We’ve finally got some planting done. Just some onion sets I’d started off in trays and a few Autumn King carrots and Duchess F1 parsnips. I’ve sown the parsnips with some radish too so I can see where they are.

The bed is the one in this picture.

The Front Bed

Its the only bed that was already set out on the plot, but full of couch grass, mare’s tail and thistles. It took Becky and I a couple of hours to weed and dig and rake about a quarter of it. There’s a lot left to do, but at least we’ve made a start on it. It’s about 6ft by 12ft altogether but will be about 30ft x 12ft when it’s finished.

Front Bed Started

We’ll dig the rest a few yards at a time and plant and sow as we go, but that’ll be between jobs. The next job is one of the big middle beds, probably number 3 on the plan.

Planting At Last

I was surprised at how good the soil is in this bed. It’s deep and loamy and hopefully I’ll have more luck with carrots in it than I have on the home plot.

Whilst we were planting we met a chap from a few plots further down who showed us the mare’s tail on some of the other plots. It made ours look not quite so bad after all. He also gave me a hoe, a potato fork and pot of chives.

I’ve had a good think and have finally come up with a grand plan for the plot.

The Grand Plan

As you can see there are a few beds. I’ve already done number 1, the raspberry bed, and the check shaded compost area at the top right. The rest are as follows:

2. This will be my storage area. I’ve already ordered a lockable box. There’s no way that a box will fill this bit up entirely so I might shift some of that rhubarb right into the corner and shove a bit of comfrey in there with it.

3,6,7 and 8. These need digging from scratch and will all be about 6ft wide and as long as that middle bit of the plot allows.

4. This will be for globe artichokes and, possibly in the future, some Jerusalem too.

5. This ‘L’ shaped bed already contains currants and rhubarb at one end, but I’m going to extend it and put some gooseberries in there too.

The bit marked ‘on going’ is an existing but overgrown and thoroughly weed ridden bed. This will get cleaned up, trimmed, dug over and planted between jobs, or as I become desperate for a space to plant in. Along with the four middle beds, this bed will be part of a rotation plan.

All of these beds will be split up by grass paths. To help with the maintenance of these I’ve invested three quid (at the local car boot) in a pair of Wilkinson Sword edging shears. They just needed sharpening and tightening up. I’ll have to keep an eye out for a little push mower now as well.

I’ve numbered the beds in the order I intend to do them (always subject to change), so number 3 is next. 7 and 8 are being saved for last as, at the moment, there is a huge mound right in the middle of the plot. Still, it won’t be there for long.

The Plot

The other night we went up to the plot to have a proper look. I’ve had the paperwork from the council and paid the rent, so I reckon it’s alright to get cracking.

The first thing I did was pace it out to see roughly how big it is. It worked out about 15 x 10 yards, or 50 or so feet by 30. I took a photo with Jess and Ben stood at the far corners just so you can see how big it is.

Its a fair size. Big enough for a bit of fruit and a few large beds.

Using Kids for Perspective

Money, money, money.

I’ve decided to keep a note of how much money I spend on the allotment. So far there’s the rent (I’ve not counted the £25 bond as it’s a one off), a bottle of weedkiller which I probably won’t use but will be kept for anything particularly stubborn (probably any big weeds left in the grass paths I intend to leave between beds), a some very cheap seeds (which may or may not get sown this season).

I don’t usually spent much on the plot at home. Once a year I’ll get a bulk order of compost, but most of my tools and equipment are either hand-me-downs or have been won in online competitions (yes I am that lucky). Most of my seeds are self saved or internet freebies too. I just hope I can keep the allotment that cheap. There will be initial start up costs. I need a lockbox for my tools for a start, but I don’t think I’ll need much else that I don’t already have.

Either way, I’ll keep a note of my on going expenditure on the toolbar to the right.

  
Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.

Before I could come up with a plan of action we needed to clear up a  bit, so I dragged a bit of stuff about with a rake and pulled 18lb of rhubarb which went down well with friends and family, just so I could see what was there.

Well, there’s plenty of rhubarb, raspberries, a couple of currant bushes and a few strawberries. I also found what I think is an artichoke.

Artichoke?

The Cunning Plan

Most of it is pretty overgrown, so the plan is to use a large tarpaulin that has been left there to smother a big patch of it. While that is sweating away I’ll dig a new raspberry bed and replant some canes. I have no idea what variety they are or whether they’re autumn or summer fruiting, but there’s plenty of them. Too many really.

After that I’ll dig over what looks like a big sandy loam bed at the front of the plot, a bit at a time. Next I’ll chop a space for a lock box at the back of the plot and hide it behind a big compost area, then deal with the middle of the plot by digging out a bed at a time. So I think I’ll end up with four six foot wide beds with 18 inch paths between them, a huge, 30ft by 10ft bed, a 20ft by 4ft raspeberry bed, a 6ft by 6ft compost area, a 8ft by 8ft currant and rhubarb bed (which needs a lot of weeding) and a weedy patch about 20ft by 10ft which I’ll probably divide into some smaller beds.

