WORKSHOP - AN INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC FOOD GROWING

Sunday April 19th

The Lost Plot, Chorlton's Organic Community Allotment Project
Southern Allotments, off Wintermans rd, Nell Lane Estate, Chorlton

1:30 - 4:30pm

The course will be delivered by Martin Oldham, Secretary of the Southern Allotment Society and Chairman of AMAS who has a wealth of experience in growing on Manchester soil!

The workshop outline:

1 Intro
2 Basics Soil, Plant growth, Feeding
3 Look round Martin's plot
4 Cultivation techniques In the ground, in beds, in containers
5 Plants Sowing, Transplanting, Growing, Picking.

There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

Spaces are limited so please confirm by email or phone to:

Helen Starr-Keddle
allotment@afsl.org.uk
0161 227 0377

Cob Oven build

Workshops

Hello Everyone

The workshop 'Introduction to Organic Gardening + Harvest Festival' will not be happening on the 12 October any more. If you intended on coming down, then please do anyway as we will be constructing a new shed and finishing off the cob oven on Sunday and need lots of hands on deck!

I'll put up a new date for the workshop when we have it.

Helen

WORKSHOPS

Chorlton’s Community Allotment is looking for more volunteers – people who’d like to spend a few hours every week, helping to cultivate The Lost Plot, just off Nell Lane in Chorlton.

In order to give people a taste of what it’s like on the allotment, coordinators Helen and Josh have organised a series of workshops:

Sunday 21 September
COB OVEN BUILDING WORKSHOP PART 2

Sunday 12 October
INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC GARDENING + HARVEST FESTIVAL

Sunday 9 November
INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE

Each workshop starts at 10am and they’re free. All welcome, whether interested in joining the Lost Plot or whether you’d like to take the skills back to your own allotment project.

Contact Helen or Josh on 0161 227 0377 or email helen.starr-keddle@afsl.org.uk in you are interested in attending

Summer 2008 down the plot

Summer 08 has been a bit of a wet year, which has spelled disaster for a few of our crops!

Everything seemed to sprout later than usual and the lack of sun in August has meant a few things are still to ripen!

We had a few allotment socials at the beginning of the summer and now have some exciting things lined up for the winter!

Manchester Permaculture Network - Autumn Equinox Event

Monday September 24th, from 6.30pm at the Chorlton Allotment Project hosted by the Allotmentalists

The Chorlton Allotment Project is a community-run 'grow your own' scheme, which encourages members of the local community to produce their own organic fruit and veg. Based just off Nell Lane (near Southern Cemetery, Chorlton). The plot has been developed following permaculture principles and was designed during an Introduction to Permaculture course in the winter of 2005.

Bring food to share, beverages, seeds and plants to swap, fire wood, musical instruments, poetry etc. Also bring practical clothing for gardening and sitting around the camp fire on a cool temperate evening. Also if anybody has some small / old tools that they would like to donate to the project ..., since they have had stuff stolen over the summer. We will try and provide temporary shelter in the event of rainy weather. However if we do not get this together we will probably head off early to The Bar in Chorlton.

Directions: Click here for a Googlemap to Nell Lane Allotment. Turn of Nell Lane onto Arrowfield Rd (by the Cemetery), then turn right onto Wintermans Rd, and follow it round the corner. The main gate into the allotment is up on your right, but you can see the permaculture plot on the other side of the fence as you walk up the road. The gate will probably be locked so shout over the fence on the way up, and someone'll let you in.

Scedhule:5.30 onwards - arrive, practical gardening7.00 - Food to share, networking, 'Round table' to discuss MPN network issues, make announcements etc

After: camp fire, beer and wine and stuff(If you have any doubt about the weather or whether or not the event is taking place, than call me on 07974 658745. Also I have a couple of bags of firewood to take down if someone can give me a lift. Cheers ... Rob) * For more information on permaculture in Manchester, and general links visit ManchesterPermaculture.Net . We look forward to seeing you there ...

More Clay Oven Build!

Amy's fallen prey to the film makers!
Time out!
The budding herb spiral..
Blooming lovely..
Josh collecting drainpipes for the water collection system..

Lia's sorting out the wood pile..


A fine collection of tomatoes!

The beginnings of a beautiful pond..lets just hope the frogs like it as well!
Deep in the amazonian greenhouse..the lesser spotted film crew prepare to capture their unsuspecting prey on a DVD charting the work of the lost plot..
and you can now see them grinning after the shoot..


Tending..

Aaah.. Look at that lovely greenhouse!

Clay Oven Building Workshop Part 1

We braved the rain to lay the foundations for our new project: a cob clay oven. The Clay oven will fulfill our dreams of being able to cook and eat the fruits of our labours straight from the ground.

Fully inspired by a trip to Julias backgarden and a quick crash course in clay oven building we got a team of helpers down on sunday to start work.

Unfortunately the weather conditions meant that we could only lay the foundations, but we will return with another workshop to finish the top!

Scenes From An Allotment

The greenhouse has been finished, the soil is turned, and there are things in pots. We're ready for 2007.

Pictures courtesy of the talented Gill Moore.

Slowly But Surely...

Little-by-little, the greenhouse is nearing completion and we now have a doorframe courtesy of renaissance man and woodwork master, Matt:

A Labour of Love

It's been some time coming, but our greenhouse is finally nearing completion. Made completely from reclaimed materials, it's the brainchild of site designer Helen and group organiser Josh.

When finished, the greenhouse will be home to seedlings throughout the germination period and plants (such as tomatos and peppers) that need to be cultivated in a warmer, moister environment.

The bare bones:


Greenhouse guru, Helen:


Josh "The Hammer" Steiner:


Proud parents, Helen, Andy and Matthew:


The long walk home, after a hard day's work:

Winter Life

It's late January and there are a few signs of life down at the plot:

Curly parsley, unperturbed by the cold

Slug and frost-resistant spinach

Garlic shoots

And flowering pak choi

Welcome!

The Chorlton Allotment Project is a community-run 'grow your own' scheme, which encourages members of the local community to produce their own organic fruit and veg.

Based just off Nell Lane (near Southern Cemetary, Chorlton), we meet every Sunday from one in the afternoon onwards. Attendance is free, and all visitors to the plot get to take home produce for their own kitchen table.

We have five or so regular attendees who tend to the plot, but we're eager to get more people involved.

If you would like to know more about the project, please email info@allotmentalist.co.uk or info@afsl.org.uk.


January 2007