Fayres and festive thoughts

Please note that this is an archived blog - a new blog about the Hop Garden can be found at www.thehopgarden.toucansurf.com/blog.html

I was feeling creative, which usually results in completely trashing the kitchen and disappearing under a mound of greenery. This occasion was no different. However, it wasn't all in vain as I managed to create three festive flower arrangements for the association raffle, my mother-in-law and our table (see above), along with a wreath for the back door. Whether it took me longer to make them or clear up afterwards is a mute point.

We had a good day at the primary school Christmas fayre, and even managed to bring some sceptics around to dandelion coffee, thanks to a hot flask full of it to try. One visitor even came back at the end to get some more dried roots as his wife liked it so much when he made some at home!

The stall was a little off the main throughfare, which was a bit of a shame, but we still did ok and made enough profit for a few bags of potting compost, so no complaints there. The chilli chocolate was a hit, as was the brussels sprout sticks, Jerusalem artichokes and leeks, and if I hadn't burnt the lavender shortbread, I think I could have sold all of it! Next year I think I'll do some simple door decorations, chutney and jams and hopefully we'll have a drier summer so I can share some hops too.



The orchard is taking shape (above), with the bark chipping path now down, and I'm hoping to put the gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes in soon. We're also looking to lay the hawthorn hedge, which should be a good challenge as none of us has tried it before.

Here's the native hedge (above), which I'm gradually clearing of weeds and mulching as I go along. Some of the plastic tubes have been nibbled (not sure if it's a rodent or a rabbit) so they're also getting replaced, and I'm planting new hawthorn whips where a few haven't taken, although generally it's done really well for its first year. I enlisted Alan to barrow this morning for a bit, which was a great help, as I'm convinced it takes more than twice as long on your own if my last attempt was anything to go by.

Winter wonderland

About three inches of snow has fallen overnight and the garden looks as tidy and picture perfect as it will ever be! I love the fact that snow covers all jobs yet to be done - very relaxing.....

I did get a bit done in the polytunnel though (lovely and snug in there with the snow on top), planting some ground cover plants into the border to sit tight until Spring.

Amazingly, a Council truck made it through the snow to deliver the bark chippings I've been waiting for since the summer; I'm very grateful to see them at last, but I don't think I'll be laying the orchard paths today somehow.

Jack Frost jumps in

There's not much to update work-wise as the ground has been rock solid for most of the week, but I did pop out with the camera one morning to capture a few frosty moments, like the teasel above, just melting in the early sunshine.

These strawberries above also had their fair share of frost cover. 

I love cold, crisp winter mornings when the birds are singing, the sun is shining and your breath makes clouds in front of you. A few extra layers is all that's needed to enjoy it :)

If you're local, you might be interested in coming along to High Spen Primary School's Christmas Fayre next Saturday 6th December from noon until 2pm (located on the main road through the Spen, just down from the Bute Arms pub). We've kindly be given a stall by the PTA and will be raising money for the garden through selling some of our produce, as well as handmade goodies such as biscuits and dandelion coffee. It would be lovely to see you there!

Daisy, daisy

Despite a light dusting of snow over the past few days, these little daisies are still going strong - and I didn't even plant or sow them, so they've definitely defied the odds. It's lovely to see such bursts of colour this time of year.

So much for clipping the chickens' wings: Ginger shows just how simple it is to fly 3ft off the ground and into the high raised beds. I'll forgive her for now, as she's started to lay eggs this week - mainly in a little hideaway in the hawthorn hedge, which was probably the last place I looked after hearing her victory cackle from the house some time earlier.

There's been a biting Northerly wind blowing in over the past week, which has made working on the allotment a bit of a challenge. However, I still managed to prune the willow (enough to make 20 wreath bases) and dig up enough dandelion roots to make a large jar of coffee. If you haven't tried making dandelion coffee before, I'd recommend giving it a go: I don't even drink regular coffee and I like it, and I've even managed to fool a few hardened coffee drinkers along the way too.

