theHEAP http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog Highfield Eco Allotment Project Thu, 17 May 2012 13:08:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 en Day out to Etherow Country Park http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/16/day-out-to-etherow-country-park/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/16/day-out-to-etherow-country-park/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 23:52:13 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/16/day-out-to-etherow-country-park/ On bank holiday Monday 7th May, 25 of us headed out to Etherow Country Park to see the woods in the full glory of Spring. The carpet of bluebells and wild garlic was beautiful; one day the wild garlic in our forest garden will be similarly impressive… We also saw loads of ducks, including several stunning mandarin ducks - a relatively rare sight in the UK.  The rain tried to put us off but nothing was going to stop us having a lovely team day out and a picnic just does taste better under an umbrella!having a lovely time…

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/16/day-out-to-etherow-country-park/feed/ Building homes for the future! http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/15/building-homes-for-the-future/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/15/building-homes-for-the-future/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 17:03:24 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/15/building-homes-for-the-future/ Out of the three nest boxes which were built and installed by Heap volunteers, one  attracted the attention of a Great Tit pair and now, a few weeks later, they are clearly in the process of feeding their chicks! This is a remarkable achievement considering how little time was left for the pair to locate the box and then create a home inside for the mother to lay her eggs. And now, with constant toing and froing by both parents, it is obvious there are chicks inside constantly demanding food. The other two nest boxes may well attract the attention of more couples next year - to all our delight! Great Tit feeding

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/05/15/building-homes-for-the-future/feed/ Spring is Here at the HEAP!!! http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/04/08/spring-is-here-at-the-heap/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/04/08/spring-is-here-at-the-heap/#comments Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:15:54 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/04/08/spring-is-here-at-the-heap/ Volunteers continue to pour in every Tuesday at the Heap and we’ve been blessed with some amazing and transformational weather lately! The only way to witness this gorgeous and blossoming  turn of the seasons is to come down and visit: EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/04/08/spring-is-here-at-the-heap/feed/ The Heap is teeming with wildlife! http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/14/the-heap-is-teeming-with-wildlife/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/14/the-heap-is-teeming-with-wildlife/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:59:17 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/14/the-heap-is-teeming-with-wildlife/ After just a few days the sparrows are already here…and the frogs are croaking away! Bring on the Spring!


]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/14/the-heap-is-teeming-with-wildlife/feed/ Bring on the Birds! http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/08/bring-on-the-birds/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/08/bring-on-the-birds/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:32:25 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/08/bring-on-the-birds/ The HEAP has recently acquired new status as a bird feeding and nest box arena, beautified by the arrival of house sparrows, great tits, blue tits, magpies and chaffinches -not to mention the ever-circling black headed gulls and crows. Within a day or two the feeders were already being explored by many different birds and hopefully will yield some great photography over the forthcoming months. As the seed and peanut feeders become more familiar to these glorious species we hope to attract permanent bird families in to the nest boxes over the years. We spent many an hour constructing the nest boxes and now, as Spring approaches rapidly, let’s hope we’re rewarded with fluffy chicks very soon!

Making then putting up nest boxes can be a tricky business!

Nest box ahoy!

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2012/03/08/bring-on-the-birds/feed/ Watch our interview with Kirsty and Gill to learn what the HEAP is about http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/watch-our-interview-with-kirsty-and-gill-to-learn-what-the-heap-is-about/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/watch-our-interview-with-kirsty-and-gill-to-learn-what-the-heap-is-about/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:52:01 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/watch-our-interview-with-kirsty-and-gill-to-learn-what-the-heap-is-about/

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/watch-our-interview-with-kirsty-and-gill-to-learn-what-the-heap-is-about/feed/ Help make a mosaic sign for the allotment http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/help-make-a-mosaic-sign-for-the-allotment/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/help-make-a-mosaic-sign-for-the-allotment/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:10:51 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/help-make-a-mosaic-sign-for-the-allotment/ Next week we’ll be finding our creative sides and making a mosaic sign for the allotment. We’ll be staying nice and warm in the local church, so no need to check the weather forecast!
Everyone’s welcome, so come along at 10.30 on Tuesday 6th Dec, see you then!

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/11/30/help-make-a-mosaic-sign-for-the-allotment/feed/ Watch the new ‘Growing Together’ video http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/20/watch-the-new-growing-together-video/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/20/watch-the-new-growing-together-video/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:56:50 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/20/watch-the-new-growing-together-video/

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/20/watch-the-new-growing-together-video/feed/ upcoming events and activities http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/upcoming-events-and-activities/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/upcoming-events-and-activities/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:57:11 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/upcoming-events-and-activities/ This autumn we have a range of events and activities planned, including:

aromatherapy workshop - how to create your own herbal massage oils

bodycare products workshop - how to create herbal lotions and cremes to care for your body

planning session for planting next spring

planting of overwintering crops and green manures

soft fruit pruning and propagating

putting up our new polytunnel

forest garden maintenance

sign painting

weeding, as ever!

]]> http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/upcoming-events-and-activities/feed/ Oil infusions http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/oil-infusions/ http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/oil-infusions/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:50:40 +0000 tom http://www.theheap.org.uk/blog/2011/10/11/oil-infusions/ Last week we ran a workshop on making culinary oil infusions.

We harvested herbs from the allotment - thyme, spearmint, peppermint and rosemary, as well as garlic and raspberries (still fruiting!).

We then each selected our preferred combinations of flavours and put them in bottles of olive oil. The flavours will take 2 weeks to infuse and then they’ll be ready to use for salad dressings and cooking. And they look beautiful.

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