Wow...

Just look what a few days of slogging my guts out can achieve.

The revised UH website is live.

As is the updated Leeds Pride Site, there will be more content updates on their way shortly.


All our sites now exceed DDA requirements for accessability, this means that those of you with difficulty in viewing internet pages should find our sites easier to adapt to the accessability technology.

I wish I could tell you about the new UH.20 packages that are on their way but at the moment it is all hush hush. All I can say is that we are all about giving YOU the choice AND the control.

The Tech boys are working on something pretty major and have literally had to create the programming code from scratch!

We have also just arranged a couple of new site contracts that should make for an interesting project or two. More details to come.

Urban Hippy is well and truly BACK!

The two different incarnations of this site have now merged.
As urbanhippy I have a burning ambition to get out into the real world and work the soil. This resulted in a mad five minutes a few months back when I swore i was giving all this techno-shit up and working as a gardener. Needless to say that didnt happen. Instead welcome to the Urban Hippy Co-Operative Allotment Project.

The idea is simple.

We all work a site and we all take home a share of the produce each. No one person does all the back breaking work and it turns a solo hobbie into a community event. What it also does is allow people who wouldnt be able to manage a whole plot to still take part.

We have one plot and are looking into taking over more.

If you want to be involved please let us know.

Also am offering HUGE reductions to non-profit groups and other eco groups so check out the webby for more info.

Cheers M'dears!
UH
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Change is as good as a rest.

Urban Hippy the Website Company is BACK!

Oh yeah - in actual fact it never went away all that happened is that I messed around in my garden for a bit but i still had to update and manage our sites.

It got daft turning down so much work - so...

I am back and more focused than ever.

If you want a website building get in touch

If you want a website hosting get in touch

If you want a website auditing get in touch

If you want organic tomato soup recipies - email me and we'll talk...

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The seeds are coming up thick and fast. Soon I'll be tucking into a very healthy salad!

The heatwave has certainly prompted some of the plants to grow that little bit faster and all sorts of things are starting to shoot up. Unfortunately this also includes the bloody weeds.

I've got a relaxed attitude to weed in my own garden and I tend to allow more of them than most people. My rule of thumb is that as long as it flowers/produces berries/attracts insects then I'll tolerate a small patch as long as they don't start running rampant.

For instance I don't mind dandelions, in small numbers but when the flower has died away and the leaves are bigger than my hand it's time for them to go. I use my distilled vinegar and Lemon juice spray and they whither and die right in front of me. Try it, it work wonders!

Anhow the rains coming down now (so much for "bright sunshine and 28 degrees"!!!) so I am going to go back inside before the laptop gets too wet and I die in a nasty explosion.

Take care and Happy Hippying!

Just sown my first crop of Thompson and Morgan's Oriental Mixed Salad Leaves (Free with the August issue of Grow your own) in the big blue tub.

There's enough seeds for two more sowings so I should have salad throughout August to October/November time if I'm lucky. The benefit of putting this in the big tub is I can easily bring it indoors and more than that I can Cloche it if need be and maintain the water levels.

Here's Hoping!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com>PHOTO HERE</a>

Been to see the allotments and I have reserved plot number 3.

It's currently about 7 foot high in weeds and meadow.
But... Luckily for me the probation boys are going to strim it down and mark out the area for me. G_d Bless Community Service !

Also spoke to Bill who's had a plot or four there for about forty years and he says to leave it till autumn then dig it over " get it shitted" and get the crops in in spring.

I'm going to take this advice and it'll give me time to sort out the plans. I'll cover it in black polybags to help kill off the weeds and then I'll get some seeds in in October - beans mainly.

Gotta sort out tools and shed and stuff!

The woman from the allotments rang me today and said that yes there are plots available and that she'd send me out the forms and a map so i can see the available ones and pick one.

Fabulous I cannot wait.

Yesterday managed to get about 30 packets of seeds in wilkinsons for about 30p a packet. So I now have some seeds ready for September/October. All I need to do is to find some salad seeds (lettuce etc) and some mustard seeds to use as a green manure and I am almost ready.

Well, today was going to be spent with a trip down to the allotments spying and trying to see what state the available plots are in. However I woke up with a bad back and my right leg twisting in as I walk. Nothing too unusual there as I have an un-specified nerve condition which sometimes flares up. Ah well.

Instead I decided to sort out the garden a bit. Planted out the half dead bargains I bought from the market yesterday. Geranium, small patio rose, a begonia and some assorted anonymous ones which look a bit yellow but probably just need a chance and a bit of love. Also put in four busy lizzies. I love these plants and they'll add the splash of colour I've been lacking.

Also planted the strawberries into a tub. Too late for a crop this year but they should be ok for nesxt year!

Been talking to a couple of allotmenteers online about late salad crops, been offered some seeds and some kale seedlings and I think I am kinda ready to go as soon as I get the plot!

Gave my neighbours pyracantha another prune. This is to encourage growth on the butchered side. (They had a wall built and the builders decided to "prune" the bushes with a chainsaw from the hack and slash school of gardening. There are a few nice new shoots on the damaged side so I am pruning most of the other new growth back to encourage these.

BTW found this good resource for CHEAP composters HERE Although this is just for my local area there are other schemes up and down the country!

Anyhow that's all for now. Gonna hobble into town to get some seeds.

Still waiting to hear back about the Burley Mills site. It's ok cos the woman in charge is away till monday so I'm not expecting anything it's just bloody annoying! I'm not actually that impatient it's just that we're already in july and it's getting very late in the season.

Am heading off today to look for some salad seeds and some small herbs. Also after some flowers for the garden. There is a distinct lack of butterflies at the moment and thi is due to the lack of bright beautiful flowers.

Freecycle people have been kind and I've been offered some plants and some seeds.

All I gotta do now is persuade my friends that they DO want to come clear weeds and they DO want to help build raised beds!

The site I wanted initially was called "Burley Model" and this seems to be full with a three year waiting list. It's also terribly terribly middle class. So I'm now looking at Burley Mills which is just as close but is a bit more workable and has plots available.

I'm gonna head down there later today and scout it out and see just what sort of mess I'll be taking on.

The call will soon go out for friends and anyone interested to come help clear a plot. in return beer, bbq and a share of the first harvests will be on offer. Get your excuses ready guys!

The new website is up and running. Spotted a couple of jumping bits but seems to be ok for now.

This is my Urban hippy blog and will follow the trials and tribulations as I attempt to sort out an allotment and start up an organic/eco-aware gardening business.

I am REALLY excited by this project as it will help bring about that elusive work life balance and will provide me with tonnes of organic produce and eventually organic wines.

Can't wait!

If you have any tips or hints (OR PLANTS) that you want to pass on that'd be ACE!

Huggz!!!