How organic?

I think they use the molasses as an easily available Carbon for the plants, you could just use sugar, but this would probably attract ants / wasps. Some pet foods have molasses in them, perhaps you could experiment with adding some to your planting pit?

Another council meeting came and went without enough councillors bothering to turn up to form a quorum.... So no business was conducted for another month.... well, five weeks actually. In a month there is something else going on...... 
Absolutely b****y shameful!

I suspect that most of us would do so - NigelB is a little bit different though. 

But if we didn't have somebody way out pushing the boundaries things would never change. 

To win your battle NigelB you need to understand your opposition, to understand how they think and then to work out how to lead them gently by the nose round to the way that you wish them to think without being caught doing so.   

I'd say that the first battle you have to win is to persuade your councillors that you are a gentle little lamb who is no danger to themselves or their peaceful council meetings. That way you will get your quorum. Then you talk gently with great charm to them using the information you have gleaned from this forum - remember that they probably know even less about gardening than they do about running a council which won't be much as council's are usually run by their clerks.

Remember that softly softly catcheth Monkey - but first you need to think like the monkey to know what sort of softly softly.

Meantime, sensibly organic is building your own compost heap without too much nasty stuff. Remember not to put the Verdone on your lawn as the clippings will then be contaminated with the same chemical that caused B&Q to withdraw their organic tomato feed that was killing off the said tomatoes. Flipping marvellous innit how a simple thing can cause so much trouble. Far better to let the lawn grow a bit longer and not be cut so often in dry weather. 

To win your battle NigelB you need to understand your opposition, to understand how they think and then to work out how to lead them gently by the nose round to the way that you wish them to think without being caught doing so.   

I'd say that the first battle you have to win is to persuade your councillors that you are a gentle little lamb who is no danger to themselves or their peaceful council meetings. That way you will get your quorum. Then you talk gently with great charm to them using the information you have gleaned from this forum - remember that they probably know even less about gardening than they do about running a council which won't be much as council's are usually run by their clerks.

Remember that softly softly catcheth Monkey - but first you need to think like the monkey to know what sort of softly softly.

Psssssst! 



Christine.......



Guess what.....................?























WE WON!   











Last Thursday's council meeting was the decider, and they all gave in and granted our request for allotments!
Yaaay!

We have permission to use the field exactly as we applied for it.
There's enough room for twenty or twenty-two plots of 300sq Yards each (280sq metres). More if we reduce the sizes slightly or if there is a bigger uptake than first expected. (And we already have 19 3/4 plots booked so far from a total of twenty-three applicants), and permission to use as much extra room as considered necessary.
There are separate areas for livestock, (chickens and rabbits), and an area we think will be perfect for bee-keeping and fruit trees, and there's also an area for community gardens and leisure, and maybe a small coppice area for growing pea-sticks etc.

Roughly two-and-a-half acres of Wales' finest.


Who's a happy bunny then? 

So much to do now though............
We still have to wait for the nod from the planning dept about change of use of the field, and there's the terms of the lease to negotiate, but they did also vote to set a 'peppercorn rent', so, fingers crossed and all being well, we might manage to get planting this spring!
Right now I have to design and print the posters calling a public meeting ( 2nd Feb 2010) so everyone has had the chance of claiming a plot, and go out there this afternoon to help start marking out and strimming the fence-lines and plots....


WooooHooooo!!!