There are jars of honey for sale in the Court Lane Allotments shop at £4.50 per lb jar.
The site shop is open every Saturday and Sundaybetween 11am and 3pm.
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Our bee colonies at Court Lane Allotments have been very busily collecting nectar and turning it into lovely honey. We have extracted a second super last week and this batch of honey is much lighter in colour than the batch we had at the Spring Fair. This reflects the different flowers that the bees have been foraging on.
Quite a few people have been asking for more photos of the little garden we were involved in at Gardeners’ World Live show. We aim to please, so below is a photo slideshow. You can also view it in larger form here.
We have been invited by the NSALG and BDAC to complete a show garden at this year’s Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC, Birmingham. The garden is part of the “Edible Patches” competition and was designed by one of our plot holders. Most of the plants were grown from seed, by a small number of our plot holders. Our garden represents what we are trying to do at Court Lane Allotments, complete with apple tree, beehive, pond and a variety of herbs and wild flowers to increase biodiversity, which is the ethos behind the Community Garden redevelopment. Our garden is entitled “A Tasty Little Space” and gives a snapshot of all the wonderful produce that can be grown in a small space.
We are delighted that the Edible Patches gardens have been awarded a RHS Silver Gilt medal. Members of the public are also encouraged to vote for whichever of the eight gardens is their favourite. Updated to add: We were thrilled that GWL visitors voted us their favourite of the 8 Edible Patches. We received a commemorative engraved glass dish as a prize. Thank you to everyone who voted. Photos of the garden can be seen below and you can download design plan here.
A little write up about our recent Spring Fair. Thanks to Ken Simpson for the words and photos.
Our Spring Fair on May 22nd was a roaring success – not least because of the gale force winds tearing across the site. Several of the gazebos had ambitions to become hang gliders. However, this did not deter our loyal supporters from the local community, other allotment sites and our own plot holders from supporting us. In fact we had visitors from as far away as Berkshire. (We think they happened to be visiting friends in the area – we don’t advertise that far afield). This Fair must have broken a number of records in terms of attendance and the speed at which our offerings were consumed. We opened at 11.00 a.m. and by 12.30 p.m. the home produce (which, at the outset, ran the entire length of the marquee) was all but gone and people were still coming through the gates. Our apologies to all of you who turned up to find that we had sold out. Demand was such that the barbecue had to be hastily re-stocked. The ice cream was also soon exhausted and Court Lane Honey was devoured in an amazingly short time (Its uniquely natural taste even converted several people who professed not to like honey). Our visiting organisations all thanked us for having a great day; John Taylor Hospice, Eco Sutton, The National Vegetable Society, The Greyhound Gap, Birmingham Community Arts and the Artists from The Cube in Erdington. The archery range was very popular and the bouncy castle was never empty (although we had to restrain several over-excited adults). The demonstration of spinning attracted interest from all ages and the jazz pianist added a relaxing atmosphere to the marquee. After a full day we counted the cost, balanced against the slight damage to a couple of gazebos we were more than gratified to find that we had raised a significant amount for Association funds and our partnership with John Taylor Hospice. We would sincerely like to thank all of you for your efforts and support. We also value the many positive comments made in appreciation of our open days. We welcome you to our future events which will be advertised on this website, locally and in the press. You can view photos below or go direct to slideshow. In the recent edition of the Sutton Coldfield Observer, there was an article about our Spring Fair, which is on this Sunday. (see events)
The newspaper has incorrectly stated that all profits from the event will be going to John Taylor Hospice. The correct information is that there will be representatives from the hospice with collecting tins and we will also be giving a donation from money raised on the day of our fair. Profits from the fair will go to Court Lane Allotments Association, which will be used for site improvement and for the benefit of plot holders. We have contacted the newspaper and informed them of their error. We hope that this has clarified any confusion regarding our event. See you at the Spring Fair. Entrance is free. Calling all plotholders! Your Community Garden Project needs you!
