My (non existant) sign writing skills came into play this week, I hand painted a sign onto the allotment – it took me all day!!
I’d have much preferred to have a real butterfly painted on the side, the comma, which seems to have become our ‘logo’ but I had to use specific wood paint and we had no black or orange to I had to use a bit of artistic licence on the butterfly front.
I’m not sure what the scientific types will think of that but it looks ok to me.
Planted on the Mobile Allotment are:
Sorrel, when young can be eaten as a salad leaf and is a larval plant for the small copper.
Marjoram, thyme and mint are good nectar sources for several butterflies.
Cabbages for the whites is also great.
Nettles for comma, red admiral, small tortoiseshell and peacock.
Garlic chives
fennel
lavender (edible in small quantities as flavouring)
pot marigold (Calendula sp.), which has edible flowers
Most of the herb bed is attractive to bees and butterflies when in flower:
Particularly marjoram (especially the perennial, sometimes called pot marjoram)
And thyme.
Then borage, sage + rosemary (all for bees)
All the bean family (broad, French and runner beans and peas) are attractive to bees, indeed bumbles are essential to pollinate runner beans as honey bees are too light to open the flowers.
Courgettes too are bee pollinated.
Wild strawberries attract butterflies + bees but are also loved by birds (of which we have may at the park).
Concentrating on the caravan now until the opening + then i can start planning out a wee tour with allotment I hope.
