Garthdee Allotments

Grow Greener with Garthdee Field Allotments Association

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Putting our Backs into Bulb Planting

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On November 23, 2014

In Events, Photos

Thanks to a good turnout of willing volunteers we completed the planting of the 2000 bulbs kindly donated through the City Council this weekend.

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Janice and Vinnie – brains and brawn – always a good combination!

It was a crisp, if not actually cold day, and this helped spur us on to complete the task in a couple of hours or less.

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Rod (new to Plot 45) and Sylvia practise their new routine for Strictly.

This week we dispensed with the specialised bulb planting tools and made much faster progress with spades and forks.

Dave and Agnes (New to their micro-plot) give Stuart a hand.

Dave and Agnes (New to their micro-plot) give Stuart a hand.

Once finished we retreated to the Bothy for a well-earned cup of tea and cake – young and old!

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Thanks to all who answered the call (including Frank who I failed to get on film) and made short work of the planting. Roll on Spring and what we all hope will be a welcome burst of colour around the site to welcome in another growing season.

 

Community Sunday Squad

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On November 16, 2014

In News

Today’s Community Sunday hit squad take a break to straighten their backs while planting 500 daffodils and a similar number of crocuses – or should that be croci?

Gill, Stuart, Kenny, Peter and Jacqui hard at work

                                              Gill, Stuart, Kenny, Peter and Jacqui hard at work

However, 500 of each still remain unplanted and so if you can spare half an hour to help get some into the ground around our site this coming week, please contact Stuart for details.

 

 

Bare Faced Cheek!

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On November 15, 2014

In News, Photos

I had noticed for a few weeks that something or somebody was chomping its way through the remains of my chard, but late this afternoon we arrived in time to catch the culprit in the act.

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He/She stood her ground for a few moments before showing off her effortless hurdling skills over the fences between the plots: I finally caught this photo as she arrived at Michael’s plot up by the railway line.

Can anyone throw any light on the species and gender?

Congratulations!

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On November 4, 2014

In News

Sandy and the Tea MakerThe 2014 Aberdeen in Bloom awards were announced recently and congratulations are due to several GFAA plotters. Seven of our association members stepped forward into the competition this year and all received honorary mentions. However, Stuart Oram and Sandy Inkster did exceptionally well, coming First and Third respectively in the City Allotments category.  Hearty congratulations go to both, along with thanks for putting GFAA well and truly on the city map.

StuartWhile none of us needed confirmation of how exceptional Sandy and Stuart’s plots are, it’s still great to see two of our GFAA plotters in the top three of a competition that drew entries from across the city.  Our two winners better not rest on their laurels however, as I hear that several other members are going to enter their plots in the coming season and are already clearing spaces on their mantlepieces to hold their cups and certificates!

 

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Oram_Certificate

 

TAMS Success Story

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On October 29, 2014

In News

I am delighted to report that the Allotment Market Stall Project has had a very successful season. The project seeks to sell surplus allotment site produce to the public, so spreading the benefits of good, local food growing to the wider community. This year TAMS sold almost £1000 of veggies over the summer weeks – a magnificent effort.

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Here is an extract from the thank you letter we received from the TAMS team:

Dear Garthdee Field Allotment Gardeners
Thank you for participating in the Allotment Market Stall in 2014. It has been an excellent season and the stall in Duthie Park was very successful. It would not have been possible without your input in preparing the produce for collection and in volunteering on the stall. We would very much appreciate feedback on how we can improve operations for next season.
Thanks to a small Lottery grant to cover running costs and the partnerships with ACC, the unpaid work scheme and CFINE we are able to redistribute all the proceeds from sales of produce.
In terms of total weights, over the 10 weeks we collected 1005kg of produce, sold 816kg, donated 146kg and composted 43kg. An excellent achievement for all those concerned as it represents an improvement in access to locally grown fruit and vegetables, a reduction in waste, a reduction in food miles and contributes to an improvement in healthy eating.
 
We are in the process of writing up a full report on the operations in 2014 in preparation for the 2015 season and will make it available as soon as we can.

The return from TAMS to GFAA this season has totalled to over £140. I want to offer my congratulations and thanks to all who contributed to this magnificent community effort and to the TAMS team for making this possible.

Aberdeen and It’s Your Neighbourhood

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On October 28, 2014

In Advice, Events, News

Sandy Scott from ACC

Sandy Scott from ACC

Aberdeen was well represented at this week’s IYN event in Stirling. Fifteen city organisations won awards and Aberdeen provided two of the keynote speakers.

Sandy Scott from Aberdeen City Council gave an interesting account of his experiences as a Beautiful Scotland judge. He stressed that he and his fellow judges likes to see passion, a sense of place and history and lots of community involvement in projects and organisations – especially from youngsters.

Sandy offered lots of practical advice for those being considered for IYN or Beautiful Scotland awards:

  • be prepared for visiting assessors – have some brollies to hand or water bottles on hot days
  • encourage as many as possible to come along and have their say
  • point up ties to local heritage and traditions
  • use interpretation panels and photos
  • don’t be afraid of showing some humour
  • get the next generation and schools involved if possible
  • show off your pride and your passion for your site
  • demonstrate examples of recycling and repurposing
  • provide evidence of all year round activities
  • provide examples of press coverage and other publicity events
  • apparently scones and pancakes often play their part in successful visits!
Wendy Gibson (Slopefield)

Wendy Gibson (Slopefield)

Wendy Gibson from the Slopefield Allotments Association gave a great account of their history and work towards achieving their outstanding award. They have worked hard at site and association improvements including:

  • adding a pond and wet area.
  • planting areas of wild flowers
  • inviting local councillors to their community days
  • developing their communal area and repurposed James Hutton Hut
  • holding seed swap days and awards events – including welly-throwing!
  • exploiting plotters links to business and community resources
  • working with their local primary school on visits and curricular activities
  • establishing bio-diversity partnerships and projects
  • seeking advice from IYN assessors and representatives
  • bribing Community Sunday volunteers with tea and cake after work sessions!

 

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