Gary is hoping to do some work on the triangular patch see

http://tatnampatch.org.uk/?page_id=532

Gary debating while making tea...

gooseberries ripening

irises growing by the pond

Jan with broccoli leaves



sweet cicely's very tasty & edible seed pods


Gary and Brendan exploring...

Squashes were being planted


and much weeding being done...

cow parsley...

and elderflower in bloom

Ken protecting beans from pigeons


the tomatoes are coming on really well

Tat...

and Kate on their way home...

tea ceremony…

Kate enjoys Andy’s rhubarb crumble

I found a rose chafer (?) beetle while planting out beans

Brendan and baby Lilian…

Tat and Brendan on a break with new baby Lilian…

Mark and Gary aren’t here. It is probably time to panic. Or maybe time to play with fire, as the storm kettle needs someone else to tend it.

Brendan had previously found one of the bird boxes made by Barry’s brother Bill, which had left its perch in a tree by the compound. He resited it at head height in the willow by the main pond, and two blue-tits were busy to-and-fro, presumably with a clutch in the nest, even with a conversation going on nearby.

And our youngest ever visitor, Lilian Picknell at under 10 days old, made her presence felt in the patch, with regular appeal to either or both parents for attention, and to everyone else for curiosity and admiration.

The beeman – Dave ? made a couple of appearances, saying he is concerned that his bees have dysentry. Not sure whether he disappeared for more gear, or for a quieter time to investigate their plight. They seem active to me.

More beans were planted – the ones from two weeks ago seem to be struggling to take off – no Jack in the Beanstalk this year. So more runner beans, and Manuela brought down french beans too.

Kate, Kat and Harriet made further valient attempts to turn the new beds from bindweed nursery to productive garden.

The new Asparagus bed has made it easier to spot the weeds, and produced at least a few spears worth having.

Asparagaus beds seem successful

And me ? well I managed to make 3 pots of tea with the storm kettle, and in Jan’s absence, a passable rhubarb crumble that seemed to disappear fast enough, and the occasional dilemma to decision to support.

Perhaps that should be the motto of TOP – we’ll muddle through !

May workday teabreak sheltering from rain

Soon the greenhouse was full of people sipping tea and sheltering from the rain, but as the sun broke through, much weeding was done, Brussel Sprouts planted, and another attempt to erradicate the perenniel bindweed in the new bed was made. The bindweed probably won.

Bindweed regrowth from short stem

Brendan and Tat brought down a splendid new sign, in need of varnishing and mounting, both well underway.

Marks great soupy stew contained nettles, dandelion, good king henry, and diverse other weeds. Afraid the bindweed isn’t known for culinary qualities, Gary was wondering if there is any good reason for it to exist other than to frustrate our efforts at eradication.

Tatnam Patch new sign painted by Tat

Busy preparing the site for upcoming school visits, planting potatoes, and redigging the new beds -bindweed has a nasty habit of re-sprouting from the tinyest root, so you have to dig deep, and pick out all the bits carefully to minimise the regrowth.

Brendan has a new bike, dutch variety, so he had to park it in the middle of the site, looking very fetching near the daffodils. And Gary was either busy making tea, or coming to/from making tea. Again.

A few of us had to disappear, to go and litterpick at Turners Field. Maybe our experience on TOP will help to inspire and support a community allotment/garden on that site.

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/steph-bradley/

Hands full of bindweed, and what has Brendan found ?

If only we could find a recipe for eating bindweed. Another busy Workday today down at the patch, mostly deep digging to clear the patch to the north of the greenhouse. A permaculture design has been roughly sketched out, and the team are keen to get beyond – well, digging. The prize archaelogical find was, I’m afraid something I remember being installed, a plastic bucket placed as a pond alongside the herb spiral.

Otherwise, Tat was busy with higher maths, and how to stretch the available pieces of wood to make a new lid for one water tank that would serve to extend the high water storage that irrigates the greenhouse from 2 x 40 gallon tanks to 3.

Mark worked his way once more along the far side of the fence, tending the brambles which maintains the security of the fence for us, and offers our neighbours a good crop of blackberries.

And Andy was tapping glass for most of the day. He thought he’d fixed all the main holes in the greenhouse until he sat down for a cup of tea and noticed more to do, for another day.

Soaking up the sun, full of curry and stew

Clearing for the new vegetable area Jan 2010

The other project was in the greenhouse. Our irrigation system is a source of much interest, as latterly has been the hydroponic bathtub. But last year the tomato bed was too dry (with a poor yield), and the bathtub too wet (the overflow outlet was bunged up with soil – cold wet and messy to unbung). So after much discussion, we agreed to shorten the Tomato bed, and sink a bath into one end of it. Well it nearly fits, in need of a cold chisel and a hacksaw to complete the job. Oh, and then a method to fill and empty it, which will be interesting. Oh, and rebuild the flushing mechanism for the remainder. Now whose good idea was it ?

Gary discussing permaculture design with Kat

For lunch, we tucked into beetroot soup (afraid the beetroot was not from the patch – must grow more!), followed by a great stew from Gary – mild so long as you didn’t bite into a chilli.