New Tool shed

David and John busy at work building a small tool shed made entirely from pallets. The shed is for one of our volunteers who has just acquired her own allotment site and has nowhere to store her tools. It will be walked down to the allotment and assembled on site.

Building a Pagoda for training fruit trees

Volunteers John and Sally diligently align fence posts to build a Pagoda to train fruit trees along. The posts are held in place with a small amount of postcrete and a lot of clay soil. They will then build a frame across the top and attach wires along the sides to espalier train apple and pear trees. 

Recycled Sleepers donated by Affinity Water

Dig Deep Volunteers putting sleepers into place to edge the pathways. The sleepers were kindly donated by Affinity Water along with some other very useful materials that we are currently recycling on the plot. An allotment is an ideal place  to recycle anything from old plastic drinks bottles as mini greenhouses to old carpets to keep the weeds down.

Bulb planting time

Dig Deep Volunteer Russell is braving the winds today to plant daffodil bulbs all around the site. We are awaiting a delivery of pink daffodils too, which should be interesting come the spring.

Dig Deep Volunteers help at South Oxhey Children's Centre

The dig deep volunteers have renovated this old sand pit at South Oxhey Children's Centre. The aim was to create some growing space for the children to learn about planting seeds and seedlings and eating fresh, home grown vegetables. Well done team!

Wheat Harvest at Dig Deep.

We finally harvested our Wheat at Dig Deep and milled it into some delicious wholegrain flour on an ancient hand milling stone back at Redbournbury Mill. See the photos below:

Dig Deep Volunteers Visit to Redbournbury Mill and Hammond's End Farm

On the 07th June the Dig Deep volunteers accepted a very kind invitation to visit the farm where the wheat seed for our wheat field came from.

Hammonds End Farm is 300 acres of cropping, grass and woodland located between Harpenden and Redbourn in Hertfordshire. The Roberts family have farmed the land for over 50 years and converted to organic farming in 1998.

As well as producing cereals and livestock they have a range of traditional and modern buildings which have been used for stables and the on farm processing of cereals.

http://www.hammondsend.co.uk/

Our guide on the day was Howard Roberts, who showed us around his wonderful farm and taught us about the processes involved in growing and harvesting a variety of cereals organically. We visited various fields, barns and looked at the machinery involved in the process. We were all very interested in the organic aspects of the farm including areas to encourage wildlife such as green and wild borders around the fields. These borders give a home to beetles that will eat any pests that would damage the crops. One field in particular was growing a wonderful range of flowers that will become green manure. This was particularly interesting as we have planted our own green manures at Dig Deep to dig back into the soil.

Harris Hawks at Dig Deep

Harris Hawks came to dig deep in early spring for a short display of their flying and hunting prowess. Big Thanks to Grant Fear at Woodland Hawking for bringing Eddie and Queen of Sheeba for a very interesting and entertaining display at the allotment. We didn't see any pigeons on site for the rest of the day, hmm. Dig Deep Volunteers Russell and Sally admire Eddie's impressive plumage.

Dig Deep Volunteer Steven Flying Eddie at Dig Deep

Volunteers watch Grant talking about Flying Birds of Prey.

For More information about Grant's Hawking demonstrations and activities visit:

www.woodlandhawking.co.uk

Dig Deep has Water!!

Water has finally arrived at Dig Deep. The site will be transformed this summer because of this and we expect bumper crops of healthy, well-fed vegetables.

Big thanks to Thrive Homes who paid for the installation and also our fantastic volunteer team from BRE who dug the trench, designed the system and fitted the tap and fittings. They also came back on the day to help us celebrate the switch on. Thanks guys!

Holly from the Watford Observer was there to record the switch on and here's what they had to say:

"Water flowed for the first time in a South Oxhey allotments on Thursday (January 31) thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

The Dig Deep project - a partnership between Three Rivers District Council, Ascend and Farming for All – saw a new mains supply connected to allotments off Kilmarnock Road.

A working party from Watford company BRE dug and laid a water pipe and four staff members will each give a half day every month to assist with the expansion of the site.

The site already has a rain water collection system but the mains supply will prove particularly important in summer months, Ascend says. The project was funded through a grant by Thrive Homes who will also fund the installation of a new 800 litre rainwater storage tank later this year."

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/10202345.Ascend_allotment_in_South_Oxhey_gets_water_supply/