Scroll Down the Page for Photos of the Allotments!

10 June 2009

This week Jude says "In the past few weeks we have planted five tomato plants in the poly tunnel and they are thriving!  We have 4 courgette plants in there as well and they are just starting to give out some fruit.  We have planted our runner beans this week and some carrots in are raised beds".

1 June 2009

Horticuture Tutor Jude Quigley reports "Last week we got some ground ready for runner beans and made some wig-wams for them and a run so we can plant around 40 seedlings which we sowed in the poly-tunnel a couple of weeks ago".

26th May 2009

Trainees have been busy over the past month building fencing, weeding and working on a garden area, tending the seedlings, looking after the potato plants and learning more about horticulture.

Take a look at the photos below to see Enta horticulture trainees at work.

Enta Horticulture Trainees working on Allotments

	Allotment Garden before work starts - very overgrown!
	Allotment Garden transformed after weeding, pruning, replanting and bark chip cover.
	Allotment ground before work begins.
	The compacted ground is broken up mechanically first...
	...before 'elbow grease' is needed and digging can start!
	Many hands make light work - the ground is now nearly ready.
	Time to dig rows for planting a crop of potatoes.
	In go the 'chitted' seed potatoes which are then covered over and watered.
	Next the cabbage seedlings are planted.
	The seedlings have been growing in the greenhouse style polytunnels.
	A view of the polytunnel and cold frame from the outside.
	There are two polytunnels on the allotments which will be used to germinate seedlings and protect fragile plants during colder weather.
	Enta trainees are also building a number of raised beds on the allotments with wood donated by Selco.
	Trainees at Enta learn skills such as carpentry and fencing which are put to good use on the allotments!

10th April 2009

This week Jude says “In the last week we planted all the seed potatoes - there are three crops you put in, namely First Earlies,Second Earlies and Main Crop.  We used Arron's for our First Earlies, Charlotte's for our Second Earlies and Picasso for the Main Crop.  So hopefully in around 10 weeks we will have our first harvest of Enta’s own grown potatoes.

Also we planted around 60 cabbages - the greyhound variety plus some cauliflowers.  Plus we are trying to get the kids’ area up and running so that the Lakeside Nursery children can come over and sow some seeds.  Not bad when there is only six of us!”

16th March 2009

Jude, Enta's Horticulture Tutor says "This week we got the ground ready for cauliflower and cabbage and sowed the first lot of seeds.

 
We also cleaned up one of the old flower beds and it's looking tip top now.  I had 5 students with me who worked hard".

9th March 2009

This has been a week of preparation and planting.

Jude has worked with 3 entry to employment trainees to get the ground ready for planting potatoes which will go in over the next weeks.  Fellow allotment holders are kindly supplying the seed potatoes.  Lots of welcome worms were spotted when digging and some less welcome slugs!

The allotments team have also planted a number of fruit bushes including raspberries, blueberries and blackberries which should crop from August to October next year once the soil, rain and sunshine have done their work.