Newsletter 18 Autumn 2008
Well,
after such a dismal summer, what could be better than the gleam of gold to
cheer us up? Congratulations, Siobhan
and team, for winning the gold award for SOGS’ garden at the Flower Show. If
you worked on its construction, grew plants for it or were on duty during the
show, you know the effort that was involved. It took meticulous planning;
vigilance to ensure that construction and planting were according to plan; hard
labour in shovelling and raking sand and erecting panels and so on; patience in
persevering to get certain aspects just so, such as levelling the water feature
and the wooden ‘stepping stones’ – and flashes of inspiration that came up with
the turf-seated chair and the use of the bark-edged planks, which gave the
unifying rustic touch to Siobhan’s surround of hazel hurdles and sheep’s wool
panels.
Our
stand also had a smart new look this year, with Maralyn’s display of ten
reasons to grow your own feast.
We
have had some interesting visits this summer, as usual, and managed to avoid
the worst of the weather, apart from our September outing to the Camphill Trust
which had to be cancelled because of flooding in Gloucestershire.
Website: Val has worked her fingers
to the bone getting the website up and running again – do take a look, and
refer to it for current information.
www.shropshireorganicgardeners.org.uk
Chairman’s report by Peter
I
have been reading some philosophy, (thunder of feet as everyone heads for the
hills,) and I have been considering the liar paradox, you know the one, on one
side of a piece of paper it says ‘the statement on the other side is true’, and
on the other side it says ‘the statement on the other side is false’. Don’t you find that gardening is a bit like
that? We should never walk on the soil,
except when we are stamping it down for the brassicas. We should never leave stuff lying about,
except when we call it mulch. We should
never burn rubbish, except when it is diseased and we want to get rid of
it. We should respect all life, except
when it is a slug and has just eaten the seedlings. And my favourite, a man should never have
more garden than his wife can manage, except when she can manage a bit
more. Which leads me to the conclusion
that there is no absolute, right way to garden organically; and its
concomitant, there is no wrong way to garden organically. So, if your way of gardening organically
suits you, then it is right, and please invite SOGs around to share your
secrets.
I
know one thing that is true, without paradox, and can confidently be asserted
without fear of contradiction by any sane person: the SOGs Flower Show Garden
was a stunning, drop dead gorgeous, brilliant, original work of art with a wow
factor that left people open mouthed with admiration. It certainly had that effect on me. Well done Siobhan! and well done to everyone who was involved in
any way. There were 12 gardens in what I
now call ‘our’ bit of the Flower Show.
They were all good, some were very good and at least one was quite, very
good. But only one had a crowd around it
most of the time with people saying ‘wow! that’s original’ and ‘have you heard
about the liar paradox?’ (All right,
you’ve caught me out, the last bit was a lie.)
I may have said this before, but that does not stop it from being true,
it is a delight and a thrill to see the garden coming together as we build it
through were all the best because I could see in them the enthusiasm with which
they were grown.
There
are several stages in the development of our show garden; 1, Shall we do
it? 2, Who will be our
designer-director? 3, What design will
be the theme? 4, Who will grow the
plants? 5, What set will we build on the
practice day? 6, How will we transport everything?
7, Who will be there to do the building? 8, Who will steward the creation on
the show days? 9, Who will turn up to
break the set on the Sunday? These
stages involve very nearly all SOGs members one way or another. This is our great strength; well done
everyone.
Then
we get to the week itself; and it is a delight and a thrill to see the way SOGs
members just turn up and get stuck into the work; and the plants! We carted, literally, cart loads of plants to
the show, from which Siobhan was able to select the best........ Actually, to me, they everything? Oh: I nearly forgot to mention it, but we
were awarded a GOLD medal.
Visit to
Highgrove on March 31st.
I
am very wary of the heading ‘guidance notes’. This is a typical English
euphemism for what are ‘Legally Enforceable Orders’. I received a printed
document from the ever-efficient Val and glanced at it with incipient horror.
“Your tour will last about 1 ½ hours
and you will be walking just under 2
miles”. What had I committed myself to?
Fortunately
the weather was kind on that particular day – plenty of cloud but sunshine too
– and moderately mild. There was a slight delay as Peter changed a tyre on his
car, but we left more or less on time. How would the driver of our coach manage
to arrive at exactly the correct hour and minute as directed on the ‘Guidance
Notes’? Perhaps we would have to stop somewhere in a lay-by . . . perhaps we
would be late . . . traffic problems – spare us! We arrived at 2 minutes to 11
o’clock, would you believe it. I was most impressed.