Quite simply, you carefully dig up as much of the dandelion root as you can (don't bother with really piddly roots less than about 5mm wide), cutting off the leaves (I feed mine to the rabbits, so nothing is wasted!) as you do so. Then, the messy part is scrubbing all the dirt off, at which point I normally end up blocking my kitchen sink with mud. Once I've got the plunger out and normal service has resumed, I chop up each root into small bits with a knife so no pieces are more than about 6mm across (this makes it look like I'm really exact and I'm not at all - it just shouldn't be too big).

Then, the arduous part is the slow roast, as this bit takes *ages* on a low heat in the oven. It can take anything for 1hr 30 minutes upwards, depending on your oven (try and get the roots really dry before you put them in as that will help) so best to keep checking and putting it back on for a little longer as necessary. The roots should look almost burnt and smell a little like coffee and then you've got it.

To use, either grind like regular coffee (about a spoonful per person) or put the same amount of coffee pieces in a small saucepan and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, draining the pieces through a tea strainer.

The amount of work that goes into this coffee means it really is a treat for you and close friends and family, as if you tried to sell it at a price which reflected the amount of effort involved, it would be a pretty pricey cuppa.....

Brussels sprouts are looking good, and I've given them a little support from the wind (unfortunately too late for some, which have bent over, but never mind). They've had plenty of frost, so should be nice and sweet by now.

David has put the foundation post in for the orchard gate (just got to fell a tree for the wood now - a small detail) and has also made a very sturdy raised bed for the edge of the wildflower meadow outside.

Time to take stock

It's been a strange growing season this year: the late frosts in Spring finished off a few of the plants which had dared to risk some new shoots and the windy/wild/wet conditions that seemed to come and go for most of this year have certainly not helped the situation.

Still, a brief Indian summer did raise the spirits a little, and the late sunshine managed to ripen a few squashes and courgettes (a selection pictured above) - grown undercover of course! I'm thinking of making a mini polytunnel in the brick foundations of the former greenhouse (which blew away one winter long before I had the allotment) for squashes next year, as they tend to take over the polytunnel and the poor tomatoes struggle to regain some space.

I sat out on the shed step this morning as the sun struggled to break through the clouds, listening to the memorial service on the radio. It seemed fitting somehow to spend the two minute silence outdoors as it's where I tend to do most of my thinking. Even the chickens respected the occasion - ruffling up their feathers and puffing out like little proud soldiers standing to attention for the Last Post.

Most of the bulbs - 75 bluebells and snowdrops so far - have been planted in the orchard and I've dug over most of the ground around the hazel tree outside ready for some more bluebells, wood anemones and maybe the odd crocus. That's the trouble this time of year - very few volunteers mad enough to be outside in the cold, so it tends to fall to me to to these jobs. Still, I don't mind as it gets me out in the fresh air, but planting dozens of bulbs on your own can get a little monotonous...

Time to get some manure in the beds soon, and I may even try some broad beans as I've yet to do so and one of the other allotment holders has inspired me to have a go.

Getting chilli

David has a new tool - a scythe - which he has been trying out this week on the orchard and the soon-to-be wildflower meadow. Very impressive results and we're looking forward to making proper hay next year, albeit on a very small scale (but then our rabbits, who will be the main beneficiaries, are quite small too so it evens out nicely). It's also a lot more environmentally sound than a strimmer and a lot quieter...


Maria came along last weekend and we powered on with laying the path membrane in the orchard, completing an almost perfect circle around the pear tree without even measuring it out, which we put down to our natural skill ;) Of course, I thought it might take us an hour or so and it took us nearly three, but we did get a good workout in the sunshine. We also managed to plant out another 50 plug plants in the meadow, along with some grass seed, and slowly but surely that bit of land is looking a little more loved and a lot less neglected.