You may have noticed that work has now started on the Community Garden, with committee members and volunteers working over the Easter weekend and last Sunday. This Saturday, 7th May, the digger is coming to start clearing the areas for re-landscaping. We need as many people as we can to provide labour and wheelbarrows to help move the excess soil. The digger arrives at 8.30, but any help you could give at any time during the day would be appreciated. Look forward to seeing you there! 
All are welcome to our Spring Fair. There will home baked food for sale as well as local artists from The Cube in the Square. There will be activities for the whole family and the chance to explore our allotments site. There will also be a collection for John Taylor Hospice. You can find out where we are by going here. On the 14th May, there will be an event at Walsall Road Allotments. There will be a plant sale and food available.
You can get more information from their website.
Due to the exceptionally dry and warm Spring weather (according to the weathermen it’s been the driest since the 1953), like other bee colonies in the region, some of the allotment bees have begun to swarm. We had a routine visit on Monday from Julian Routh, a colleague from Sutton Coldfield and North Birmingham Beekeepers who is also a Seasonal Bee Inspector. He was very impressed with our bees and stated that wanting to swarm was the sign of a happy, healthy bee colony.
Swarming is the term used to describe the normal method by which honey bee colonies reproduce. The bees start by raising new cells with queen larvae in (these will form a new colony in the original hive). Then the original queen and up to 50% of the flying bees take off and form a swarm. A large swarm will make a considerable amount of noise as it is flying around and can be quite a frightening sight to the non-beekeeper. It is no small wonder that people are frightened, as there is little in the media to familiarise everybody with honey bee swarms, so that they will not be alarmed when a swarm does occur. The so-called ‘killer bees’ (or more correctly, Africanised honeybees) beloved of movie-makers DO NOT OCCUR IN THE UK. Although people may think swarms are terrifying, in fact the bees are normally very docile and do not sting unless severely provoked. Even if bees land on you, they will simply fly away again if you let them. I remember Julian telling us a story of his young daughter in the middle of a swarm wearing only a light summer dress, being completely unharmed. This is because bees normally sting only in defense of their home – and a swarm does not have a home to defend. Their main concern is to stay together, protect and guide their queen, and get to the new home. If they get caught in your hair or clothes it is possible they may sting you but in general they are not after you. If bees land on your hair, do not flap at them or try to brush them away – you will rub them into your hair and they will then sting! Just keep your hands in your pockets and let them fly away when they are ready. Please do not try to swat them – bees like slow movements, so move slowly and calmly. Here is a video of a swarm showing how calm the bees are when swarming. Lin and Ming with assistance from Julie, Rob and Leo managed to recapture both the Court Lane swarms. But as Winnie the Pooh says, “you never can tell with bees” and one of the swarms has since taken exception to the nice new home we provided for them and absconded. The other swarm is already settling in to their temporary new home and is drawing out comb for the queen to lay in. As well as our own bees, Court Lane Allotments are in an area of Birmingham where there are many beekeepers, several of whom may have bees swarming at present. If you see any swarms of bees at the allotments, the best thing to do is step slowly and calmly away from the area. Try not to shout or wave your arms about as the bees may perceive this as threatening behaviour. Please do contact Lin (plot 45) and Ming (plot 14), the Court Lane Allotment Beekeepers, who are used to handling swarms and will come and deal with the bees. If we are not around, then either Julie or Ken have our contact details. We are also happy to talk to any plot holder about what is happening with the bees, at any time, and welcome interested observers when we are carrying out beekeeping duties. As the bees are very active at present there is always a slight risk of being stung. This is what to do if that happens.
Now that the sun is shining regularly, there is a lot of activity on the allotments. People are busy digging and working their plots in preparation for new growth this year.
Sometimes, the vegetables we grow have a life of their own, as one of our plot holders found out. Not sure where Terry got his carrot seeds from but we’ve been assured that it wasn’t from an alien world.
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