My New No-Dig Organic Allotment

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I'm now the proud tenant of an organic allotment at Riverford Farm in Devon. At the time of writing it's merely a portion of the field. I'm sitting under the umbrella considering my next move.

 

 

My hope for this allotment is to create five square 'rooms' with paths moving into and through, connecting them all together. Initially I was going to take on one full sized plot plus a half one but at the point of signing the contract I was offered an extra plot. 

This means that the compost bin is now in the middle of the plot and will have to move to the far right bottom corner. 

I've have a little Mountfield mower and I've mown and mown and mown the grass which had been previously rough cut by a ride on mower by the farmer. All the grass had been left so my little machine chopped it up and collected it. This is wonderful as I now have loads of grass clippings for adding to my no-dig lasagne style beds. However, the task was really far too much and there was still lots of lovely long, soft dried grass still to be raked together - again a perfect ingredient for the beds as it was basically hay.

The next stage on room number one was to measure and to peg out and divide the square plot into four and establish the centre. 

The centre may be a lawn or a pond - yet to be decided but it will be circular. I shall modify this plan slightly and I am considering adding trellises. Along the dividing fence between my neighbour and myself I have created a grass path. It looks a bit like this and as time goes by with raking and mowing should begin to resemble a nice, soft, green, grassy path. I may also add seed.

I shall try be put in a rabbit proof wire netting fence around the plot, initially the main expense but well worth it as other tenants have been extolling their woes regarding the voracious appetites of young rabbits and of their breaking and entering skills. Though very expensive so I will see how it goes. 

This allotment will not resemble a traditional allotment, even though I've always thought they were the best way to garden an allotment. This is because I want to create a very inspiring and beautiful retreat as I as yet have no garden of my own. I love the French Potager style of gardening and this will provide lots of inspiration but I think my allotment is going to be some sort of hybrid of my own. if you would like to explore the ultimate Potager Garden then here for Villandry. 

There are lots of elements that I would like my plot to contain and I've started to collect some on my pinterest board of ideas.

This slight incline/slope of the field makes me think of terracing. No-dig terracing?

Layering up the bed with layers of wet cardboard, (be aware of using cardboard that may have formaldehyde in it) then cow manure, grass cuttings, beech leaves, more manure, hay etc, etc. The idea is to keep the layers wet but we are in a heat wave and the allotment has no running water.

This time next year and I hope to have my irrigation/rainwater collection system in place but for now I'll cover up and rely on condensation. 

I have a penchant for recycling but also for making the garden beautiful. Somewhere in between I could make use of those discarded plastic banners that are used for advertising - they would make perfect covers and could even be tied to stakes as they have brass eyelets.

Mmm, I need to remember that although my enthusiasm belongs to a 21 year old, my physical age is meant to be retired. 

I have been enthusiastically pulling out lots of wood from an enormous pile - that resembles a giant's Pick a Stick game - with my left arm and projecting them javelin like towards the boot of my car for a few days, collecting enough wood to start my plan of building a recycled shed. 

I think I have finally learnt my lesson after damaging my left shoulder rather badly. Enough to stop play for some weeks in fact. I have promised my family that I will limit myself to swimming, walking and stretching exercises from now on and ask someone to do the extremely physical work. I am not at all pleased as I love challenges. So whilst I am in recovery mode all the beds are composting down and I am looking through shed catalogues. 

I suppose I will have to pay someone to put in the rabbit proof fence as well. Damn.

Meanwhile I have been working on new ideas for autumn and winter jewellery back in the studio.

Back to work - Putting in the support structure for Raspberry canes now that the lasagne bedding system has rotted down and the soil is easy to dig.

Putting in some of my plants from my previous garden at Dartington Hall where I lived and had my studio for 4 years. 

The plants have to make a temporary home here so I am enjoying the challenge of trying to make this a mixed allotment. Bella accompanies me every time I come here. I need to build her a shelter.

And here it is - build into the back of the compost bins. And next to the wood storage place. It is all looking very raggle-taggle-gypsio at the moment. I see it looking very differently in my imagination though.

Beginning to look a little better. 

Transplanting my Roses and digging in a small pond for frogs.

More mowing the area and pilling up the dried grass for the lasagne beds. They really do work. Trying to be careful not to do too much. Difficult when there is so much to do.

Putting in currant bushes - white - red - black.

Strawberry plants nestlings amongst the straw.

The initial boundary.

Riverford Farm is organic as are all the allotments and there is an abundant supply of well rotted cow manure. This is an example of the lasagne method that I have adapted - mow the foeld, add layers of cardboard, manure, dried grass, repeat, repeat, repeat.

I also add a lot of dried Beech leaves, that I collect when I see them driving through the countryside.

 How the allotment looked in the early days.

 Base camp - early days.

 Making lasagne beds.

 How I imagine it might look given time.

The shed that I would like to buy for the allotment as I have realised that I have limited time for this and I still work at my jewellery most of the time.