The Greenfingers Club is now over for the year, beginning again after the February half term, as the nights just get too dark to do much after school at this time of year. The strong winds (which always seem to send children a little doodally) and excitement due to the fast approaching holidays made it an interesting final session, although not especially productive. Still, we managed to pot on some mysterious bedding plants (they came in the post without any label) water everything in sight, and clear out the raised bed to plant spring cabbages, so all was not lost.

Fire breathing dragons

The title does not relate to the chickens (no excuse really for a picture of our newest chicken other than she's not appeared before), although they were completely freaked out by the 'fire breathing' event.

I was trying to put the chickens to bed the other night as it was getting 'dimpsy' as they say in Devon (dusk-like), but they had other ideas and seemed to think that Thursday night was party night on the allotment. Anyway, I digress: I suddenly heard this almighty noise and my first thought was 'it sounds like a fire-breathing dragon' (obvious really), either that or a very large, very annoyed horse.

At this point the chickens obviously had a similar thought and went quite wild, running all over the place - two even managed to get themselves stuck down between the chicken wire. I looked up and there, only about 20ft above the allotments, was a hot air balloon, desperately trying to gain some height. Luckily, the homes near the allotments are bungalows, as it was a close thing. I think it came down in a nearby field, but it was quite a drama and more than a little surreal.

I haven't written for ages, and although I have been away for a bit, I've also been a little tardy with updating, so apologies for that. We have a new volunteer - Steven - who has been twice now and I hope he will continue to come along as he's already helped a great deal, including planting raspberries out in the orchard.

Victoria and Maria have also dropped in over the past few weeks and we've managed to get on with weeding some of the beds; pot up some strawberry runners; begin clearing and laying a pathway through the orchard; and designing a 'chicken proof' willow and net structure over the green manure which failed superbly.They must have put all their chicken brains together to work out that if they all bounced on top of the net then it would droop down, allowing them to skim off all the grazing rye with ease.

Yesterday - unlike today which is warmer, with a blue sky and sunshine - was awful, wet, windy and cold. So it makes perfect sense that we had our Harvest Gathering at the garden then rather than now!

Despite the rather inclement weather, we managed a record-breaking 12 people in the polytunnel, along with a clarinet and a recorder, and local Rev Stephen Hewitt took a mini-service under plastic, complete with a few seasonal hymns, some warming tea and apple cake. It was a strange, but lovely event and it was great to have some new visitors to the allotment who were interested and encouraging, as it's been a little wearing lately with lots of things falling through.

Comma, dash

This lovely butterfly, which apparently isn't very common this far North, turned up in the polytunnel this week. It's a lovely comma, which has very distinctive jagged edging around the wings and does a very good impression of bark or a leaf on its underside.


In terms of jobs, I had help this week from Maria and we got stuck into clearing a path through the orchard and putting membrane down. Victoria also turned up, so we potted up some more strawberry runners and attacked a few more weeds (of which there are still plenty).

I also took advantage of a break in the wet weather to dig over one of the potato beds in preparation for some overwintering green manure.

The plants are in, two by two...

About a year ago I had a post entitled ' Time to build an ark' so I can't use that one again, but it would be apt today when I really have trouble believing the sky can actually hold that much water. So, based on a comment one of my allotment neighbours made the other day, I'll use a Noah's ark reference instead.

Luckily, the garden is located on a hill and not too near a river, so a boat is not needed to get there yet, but the ground is so sodden I can't do anything other than look at it and sigh, hoping that the spuds beneath are not gasping for air, drowning and then turning to mush.


The chickens are also looking miserable, missing their lovely dust baths in the sunshine. David built Ethel a new nesting box and I cleaned them out, giving them a new floor covering of fresh sawdust, shredded paper and a bit of straw, so that went some way towards cheering them up a little. I've also put eucalyptus leaves (above) and some lavender in as I read that this helps to deter bugs, so they're probably the most spoilt chickens for miles around.

