Taking on Gordon’s 2 allotment has taken its toll. In our meeting in October it was felt that there had been too much work for the amount of produce received, and that the community feeling had been lost.
It had been voiced that maybe we should try a different management style, but all members voted to continue for Karina to do the planning and coordinating and that maybe there should be more work parties.
 
In October, Jola, a member of the SGP, who had previously set up the Pecking Hen Project elsewhere within the Allotment complex, asked for our help. She needed to relocate the project and wondered if she could put it in part of allotment 5.

As we had cleared most of it, had only grown some potatoes, broadbeans and flowers in it and because 3 out of 5 members of the Pecking Hen Project were also members of the Shared Garden Project it seemed a great solution. This was also the year that we had to start paying for our new allotments, so the costs were reduced as well.
 
Having chickens near our gardens is great, they eat the weeds, leaves etc, and we can use some of the manure to start the compost heaps!
 
Part of the group did not want to keep allotment 4 but were prepared to give it another year and grow our broadbeans and pumpkins there.

---