I have to move house - to Topsham and this eventually proves too far to make keeping the allotment on. A learning curve and very very enjoyable. Great allotment neighbours too. More photos to add ... 

Painting Inspiration in April

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There have been some days when the colours of the sky and the fields were almost beyond belief and impossible to ignore or resist. When Devon looks like this I want to paint in gouache - I can make blocks of colour, layer by/on layer.

In fact the colours are even more intense in reality. April is a wonderful month and takes us from the simple skeleton outlines of trees right into the incredible abundance of blossom.

From early mornings where daffodils are seen gradually emerging into being in mist as the increasing warmth sun slowly disperses the cold, right into days of brilliant sunshine and colour.

Where grassy banks are filled with flowers to spectacular displays as the sun is setting.

 

Paints and Mediums - acrylic

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Every artist will have their own preferred brand of acrylic paint,    based on things such as the colours available and the consistency    of the paint that ranges from extremely buttery as they say to fluid. 

Try buy a few of Artist's Quality Acrylics rather than a whole range of cheap colours. Student Acrylic Paints are cheaper because they usually contain a lot more filler or they are made from much cheaper pigments. 

It's worth trying out some below and experiencing the difference. 

The next stage is to make your own.

Sennelier

Winsor and Newton

 

 

 

   

 

Liquitex

 

 

 

 

  

Atelier Interactive Acrylics

Lascaux

Additives are used to condition paint to perform to the way you want them too.  

This range allows you to thin - thicken - rework - retard - matt and build up with Lascaux or any acrylic. 

Each paint company offers their own range of additives.

Acrylic Emulsion D-498M - Allows you to make your own acrylics and pastes. This is essentially the same binder used in Lascaux Acrylics.

Impasto Gel - Enables you to mix into paint to create translucent or semi-translucent structures. Available in 1 - Gloss and 2 - Matt.

Water-Re-soluble Medium - With this medium you can make watercolour paint with special properties by mixing with traditional acrylics. Paints will not develop a permanent paint film and may be reworked like traditional watercolour. By varying the amount of this medium, you can create colours that will be water re-soluble in heavy layers.

Lascaux Transparent Acrylic UV Varnish - transparent UV protection, through the application of at least two coats of paint, mixed with at least 25% water and with a 6-hour drying time between them.  Matt, gloss or satin finish, in two sizes. Satin lacquer also available in 5l format.

And then there is Lascaux Resonance Gouache - link

Work by Others - Mary Button Durell

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I find this work extraordinary - simply wheat paste, tracing paper and occasionally - actetate.

http://www.marybuttondurell.net/

'This body of work uses only tracing paper and wheat paste as material. At first glance these pieces appear to be built onto a rigid wire frame, however, the process is much more organic and the structure is created from my own hand building.

Individual cells or cones that comprise most of the pieces are first formed over moulds of various shapes and sizes and then joined together using wheat paste cell by cell. 

Additional layers of paper and paste are then added for strength and reinforcement which creates the net-like structure around the individual cells.




The translucent quality of the tracing paper allows light to play a significant and dynamic role in the work. In combination with the physical structure of the work, this translucent quality creates an interior as well as exterior perspective.

In certain light, however, the translucency of the paper appears to have the visual characteristics of more solid materials, such as oyster shell or marble.
Due partially to the inherent physical aspects of these materials, this body of work has evolved both in process and form along decidedly organic lines.

These shapes have often been described as biomorphic abstractions or shapes resembling cellular membranes - ethereal bodies and the skeletal structures of underwater organisms.'

Papier-Mâché Work by Others - Yuniko Studio Blog

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A very simple way to make a papier-mâché bowl that I absolutely love from Anthea Carboni at Yuniko Studio Blog

1 cardboard egg carton 

bucket of water 

Hand held blender

wire sieve (around 15cm diameter)

bowl

sponge (10 cm round is ideal)

Tear the egg carton into small pieces and leave in a bucket of water (1/3 full) for a day or two. Use the blender to make a pulp. When the mixture is an even, soupy consistency, hold the sieve over the bowl and pour enough of the mixture (slowly) into the sieve to fill to the brim. Rest the sieve over the bowl and wait for the water to drain, taking care not to move the pulp around. 

Then use the sponge to gently press the pulp against the sides of the sieve, starting at the bottom and then working around the sides, lifting the sponge up gently each time. Squeeze out the excess water from the sponge as you do this. 

When you have removed most of the water, turn the sieve upside down and gently tap the sieve against your other hand to release the bowl. Reshape the edges if needed.

Dry off the bowl in a cool oven (defrost setting or around 80 degrees centigrade)for about an hour.

NOTE

One egg carton makes around 5-6 bowls. Most egg cartons are grey (the one in the photo above was a surprising blue and the one below a pumpkin yellow) but you could easily colour the pulp by adding food colour or dye (food-safe powder colour).