50 chickens on one plot.

But York council has said their rules on keeping chickens on allotments have not changed recently and 50 is too many. Mr Rice said the problems arose after an issue with the welfare of chickens on another allotment at Green Lane two months ago sparked a letter to all plot holders from the council limiting the number of sheds to one and the number of chickens to 12.

If they are producing eggs then how on earth is he using that many up? 50 sounds more like a chicken farm than an allotment.

Article here about how someone thinks a fence is going to stop badgers.
Don’t badgers dig and dig?

“The allotment association is moving a fence which the university will subsequently make proof against badgers.

“This is being done with permission of Natural England, who have inspected the site with the university and the allotment association.”

Mr Hamblett said: “A steel fence is being built which will trap the badgers in a tiny space unviable for their survival. A long steel corridor is proposed to lead the animals out on to Port Meadow.

Great way of burning a small amount of fuel to get a lot of heat! good for boiling a kettle on an allotment!
Make your own rocket stove shows you how

No snow yet, but it’ll be here sooner or later so it’s nice to see that cmpanies
are looking to make better snow shovels to make the task of clearing snow easier!

My biggest hint is buy your snow shovel before it’s snowing!
Reviews coming soon!

Hints on clearing snow – wait til it’s stopped snowing!
Warm up – dress warmly as well as doing some stretching exercises!
Don’t spend too long in the snow.
Wear gloves at all times! Once your hands get cold and wet it becomes too miserable to stay out.
Stop for a rest!
Don’t over do it!
Clear your path and elderly neighbours paths!
I did three paths last year! Mine, my elderly neighbours and the lady next door to him as she has a couple of little children!

Put grit down after you’ve cleared snow, not before!
There is snow clearning advice on direct.gov.uk site – basically they say don’t be afraid of doing it, but don’t add water as it’ll freeze and make things more slippy and dangerous.

Stewart Garden prepares for winter with exciting range of snow shovels

Stewart Garden, the gardening products division of UK manufacturer, Stewart,
has launched a range of snow shovels.

After two consecutive harsh Arctic winters which brought Britain to a grinding
standstill with snow levels which had not been seen since 1947, the impressive
Stewart range is a timely reminder to consumers to be prepared. Already, some
forecasters have predicted that Britain is just weeks away from being in the
grip of temperatures as low as minus 20c, with snow beginning to fall from November.

New to the market are two separate ranges of durable Stewart Garden snow shovels;
either long-handled or telescopic.

The long-handled shovels come with either a robust wooden or lightweight aluminium
shaft, complete with a D Handle for comfort and grip. The recycled plastic blades
are fitted with an aluminium blade edge, either 40m or 46cm in width, to give
extra strength and durability.

The shovels are available with a suggested retail selling price (SRSP) of £12.99
for the 40cm shovel with a wooden blade and £14.99 for the 46cm model.
The aluminium-handle 40cm shovel carries an SRSP of £14.99 and £16.99
for the 46cm shovel.

The telescopic shoves carry an aluminium shaft and they are a compact size
which makes them easy to store in a car boot. The adaptable shovels are fitted
with a D Handle, and a 28cm blade, carrying an SRSP of £16.99, which includes
a free storage bag worth £1.99.

For two consecutive winters, Britain has experienced a prolonged deep freeze
with roads blocked, as both pavements and paths became laden with heavy snow,
while grit supplies ran out. Stewart Garden has brought to the market an extremely
valuable and adaptable range of shovels which will be put to good use and which
are a must for retailers to stock.

Full Stewart Garden shovels and SRSPs

Long-handled snow shovels:

40cm Snow Shovel (wooden handle) £12.99

46cm Snow Shovel (wooden handle) £14.99

40cm Snow Shovel (aluminium handle) £14.99

46cm Snow Shovel (aluminium handle) £16.99

Telescopic snow shovel:

Telescopic snow shovel with storage bag £16.99

The business has undergone a series of changes to its brand and corporate identity
in the months since, including the creation of the Stewart Garden division complete
with striking new packaging design. Features of the new packaging include the
Grow With Us strapline, reinforcing Stewart Garden’s commitment to grow
your own, and a subtle, yet unmissable red and blue, detailing underling Stewart’s
position as a quality British manufacturer.

Stewart Garden’s commitment to the gardening sector is stronger than
ever. Major investments are planned for new technology, new products and expanded
merchandising and POS support for retailers.

For further information on Stewart Garden visit www.stewart-garden.co.uk.

Very pretty huge garlands of dried flowers

“have a tradition here in Cornwall of constructing a garland made of Pittosporum foliage which is suspended the whole length of the main hall of the Tudor house. It is 18 metres (60 feet) long and about 30cm (12″) in diameter and this is the base for our dried flower display.”

Yes really! Protests against the use of green fields as allotments!

A LAST-ditch protest has been made by residents in a Sheffield suburb opposed to dozens of new allotments on a green field site.

Sheffield Council has started work to create around 50 allotments on land off Mickley Lane, Totley, in response to a shortage of plots and a growing number of people who want to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

But people living nearby and disabled residents at the Mickley Hall home, run by the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, argue the development will bring extra traffic and spoil the view.

Cheltenham allotments have been vandalised.
The comments are quite horrid – people bemoaning the cost of an allotment officer (who in reality probably does many other things other than deal with allotments)

Got an old brolly? Preferably one of those clear plastic ones .. turn an umbrella into a fold-away cloche

They look like white mushrooms you get at the supermarket but I’m not brave enough to pick and eat it without someone else telling me it’s ok.

My allotment is near the Rochdale Canal.
Here is a photo I took a couple of days ago.
There are tons of leaves on the canal and the swans were there. It was a very gloomy day though!