Get knitted,not knotted.

Organic Knitting

In 2009 several BHOGG members, inspired by Helen Hudson, formed a knitting group to extend their skills, eat cake and have a laugh – rather like Sunday work afternoons on the allotment in fact. BHOGG newsletter. gives a full description saying that the idea was to knit a large allotment to make something entertaining and good to look at, but something that would demonstrate the variety, productivity and beauty that’s possible on a well thought out allotment.

As an organic group most of the materials that were used were left overs, donated or found in charity shops.

Artistic Licence

The design conforms to the actual layout of the beds, paths, pond, gravel and recreation areas. It allowed some artistic licence – raspberries aren’t really as big as apples and there isn’t a miracle micro-climate on the Weald site that allows peas and pumpkins to crop at the same time, or strawberries to fruit when the primroses are out – but we’ve included as many of the types of veg, fruit, herbs, flowers and trees that are grown there as we could knit in the space.

Permanent Plantings

The more permanent plantings are in the positions they really occupy: fruit trees, soft fruit, asparagus, comfrey, the lavender hedge. Other areas have perennial herbs like Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme, while the long border below the pond has a variety of useful small trees and shrubs. These are detailed in the photos.

Companions in bed together.

In keeping with good organic practice the contents of the raised beds are rotated each season, so visitors shouldn’t expect to find crops where they appear here. BHOGG also thought it important to show how flowering plants are used as companion plants and to attract insects for pollinating and pest control, and judging by the size of the knitted bees, butterflies and ladybirds, and the health of the crops, it’s worked.

Brighton based Harvest run courses that feature rotation and bedding down together, which I leave to Harvest and your imagination to picture.

BHOGG’s Beautiful Banner.

BHOGG has a tradition of beautiful design which was originally shown with its glorious multi-coloured multi-talented display banner shown in the pictures on display here and at the entrance to Seedy Sunday in February. The event was featured on Gardeners Question Time and can be heard on BBC podcasts

The well knitted group would like as many people to see the knitted allotment as possible and at 6ft by 4ft it suits a public space such as a gallery or community centre. Any suggestions?

P.S. What you always wanted to know about Brass Monkeys.

“Cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey” is an old 18th century expression, used when Brighton began to develop. It was adapted into another expression in the last century that I will not embarrass Lottie by repeating.

However the exact origin of the term Brass Monkey is unknown, its’ many centuries of usage history indicates its original meaning is thought by some to relate to the Kelvin Spheres that sit on either side of a ship's binnacle. The balls, which are iron, help offset magnetic shifts so the compass inside the binnacle remains pointed toward magnetic north. The two balls are traditionally mounted on brass arms, which were called 'monkeys' by sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Either way the freezing of the tail or other accoutrements could be prevented by some timely, bhogg-standard knitting that our lovely Lottie would like.

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