National Volunteer Week 2021 by Lucy Kennedy

I’ve been involved with STAA on St Ann’s Allotments for over a decade starting here as a volunteer myself, and in that time I must’ve met hundreds of volunteers. What has been remarkable is how every single volunteer has brought unique skills and enthusiasm, yet there’s something that connects us all in our passion for green issues in…

Gardening myths by Rob Wood (Trustee)

On one of the first occasions I met Charlie Wesson, STAA’s oldest trustee, I was carrying a bundle of the last of the rhubarb on my plot and he told me quite firmly “They say if you eat all those you’re going to die”. What Charlie was referring to was the belief that eating rhubarb in late Spring or Summer was dangerous because of…

Garden with caution by Paul Freeborough (Volunteer)

After the frosts and dry cold winds of April let’s hope that we are into a normal May. That might enable us to seriously think about starting the barbecue season, which has been delayed by the chilly April evenings for many of us. However, what we don’t want are incidents that one plot holder experienced in April 1834, where someone was clearly not keeping an eye on…

Fruit and frost by Paul Freeborough (Volunteer)

The frosts we have experienced during this month have been a concern, particularly for those of us with fruit trees. Hopefully, the blossom will survive long enough for the bees to begin their pollination task as the weather warms up. Fortunately, we appear to have suffered only ground frosts.   In May 1900, fruit tree growers on St Ann’s Allotments were also concerned…