Today Ursula and Salim have been spreading Potash on

the growing beds to fertilise them.

and Steve has laid solid paving in the poly-tunnel
to make it accessible for everyone.

Take a look at our new pond. The last one sprung a leak and we arrived to find it empty. We emptied it out and fitted a new lining. We then re-did the rockery and log piles (for wildlife).

Dig Deep has been given a New Shed.

Look at our new Shed!!

Thank you to the team from Tesco Watford Extra who constructed it.

Wildlife spotted on the Allotment

A hedgehog and a frog have been spotted  on the allotment. Can you see them in the photographs? They are well camouflaged. Hedgehogs are generally in decline so we're pleased that one has taken up residence!!

Environmentally friendly Gardens

Here's a few tips to help the environment and encourage wildlife to your garden.

• Old logs in the shade can attract frogs and newts and as the wood rots a range of insects will follow.
• Hedges encourage a range of wildlife for food and shelter.
• Pollinating plants will encourage butterflies and bees.
• Ponds with varying depths and oxygenating plants make for good pond-life.
• Climbing plants can provide food for birds and other wildlife.
• Creating a compost heap can feed your garden.
• Collected rainwater can be used for watering plants.

From Greenhouse to Polytunnel

We are trying to raise £1,000 to buy a Polytunnel. So far, we have raised £650. Can you help us get any closer?

A visitor has been seen on the Allotment. Take a look at the video.

The Composting Toilet Shed has had a Spring Makeover !

 

The composting toilet shed has had a makeover. Also, we have discovered a robin's nest at the allotment. There are a couple of chicks that may have fledged by next week. Hope to post some pictures soon.



Being driven Potty!

We are all keeping warm on the Dig Deep allotment today by getting our hundreds of pots organised! Amanda and Andy are building a new pot container from old pallets! Nothing goes to waste here! 

Celebrity Spotting!

We Dig Deepers were up close and personal with ASCEND's Patron Gareth Malone who was at the Awards day celebrations last Thursday. Our stall was fantastic with lots of Dig Deep produce for sale. We made a whopping £35 that will go back into the Dig Deep Kitty and maybe pay for a new wheelbarrow or something similar. Gareth was a great sport and joined in the drumming workshops and presented the awards. Well done to all the Volunteers who received an award recognising their City and Guilds work so far. Here are volunteers Frances (centre) and Manda (right) with Gareth.

Also, Dig Deep Volunteer Manda was at the Edible Garden Show at Alexandra Palace back in March and met up with Kew-trained botanist, BBC science presenter & obsessive foodie grower James Wong. We love what James does and have enjoyed planting some of his own brand seeds at dig deep. 

Awards Day Preparation

Today is ASCEND's Awards and Celebration day. We have a stall with homemade elderflower cordial, nettle and mint tea, bunches of herbs, fresh Strawberries, raspberries and cherries, not to mention a whole host of seedlings and seeds offered up for a suggested donation of £1 or 50p. Here we are in frenzied preparation:

New picnic area at Dig Deep

We thought we'd christen the new picnic area behind the cob oven today as volunteer Frances kindly brought in a home made Victoria sponge and decorated it with strawberries from our allotment. Volunteer Andy saw the area of weeds and came up with the picnic area idea, thank you Andy!

Focaccia cooking at Dig Deep

This Thursday we fired up the cob oven again to cook up a batch of focaccia bread. They were expertly made by Lucy from GE capitol (here with her team for a corporate day) and volunteer Sally. Russell helped me to man the oven and make sure they didn't burn!! 

Here is the recipe:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/focaccia_08389

The Greenhouse is back in action!

The greenhouse was badly hit by the storms a few weeks ago which not only blew out the panes but damaged the frame as well. 

Thanks to our volunteer John, the greenhouse has been painstakingly put back together and cleaned up. It is now chitting our potatoes and we have a host of seeds planted including cucumber, courgette, broad beans and tomatoes. Yum!

City & Guilds lessons in our New Shelter

Farming For All's Sarah teaching volunteer Frances a unit on Mulching for her City & Guilds Practical Horticulture skills in our fantastic new shelter.

Shelter building at dig deep

What with all this rain about, we thought it would be a good idea to make some more shelter at Dig Deep to keep us dry on wet days. Have a look at progress.

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.