It’s finally time to spring into action | Allan Jenkins

A full moon and the long weekend mean it’s back to life on the allotment – and there’s lots to do

Easter. April, the month of showers, the last threat of late frost – mostly absent already in the south. Wednesday’s full moon was a seed moon, also paschal moon, the first after the equinox, the one by which Easter is calculated. But it is seed time we are focusing on here. This is the long weekend when many of us remember we have a garden, start thinking about plant shopping and plan what to grow when.

The list for outdoor sowing is impressive: leeks, broccoli, cabbage, brassicas, salsify, spinach, chard (we have sown Fordhook Giant, Bright Lights and Ruby), lettuces, oriental and salad leaves. Root crops, too, though we will stick to radishes, beetroot, perhaps turnips if we can find room. We don’t tend to do well with carrots. It is time to finish planting potatoes: second early and main crops can all go in now. Earth up any from earlier.

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It’s finally time to spring into action | Allan Jenkins

A full moon and the long weekend mean it’s back to life on the allotment – and there’s lots to do

Easter. April, the month of showers, the last threat of late frost – mostly absent already in the south. Wednesday’s full moon was a seed moon, also paschal moon, the first after the equinox, the one by which Easter is calculated. But it is seed time we are focusing on here. This is the long weekend when many of us remember we have a garden, start thinking about plant shopping and plan what to grow when.

The list for outdoor sowing is impressive: leeks, broccoli, cabbage, brassicas, salsify, spinach, chard (we have sown Fordhook Giant, Bright Lights and Ruby), lettuces, oriental and salad leaves. Root crops, too, though we will stick to radishes, beetroot, perhaps turnips if we can find room. We don’t tend to do well with carrots. It is time to finish planting potatoes: second early and main crops can all go in now. Earth up any from earlier.

Continue reading...

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Shared private roads and the potential pitfalls Nottingham Estate Agents

If you are buying a property, or own one already, that is on a shared private road, there are some things you should be aware of to avoid unnecessary expense or conflict with the road’s owner or you neighbours. This article considers the issues that can arise in relation to shared private roads and how […]

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H is for free houseplants: an A-Z of transforming your space in lockdown

From baking to a picture rehang, there’s plenty you can do in your own backyard

With National Trust and RHS gardens shut, download the app Candide instead. It offers audio tours of famous gardens, hosted by the company’s head gardener, so you can wander around Hestercombe or West Dean, from the comfort of your armchair.

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Universal credit: how to claim, and how much you will receive

Coronavirus lay-offs have forced many people to embark on their first ever benefits claim. Here’s what you need to know

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Workers laid off due to the coronavirus crisis and applying for universal credit for the first time may be surprised to learn how little it pays and how difficult the process can be.

That was the stark warning from benefits experts this week as many people embark on their first ever benefits claim.

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H is for free houseplants: an A-Z of transforming your space in lockdown

From baking to a picture rehang, there’s plenty you can do in your own backyard

With National Trust and RHS gardens shut, download the app Candide instead. It offers audio tours of famous gardens, hosted by the company’s head gardener, so you can wander around Hestercombe or West Dean, from the comfort of your armchair.

Continue reading...

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'You can learn ceramics fairly quickly': the pottery studio breaking the mould

A new social enterprise scheme in east London helps locals train as potters in an artist’s studio. Meet the terracotta army designing planters for your garden

It’s easy to miss the narrow alleyway that leads to Troy Town Art Pottery, running along the wall of Hoxton Street community garden in east London. The low building, which is filled with light that pours through a glass vaulted ceiling, used to be a potting shed. Its horticultural history is about to be revived. Artists have used this ceramics studio to produce work shown at Tate Britain, the Turner Prize and in the Arts Council collection, but now it is also a school where young local people learn to throw garden pots.

Troy Town was founded by the artist Aaron Angell in 2014 as a resource for artists wanting to experiment with clay as a material for sculpture – rather than as something to make teapots with. Names such as Anthea Hamilton and Steven Claydon have been resident at Troy Town. Angell is part of the growing generation of artists fascinated by clay and his work has been shown all over the world in recent years as collectors and museum curators have woken up to the pleasure of pottery.

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