On allotments and other earthy matters, in and around Stoke-on-Trent.
"Tree Planting on Saturday 16th March 2013, 10am-12 noon.Please come along and lend a hand, even if it's only for half an hour.
We have over 400 native species saplings to plant as a hedge, so any help would be really appreciated!
Meet you at the top path!"
Stoke-on-Trent is having the city's first multi-day folk festival for 20 years (although an honorable mention should be made of the big one-day Folk Festival at the Irish Centre in Hartshill in 2004).
27 acts already booked, with more to come. Launches with Irish traditional musicians on St Patrick’s Day (17th March). Strictly limited number of early bird tickets on sale now at £30 - Greg Stephens on 01782 871691.
A perfect day for a bonfire, after the dry spell we've had lately. I heaped it up a bit, and dug into the centre, popped some newspaper and a few matches in there — and it went up like a rocket...
It all went perfectly, and I now have a nice ash mound for sprinkling around the gooseberries later in the month.
I thought I'd have to do a lot of hoe work, but the combination of dry weather and the cold nights means there has been very little growth on the dug-over plots.
I've paid my annual plot rent, and got my early seed potatoes stored in the shed and protected from frost. They'll be going in sometime in April.
Some pottery fragments I've so far found on the dug-over plot...
Interesting contrast between the blue Greek pattern and the French fleur-de-lyes. The two bottom fragments are old clay pipe stems.
And some spring buds by the shed...
I also managed to get rid of the big black bin bag of litter I'd collected on various litter-picking ventures along the roadside fence, as the committee currently have a handy skip on the site.
