This week's round up of the plot

Finally taken the fleece off the red onions and shallots and they're looking really good. A couple of the shallots have yet to do anything, but I guess there's still time.

The raspberries are looking fab. So mayn new shoots and loads of buds already. Hopeful for a very good crop this year.

Pulled the first rhubarb stems today.

Strawberries are starting to pick up now having all been moved at the end of last season. I may not pick from one of the beds and remove flowers to hopefully encourage a better crop for next year, but that involves me being around at the right time to do that.

The rest of the onion bed looking really healthy pretty good (crap photo tho)

The squash bed - before

 and after. 

Obviously still needs a bit more work, but wont take long now,

 but had 2 bored kids and it was lunchtime 

The parsnips have all survived that yuck weather of the past week or so

 and are putting out more leaves. Fab :)

On my neighbour's plot was this weird fungus. She's had mushroom compost delivered so maybe its edible?

Introduction to Permaculture Course

This weekend (14/15th April) I spent at The Greenbackyard on the Introduction to Permaculture course. I knew some of the principles already from things I've read and other people I've talked to, but to have the course here in town rather than having to travel 100 miles to the next nearest one was fantastic.

Permaculture has 3 ethics at its heart and uses the principles learned from nature to design and create productive, eco-friendly, energy efficient places and projects. What I hadn't realised before the course was that the ethics and 12 principles of permaculture can be applied to events. This was especially useful to learn with Peterborough in Transition  group as we prepare for the launch in June.

The 3 ethics are

Earth care
People Care
Fair Shares

We did an exercise using these ethics in a Venn diagram (made out of stones on the ground outside the classroom) and had various activities given on pieces of paper and were asked to see how these activities fitted into the Venn diagram. It sparked interesting discussion.

We looked at input/output analysis for a 'typical' small holding.

Watched a really interesting film about forest gardening which although it may not produce the same amount of crops as say a traditional allotment plot, it is more resilient, and is less energy intensive, and therefore overall more productive.

The permaculture design process that we started looking at was fascinating, and simple and complex all at the same time. Learning about zones and sectors for a project. The size of the project isn't important as the same process can be applied no matter the scale.

One of another things that I found really useful were different feedback techniques that we looked at. A positive, minus, interesting (PMI) chart (an Edward de Bono technique), and a bullsye type chart were both different and short feedback systems that could be really positive within the groups that we're all working in at the moment.

There was lots more that was covered, and during the breaks and the social on the Saturday evening there were some fascinating discussions and ideas/concepts that have given a lot more food for thought. (I didnt take any photo's myself, but am hoping to get permission to use some in this blog post that someone else took.)

On a personal level what I gained from the course was a more joined up picture of how permaculture basically underlines the dreams and aspirations I have for myself (will go into detail at a later date), and also gave me confidence in the knowledge that I already have. The realisation that the principles can be applied to event planning as well was a real revelation.
There were parts of the course that took me far from my comfort zone and I need to work out a way to deal with those situations more productively in the future than have a 'rabbit in the headlights' reaction.
I know there is much more I would like to read up about and further my knowledge on a range of subjects
After the design exercise in small groups I volunteered to present the information to the rest of the group, which was something I'd not normally do and I think it went really well.

It was a great course, a fantastic experience and something I definitely want to pursue further....

Thanks to Peterborough in Transition for use of the photos.

The one with all the bark chipping

I've been getting my path ready for the past couple of weeks for the arrival of the bark chipping. My friend Darren from Northborough Tree Services was able to supply me with a lorry load of fresh chippings

 I started to panic a bit as the lorry tipped as it was already 4.30, only had smallest with me and realised that had to shift all of it as other allotment holders would want to get on and around the path it was dumped on.

 About 30 barrow fulls later just over half the path was lined. At this point we'd run out of weed proof membrane and were getting very tired. There was still about half the pile left to move.

 The empty compost bin got the rest dumped into it

 And in just over 2 hours we'd cleared it all out of the way.

In the process I manage to burn my back in the sun - unexpected in March!


Other happenings on the plot this week....

Three rows of carrots have been set; Early Nantes 5, Chantonay red cored, Purple Haze F1

 Sweetcorn (Incredible F1) set in toilet roll tubes and now in the green house 

And the parsnips that were started in Feb were planted out

 Holes dug deep enough to site the tube. 

 Puddled in, and then backfilled

And in the kitchen we made hotcross buns and scones. Both were delish

First earlies...

...are in the ground (25th March)

I dispensed with digging a whole trench this year as with only 5 sets per row it seemed like far more work than was actually needed (and quite frankly after the past week's work I'm rather pooped). The area had all bee dug over anyway so it was a case of...

1) digging some holes

 2) sprinkling a few slug pellets (to combat the underground slugs who,like to nibble potatoes)

 3) Placing chitted seed potato in (eyes up, of course)

 4) filling in holes and earthing up.

First row that went in was Charlotte - lovely salad potato and typical of 'new' potatoes.

2nd row was Anya - a thinnish nobbly potato which sort of resembles a Jerusalem artichoke

Pallets and paths

 So my pallet went from this....

 to this...

to getting almost 2/3rds of the way down the path

Doesn't look like a lot done, but I can feel it in every muscle in my body. 

Really glad this should be a one off job.