The long slog has started

Today I went down to the allotment armed with a tape measure, a camera and gardening tools.  I measured the site at 9m x 11.5m and just after that it started raining.  Having got sorted I decided to continue with my plans to make headway on the big clear-up and started by removing all the seed heads of the weeds and old rotted crop stalks to make it slightly neater.  

Whilst doing so I discovered some Raspberry plants growing up near the Rhubarb that I had spied on my very first trip.  Not knowing if it was a summer or autumn variety I trimmed it by half and decided to wait and see!  I cleared all the couch grass, bindweed roots and nettle roots that I could find from around them and cleared a bit of the weeds from around the rhubarb but as it was sprouting I decided to leave full weeding around it till later in the season.  The soils is in really good condition, easyish to work even when water logged and in the rain and a lovely dark colour.

 I also managed to cover some of the soil with plastic sheeting that I had and also a tarpaulin that I was lent by a very friendly person on the site.  We chatted for ages whilst I pinned it down with cut up bamboo and I learnt a lot more about the site including the fact that the person who had had my plot before me had managed it organically!  This was excellent news as I was worried that I would have a chemical infested few years.




After four and a half hours of hard graft I headed back home to wash the mud from my tools and  a much needed shower.  I think a shed will be quite high on my list of acquisitions as taking very muddy tools home in my car is not ideal.  Looking forward to a bit of dry weather for next time I get down there.

Today I got an allotment!

Two years ago I felt that my small veg patch wasn't nearly enough to grow any amount of actual food for the table. Bar French beans, tomatoes and herbs there really isn't room for anything else. I thought I would ring up the council and take on an allotment. I was told that there was a minimum of 10 yrs wait!!! Well thankfully many of the people on the list have dropped out and I was offered an allotment last week.

Today, I went to choose which site I would like. One was in quite a lot of shade and the other was in full sun and relatively near the entrance. They are, to a person who has 4, 4'x8' beds absolutely huge! I was offered to have half a plot to start with which I agreed would be an excellent idea. The person who had it before had put in lots of rhubarb so it looks like we will be having loads of rhubarb this year!! On the other side is a very delapadated compost heap that apparently also has rats in it. I shall be removing this and spreading over the site and starting again. The whole site is covered with grass and nettles, at least showing it is fertile soil but will need digging over and weeding before I can even start to grow anything.

I may take my spade and make a start tomorrow if it stops raining. I will also take my camera and tape measure so I can do some planning. I'd also better start organising sowing some seeds soon else I will have nothing to plant when the weather warms up.

All this new space will leave my garden free to grow salad crops and herbs that I need instantly rather than trying to grow a tiny bit of everything in such a small space.

Come on sunshine, I need you so I can get out and make the most of my new plot.

A Busy Day

A Busy Day 


Well today has certainly been busy.  I started off harvesting all the last tomatoes, chillies  cucumbers and turks head squash in the greenhouse in the greenhouse to get ready for bringing the pot plants inside before the weather got cold. 
 I set to and cleared all the tomato pots out and with a trowel weeded the earth.  Next with a cloth and soapy water and made one side of the green house clean.  Then I turned to see the cluttered mess and weeds and dirty windows under the staging on the other side and the realisation dawned that I really did have to clear out that side as well.

Having decided to take the plunge I removed all the plants off and put them on the newly cleared space.  The only trouble is moving a full length block of staging is tricky.  Luckily I had the bright idea of pushing an end out of the door so I could get round the other end.


Once all the plants had been placed back on the staging I then had to clear the accumulated mess on the other side.  SPIDERS!!!! Huge great big black one came creeping out from every crevis.  I think they must like the warmth or something because they were the biggest spiders I have ever seen.  Being VERY brave I got rid of them using long sticks.  They really didn't want to leave and refused to let go despite a lot of tapping!

Once this side was also cleared, weeded and cleaned at last the time had come to bring in all the  tender plants before the frosts that are due any day now.  I finished just as it was getting the sun was setting.

The last thing to do was to plant out a block of lettuces in the planter that had held my cucumbers  enriched with a top dressing of compost ready for a few weeks of salad in the short days of winter.  It was a day well spent and long over due.  

On the way back to the house I even managed to find some ripe strawberries and a few raspberries to enjoy helped to ripeness by the hot sun just a couple of weeks ago!