Trouble at Aspal Close

Readers of my previous post on Aspal Close will know that this unique site is home to a variety of ancient Oaks, some of which are almost 1000 years old.

I was shocked and extremely saddened to hear that vandals had set fire to one of the ancient Oaks recently.

The vandalised tree is thought to be around 800 years old, and the extent of the fire damage is so severe that the tree may not recover.

The incident was reported in local newspaper articles such as this one:

Vandals set fire to 800-year-old tree

On a positive note, a number of kind-hearted American volunteers have been helping to manage the site.

The area around each of the ancient Oaks has been cleared of other plants which would have been competing for nutrients:

Halos will help centuries old oaks

This will provide a more nutrient-rich habitat for the Oaks.

The Asparagus is coming through!

I visited the plot this morning and was surprised to find my Asparagus was beginning to show!









Last week, there wasn't any sign of activity at all, so maybe the nice weather we've had this week was enough to get things rolling.

A productive weekend on the allotment

I spent a few hours on the allotment this weekend while the weather was good.

Yesterday, I planted about 120 Onion sets (Sturon) and about 60 Shallots of three different varieties.

Today I turned over a couple of empty patches at the rear of my plot and made them ready for planting. You can see the two empty patches in the photo below:



Doesn't look like the Aspargus in the raised bed is doing anything at the moment, but perhaps it's too early to see any activity?



Here's the view looking down the plot to the rear. You can see the two empty patches that I turned over this morning:



The Currant bushes seem to be really coming on now:



Here's a photo of the fruit cage which I put over the Broccoli last week, seems to be doing its job:



I've not seen any activity in the two windowsill Propagators yet, but it's been less than a week since I set the Leek and Sweet Corn.

Spring is almost upon us

and it's that time of year to start working on the allotment again.

I went down to the plot this weekend and pulled all the Leeks.

I'd initially planted 20 but five didn't grow. The remaining crop did pretty well though, and they tasted good in the Potato and Leek soup I made yesterday.

I started off some Sweet Corn (Sweet Bounty F1) in a propagator today, as well as some Leek (Musselburgh). I've also got Dwarf Runner Bean (Flamenco) to start in April.

I'll be planting Onion sets (Sturon) next weekend and maybe Beetroot (Boltardy) too.

I'd like to harvest the Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli soon, hopefully the new netting I bought on Saturday will keep those pesky Pigeons off.

23 barrows of manure later....

....and I'm almost done!

I turned over all the vacant patches of the plot, leaving the soil in large clumps so that the rain and frosts will break them up.

I then spread a thick layer of well-rotted manure over the soil for the worms to drag under. I used about one wheel barrow full per square meter, perhaps slightly more. This might sound like a lot, but I wanted to ensure that I had a good humus rich soil for next year.


Looking down the plot from the front to the rear


Looking down the plot from the rear to the front


Herb garden with a liberal coating of manure


Two Pumpkins and a Sweet Pepper plant

The only job left to do is to cut back the Runner Beans, digging their roots into the soil, as it makes an excellent Nitrogen rich fertiliser.

Autumn is here........

......and the allotment is slowly winding down.

I spent a few hours on the plot this weekend after having been unable to tend to it for the past three weeks. Fortunately, it wasn't as untidy as I'd feared and the few remaining weeds were quite manageable.

I'd lost a good crop of Sweetcorn though because I'd left them too long and they were now overripe.


Harvested the last of the cucurbits (which had grown to the size of marrows!!). From left to right: Courgette Bianca de Trieste, Straight Neck Summer Squash, Courgette Bianca de Trieste and Courgette Black Beauty


I was pleasantly surprised to see one of the Globe Artichokes with a decent sized head on it. I'm a big fan of the supermarket bought marinated variety, so I think I'll harvest it later this week and see what it tastes like when cooked.


The Leeks (Leek Sultan F1) are looking slightly bedraggled, but I suppose it's still a little early yet. Perhaps they'll perk up closer to harvest time (November to March).


The two Pumpkin plants appeared to be growing very well, with the larger one on the left being quite difficult to pick up! In the right-hand corner of the photo can be seen a Sweet Pepper plant which was kindly given to me by my friend Joan.


This is the larger Pumpkin of the two and was kindly given to me by my friend Colin.


This is about half the size of the larger Pumpkin and was kindly given to me by my friend Dick.


In this photo you can see the Rhubarb and Globe Artichoke plants which are growing in the front corner of my plot. To the rear of the photo is a Blueberry bush which was kindly given to me by my friend Allan.


The plot looks a little bare now, but I'll be back in the next few days to spread plenty of well rotted manure as a Winter mulch.

You can't beat fresh veg!