Due to the inclement weather, the polytunnel is now much tidier - I've stripped all the tomato plants in a vain attempt to get them to put all their energy into turning those very green tomatoes red. A little sun would help a lot at this point.


I saw Ethel hadn't laid an egg for a few days and I thought she might be moulting, but no, she'd decided the rhubarb patch, with its soft grass cuttings under the plants, was a pretty good spot for an alternative nest.

I've been busy propogating herbs and also the runners off the strawberry patch, which always makes me happy as I love making plants for free....

A ray of sunshine

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work (usually weeding) that needs my immediate attention, there's always something wonderful that pops up and reminds me to take a few minutes to actually enjoy the garden rather than just work in it. This lovely sunflower (above) was one such timely reminder, one of about half a dozen planted by the Greenfingers Club way back in early summer.

I say 'early summer' but I'm still waiting for it to arrive....

The potatoes have succumbed to the awful damp/humid weather and are turning up their toes and showing signs of blight. I've dug up some of the worst looking specimens and the spuds beneath seem to be fine, although there are a few dodgy looking white spots on them.

Today's bumblebee survey was a bit of a disappointment due to a lack of both bees and willing volunteers ( very windy/overcast). I might just keep the survey in the shed and whip it out when the sun comes out next, enlisting whoever happens to be around at the time (although it will probably be the chickens and they're a little young to master writing yet).

During the past week, Maria and I managed to cut down the raspberry canes and tie in the new growth, as well as weeding the leek bed. I feel it's a turning point moment for the allotment over the next month or so, so let's hope we can get ahead soon and get this off the ground (that's a very unsubtle hint in your direction, Gateshead Council Property Services).....

Free flowering

I'm not feeling very talkative today so I'll wait for another time when the muse takes me and leave pictures to speak for me instead. The lovely blue flower above shows that sometimes it's actually beneficial to be a little tardy and leave your lettuces to go to seed if this is the result.


I'm growing heritage varieties against non-heritage yellow tomatoes as part of a Garden Organic trial this year, and they seem to be doing pretty well - these are Yellow Submarine.


These more traditional red tomatoes are Diplom F1s.


I've never had much luck with aubergines before, but these are looking promising - they're big, healthy plants and have a fair amount of flowers, so fingers crossed I'll actually get some fruit this time.

Just by way of update, Maria and I finally made up the hot bed for the squashes (long overdue, so not expecting any wonders from those plants) - I think she thought I was joking when I said we were off to the nearby field to collect manure....and Peter and I cleared one of the high raised beds this morning, filled it with some extra compost, and sowed cauliflowers, cabbages, corn salad and chard for overwinter.

Chickens into composting

I came out of the polytunnel today to find the chickens had disappeared (if I'm around they tend to roam around the allotment as well, picking off the bugs and nibbling the odd plant). It only took a few minutes to track them down - in the compost bin, happily scratching around and balancing on the edges rather precariously.

They seemed a bit subdued yesterday night and off their food (I still maintain they knew one of the cockerel's had left their number and is now destined for Sunday roast) so it was nice to see them happily munching.

A brief thunderstorm gave me the chance to get some tidying done in the polytunnel, as the tomatoes had run away with me a bit and I'm bound to get told off sooner or later by one of the more diligent (and retired, which helps with that approach) allotment holders because I haven't snipped off all the side shoots.

Earlier in the week Maria and I transferred some compost from the bins onto the brassicas and also weaved in the willow dome, so that's looking much more under control.

We've still got strawberries, but the raspberries are just about over now, which is a shame. I think the heavy rains pretty much finished them off as they've all turned a bit mouldy all at once.

The strawberry bed is being extended, so I've dug up the nearby garlic so the runners can find their way across. We've got some good healthy bulbs, and I'm drying them a bit in the sun inbetween the showers, but I think they'll do most of their drying under cover at this rate.

