepared for the growing season. That can be anything from ensuring the plots are clear of weeds to adding fertilisers and compost to your beds. You'll also be wanting to plan out your allotment for the year to come. Many allotment holders use a system of crop rotation and Hillside Harvest is no exception. More on that next time. Until then, as Brucie might say, keeeep gardening.