Taff contractors GKR have battled with the elements to put in the boundary fencing, which is looking great and already giving more shape to what was a very open, unprotected site. Hopefully, the fencing will keep out the south westerly winds and rabbits – although they are very persistent!

GKR’s team will then begin work on the pathways for the disabled access into the site, which will also be a major step forward towards making the allotments function better – the winter has been a slog, with heavy, muddy conditions preventing any work. The pathways will also provide the backbone for the site. So, we’d like to thank GKR for their support and hard work on the site.

And a big thank is also due to the Probation Service’s Payback Team, who have stepped up to help us everyone time we’ve encountered a big or heavy duty task that is beyond the tenants. On this occasion, it was demolishing and removing very large lumps of hardcore from an old structure on the site and clearing several tonnes of other rubble, metal and top soil in the mound formerly known to 2011′s stalwarts as ‘Mount Kimbie’, a huge pile of material that we bravely tackled for weeks and weeks to reclaim the site.

We’re also hoping for deliveries of manure, compost and other materials to help enrich the soil on the plots – it is currently very heavy, almost undiggable clay (an incident involving a pickaxe pinging off the surface last year summed up tenants dismay!)

So, much to look forward to and things are happening at a great pace, which is both exciting and rewarding, as the site starts to really take shape.

Fence building

In spite of the wind, rain and freezing conditions in early February, work is under way on transforming the Taff Housing allotments.

Taff contractors GKR have battled with the elements to put in the boundary fencing, which is looking great and already giving more shape to what was a very open, unprotected site. Hopefully, the fencing will keep out the south westerly winds and rabbits – although they are very persistent!

GKR’s team will then begin work on the pathways for the disabled access into the site, which will also be a major step forward towards making the allotments function better – the winter has been a slog, with heavy, muddy conditions preventing any work. The pathways will also provide the backbone for the site. So, we’d like to thank GKR for their support and hard work on the site.

And a big thank is also due to the Probation Service’s Payback Team, who have stepped up to help us everyone time we’ve encountered a big or heavy duty task that is beyond the tenants. On this occasion, it was demolishing and removing very large lumps of hardcore from an old structure on the site and clearing several tonnes of other rubble, metal and top soil in the mound formerly known to 2011′s stalwarts as ‘Mount Kimbie’, a huge pile of material that we bravely tackled for weeks and weeks to reclaim the site.

We’re also hoping for deliveries of manure, compost and other materials to help enrich the soil on the plots – it is currently very heavy, almost undiggable clay (an incident involving a pickaxe pinging off the surface last year summed up tenants dismay!)

So, much to look forward to and things are happening at a great pace, which is both exciting and rewarding, as the site starts to really take shape.

For more photos of the regeneration work, click on this link: http://www.taffhousing.co.uk/node/681

Green shoots

We had a great start to our allotment adventure in 2011 and learnt a good deal from the experience.

Just to re-cap on the year, for those of you new to the Leckwithtap blog, Taff Housing and its band of tenants took on the allotment project full throttle in March of last year. It began with a big initial site clear-up of the savannah-like marsh grass that obscured the whole site – and the rubbish and fly-tipping underneath!

So, after Landcraft stepped in to flay the grass down to stubble, we had a generously donated JCB from Macob to top-scraped the site, bulldozing the heavy duty foundations of a shed base and removing a 30-metre strip of fly-tipped rubbish and waste, left there over maybe 10-15 years, we estimate. Then a period of removing the rubbish by hand – many hands make light work! – began and we filled more skips, rubbish sacks and car boots with debris, which could be recycled at the tip or responsibly disposed of.

Other highlights included an amazing action day with staff from Barclays – and about 20 Taff staff and lots of tenants – to give the site a big push, resulting in a new shed – thank you Barclays! – some much needed 8ft x 4ft box beds, planted up with seeds and a big clear up of yet more rubbish.

A big word for the produce we ended up with – great big healthy crops of potatoes, succulent peas, crunchy courgettes and luscious lettuces, not to mention the individual efforts of tenants growing broad beans, dwarf beans and more.

