Hillside Harvest April 2013 Newsletter
Here is another monthly newsletter from the Growers Committee as the signs of spring finally appear. The predicted cold spell did appear at the end of March as expected, though the amount of snow was still a real surprise. Fortunately the Poly survived with minor damage to the door frame again but the netting on the fruit cage roof didn’t (doubly annoying as we had only just mended it the week before). However, Lotti looked lovely in the snow (Eleanor has some good pictures).
Recently on Lotti
The March Open day was a great success and much work was done. We have built a bridge over the stream to make a route to the Rivelin Valley car park - see picture below. We also made some steps up the bank to join the existing public footpath. There is still more work to finish the steps and make a good surface on the new path.
Impressive progress was made on the paths with humps removed and lots of new bark chips. Eleanor and Bridget made great strides in re-erecting the posts and wire supports on the top boundary and training the fruit trees. We also did work on bed preparation and moving compost from the bins to stores around the site.
Growing has finally started. Our Tomatoes, Cucumber, Peppers, Broccoli and Broad beans have all germinated. The potatoes have chitted and we have planted up three beds already in Porter Brook. Generally though, the cold weather is delaying planting and sowing. Nothing will grow in cold soil and low temperatures so we need to be patient this year.
We are making good progress on making Wyming Brook a useable growing area. The plot has been divided into 6 beds and we have made temporary paths from slabs and carpet. The brambles on the boundary wall have been cut back and we even have a nice bark path in front of the water butts. All the plots need to be dug (we have done 3 and half so far) thanks to sterling work by Glenda and Eddy.
The fruit trees have all been pruned expertly by Eleanor and there are signs of buds (hopefully not too damaged by the frosts). The fruit area looks very tidy with neat paths.
We have stocked up on materials (sand, compost etc) and tools with the last of the grant money.
The Coming Month
We have lots and lots of seeds to sow (there is a schedule on the board in the shed), the rest of the potatoes and onions to plant and few remaining beds to prepare. Three Globe Artichokes have survived over winter in the Poly and are ready to be planted out. We also plan to create a bed of asparagus. Repairing the Poly is a priority and Eddy has purchased all the wood. A full list of tasks is pinned to the shed notice board.
So with hopefully some favourable weather we will have a productive month. We hope to see you on the plot on a Wednesday morning, Saturday afternoon or at the April 20th working day.
Recently on Lotti
The March Open day was a great success and much work was done. We have built a bridge over the stream to make a route to the Rivelin Valley car park - see picture below. We also made some steps up the bank to join the existing public footpath. There is still more work to finish the steps and make a good surface on the new path.
Impressive progress was made on the paths with humps removed and lots of new bark chips. Eleanor and Bridget made great strides in re-erecting the posts and wire supports on the top boundary and training the fruit trees. We also did work on bed preparation and moving compost from the bins to stores around the site.
Growing has finally started. Our Tomatoes, Cucumber, Peppers, Broccoli and Broad beans have all germinated. The potatoes have chitted and we have planted up three beds already in Porter Brook. Generally though, the cold weather is delaying planting and sowing. Nothing will grow in cold soil and low temperatures so we need to be patient this year.
We are making good progress on making Wyming Brook a useable growing area. The plot has been divided into 6 beds and we have made temporary paths from slabs and carpet. The brambles on the boundary wall have been cut back and we even have a nice bark path in front of the water butts. All the plots need to be dug (we have done 3 and half so far) thanks to sterling work by Glenda and Eddy.
The fruit trees have all been pruned expertly by Eleanor and there are signs of buds (hopefully not too damaged by the frosts). The fruit area looks very tidy with neat paths.
We have stocked up on materials (sand, compost etc) and tools with the last of the grant money.
The Coming Month
We have lots and lots of seeds to sow (there is a schedule on the board in the shed), the rest of the potatoes and onions to plant and few remaining beds to prepare. Three Globe Artichokes have survived over winter in the Poly and are ready to be planted out. We also plan to create a bed of asparagus. Repairing the Poly is a priority and Eddy has purchased all the wood. A full list of tasks is pinned to the shed notice board.
So with hopefully some favourable weather we will have a productive month. We hope to see you on the plot on a Wednesday morning, Saturday afternoon or at the April 20th working day.