We were met at the entrance by two jolly
policemen, of whom the larger was definitely in charge. 3 victims were selected
(including me) for an initial check. All was in order, he said jovially, though
how he managed to look at my photo and then me and see a resemblance I do not
know. However, he was satisfied with all three of us (who later remarked that
we must be super reliable having been checked twice). We were driven up to the
Orchard Room, a reception area, and were collectively checked through again by
an authoritative lady.
We
were then introduced to our guide, a quite charming sincere elderly lady who
took great pains to ensure that we kept in order and who, not once in her 1 ½ hours
peroration, ever glanced at her notes. Very impressive. She informed us that
this was this year’s first day of
opening. The tour pace was sedate, plenty of time to absorb the peaceful
atmosphere surrounding the estate. I had been given, by chance, the book about
Highgrove with the Prince’s improvements, lavishly illustrated with many fine
photographs. Those photographs, although
of obvious quality and technical skill, gave us no indication of the tranquil
atmosphere that impresses most visitors. It was the time of spring bulbs,
daffodils in their thousands, narcissi, chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow – a much
better name), and then the wild flowers – primroses, violets, the odd bluebell
and of course the celandines. The calm of the garden, its bird life, its trees
and its surroundings are a vital antidote to the Prince’s public life. My
impression was very much of informality – his fondness for large clay pots of
Mediterranean design is very noticeable and these are revealed in such a way as
to convince the visitor that considerable thought had been given to their final
emplacement.
There
were many examples of topiary around the garden. I’m never quite convinced of
this particular idea but again it was far more unusual – apparently the
gardeners are given free rein to shape their efforts in any way they see fit. I
liked that – it was a clever idea and showed that the Prince valued their
input.
As
I write this report I am glancing through the pages of my book on Highgrove,
which includes late spring and summer pictures. It is obvious that we were not
able to see many aspects of the garden at its most colourful – the kitchen
garden is packed with excellent vegetables in late summer – the sweet pea
arches are a magnificent sight around the walkways – the espalier fruit hangs
heavily on its iron supports – all will be viewed later. I wondered what the
cost of that wall would be today!
My
lasting memory of the place will be the daffodils in the wild flower meadow.
Apparently the yellow ones were already there when the Prince bought the house
– but it was he who added the clumps of white ones among them to give such an
awe-inspiring effect. A few of the tulips were showing their heads and I would
love to have seen the buttercups later on and then, best of all, the wild red
poppies and the dog-daisies. Indeed, the poppies and the daisies in the summer
are two of the best photos in my book, courtesy of Miriam Rothschild who advised and
helped the Prince in his early years there.
After
our 1 ½ hours (which had flown by) in which time we saw only one security guard
(presumably) who did not want us peering through the house windows (too late –
we had done so in the Sundial Garden, although we couldn’t see much), we then
were taken back to the Orchard Room and served excellent tea and some Duchy
biscuits. Anne Teviotdale and I had asked questions which our guide was unable
to answer on the spot, but she went off and came back with the answers to both
of our questions. We had admired some daffodils, doubles, in pots by the house,
and not knowing their name had asked. Needless to say they were called Duchess
of Cornwall. How very appropriate, our guide had said. It was a very good note
to end on. We offered our sincere thanks, a round of applause, our goodbyes.
Disregarding the shop, which was hideously expensive, I felt that all of us had
been made to feel very welcome and that those we had encountered were a sincere
group. I came away well pleased.
Dave Parr.
Flickr! See
lots of pics of us up to our tricks!
The
computer literate amongst us probably know the photo-sharing website flickr. I have uploaded photos of our
Flower Show gardens being constructed, and of some of our visits. To see them
you need to go into flickr, click
explore, then click people, then ‘wonky knee’ – that’s me. They are in sets,
all with SOGS in the title, so you don’t need to wade through the whole
photostream. Perhaps other members can do the same with their photos. flickr is free up to 200 photos, but if
you have an email address with btyahoo, uploads are unlimited, (and this does
not interfere with your usual email). Marian Byrne
I can
incorporate some of the flickr pics in the website, and have put some of Marian’s
under ‘Flower Show 2008’ Let me know if you have any more – or you can email a
small file to me at valolduk@yahoo.co.uk,
I can add them.
Val
Visit to
Uplands Allotments, Handsworth,Birmingham. Sunday 18th May 2008
We
were heartily welcomed by Eunice, and her fellow volunteers to the Shades of
Black project, where, first things first, we ate our packed lunches in the
picnic area. In this area, which was
reclaimed from waste ground by the project with funding from the Princes Trust,
were three huts and some picnic tables and benches. The volunteers had worked extremely hard to
reclaim the ground and it was a very pleasant place to sit and chat.
The
project was set up in 1989 after the riots in the area to reconcile, reassure
and rebuild the local multi cultural community.