The New Foundations alternative ‘growing’ school plot on the Taff site took off during the year, under the watchful eye of Taff tenant and project leader Jane, who has also battled with the soil conditions, elements and pests to produce an array of great crops with the children.

And we mustn’t forget the ‘cavalry’ in the form of the Probation Services’s Payback Team, led by their supervisor, Rob, who patiently and diligently ploughed through our ‘to do’ list on the plots – and helped out the site committee enormously, strimming paths and verges, putting up fencing (aren’t pallets wonderful?) and giving all concerned a morale boost.

So, all in all, even though we didn’t quite get there by the end of the year with the fencing and footpaths we wanted, we did achieve a fair amount and I think the tenants taking part were generally pleased with the quality of vegetables and fruit we produced – against the odds and elements at times!

Now, we have to focus ahead on 2012 and find out how to build on our experience – and the new friendships made with other plotholders, committee members and some of the other service provider projects on the allotments.

Here’s to a productive year ahead.

Autumn has brought a clear up on site

We were fortunate to have a phone call out of the blue recently from the Probation Service, who we had invited as guests to the allotment site back in May. A supervisor rang up to say they could bring down a group of adults on the Payback scheme to help tidy up the allotment…that afternoon! Well, we jumped at the opportunity, as there’s been a lot of tidying up and clearance work to be done.
It should be borne in mind for new readers, that our Taff Allotment site is the size of five tennis courts and we inherited the plots with a lot of work to be done on them. In the main, we have tackled what we can, but there is a limit to goodwill with tenants and staff, so some extra input was required.
I have to say, we have been very impressed with the set-up of the Payback team – you give them the tasks to get on with and they set about them with gusto.
There was a greenhouse area where the glass had blown out, riddling the ground with shards, which they cleared.
Next, they came in with strimmers and removed a large area of weeds and cleared those away.
And finally, they decanted a huge mound of top soil and spread that across the west side of the site, saving us hundreds of pounds.
I am also pleased to say they have been working alongside the Leckwith Allotment committee members, clearing vacant plots and overgrown areas of the site, which has made a big improvement to the overall appearance of the allotments.
So, this article is largely a big thank you to the Cardiff Probation Service team for all their hard work.

Work is going on behind the scenes to get the regeneration work the site needs, including fencing and pathways, which will give us an opportunity to access the site better over the winter months – and a headstart going into the spring, when we hope to work on further plans for the plots. More of that when it is all confirmed!

The occasion was the filming of Taff’s ‘Not Just Housing’ project, which looks at all the many things the organisation gets involved with, including the first summer’s harvest at the allotments!

Tenants created a table display for the Young Wales film crew by picking an array of produce, including marrows and courgettes, patty pan squash, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and lettuces.

Creating a display of all the items in one place brought home to the tenants and staff what a good first year we have had, inspite of some obstacles along the way.

As the film crew set up, staff quickly rehearsed what they had to say about the project, from the origins of tenants wanting a space to grow their own veg, to the development of the project since February this year, when the site clearance work began.

It was a bit nerve-wracking, but we managed to say our lines in just two takes and the film helps illustrate the scale of the project and the involvement of tenants and staff.

Members of the New Foundations home schooling project were busy on their plot and took part in the filming, too, which was great.

We’re pleased to say that when the film was shown at Taff Housing’s Annual General Meeting, several tenants came up afterwards and said the allotment feature was one of the most interesting and informative. That’s great, as it means the message is getting through that this is a good project.

If you want to see the film, click on the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofc13ytLXa4 (the allotment clip begins at 3mins 15secs, if you want to just watch that bit!).

