Update on New Allotment

Just a quick update on how things are going on the new allotment. Although it is technically not an allotment, more just a plot of land we have been given rights to use, I am still going to refer to it as an allotment.

In the past week we have had warmer than average temperatures for the time of year and as a result of this have managed to get a considerable amount done; I have done an Ok amount but my dad has been really busy. Due to work commitments I have not been there most days but the time I've managed to get there I have been busy. We now have several trees planted and most of the larger weeds removed. I have cleared an area for the Bees to go and have put some anti weed covering down to keep it clear.

Just need to add Bees!

A row of fruit trees. There are more in now since photo was taken and a lot less weeds to the right hand side of them.

Even Buster (my Dad's dog) is "helping"

The days that I haven't been able to get there I have still kept myself busy by making a new stand for one of my hives. I haven't any pictures of it yet as it remains unfinished. I'm also not as proud of this one as my sawing isn't as straight, therefore it has a little wobble. I'll have to see how well it works when a heavy hive is on top of it, with any luck it'll be fine and if needed I can sink the legs into the ground slightly to aid stability. I've also ordered some straps for the hives for when the time comes to move them. They actually arrived this morning and although a little fiddly to fasten they are extremely secure so hopefully no escaping Bees in transit.

Finally a little mention to something else I've ordered that I'd slightly related to the allotment. I've ordered a 4.25l dutch oven. I plan to use this when camping mainly but will take it down to the allotment some days when I plan to be there all day; I intend on lighting up a fire when I first get there and get some meal slow cooking so I can have a proper well deserved meal break when the time comes. I will also be able to use the freshest ingredients straight out of the ground!

Out With The Old...

In November 2012 I received some bad news from my Dad and I have been putting off posting about it until now. The news was in relation to the allotment my Dad has held since 1984, which is also the one that I keep my Bees on, stating that he will have to give up this allotment at the end of January 2013. The reason they have given him is that because he already has another allotment he is not allowed a second. The other one is withing walking distance of his house and has his greenhouses on so I can't expect him to give this one up however it is right next to a school so Bees will be a big no on this site!

Between me and my Dad there were a few mixed emotions, mainly a feeling of slight anger from my Dad and panic from myself. My Dad has many well established trees in the allotment that won't be easy work to move not to mention that he had just spent a good many hours digging in the manure to prepare the soil for next years growing season and then there's the Bees. In the small time frame from receiving notice to end of January there is not much time to find a new site, prepare the site and the move the Bees.

Now for the more positive news. I have been mentioning my problem to a few people and have a few friends who have said they will keep an eye out for places but so far no luck. I have also sent an email to the allotment committee to ask if it is at all possible to either sign the allotment over to my name, or split the allotment in 2 leaving me the half with the Bees or get an extension to give me more time. They have not got back to me yet. In the mean time my Dad has been far more successful than me and has found a friend with some land that he's willing to let us use.

The land is approximately 1.5 miles away from my dads allotment as the Bee flies and few hundred feet further travel from my home but the best thing is that is on my route to and from work so if needed I can visit straight from work. The land is slightly bigger by my reckoning using google maps to measure the boundaries (roughly), but not by a great amount. There is a good water source right next to the land in the form of a stream. The land has been used to raise pigs in the last few years so there is plenty of well rotted pig muck just under the surface.

I have included some photos below, including an attempt at a panoramic, and in these photos you'll be able to see that there is still a load of work to be done but with some hard work I'm sure it'll look excellent in no time and be producing loads of food and room for plenty of Bee hives!

  

Weeds, junk and tree stumps

The first tree planted! Baking apples!

Access to the stream

More of the stream

More weeds!

The twigs sticking out of the ground  in a row are raspberry bushes

Yacón Planted

Yacón is another South American crop that I am attempting to grow this coming season. In some respects it is similar to oca, which was the subject of my last post, in that it also is a tuber with a long growing season and is from South America. That is not the reason I am growing this crop. The first reason is the same as why I grew oca and that is that I'm fascinated by these plants and they do make a good talking point as most people haven't heard of them before but the main reason I am growing this is the reported health benefits.

Yacón's tubers are the edible bit of the plant and are described as being very sweet and juicy if eaten raw, although they can also be cooked in any way a potato can. It is what happens once it is eaten that interests me. Yacón's main storage carbohydrate is different to potatoes in that it is primarily made of a substance called inulin.

Looking at the Wikpedia entry on inulin there are quite a few benefits of having it in your diet with only one down side that I will mention later. The main benefit to me is that the body doesn't accept inulin the same as sugars and starch so that it passes through our gut without absorption. On its way through it does feed friendly bacteria and helps us absorb calcium along with magnesium. It's also listed as a source of soluble fibre.

That's the good points.... The bad point is not so much bad but more unpleasant, or at least potentially unpleasant! The reason for this is that while it feeds friendly bacteria it also can cause the overgrowth of methanogenic bacteria, which as the name hints are the ones that produce methane and make your bottom burp! I personally don't see this as a major problem as I doubt we will produce enough of it for it to be a regular addition to the dinner plate and also the good aspects far outweigh the potential embarrassment of a little trump now and again.

In the photo below the growing tips are on top of moist compost. After the photo was taken I pushed them into the compost and have now left them and with a little luck they will start to grow in spring

Oca Harvested

Last week we had a day that was warmer than it had been in the previous days, I think it got as high as 7°C. Compared to the weather we've had it was almost tropical. The temperature had dropped below freezing on several occasions and as a result the tops of my oca plants have died off, so it was a perfect time to harvest them! If you haven't heard of oca then here is the Wikpedia link.

Oca is a crop from South America that forms tubers under ground that grow when the days start getting shorter. If I had to compare it to anything it would have to be the potato even though it does have it's own taste. It can also be eaten raw and has a slight sweet flavour and crisp, almost radish like, texture. In this years crop the tubers are much smaller than last year and as a result I doubt that much of it will reach the table, although I will have plenty stored to plant out next year. I have also purchased another South American tuber crop called Yacón to grow next year, which will probably be the feature of one of my next posts  

Wakefield and Pontefract Beekeepers: Novembers Meeting

The last Monday of November was the last meeting we will have of the year as we don't have meetings in December. The meetings main part was a presentation by our association's president who is also the regional Bee inspector for the North East of England. The subject was about giving your bees the best start possible to start the new year. 

We were asked when the beekeeping season really started or was it more dynamic than simply having a start and end date. Does the bee season run from spring to spring, winter to winter or even from when the Queen starts laying to when she finishes laying. 

We also discussed winter mite treatments which include oxalic acid. This treatment is applied when the Queen had stopped laying and there is no brood present. It involves putting small amounts of diluted acid mixed in sugar syrup directly on the bees. This will kill the mites but not affect the bees. The treatment comes either in crystal form or in a pre made solution. This year I have bought a pre made solution as this will be easier for me. 

The presentation also included various graphs showing how quickly the mite population can increase if not treated. It showed the difference between starting the season with only a few mites compared with about 50 and over 100. With only a few it takes a really long time for the mite population to get to really dangerous levels but with 100 mites it takes much less time. Even with 50 it takes a lot less time than with over 100.

Another thing we were shown was a map of our region showing where the different foul brood diseases have been detected over the last few years. Luckily there were no major outbreaks of either disease near to my apiary, though I will still have to be very vigilant for they can be devastating and you have to report any signs of either disease. 

The meetings was finished as usual with a raffle, though as I'd forgot my wallet that was out of the question! I did get offered a cup of tea by a fella that lives close to me, we have since swapped details so the meetings in the new year we will be able to car share.