Poppy day

This is a random poppy left over from the Greenfinger Club's mini wildflower patch, which suffered a little last year when it was dug over too soon by an over-enthusiastic volunteer. But, undeterred, a few flowers have come back this year, with this beautiful poppy being the best example to date.

It's been, amazingly, a little too hot to do much on the allotment lately, although before the mini-heatwave that probably is summer, Alan and I managed to nearly finish the chicken run. It's safe and secure, but needs an extra layer of chicken wire.


The courgettes and squashes in the polytunnel are almost taking over the place; they really appreciated the pile of dung! We tried one of the tricolour courgettes (pictured, yellow and round) on the BBQ yesterday and it was lovely.


The strawberries and raspberries are doing really well and I need help to eat them, and luckily someone seems to come along just in time in the guise of one of the other allotment holders looking for a tasty snack.

The strawberries are doing much better after a bit of sunshine and a good helping of bark mulch and are producing enough runners to extend the patch a bit next year. They're definitely the most popular item we've grown so far, proving that you really can have tasty, blemish-free strawberries and be chemical-free (naturally, a few chickens to hoover up the slugs/snails nearby helps, even if they do take an occasional nibble of a berry on the edge as part-payment).

Raindrops keep falling on my head

I'm sure I'm not alone in being fed up with the unseasonal amount of rainfall we've being having over the past few weeks. On the plus side, I have two overflowing water butts, but the poor waterlogged plants need a little less of the wet stuff and a lot more warming sun's rays instead.

Strawberries which were oozing with flavour a little while back are now decidedly watery (they actually taste much like many shop-bought ones as a result, but I expect better of these!) Raspberries are still reddening, but again, lack that vital punchiness.


The lettuces above are ones I'm trialling for Garden Organic and they're doing really well: I mulched them with grass cuttings ages back to keep the moisture in (which seems a little redundant now) but whatever the secret was to their success, they're merrily growing at quite a rate.

There's been plenty of weeding done by my two new volunteers, Maria and Victoria, which has been great as I've been able to come along and plant out the brassicas and leeks etc. without having to weed the beds first for a change. David's changed the compost over to the other bin, as we were full to overflowing, and it looks pretty well rotted already, so that will save us a bit of money.


The maypole is up, with the beans ready to climb (I think they're on hold waiting for the sun as they don't seem to have moved much since I put them in) and spinach seeds have been planted underneath. The turnips have also been transplanted, mostly to the high raised beds in the hope that the slugs won't spot them all the way up there.

Peter and I began on a living flower display for a friend's wedding, which has proved to be a lot more work than I anticipated (and taken up a lot more flowers). I completed the second display today (and my back is not thanking me for all that bending) so fingers crossed that the sun will come out and give it a boost so all the flowers come out in time for the big event at the end of the month.

Ethel's first egg

A very exciting day today on the allotment as Ethel laid her first egg - not her first ever, obviously, as even I, who fainted in any science lesson which dealt with reproduction, know that the egg comes before the chicken - but this was her first in my incapable hands.

I was very pleased that I'd worked out her constantly clucking, worrying and weird 'looking at walls' behaviour meant she was looking for a nest box. Alan was less impressed, pointing out that the fact I'd deduced that a hen might want to lay an egg as the first option wasn't really all that amazing.

She seemed more than happy with my makeshift 'Haribo' sweets cardboard box, filled with lovely soft hay, and rewarded me with a gorgeous turquoise coloured egg (see above). I was lucky enough to be at the shed right at the 'egg laying moment' (insert small fanfare) and, judging by the racket she made afterwards, she was equally chuffed with the whole affair.

I thought I'd take a few general shots of the beds to show how we're progressing, and a lot of the hard work on planting and weeding is literally bearing fruit now. Evidently the docks are well and truly into the paths and burning/salt had little effect. You can see above the difference in the hand weeded path to the left of the picture, but that took about 4 hours and was backbreaking. I think the chances of me wanting to do it again or finding anyone else mad enough are pretty slim.