At the moment all that actually exists is the 30ft by 10ft bed, full of weeds, but at least it’s good soil, deep sandy loam. The rest is weeds and several mounds of what I hope is compost.
       

Compost Corner

Before I can get on with anything I need somewhere to compost all the rubbish I’ll be raking and digging up. I’ve made it out of heavy duty mesh (spares from the chicken run at home), which Becky and I carted all the way up there on a little hand trolley. It takes up about 6ft x 6ft. I would have liked to put it right at the back but the corner is a big heap of something of other. It’ll probably turn out to bed decent compost underneath all those weeds anyway, and it’ll give me somewhere to put a lockbox out of sight when I dig it out.

Compost Corner

Raspberries.

Today, Saturday, Ben and I spent a few hours sorting out the raspberries. That tarpaulin that is smothering a good bit of the plot was folded up lengthways along the back of the plot and has done a good job of killing a lot of the weeds there. It looks just right for a long, narrow bed.

Raspberry Bed Before

It took a bit of digging, was filled with couch grass roots, but was nice, crumbly soil, well composted. I spent a good couple of hours digging, breaking up and raking, all under the watchful eyes of a pair of blackbirds and a robin, all following me along the bed waiting every forkful. It made it quite a pleasant bit of digging. A rough pacing of the bed tells me its about 7 yards long, about 20ft or so, and 4ft wide.

Raspberry Bed During

Next we hunted down raspberries canes, which didn’t take much effort, the things are everywhere. The hard work was digging the up. I took out 28 altogeter and planted the in two rows, 18 inches apart with a couple of feet between rows. The highlight of this was when we found a large frog. Ben’s never held one before and it made his day. Unfortunately my hands were wet and mucky so I couldn’t get a photo. The low point was hearing a distinct crack when I dug out the first raspberry cane. Glad it wasn’t my best fork.

Raspberry Bed After

Not bad for a few hours work, but I’m definitely ready for a rest and a long soak now.

Woo Hoo!!!

I finally got an allotment, after three years on the list. I actually accepted it sight unseen the other day and only got to see it today. It’s supposed to be around 150 square yards but, to be honest, it looks smaller, but  never mind, it’s only costing me £12 a year.

The previous tenant, through illness, was unable to continue with it. It needs a good digging over and a bit of a trim but it’s not the mass of brambles I was expecting. In fact it’s a mass of rhubarb and raspberries. There’s a nice looking black currant bush too and some strawberries and a mound in the middle with more rhubarb growing out of it. I’m hoping the mound is compost or manure.

My Allotment (taken on phone)

The weeds seem to be mostly grass and a few thistles. My only concern is a lack of a shed, as its a fair old walk and, lets face it, the current drought has been pretty damned wet. I’m a bit worried at the lack of cover to run for. I think I’ll have to make one rather than buy one though. I’m not sure the flimsy kind of thing I could afford would be vandal proof. The locals reckon there’s not much trouble but kids had left the taps running the night before and caused a minor flood and, I noticed, most of the greenhouses reside inside wire cages, and I doubt it’s to protect them from bird droppings or bits of falling aeroplane.

Either way, I’ve finally got an allotment, and I’m chuffed to bits.

I’ve already met the neighbours and they seem a nice bunch. In fact they let me in so I could have a look at the plot. I just need that tenancy agreement to arrive and fathom out who I’m supposed to pay the rent to. Then I can get going in earnest.

Cheap Seeds.

If you have a The Works near you, they’re selling Mr Fothergill’s seeds at four packets for a quid. I just got a dozen to see me through the summer.

The Plot

Well, April was, well, wet. It was officially the wettest drought on record. I’ve got nothing at all going on outside, save for chickens who now think they’re ducks. Thankfully everything seems to be going well under glass. There are allsorts of stuff waiting to go out or get potted on. I’ll get the outdoors toms, cucumbers and squashes out by the end of the month with any luck, the beans after that and then start throwing out the brassicas as I get the chance.

Thankfully I’ve got plenty of peas and carrots in buckets and spuds in bags and tubs. The rest of the plot is pretty soggy.

Stuffed Greenhouse

Hoppy Nettle Beer

Hoppy Nettle Beer

That batch of nettle beer turned out alright. Not very strong, and it could have done with a few more hops, but quite drinkable.
Allotment Lists.

I’ve just been informed that I’ve almost reached the top of the list. Just one more person in front of me. The council have started splitting plots as they come available though so we (whoever they are) will probably get half of the same plot.

Can’t be much longer now.

