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Coton Hill Allotments – it was all worth it

By 21st July, the site looked fully established. Another 15 plots had been created and were being prepared, albeit quite late in the growing season. It was quite astonishing how mature the allotments appeared, as if they had been ongoing for some years. There was a general relaxed air of satisfaction about the place.

Most of the plots already had plenty of vegetable produce. One lady was watering her magnificent crop of cabbages and she allowed me to take her portrait with them, albeit that our conversation was somewhat limited by our different languages.

It was quite a warm balmy late afternoon, and it was just the time I had imagined way back when the project started – a late summer’s afternoon when one could relax after working on the plot, have a drink and may be enjoy a barbecue. I could see that one or two folk had already tried out this particular blissful experience, but there were no barbecues on the day during my visit, so I missed out on that photo opportunity unfortunately.

: Beans

: Protection

: Sheds and plot

: Graham’s peas

: Lady and cabbages

: Watering

: Onlookers

: Dominic toiling

: Meadow flowers

: Pallets

: Pallets II

: Wetland

: Thistles

: Allotment view

: Loaded barrow

: Beans II

: Beans III

: Peas

: Raspberry

: Bug

: Asparagus

: Sweet peas

: Bean poles

: Beans IV

: Beetroot

: Courgettes

: Tomato flowers

: Weed mat

: Profusion

Tags: allotments, community, Edgelands, landscape, Shrewsbury, slow, summer, vegetables

Categories Coton Hill Allotments, Edgelands, Photography, Slow

Coton Hill Allotments – Summer?

24 Jun

It was a beautiful warm sunny morning when I visited in May. After the warm weather in March, its been mainly wet and unsettled. But there’s always a plus side for allotmenteers, as that means we don’t have to keep visiting the plot just to water the plants.

For me two of the key signifiers of an allotment are sheds and bean pole supports. And they are certainly well and truly established at Coton Hill. I’m fascinated by the character and care that goes into these constructions.

Most of the plots look immaculately well tended, whilst some begin to show signs of the torment of the owners’ struggle against weeds. But I was delighted to see radishes being harvested in abundance.