I have a new volunteer, Maria, who is looking to do something practical after work, and she's already proved herself to be a brilliant digger/weeder on Wednesday evening so I hope she'll come back again soon.

We've got more leeks in and the potato and brassica beds have been weeded. At their last Greenfingers Club of the year the children sowed some sweetcorn, hung up their flower pouches (and made a few more which are now in the polytunnel), helped with weeding and also planted some more brussels sprout, which apparently most of them like to eat! We also had a bit of a taster session, with fresh picked rocket, peas and spinach going down a treat.

A few more adventurous (and dare I say it, slightly mad) children decided the various different mint plants might taste as good as they smelt. Needless to say, they decided it was much better to stick to sniffing them.


A hen having an afternoon siesta.

Bird on a wire

Far from being a balmy June here in the North East, it's a blinkin' cold one: last check on the barometer read a measly 9.4 degrees...and to add to the joy, it's tipping down, and has been pretty much solidly for about the last seven hours.

So, what's a girl to do but tidy up in the polytunnel? The sweet peas are now in a container (not going to risk them outside, they'd probably curl up and die) and I've transplanted nearly all the lettuces into the border soil, as well as tying in all the tomato plants and pinching out their side shoots.

The weather was a little better yesterday, and Alan, Jimmy and I made a start on the chicken run fencing (above and below). Apparently, I won't be receiving my NVQ in hammering or stapling anytime soon.


Before the rains came, the chickens had a wander around the allotment, while I transplanted some broccoli plants. They like to weed around the edges, which is fine by me, but they do occasionally have a quick nibble at something else (like the pea shoots the cockerel has his eye on in the photo below) so they have to be supervised.


They're getting pretty good at following me around as I work now, and had me in stitches yesterday when they flew/ran/flapped like mad things towards me when I shook their corn pot.

The state of the paths is still getting me down (the pictures show how rough and weedy it's getting), and I was hoping to get the weed burner out today but obviously the weather had other plans. It's going to be a real challenge to get them ready for top dressing at the end of the week, but I'm determined to do it.

Of course, if a proper membrane was put down as I was promised, it would be in a much better state, but that's another story....

There's no place like home

The chickens now have a new, spacious home - complete with a rather fetching perch. Now the hard work has begun making the permanent pen (they're in a temporary one attached to the hen house for the time being).

It's getting a bit chilly out now, but it's my favourite time to be on the allotment; just before the sun sets the light is beautiful, the birds are singing and somehow a rosy glow descends over the garden, making me forget all the weeds and the bits that still haven't been done.

We've achieved quite a lot in the last few days: Peter sieved some of the compost (which is beautifully crumbly by the way) from one of the large bins, which we used to sow some more peas and beans and I've planted up some more perennials in the butterfly bed, which is starting to look pretty good, with the roses coming out and the mallow growing by the minute.

I've also got a new volunteer - Victoria - who made an excellent first impression by offering to do some weeding, and went on to make a really good job of the asparagus/strawberry bed. She wasn't even fazed by my talk of dandelion coffee - I've just done an introductory to medicinal herbs course and I've been busy roasting dandelion roots which do, surprisingly, smell just like coffee, but with a twist: I actually like to drink this stuff and it helps your liver rather than hinders it. More about the many benefits of 'weeds' in a later post...

The Greenfingers Club planted out some pumpkins and squashes in their bed, along with some onions and lettuces, and we made a start on clearing the area around the fruit trees, laying down a mulch membrane to keep down the weeds and give the trees a bit more of a fighting chance.

Alan and I planted out dozens of the many leeks I've got waiting patiently in the polytunnel, and sowed beetroot, swede, carrot and leaf beet seeds in the same bed (where the chickens have been hanging out over the past few weeks, helping to get some of the weeds down and adding a bit of manure at the same time for me to dig in).