I’ve had a busy start to the month. I’ve started with cleaning and weeding the paths. I’ve sprayed them with a mix of salt and vinegar, an excellent organic herbicide. Don’t use it on borders or beds though as it will salt the soil and nothing much will grow there for quite a while. Which makes it great for paths.

I finished with mulching the main path with shredded prunings.

I think it all turned out quite tidy, though the shredding has made my dodgy elbow play up again, so it’s back to light duties for a few days.

I’ve made a start on a general tidy up before the spring planting. I’ve cut back nextdoor’s hedge to let a bit more light in (and to mulch the path with)

With all the supposed water shortage that’s going on I’ve made a bit of an effort wiht the greenhouse gutters. I’ve always had a barrel there but it’s never really collected much, so I’ve put a new fall pipe on and cobbled up another for the other side. Just need a bit of rain now to test it.

It’s beer time again. Nettle beer to be exact. I try every year and every year it tastes like, well, not as nice as everyone makes out. This year I’ve gone for a smaller amount, just over a gallon and to the usual recipe (nettles, cream of tartar, sugar and yeast) I’ve added some homegrown hops.

Now the hop plant itself was provided by a kind lady called Dutchy from the Garden World Discussions boards last year. It flowered in its first year and I left the flowers hanging in the shed to dry overwinter. This time the beer actually smells like beer, though it is fermenting at a rate of knots and might need stopping before I can bottle it.

As for sowing and actual veg plants, well I’ve pricked out the tomatoes, the turnips are through, as are the peas. There are lettuces poking through and radishes too. Cucumbers are pricked out and habaneros as well. I’ve sown a load of flowers and herbs.

Just a bit more digging to do, but I’m waiting for my elbow to calm down. I might also plant up a tub of spuds as well.

Well, the season’s started and I’m already behind. I got behind with the autumn digging and now I’ve gone and damaged my elbow so I’m behind with the spring dig too.

As you can see, there’s a bit to do yet. But, thankfully, the rest of the beds are done and I’ve managed to get some sowing and planting done.

I’ve put some broad beans, shallots, turnips, carrot, lettuce, beetroot and tried some early parsnips in this bed, topped off with my rather battered brassica cage until I need it.

I’ve got my onion sets ready to go in too, but they can wait until tomorrow, my elbow’s killing me.

At least the chooks look happy.

The sowing season has started and, to get me going with a bang, I got a couple of heated propagators for Christmas. They’re from Greenfingers .com and were on sale at £15 each. They came with ten pots and eight packets of seeds each. So, with the latest seeds from Vegetableseeds.net, what I’ve saved myself and all those free vouchers and the odd packet that come with the catalogues this time of year (got three free packets just from T&M’s voucher), I won’t need to spend a penny on seeds this year. All I’ll need is compost, and I’ve just bought a bulk load from CPL for £36 quid. So that’s probably all I’ll spend this year.

As for sowing I’ve done:

Basil – Ruben
Basil – Christmas
Chervil
Habeneros
Chives
Parsley
Tomatoes – Beefsteak
Tomatoes – Moneymaker
Tomatoes – Super Marmande
Tomatoes – Orkado
Tomatoes – Gardener’s Delight
Tomatoes – Hot and Spicy Capsicums (mixed chillies to you and me)

The chickens are all back in full lay now. They started on New Year’s Day and haven’t stopped since. In fact, today we somehow managed to get five eggs from four chickens.

We’ll, I’ve done my boxing day sowing. No onions this year though. I always find mine don’t do well from seed. Instead I’ve done some early chillies and some leeks. My leeks are never brilliant so I thought I might try and give some an early start.

I’ve done a small sprinkle each of Bleu de Solaise, Musselburgh and Oarsman. As for chillies, I’ve done a small pot each of mixed and Ring of Fire. The mixed did quite well last year, though I have no idea what they are. I got three different types by the looks of it, one medium, one more like a pepper and some little orange things that’ll take the roof of your mouth off. The Ring of Fire were freebies from the One Show the year before last.

Also being getting into the Christmas Spirit, in the hope that some if it will find its way back into me. I knocked some of this up a few weeks ago. It should be just about right to keep the chill out for a while and see in the new year.

Christmas Spirit

Sloe Vodka and Raspberry Vodka and one that’s a mix of both.

Well, those raised beds have gone, along with a load of fireworks and hotdogs. Oddest fire I’ve ever had, loads of damp wood and not a bit of smoke. Still, it’s given me a bit of ash to dig in.

Bonfire Night. (The smoke is from the fireworks)

It’s scorched the hedge a bit but it needs a trim anyway. I’ll cut it sometime in the next couple of weeks when I get a minute, then shred it and use it to mulch the paths.

Oddly enough, the apple trees either side of the fire were untouched, which is a good job as they are still in full leaf.

Anyway, Bonfire Night isn’t the only thing to remember this month. So I’ll finish off by reminding anyone who needs it…….

Wear Yours With Pride