Dry Arch Growers @DryArchGrowers@bath.social

Hello bath.social from Dry Arch Growers! A local co-operative community allotment in Bathampton.

This is an experiment to see what it might be like to have a profile on here, hoping other people, and other growers might be interested in seeing what we're up to.

Let us know if there is any other kind of content you'd enjoy seeing 😃 🍆 🍅 🌿 🥕

Posts for this account are (currently) by https://bath.social/@nick

... and finally the joy of the apple blossom arriving! 🍎 🍏

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#Growers

... the broad beans in the polytunnel are starting to be ready for first harvest, lots of onions growing happily outside, and we got to the end of a big area of potato planting

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#Growers

Lots of happy new plants coming along nicely. Tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, and broad beans.

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#Growers

Yay, the first broad bean pods coming up in the poly tunnels! 🌱 ✨ 💓

Also, dug a lot of potato trenches on Sunday, got almost all the earlies in now... I lost track of the different varieties now. Jazz, Charlottes, Duke of York, Swift, ... some others too.

#Growers

Nice crops of leeks coming up at the moment, they've got nice and fat, I guess the rain and sun both help... also some of the last of the kalettes coming up (cross between kale and sprouts).

We've got quite a few potato trenches dug and planted now, with swifts, duke of yorks, and now charlottes going in..

#Growers

We collected a load of horse manure from near Wellow on Sunday, was a nice trip out!

Some went straight into freshly dug potato trenches, and the rest into our manure pile on site.

Our previous source of manure wasn't supplying any more as they were using it themselves more as bought fertilizer has got more expensive.

This manure has been left for ages unwanted, so really nicely rotted. Very valuable thing to just leave sitting there!

#Growers

... a few more piccies, Duke of York potatoes (iirc) growing in the polytunnel, edible flowers ("violet cress" I think, of the brassica family, very nice sweet taste), our first #NoDig bed, and glorious blue skies! 😎

#Growers

Really felt the spring growing season upon us, lots of people active yesterday, and lots to do.

First outside potatoes planted, lots of seedlings, ongoing work to get the onions planted, and cabbages going in.

Really wet ground still, a little stream flowing at the bottom of the site where it's usually dry.

#Growers #Spring

Enjoying the lovely blossoms here, this one blackthorn (I think). A LOAD of buzzing bees around it 🐝 🐝 🐝

Also, had a peek into the wheelie bin of comfrey fertilizer which looks well broken down.

The comfrey root system is great at pulling a range of nutrients up from the soil, which we can then spread around in fertilizer form where needed (I think destined for the tomatoes).

#Growers #Spring

Oh, and the lovely magic of winter salads...

... which can be combined to make tasty wholesome fresh lunches, all the leaves there less than an hour from picking to my plate, yum!

#Growers

Nice to be back at Dry Arch after a trip away 🚲 🌱

Lovely repaired gate... there had been getting a deeper and deeper ditch under the gate as the posts sunk/degraded.

Piling soil improver on the area for onions this year, which comes from council green waste.

First time seeing the blossom on the little yellow plum (mirabelle) tree, oh joy! They are SO tasty.

... and broad beans coming along nicely!

#Growers #Spring

The wonderful world of Rhubarb. I've never really looked at how it grows until today. Quite surreal and rather beautiful.

A welcome nudge towards Spring. And I think the first thing growing I might be able to put on my muesli.

#Growers #Bath #Spring

... and here's how the whole site is looking at the moment.

The light brown stuff is the remains of the mustard green manure, which will work it's nutrients into the ground, I think for growing potatoes in this year...

The small green plants on the right are mostly onion and garlic.

Other areas are covered in black membrane for weed suppression, until we plant stuff there.

#Growers

... also winter salads inside the polytunnels, parsnips (broke 2 pick axes trying to get them out when the ground was frozen!), and jerusalem artichoke.

The broad beans inside the polytunnels have done better than the ones left outside..

#Growers

I've been a bit lax on the posts lately, mostly as not so much to see over winter...

What I've loved watching is the plants that are still thriving after the frosts we had... tough little fellas!

Onions, broad beans, leeks, and sprouts.

#Growers

Some impressions from the #wassail last weekend...

It time for the 2023 Wassail 🌿 🎉 🌳 🍎 🍏 🔥 💃

Celebrate our apple orchards & toast the New Year!

Saturday 21st January, 2pm til' dusk

Hot soup, cakes, warming bonfire and mulled apple juice using apple juice from our orchards (donations welcome).

Find us at the end of Holcombe Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6UW

(see image for more details ❤️)

A great crop of sweet potatoes came up yesterday, not normally so well suited for growing in the UK.

Also, a newly tidied up path, a polytunnel full of happy food growing, and the mustard green manure starting to do it's thing (fall over...).

I accidentality stuck my fork through a water pipe whilst doing the path, so had to fix that, fortunately we had all the bits on hand.

... and a nice bed cleared, garlic planted out, some tidying of the spaces, and some beans for drying yet to be picked.

Hope you're enjoying your autumn!