I've also planted out a few squashes down the side of the polytunnel, along with the globe artichokes; weeded both the rhubarb beds and mulched with grass cuttings and sowed some sweet peas.

Garden with 'great potential'

If the garden was a house for sale at the moment, it would be described as 'having great potential' due to the fact that it needs so much work. Some warm weather and a good dash of rain have proved the perfect recipe for a weed invasion, and they're taking over the paths and the beds. Me and the chickens are both doing our best to keep on top of them, but they just keep coming....

The potatoes are finally growing well though (they have a mulch of newspaper and grass cuttings to keep down the weeds), and will have to be 'earthed up' soon. I'm growing a mixture of Ambo, Charlotte, Cara, Maris Peer, Nicola and Pink Fir Apple this year all over the allotment, so hopefully that will see us through the whole season.

I've potted on the chilli plants, while Peter washed out loads of pots which he used to pot on the courgettes, squashes and pumpkins. We've also risked putting the broccoli plants out, although I think I will have to put down some of the organic 'slug pellets' I've just found if I want to have any plants left by tomorrow morning. They do seem to be hanging out in the 'slug pubs' (containing the watered down dregs of David's home brew) at the end of the beds though, so that helps a little.

Alan kindly donated some plug plants for the Greenfingers Club to put in their hanging baskets, which we planted up yesterday afternoon, and they will add a nice bit of colour to the fence behind the seating area.

The club's members (only six this week but we seemed to get more done than we usually do with twice as many!) also dug up the tulip and daffodil bulbs and replaced them with giant sunflowers, which we'll be measuring every month.

The secret world of sheds

The shed we 'rescued' from down the street many months back has been sitting, neglected once again, in the corner of the allotment waiting to be transformed into a chicken shed. There are always so many other more pressing things to do (like planting and weeding) that it has been put on the back burner. But with the chicks getting bigger by the day, they'll soon need a bigger night-time hideaway than the hutch, so sorting out the shed has become a more urgent job.

I'm not bad with a saw, and getting more proficient with a power drill, so I gave Alan a hand laying the floor this afternoon. Being a former builder, he was far more measured in his approach than I would have been, so it took us an hour just to get it level. I think the chickens would have been fine on the slope a little (they could all snuggle up in a heap at one end) but apparently that's not the way it's done.

So, many hours and a few bribery home-brew beers later, we now have a chicken shed with a good floor (the top bits courtesy of Alan's old hallway) and a door, all for the cost of a few hinges. Not bad for a day's work.

The chicks also had an interesting morning, as Alan showed me how to cut their wing feathers to stop them flying off (they were getting a little too good at reaching the top of the hutch) and naturally Ethel (the mother hen) went mad, having a good peck and squawk at both of us. She's only just forgiven me, and it's taken a lot of caterpillars, snails and worms to get to that point.


In between all things chicken, I managed to plant out the broccoli into the raised beds and replace the brassicas that had been munched by snails and slugs. Listening to the rain outside now, I think I've probably just given them another night's supper as they'll be sliming all over the place.

The plant sale on Monday went well, and there were a few new visitors to the allotment, so hopefully some may even think about volunteering! The living salad packs (above) went down really well, so I'll definitely do them again.

Hop to it

Some visitors to the site have asked for a bit more information about how to grow hops, and although I'm by no means an expert, I'll attempt to share what I've learned so far.

To begin with, a strong structure which they can climb up is essential. It doesn't have to be huge pole and wire systems as seen in Kent's fields: I've got poles about 12ft high, (mine are dwarf hops which will rarely go over 15ft so they'll be ok at this height) with a simple hook and eye wire system. You need to be able to safely reach as many of the hops as possible, which is another reason for keeping it within a sensible height.


Two wires for each plant start from the ground, fanning out in a 'V' formation, which allows more air to get to the hops and encourages them to grow in opposite directions. I've also got wires running horizontally, so the hop bines can also run across when they get to a certain height.