Pupils, teachers and parents are all involved in the project and what
started as one allotment has now grown to 3, and I am quite sure that Eunice
would like some more. Well, she did mention an old orchard on the site, which
is not tended, and this would be an asset to the project. Local schools visit the site 3 times a week
and work in teams tending the ground and growing the vegetables. The schools also take on growing at their own
sites to further encourage the children.
At the end of the season there is a harvest festival and the produce
from the site is boxed up and handed out to senior citizens in the community. They also benefit throughout the growing
season as produce is ready. The site is
very much an ongoing concern and the next improvement is the making of raised
beds to assist those less able, monies for this are being sought from the
Princes Trust.
After
our packed lunches and the cups of tea very kindly provided by the Shades of
Black volunteers, we were then shown around the site. There are 412 allotments over 38 acres,
mostly tended by Asian and West Indian people.
A variety of vegetables are grown, however this early in the season not
much was evident, although I can safely say I have never seen allotments so
full of onions before! Quite a few plot
holders were planting their pumpkins out in hollows in the ground filled with
manure, and kidney beans were seen growing which Jamaicans call Red Peas.
Many
people took away ideas for their own gardens and a very enjoyable day was had
by all.
Fay and Ian Southworth
Evening Visit
to Walford College, June 4th
The
SOGS trip to Walford College was well attended. We started with an explanation
of the various alternative energy generation methods in use. There is a bio-digester that was set
up 15 years ago, which produces about £4000 of electricity a year. They have
fitted two types of ground source heat pump, one relying on deep pipes, the
other on a wide grid. These are so effective, that they do not use the wood
chip boiler which was also installed, and will now be diverted to other use.
The new main building has a whole raft of solar panels. A wind turbine is in
place, but more for show, as there isn’t enough wind to run it!
Then
we had a tour of the ‘zoo’, with the meercats being the stars of the show.
There are also a lot of different birds of prey, which have been injured. We
also got a close-up of the digester, and a sniff! It’s not at all impressive,
but as well as producing electricity, it also gives a soil improver which we
use on our allotment. And of course, gets rid of waste products from the
livestock.
As
this was a standard SOGS trip, we had tea and cakes as usual.
Val Oldaker
Visit to Green
Acres Farm, Shifnal
This
was an evening visit, to organic vegetable box producer Mark Lea’s farm near
Shifnal. Mark is passionate about organic production, and about local food
whether it is organic or not. He is an enthusiastic teacher, too, welcoming
school groups to his farm where they have a purpose-built classroom. Mark
liaises with the local primary school, where the pupils grow vegetables for the
school dinners. The organisation ‘Natural England’ funds these activities. He
emphasises that his farm is not a cuddly, stroke the baby lambs kind of venue,
but that he wants the children to know the origin of their meat and the fact
that animals have to be killed to provide it. He stresses the importance of
flavour, freshness and aroma to be enjoyed by growing one’s own vegetables, and
if he inspires the children as much as he inspired us, there will be some very
healthy and happy children in the area!
As
is usual in an organic farm, there is plenty of wildlife, and we could hear the
larks and see the nesting swallows. There are no natural watercourses, and the
problem of surplus water running off the large area of roof has been solved by
the creation of a pond large enough to take it all, which provides water for
irrigation of crops. It is also a pleasant feature in the landscape, a focal
point for visitors and a haven for wildlife.
Two
saddleback Tamworth cross pigs dispose of waste vegetable matter supplemented
by grain, leading a blissful existence for a year until going to
slaughter. Although they are given
names, Mark’s three children aged 3,6,
and 9, accept that the purpose of the pigs is to be a food source.
We
were shown round the fields and had the rotation of crops explained to us: the
farm is divided into 6 blocks.
Year
1: Grass ley with plenty of clover, for
grazing or for silage. Year 2: Wheat. This involves the worst job of the year –
pulling docks. They are loosened by machine but pulled by hand – by Lithuanian
temporary workers.
Year 3: Peas, a feed crop sold to a dairy
farmer or to poultry farmers.
Year
4: Winter wheat, the hungriest crop, which goes to be malted for beer, or to
breakfast cereal manufacturers.
Year
5: Oats, which can grow in poor soil, are undersown with the following year’s
grass/clover ley.
Year
6: the commercial vegetable crops.
The
farm does not support a closed system, so material is brought in from outside,
notably Shifnal’s green waste which Mark is paid for processing, and which when
ready is used on the fields. He used to make long windrows which were turned by
machine, but now that there are large quantities of cardboard, he finds it
better to make very large heaps, aiming to get the temperature rapidly up to 70
degrees to cope with the cardboard.
