The Joys of Spring

Today felt like an apology for Monday and Tuesday. The clouds and the chill disappeared, to be replaced by sunshine and the first fingers of warmth. Tracey got the best treat, as she opened up and found the allotment full of blue tits and a vole, sitting grooming by the fruit cage, did a brilliant double take and jumped into the hedge. Chris - your hard work, adding cover to the base of the dead-hedge, is already appreciated by at least one resident!

We were also delighted to see that the rhubarb is showing. The Timperley early is doing just what it said on the tin, and already showing leaves, whilst the other 2 are also conforming - mid season now showing buds about to burst, whilst the late season variety is just showing a few points of pink in the ground.

Carrie set to on the herb bed, and quickly made a massive difference. She pointed out that the mint stalks would be great for fire-lighting if we let them dry a bit more, so we baled them and put them in the polytunnel, which now smells amazing. We are looking forward to some fragrant fires!

Pete went on to process more of the branches from the willow we pollarded. The space he's now cleared is destined to be used for an exciting new area which will house a key-hole bed. These are popular in Africa, as they compost in situ and help keep moisture in the soil. If you fancy making one, have a look at this great "how to" resource. We are also going to add some "tip taps" to the site to help with hand-washing. All these ideas come from a great charity called Send A Cow which helps farmers in many African countries.

Whilst all this was going on, we had visitors. A group of folk from Gedling came along to see how we run Windmill. They will be taking their ideas back to use on their own community gardens in that area, and Tracey will be helping them to get the work planned and carried out. This is all due to the Notts Nosh project working with Gedling Homes to get the ball rolling. It should be fun, and we hope we can update you on how it's going soon.