There's something strangely satisfying about cooking and eating home grown vegetables.

Take the humble Beetroot for example. We're probably all familiar with the shop bought pickled variety, but have you ever tried roasting them in their skins, or simply boiling them? When they've cooled a little, gently peel off the skin, and savour the sweet taste within.

As well as the delicious flavour, Beetroot is a good source of Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Folic Acid too. It's also high in fiber, and is rumoured to reduce high blood pressure.

I came across this recipe for Beetroot and Goat's Cheese tart in the Runners World magazine:

Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Tart - Runners World August 2010

I decided to make it for a friend, and was very happy to see that she thoroughly enjoyed it.

As that recipe turned out to be a success, I thought I'd give this River Cottage version a try too:

Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Tart - River Cottage


Beetroot Cardeal F1

In the second week of May, I planted two dozen seed potatoes which were kindly given to me by my friend Allan. We were unsure of the variety, so it was simply a case of waiting to see what came up.

They were planted in four rows of six plants, with each row being mound shaped, and spaced about 30 cm apart.

As the foliage (or haulms as they're called) started to grow, I carefully shovelled soil over each plant, thereby raising the height of the mound on each row. The idea being that the additional soil provides a larger area for the tubers to grow, as in the illustration below:


Tubers growing within a mound - © Bayer Crop Science


Potato plant with Tubers growing - © Pass My Exams

Unfortunately, I hadn't left enough space between rows ~ I could only pile the soil to a certain height before running out of room. In the long-term, this might affect crop size, but there was nothing I could do about it now, I'd just have to wait and see how the plants grew.

With hindsight, I probably should have left at least 40 cm between each row, perhaps as much as 50 cm.

As it turned out though, I was quite lucky. I managed to harvest about 3 lbs of potatoes from six plants, with only a couple of potatoes that had turned green due to exposure to the Sun.

There's still another 18 plants to harvest, hopefully they'll be as productive as the first six were.


3 lbs of Potatoes from six plants

The Cucurbits are still doing extremely well, providing me with fresh squash and courgettes every other day. They seem to be very thirsty plants, so I've been giving the entire patch two watering cans full of water every day (12 litres).


From left to right: Courgette Black Beauty, Courgette F1 Jaguar, Courgette Bianca de Triest and Straight Neck Summer Squash

I was relieved to see that the Asparagus which I've grown from seed appears to be establishing itself now. When I first transplanted it to the raised bed, the fern-like foliage started to turn yellow and seemed to be dying back.

However, all was not lost. A week or two later, new growth started to appear in the form of stronger, thicker shoots:


Asparagus Marte F1

From welly to belly!

I harvested some more cucurbits earlier today. These plants seem to be growing really quickly, with fruit ready to pick every couple of days.


From left to right: Courgette Bianca de Triest, Eight Ball Zucchini and Courgette Jaguar F1


Here's a close-up of the Eight Ball Zucchini. I've never grown this unusual variety before, so it'll be interesting to see what they taste like.

My vegetables are flourishing

My allotment seems to be doing really well lately. I've had a good crop of Blackcurrants, lots of Rhubarb and plenty of Radishes.

Everything appears to have shot up in the last month or so. The Leek seedlings are looking much more healthier, and the Beetroot which I've sown from seed on the 6th of May is almost ready for harvesting.


Early Sprouting Purple Broccoli - sown from seed in a windowsill propagator (see below) on the 8th May, and then planted out about a month ago.


Botanico Windowsill Greenhouse - it's got five individual six celled modules (making it easy to transplant the seedlings), a built-in drip tray, and is quite narrow (Width: 15.7cm), so it'll probably fit most sizes of windowsill. I purchased two of these at about £3.00 each.


Sweet Corn Sweet Bounty F1 - sown from seed in a windowsill propagator, and planted out at the same time as the Broccoli.


Cucurbits which were harvested this morning. From left to right: Courgette Black Beauty, Courgette F1 Jaguar, Yellow Straight Neck Summer Squash, Zucchini Bianca de Triest.

My allotment is finally finished

I've been clearing the plot since the end of April, and I'm relieved to say that it's finally finished.........apart from the regular watering and weeding of course.

For convenience, I divided the length of the plot into quarters, and then I quartered each quarter! Sounds terribly complicated, but it means that the plot is now organised into more manageable chunks.