I planted the rhizomes (dormant root piece of the hop plant) in early spring last year, a few feet apart on a small mound of earth/compost/manure, giving the hole a good sprinkle of blood, fish and bone. As we get frosts pretty late here (we had two last week!) I keep an eye on the young shoots, covering them with fleece if the temperature dips.

In the autumn, I cut all the old plants down, added alpaca manure, and covered them with fleece for the winter. I let them go a bit wild last year to get established, but this year I've just chosen two of the healthiest shoots for each wire.

Hops like a lot of water and they will soon wilt to show they're not happy in a drought. We didn't have too much trouble with that last year as it was so wet, but I've buried a soaker hose just under the surface so I can give them a slow, steady water this summer if they need it. I've also mulched them with the over-wintering sheep fleece to keep the moisture in.


Elsewhere on the allotment, things are speeding up, and the chicks (above, now three weeks old) are out on one of the beds with strict instructions to eat all the weeds within a fortnight.

Peter and I planted some turnips, chard, spinach, onions and spring onions in one of the high raised beds and the 'living salads' I've grown for the plant sale look great; I hope they fly off the staging later this afternoon at our plant sale as I desperately need the space!

Hippy chicks

I never really understood why the term 'chicken brain' was a derogatory one until now: these new additions to the allotment are really not the brightest light bulbs in the box, it must be said. I turn my back for a moment and find that the foster mum hen has managed to bury both the food bowl (and then looks around frantically trying to work out what just happened) and tip the water container over at the same time.

Brains - or lack of - aside, they are really cute (that's the chicks, not the hen, who I'm sure would have a nice nature if she wasn't busy taking her foster role so seriously that any hand near the hutch is a major threat which needs to be pecked - hard). They really do chirp and cheep...The little ones are also always climbing on the hen's back, and sliding down the side, and I think the record is four out of six of them on at once.

I'm spending a little time each day digging up bugs and worms to give to the hen, although I think the chicks are also having a go at them, dashing around passing worms between each other while the hen goes bonkers trying to get hold of it. They also love a bunch of chickweed, which luckily we've got plenty of on the brassica bed.

As they're only now a week old, it will be about a fortnight before they're out and about, which gives me not very long at all to get the trench dug, posts in, chicken wire up and hen house fixed.

It remains to see how many cockerels I've got among the chicks, which are a mixture of Aracuna (that's the mum) which is also known as the 'Easter Egg' chicken as it lays a mixture of blue, green and pink eggs; Black Rock; and I believe the rest are a mixture of Light Sussex and Rhode Island Red.

There has been some work done on the garden this week despite the new distractions, with me digging over and weeding the brassica bed this morning before it got too warm, ready to sow green manure to fix nitrogen into the soil beforehand (alfalfa and lupins). I also made up a few more salad trays, transplanted the cabbages, and Peter sowed some courgettes, squashes and pumpkins.


I also had a donation of some lovely autumn fruiting raspberry bushes and strawberry plants and the onion sets are finally in (see above) planted through six layers of newspaper this year in an attempt to keep on top of the weeds. It doesn't look very pretty, but hopefully it will do the job. I may put a bit of sterile compost over the top if I get bored of old news...

Politics comes to the plot

Just a quick update today to say about the BBC Politics Show descending on the allotment, which, as is the way with the small screen, involved a lot of preparation for about four minutes' worth of viewing!

The BBC team were really friendly and no trouble at all, and the big satellite truck with its huge terrestrial mast soon got the neighbours talking. Hopefully, the volunteers will be flocking in now we're 'as featured on tv'...


The link below will take you to the website for the regional opt-out. The allotment feature is 10 minutes in, and the garden comes on at 13:50, if your attention wanders (I'm the one who pops up from under the rhubarb ;)

BBC Politics Show - North East