Crops at Riverside allotments

An invitation to tenants to return to the lovely Riverside Market allotments proved a great success, with the group enjoying the visit immensely.
Heavy showers threatened to spoil the day, but we were lucky with a break in the weather on the Wednesday afternoon.
We saw a fantastic range of crops, from giant cabbages to treats in the polytunnels, ranging from climbing courgettes, pak choi, aubergines, grapes, chillies and peppers. This was particularly useful, as it demonstrated to the tenants the kinds of things they can grow.
We arrived at the site in Pontcanna, Cardiff, to a warm greeting from project officer Jenny Howells – and to find the outdoor kitchen in full swing!
We were treated to sweet corn with garlic mayonnaise, home-pressed apple juice and a cup of tea brewed on the outdoor, wood-fired stove.
Naturally, this created a great impression on the tenants and myself, as we had only expected a tour of the allotments, not a feast!
The tour in itself was a great education, with the tenants asking lots of questions about plant types, growing techniques and how the project works.
The Riverside Market Allotments, a spin-off of the successful street markets, have been running for a number of years. Many volunteers have been involved in the project, helping to make it a wonderful educational centre for the community, with schools, groups and businesses learning so much from it. To read more about the project, click on the link: http://www.riversidemarket.org.uk/other-rcma-projects.aspx
We were shown the ‘walled garden’ area, which Jenny and the volunteers took on last year. The area of derelict, overgrown grown, overshadowed by a tall park wall and trees, presented many challenges but they have done miracles and planted potatoes and other crops, including comfrey, to break up the soil.

For more photos from the Riverside Market allotments trip, click on the link below: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffhousing/sets/72157627652790388/

Likened to the River Nile, the allotment stream is in full flow

There have been a number of changes down at the Leckwith Allotments lately, with the most dramatic being the excavation of the stream bordering our plots. To re-cap, the boundary of the plots spans 45m with the stream acting as a natural border on the site.

 Frequently blocked up and with little water flowing along its course, the allotment committee and council organised a digger to dredge the stream, or reen as its known locally (installed by the Marquis of Bute in the 19th Century as a land drain, for those interested in local history).

Huge boulders were found blocking the source of the water course close to the Cardiff City FC stadium and these were removed, having a dramatic effect, with the water level rising to 3-4 foot. One of our tenants dubbed the rekindled reen, tongue in cheek, the ‘River Nile’.

The point about this tale is this – on a site with no running water, it comes at a premium, so the Taff Housing tenants on our site have come up with some old fashioned ideas to extract water from the reen, using builders’ trugs on ropes to fill 50-gallon barrels.

To keep that water fresh, we’re looking into the idea of purification tablets and containers without lids.

All in all, the reen could be an important source of water for the remainder of this season and next year.

The fruits of our first crops!

After a hectic time getting to grips with the overall allotment plots, we hardly noticed a massive growth spurt in all the box beds and potato crops!

The old expression, ‘heads down,…” proved very much the case, as we didn’t spot the emergence of our first courgettes – Italian rondo, Black Beauty and I think some yellow ones, too – nor did we notice the impressive burst of growth among the Greyhound cabbages nor the resurgence of the sickly looking French dwarf beans.

This completely vindicated the decision to re-use the top soil dumped at the front of the site when we took it on. Yes, it might have been hard work sifting out all the rubbish from it, but the results have been worthwhile, giving us some very productive, low maintenance box beds, where everything is now thriving.

The Rocket, Desiree and Arran Victory potatoes are all looking very healthy and, despite being planted late, I expect we will now get a decent crop for all to share.  Everyone deserves a few spuds to take home after all the hard work that has gone in.

More difficult will be sharing out the smaller amounts of other vegetables, but then everyone has their own preferences, so that should take care of itself.

Our first crop of peas is growing nicely

Who is the mystery night prowler?

We’ve been getting a mysterious visitor at night, leaving us a steady trail of things to sort out when we turn up on site. Strings marking out pathways and plots have been snapped, a protective wire mesh on the shed window has disappeared, a hook to prop the shed door open has gone…

These are all minor, frustrating things, but it has got the plot holders scratching their heads as to just who the mystery Night Prowler could be! Initially, there were suspicions, but these have proved to be unfounded.

To put all this into context, though, there was a major break-in at the allotment site’s portable cabins, which was a blow for the committee. So, we don’t have too much to complain about. Although, we’d still dearly like to know who’s been skulking around the site.

Needless to say, we are ploughing on, getting on with the tasks in hand to get the site cleaned up, the soil condition improved, a water source established and much more besides.