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.
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.
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.
Firstly, immediately scrape out the sting using a sideways action with a fingernail. This stops any further bee venom being injected into the wound.
Retreat away from the area as bee stings exude a pheromone which may attract more bees. If possible wash the area to remove the pheromone smell and to clean the skin to prevent bacteria entering.
If possible, apply a thin smear of Antihistamine cream to the affected area. There is a tube of Antihistamine Cream in the portacabin, by the sink, which can be used to treat any type of insect sting.
The area around the sting may swell up or itch for a day or two, so continue with the Antihistamine until it lessens.
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.
The on-site shop at Court Lane Allotments reopens this Saturday 5th March at 11am.
It’s the perfect place to stock up on an ever-expanding range of gardening equipment and accessories. While you’re there, it’s a one-stop-shop for all your seeds for the growing season.
This is the third season we will have the shop. It was purchased and stocked by a Community Chest grant and has proved to be very popular with plot holders and the wider community, raising funds for the maintenance of the allotments. It is manned entirely by volunteers from the committee, who are also happy to answer questions about gardening. If they don’t know the answer, they are sure to know somebody who does!
The shop will be openon Saturday and Sunday only from 11am to 3pm throughout the growing season. The gates will be unlocked so feel free to come in and visit the shop. Due to retail laws, in order to buy anything, you will have to become a member of our association, but at only £1 for a life membership we think it’s a real bargain.
If you’ve never been before and are not sure where we are, the entrance is at the junction of Court Lane and Jarvis Road, Erdington.
As people may be aware, there is a corner of Court Lane Allotments where we have developed a Community Garden. The purpose of it, is to encourage schools and other community groups to have free use of the area. For example, there is a raised bed that is being used by Wilson Stuart School, which has been a great way to teach young people about growing vegetables.
We have some really exciting news about the development of this area. Last year, Court Lane Allotments committee applied to the Big Lottery Fund. We were succesful and have received money to develop the Community Garden area. There were a few hoops that we had to jump through, as the Big Lottery needs to make sure we can deliver on what we say we’re going to do. We also had to make sure that the Birmingham City Council’s Allotment Liaison Officer was happy with the plans. In short, we have received the green light for the project to go ahead. As previously, the aim is for all people to benefit from the Community Garden including schools, community groups, the public and of course, our own plot holders.
There was an open invitation to plot holders to discuss the Community Garden, and a meeting was held on 28th January of this year. It was a good turnout and the plotholders were very encouraging and supportive of the project. Any questions about the project were answered and the fact that the council has given the go ahead has hopefully answered any queries. Of course, we will continue to communicate with plot holders on the progress of the project and inform all the other people who have supported us (we’re talking about you, dear reader).
The plans for the Community Garden are as follows:
Developing the existing space involving schools, community groups and plot holders – This will mean improving access for those who need extra mobility support, like wheelchair users and those with pushchairs. Inviting community groups and schools to have a little plot for free that they can use. Apart from the school and community group beds, any produce that grows on the Community Garden will be shared, for free, amongst plot holders and other users of the garden.
Encourage beneficial wildlife like bees, butterflies and other insects – We will grow plants and flowers that will actively encourage pollinating insects that will benefit all plots on the allotments site. We currently have a bee hive enclosure in the garden area and we wish to encourage their well-being by having these plants.
A herb and natural remedy area – We aim to grow herbs that can be used for cooking and other plants for cosmetic and remedial purposes. The idea is to have experts offer free courses to plot holders and members of the public who may be interested. There will be other free courses available and we welcome any suggestions.
The changes are only to the existing Community Garden space with the aim to improve the area so that it will be beneficial for all, and easier to maintain.
One of our plot holders has offered her garden design skills and has created a visual plan for us. In addition, other plot holders, who have landscaping expertise, have offered their services. This is showing that people value the project and want to help in developing a green space that really is “community” based.
Below is a photo of the design. You can view larger versions here. We welcome any comments and if you are a community group who are interested in using the garden, please feel free to contact us.
Apologies for allowing the blog to be left rather unloved in 2011. This is due to the winter break and the rather heavy snow. This has meant that not a lot has been taking place on the site. Saying that, there are a few exciting projects that we have planned this year so there will be plenty of updates from now on to make up for the silence so far.
This blog will also undergo a few little changes. Nothing dramatic, just a few additions here and little tweaks there. In general, our web presence needs a little rethinking, as at the beginning of our foray into the world wide web, we were pretty much just experimenting. There were online tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube et al. which we knew existed and could be useful, but it’s taking us a while to think through how they could be used effectively and convey what we are doing at Court Lane Allotments.
For example, our Twitter account has been used mainly to promote events at our allotments site. There has been very little interaction between our 270 or so followers on Twitter. Therefore, it’s important that time is given to those people who share the same interest as us and we try to make it a genuine conversation. Not always easy as our web presence is managed by one and sometimes a couple of others, which, as you can imagine, can get rather time consuming. All those who take time to help at the allotments in terms of organising events are all volunteers who do it in their spare time. The web stuff is no different.
So, we are actively encouraging people to share information with us. It could be that you are another allotment site in Birmingham and wish to promote an event. Contact us and we’ll do our best to put it on this website. Another idea is that if you are a plot holder at Court Lane, you could send us pictures, video or a written account of your experiences of your plot. We are open to suggestions from plot holders and the general public alike. Our email is, hello@courtlaneallotments.com
Okay. Enough waffle. Hope to get comments from you so we can make this year an even better year. Keep digging.
Thank you to all who attended last week’s Christmas Food & Crafts Fair. It was a great day and there were huge smiles all around.
We had stalls from local artists this year from The Cube in Erdington, and it was a wonderful sight to see such talented people show their work. The artists were Cath Lawlor, Angie Chapman, Mandy Thorne, Jeanette Hill, Susan Hassell, Heather Rowland, Al Franklin, Paul Maiden and Stewart Moult.
We also had a stall from the League of Friends of John Taylor Hospice. We donated £50 to them and their stall made £207 on the day. There was also a donation from a local fruit and veg owner of £20.
A special thank you to those who volunteered, along with the allotment committee members, their time and help.
Below are some photographs from the day and here is the direct link to them.
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