With the Summer Solstice celebrations still resonating in our ears and consciousness from Thursday we felt the Community allotment heartily welcoming us at this poignant time of the year. What bounty greeted us in the hot shade hunting day.
With the help of the NatWest team building corporate day work party who, during the week, cleared the weeds and scrub from around the young fruit trees in the new orchard we were able to focus our attention on adding material, brought in from our homes to the super composter, and carrying out some urgent repairs and maintenance of the shed and tool storage cupboards
We have received a lot of new equipment and plants recently what with Kamil transferring all his allotment infrastructure, having given up his own plot on Eastern avenue, to allow more time to focus on the Community plot. I was assigned the exciting task of installing a reedbed water garden to the little pond with fish, this does a wonderful natural cleansing and has the added bonus of growing wonderful highly nutritious watercress. The reedbed is currently fed by hand but will shortly be fed with a solar powered water pump.
We harvested Rhubarb, Rasberries, the last of strawberries, broad beans, some lavender and our copious grape vine provided some vine leaves, yum!
We are missing our good comrade Fiona who is not yet mobile enough to come to the plot after her recent foot surgery however it was nice to welcome two new families this session and a tasty pot luck lunch of rice salad, tasty breads, and VGFWFSF (Vegan Gluten free Wheat free Sugar free ) bannana pancakes all welcomed by the hungry plotters.
Kamil’s battery drill whisked fresh strawberry smoothies were a taste of paradise.
With the current drought we are experiencing having had no rainfall for the last month, and our waterbutts depleted, it was necessary to have the standpipe hoses on for watering the parched plot plants We had to be mindful that water is a precious commodity and hose pipe bans are threatened. By station watering only on the plants and veg this not only gets the water where it’s needed but prevents watering weeds.
Hope you can join us for the next amazing community growing day on Saturday 9th July
Stay loving stay hopeful Your writers for this installment Sarah & Duncan
Southend in Transition Community Allotment 