29th May 2017 - Vandals and Helpers

Last week I showed you my watering system in the polytunnel, the sprinkler has an inlet and an outlet but because of the distance it has to be from the tap the outlet didn't work and so I installed a junction in the hosepipe on the fence which allows me to add a hosepipe and water the beds whilst still running the sprinkler in the polytunnel.  The outlets each have their own flow control valve and so I can turn them off if I only want to run the sprinkler or the hosepipe.  The pressure isn't great at the site but I'm happy with the result.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DKGO0IS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  

This week has been a really difficult one, the site has been struck by arsonists twice in the week.  A greenhouse of one of the tenants who's had a plot for over 40 years was burnt to the ground and just a couple of days later another plot had their shed burnt down too.  I was at the plot until nearly 10pm on one of the nights that there was a fire and so it's clear that whoever is responsible came after dark.  One of the things that does come from these horrible deeds is how people come together and offer to help.  We are a community and we will pull together.  We have reported it to the police but unless the people are caught red handed I'm not sure what they will be able to do about it.  Thankfully the bad weather has kept them away for the last few nights and hopefully they'll have got bored and moved on.  

This weekend I had a helper for a short time; littlest L decided that she wanted to come and help me (I think that I'd promised to take her to McDonald's on the way might have helped her make her decision lol).  She spent the couple of hours that she was there clearing the pond of duckweed. She tried to count the tadpoles, saw the newt and generally had a good time.  She did actually also help a little bit by pulling up the weeds on the boundary fence and watering the pots.  I loved watching the bees on the chive flowers, not least because you can see the water from the pond behind the plant. 

I also planted out some of my peas, I wanted to make sure that I had some succession planting this year and more importantly that I manage to get some peas home!  I planted some larger plants out a couple of weeks ago and then I've also planted some direct and some in the polytunnel.  The plan is that I will have peas throughout the summer.  I also have beans in the bottom third of the bed and I'm planning to put some pumpkins in between the rows.

Next week will be the first (hopefully of many) plant swap for Northcliffe Allotment Society.  All members have been invited to bring along any excess seedlings to swap with others; we'll have a BBQ and I'm really hoping that everyone gets into the spirit of things and bring things along to swap.  I've got strawberry plants and cornflowers to swap and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone; we just need to keep our fingers crossed for good weather!

The week has been difficult because of the mindlessness of someone who thinks it's funny to destroy other people's property; it has made me worried about coming to my plot - the place that I come to, to get away from the stresses and strains of every day life. I am determined though to keep working and keep positive.