Seeing changes

Looking towards Easterbrooks from the north-facing field opposite

We visited Easterbrooks today to collect the latest batch of data. We now have three rounds of data covering four months from July to October.

While south-facing Easterbrooks remains sunny and warm (if windy enough to blow a couple of the more exposed sensor housings off their posts), the north-facing slope is clearly now in deep shadow for much of the day.

In the autumn light it's easier to see the dip that our potential banana-growing hotspot sits in. It's in the upper right quadrant of the photo above. This sheltered position may also explain why the nearby trees (like those bordering the lane below) have retained their leaves.

First tests with thermal imaging camera

A normal digital image of the potential site for growing bananas at West Town Farm with thermal image alongside. White/red are hottest spots and blue/black are coolest spots.  Cattle can be seen in the distance at the top of the hill.

Button sensors

Measuring growing conditions more precisely

Temperature sensor - Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide

Having selected a potential site for banana growing at West Town Farm, we're now investigating air and soil temperatures using iButton^® data loggers. The loggers themselves are tiny, but those measuring air temperatures need to be protected by radiation shields to ensure their readings aren't affected by direct sunlight. (We made these shields from ordinary kitchen funnels.)

There are seven sensors on the south-facing slope of Easterbrooks and two on a north-facing slope opposite, installed with the help of Dr Jonathan Bennie from Exeter University Environment & Sustainability Institute. The sensors will take readings every 30 minutes for up to 42 days.  We're looking forward to downloading the first batch of data and finding out what they tell us.

Field Trip

Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon. Participatory field work undertaken as part of a walk organised with OrganicArts. We're looking to compare personal responses to a potential banana-growing site with scientific data and computer modelling.

Field Trip: Barefoot sensing

Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon. (Josey's notebook)

Field Trip

Cow drawings - Kim Chenoweth

Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon.

Field Trip: Edge Spaces

"Find: points of disconnection; interfaces, where one thing links to another; transitional spaces that are neither one thing nor another." Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon.

Field Trip: Light & Air

"Where is sun? Where is shadow? - Where is warmest? Where is coolest? - Where is still? Where is breezy? - Where is dry? Where is humid?"  Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon. (Maeve's notebook)

Field Trip: Movement

"Find: shears and joins, flows and breaks, routes and barriers, niches and hollows, accumulations and removals." Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon.

Field Trip: Inventory of things

"Throw a hoop to pick a random patch of ground. Log, describe and count everything you find there." Field Trip - 29/06/14, Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, Ide, Devon.

Pilot planting site

Easterbrooks, West Town Farm, looking NW - 11/06/14

We've picked a pilot site for potential banana planting at West Town Farm and will be carrying out a more detailed survey of the growing conditions with temperature sensors supplied by Exeter University's Environment & Sustainability Institute. There's the possibility of soil testing too. In addition, we're hoping participants on a walk on 29 June (led by Gabrielle Hoad) will share their observations of the site.

Devon banana plants going strong

Our stock of Musa Dwarf Cavendish is doing well.  Two are at West Town Farm in a polytunnel under the care of Andrew Sanders, the Community Garden Co-ordinator; five are at the University of Exeter in Penryn under the care of Dr Jonathan Bennie; and three are with Gabrielle Hoad in Exeter, living indoors (although they will go outside when the Devon weather improves).

This is one of the latter which, after a slow start, are now growing fast and have reached a height of approximately 22cm (42cm including pot). They have also started to show distinctive maroon markings on their leaves. Although these probably won't reach full height (2.4 metres) this summer, they should provide us with a supply of pups (suckers) for future planting.

Baby bananas

Ten Musa 'Dwarf Cavendish' (dessert bananas) arrived today for planting in Penryn and Exeter. Once they've grown a bit, they should be fairly happy outdoors, though they will need some protection in winter. The real challenge will be getting them to fruit.

The Great British Banana

The Great British Banana is a limited-edition 16-page booklet, designed by Gabrielle Hoad, which draws on initial research material for 'Foreign Soil'. Distributed free at outlets across Wales and Southwest England, it was commissioned and printed by Nick Davies as part of his Loophole Supplements series.