What happened in 2011...
February 2011
This year it's been great to see that many plots have been worked over the winter and people have plans for the year to come. Most of us just want to get going now so there were plenty of volunteers for the two working weekends in February to deal with cutting back the North-side hedges.
March 2011
A lovely sunny weekend in March brought lots of plotholders to the site to clear more of their plots, lay new paths and putting in cold frames to start planning for seeds. The central aisle and area surrounding the container and borehole area were tidied. We also prepared the area of hardstanding for safe access to the site for pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
April 2011
As this has been the driest April in a 100 years, extra thanks must go to Geoff Greenland and the rest of the 'water team' for ensuring that the water system has been available for us at this vital time!
Quite a few plots were handed back by tenants at the end of the tenancy year and these are being re-allocated to people on the waiting list. Welcome to all the newcomers!
This is the first year that we've been able to properly plan ahead - it's great to see plots looking so good so early in the season - aided by the amazing hot days and fleece for the cold nights. And there's still time to stop for a chat :-)
May 2011
Geoff Greenland resigned as HAHA/Marsh Lane secretary. We were sorry to see him go but know that he will still be around to help with the Marsh Lane water supply. Thanks for all your help Geoff!!
The Spring 2011 Newsletter was issued. The sun continued to shine, but the cold nights and late frosts took their toll on quite a few plots. We all learned that plans can easily be foiled!
June 2011
The first of the summer barbecues was held at Marsh Lane towards the end of the month and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for it. Unfortunately not as many people turned up as expected but those who did attend enjoyed the plentiful food provided by plotholders and HEAT and cooked by Tony and Chris.
Belinda and Jamie resigned from the HAHA and Marsh Lane committees but are still happy to help with the website and forum.
July 2011
The first HAHA AGM was attended by plotholders from both Marsh Lane and Fairfields at the Royal British Legion in Hungerford - details and photo on the Meetings page.
After a slow start to July by the end of the month our plots were beginning to catch up with the stage they were at last year. Some of the plots have been producing harvests for a couple of months but many plot holders have found this year to be quite a problem with the temperature difference between night and day causing issues with growth and germination.
August 2011
"The waterboys" came to the rescue regularly while the water troughs were getting blocked. The problem was with algae forming in the IBCs and then travelling down the pipes all the way to the troughs and blocking at the end. They needed regular cleaning but the (hoped for) solution is blocking daylight from the IBCs. The IBCs were jet-washed and the pipes were blasted through with water by connecting directly to the borehole pump.
Derek provided the canvas which was made into a perfect-fitting cover for three of the IBCs. The last one is covered in black plastic with an opening so we can see how much water is in there and whether more water needs pumping to them - so far so good, though most of August was pretty rainy anyway (typical!)
September 2011
By September we saw plenty of rain so the water from the troughs wasn't needed but the site is still looking very healthy with plenty of produce being harvested.