I planted a wide range of fruit and vegetables, choosing varieties that were quite hardy and resistant to common diseases and pests:

Beetroot Cardeal F1
Radish Scarlet Globe
Sweet Corn Sweet Bounty F1
Leek Sultan F1
Asparagus Marte F1
Broccoli Sprouting Early Purple
Blackcurrant Ben Sarek
Gooseberry (not sure if it's Careless or Invicta)
Gooseberry Hinnomaki red
Redcurrent
Jostaberry
Rhubarb
Cos Lettuce
Cabbage (not sure which variety)
Rosemary
Orange Scented Thyme
Gold Tipped Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Lavender
Potatoes (not sure which variety)
Dwarf Runner Bean
Courgette Black Beauty
Courgette F1 Jaguar
Zucchini Bianca de Triest
Yellow Straight Neck Summer Squash


Cucurbits I harvested today. From left to right: Courgette F1 Jaguar, Yellow Straight Neck Summer Squash and Courgette Black Beauty


Dwarf Runner Bean wigwam


Cos Lettuce and Radishes that I harvested on the 12th June


The raised bed for my Asparagus - it contains six wheel-barrows of manure and 20 litres of top soil, and is long enough for 10 plants spaced about 40cm apart

There's still plenty of room on the plot for other things, and as I've got the seeds, I might plant the following:

Kale Nero di Toscana
Spinach Polarbear F1
Cabbage Hispi F1
Carrot Flyaway F1
Carrot Purple Haze F1

I've also got a Blueberry Goldtraube to plant, but I've not decided where it's going just yet.

Allotments

In April this year I was offered a plot on the Riverside Allotment. As I'd been on the waiting list for about five years, I jumped at the chance of letting a plot on this prestigious site.

I'm not sure of the exact dimensions (I'll post details later), but it's classed as a half size plot and costs a mere £16.00 a year, which is an absolute bargain!

You're probably wondering what's so good about this particular allotment?

Well, there are two allotment sites in Mildenhall: the Lark Avenue site, and the Riverside site on Sheldrick Way. Of the two, the latter has the best facilities, with easy access to running water, toilets, a communal building, and a security fence running around the perimeter of the allotment.

The tennants all seem to be a friendly group, with a vast amount of experience and knowledge to share.

There's a huge feeling of community spirit on the allotment too, with most tennants eager to help one another. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer, such as trimming the hedges around the perimeter fence, mowing the grass in the communal areas, or simply watering a neighbouring patch.

Tennants are encouraged to join the local Allotment Association, which organises work parties and social events, such as barbecues and competitions (this years being a Pumpkin competition). The Association holds regular committee meetings where key points of interest are discussed.

Thorpeness

Can you imagine inheriting an old fishing hamlet, and then transforming it into a picturesque seaside village, complete with golf club and boating lake?

Well that's what happened in the early 1900's when the Scottish playwright and barrister Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie decided to build a seaside village at Thorpe on the Suffolk coast.

The hamlet was inherited, along with the family estate of Sizewell, when Ogilvie's mother passed away in 1908.

Ogilvie, being a visionary and a romanticist, wanted to create a seaside retreat in the Jacobean and Tudor styles. He was inspired by the works of J. M. Barrie, the Scottish novelist better known for creating Peter Pan.

Work began in 1910, when open fields were flooded to create a 65 acre artificial lake called 'The Meare'.


Rowing boats on The Meare

Rowing boats, canoes, and dinghies can be hired to explore the many islands on the lake, which are based around the Wendy and Peter Pan themes.


Boats are named after childrens fictional characters

Buildings were then constructed around the lake, many of which are of a mock Tudor style.


Ogilvie Hall


House on the beach-front


The Dunes

Having said that, these colourful buildings overlooking the shingle beach don't really fit into any category.


Brightly coloured beach-front houses

The Dolphin Inn can be found in the centre of the village. It's an ideal location to visit at the start of your trip, as it offers good food and refreshments, and provides a bicycle hire service.


The Dolphin Inn

The House in the Clouds is one of the more unusual and extraordinary sights. It was originally constructed in 1923 as a water tower, but was later imaginatively disguised as a house.


The House in the Clouds

From a distance, it appears as though there's a cottage lodged high in the trees.


The House in the Clouds as seen from The Meare

The village is also home to a working post mill that was originally built in 1824, and was last used to pump water into the tank within the House in the Clouds.



The mill was designed so that the upper structure could rotate around a central post, enabling it to face into the wind at all times.


Post Mill interior

The beach itself is well worth a visit too. Overlooking the North Sea, the shingle beach offers spectacular views.


Looking North up the beach

It's also a popular location for watersports enthusiasts such as the Kitesurfer below.


Kitesurfing

Thorpeness is an excellent place to visit for young and old alike. If you visit in August, there's a regatta held on the Meare, followed by a huge firework display.

There are plenty of things to see and do, and lots of opportunities to explore, but as the village wasn't really built with cars in mind, I would recommend hiring or bringing along a bicycle.

Thorpeness is about 4km North of Aldeburgh, map reference TM470590