Welcome to my Allotment Croeso i fy Rhandir

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Welcome to my AllotmentCroeso i fy Rhandir

• Started Oct 2008
• Season 1

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Why an Allotment?

• I was introduced to gardening early at my
  Grannys in West Belfast and then working for
  Ruairi and Brenda in their garden. In fact, I
  left my paper round to work thereso its a
  couple of summers back now ?
• That was great training when I left Nor Irn, I
  missed the gardening and the connection to the
  seasons and the weatherthen when I went home
  again years later, I was able to take it up
  again that 4 hours a week was an oasis of
  sanity

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A better way to be?

• Ive discovered that gardening is good for the
  head its a good adjunct to yoga in expressing
  a simpler, more genuine, authentic way of living.
• What better way of putting food on your own
  table? Of knowing the exact history of your veg
  and lowering your carbon footprint?
• Its right on many levels feel the love!
• There is also research into the positive physical
  mental benefits of digging
• a better way to be? I think so
• Ive signposted a little evidence at the end if
  you want to read a bit further

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• There appears to be an intrinsic relationship
  between gardening and hope. The very action of
  planting a seed in the soil requires hope by
  encouraging and in some senses almost imposing a
  sense of hope on to someone, a personal journey
  may begin.
• Page, Nursing Times see end

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So its going to look a little like this
Dwyrain
De
Gogledd (N)
Gorllewin
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Although, to begin with it looks more like this
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And a little like this
and this
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And somewhat like this
2 water butts were rescued from the last plot
dug in about a foot to dissuade thieves. I have
been affected by the amount of theft on the
last plot
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The access pathand my plot on the left86
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22 Oct
First job after the water butts is to cover a
stretch of ground with some fabric
The bottom section seems to be the most recently
dugyou think Id have started digging there
(its a waterproof backdrop from instore displays
commandeered with permission from my last
employera well known DIY provider)
sure, it wouldnt be me
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30th December 2008
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6th Dec 2008
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Ok, 12 beds along the top its a good theory
Itll be 8 this year
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15th March spuds and onions in1st earlies
Maris Bard 2nd earlies - Marfona
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1st earlies
2nd earlies
Onions
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How proud can you be of onions?
Habibi and me
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15th March 2009 the story so far
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Plan Summary as of 15th March
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Remember that? Against a red backdrop?
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22nd March continuing to work sand into the beds
Improving the upper beds 2 at a time
the top 2 are
90 ready for planting
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31st March 4raspberry plants in 3 from LIDL
Bottom plant from Homebase not sure of the
varieties (or even that theyre summer fruiting)
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• Raspberries
• from the last
• slide

Gooseberry
Blackcurrent
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There follows a 2 minute interval
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Wait for it.
Theres 40seconds of Rolf left

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3.
4
.or click to continue
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After sunrise3rd April
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Asparagus
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In context
2 lines of garlic here
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More Garlic
Upper bed 2
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5th AprilCleared brambles from around the
compost
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Food for thought

• From Gardening as a therapeutic intervention in
  mental health. Page M Nursing Times, 2008 Nov
  11-17 104 (45) 28-30 http//www.nursingtimes.net
  /nursing-practice-clinical-research/gardening-as-a
  -therapeutic-intervention-in-mental-health/1921374
  .article
• Page speculates (within a mental health setting)
• There appears to be an intrinsic relationship
  between gardening and hope. The very action of
  planting a seed in the soil requires hope by
  encouraging and in some senses almost imposing a
  sense of hope on to someone, a personal journey
  may begin.
• Also worth while looking at Ecotherapy - the
  green agenda for mental health
• if youre interested its slightly off point,
  but still relevant http//www.mind.org.uk/mindwee
  k2007/report/
• The Chartered Society Of Physiotherapy have
  agreed to lobby government and local authorities
  to increase the amount of land available for
  allotments (because of the physical and mental
  benefits) See motion 38. Access to
  Allotmentsthough I think this may be CSP
  members only
• http//www.csp.org.uk/director/members/events/annu
  alrepresentativesconference/arcmotions2009parttwo.
  cfm

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More to follow