Week 5

Been pushing on. Lots of digging and starting to get more in the ground. First spuds have come through - they will need protection later but who knows, spuds for Xmas? Good ground cover while I work on the rest of it.

Had my first fire today. Cut down a large branch in the back garden so took it down to the plot. It had a burner when I got it (see Day 1!). All went ok - bit stupid to start the fire so close to my beans but I think I got away with it.

Things starting to look good - only a month on! The runners are shooting up and the dwarf beans bushing out. Courgettes have been productive - taken at least a half dozen and a few coming a week now.

Big job I did today was the new cloches. I put some netting over the bed a few weeks back - some stuff I had from my old beds in the back garden. I bought a reel of thick outdoor piping from B&Q and constructed the hoops. I'm really pleased with how they've turned out-  the hoops even push outward . The netting is just laid over, but there are wooden strips stapled to the netting at the sides. Easy to lift off, and holds the net down. Height should be fine for any brassica - pigeon proof and, hopefully, cabbage white proof! So far I've had a few nibbles from pigeons - I nearly lost 2 plants - and I've got some holes from a small caterpillar.

Hopefully the netting is small enough to keep stuff off the kale, but the plan was more just to try it out. Over winter I can switch the netting for fleece and just keep going on through - fingers crossed!

I'm slightly annoyed that I choose the below angle as the one to monitor progress on the plot as all the stuff I've done is not/barely visible!

Day 21 - Week 3!

Time to start moving to weeks!

Been quite slow since the last post. Tick bite they think gave me Lyme's disease so I've been on anti-b's for 2 weeks - the latest ones have the very strange requirement to stay out of the sun as they make you very photosensitive. Unfortunately we're currently in our 'once in 7 yr heat waves' so the sun has been burning down! However, I did get the lime down (5 kg for the brassica plot) and planted out the kale. Today just popped in to water and hoe but in the evening slipped back at 8pm, dug another metre and planted some donated spuds.

I've got moles! Very cute I'm sure, but I can seen that the buried plants and the water breaking through into tunnels (so being wasted) could get annoying. Still novel at the moment though...

Potato troughs. The second was dug today, the first was populated!

 Day 21 - not much light but you can see the extra bed growing from the last shot

I think the sky should look like this every time you leave the allotment! If the light isn't failing, why are you going home ;) (Because you're knackered, sweaty, out of water, want to see the family all valid excuses, but you see my point ;) ).

Next time hopefully finish the potato plot and plant up the last pots. Then its onto bed 4 - the misc bed...

Day 13

Less than 2 weeks from weedville and living the dream already! Popped down to the allotment society shed to pick up some growmore and lime for the kale. Really wanted to get the kale bed up and running and get on with the potato bed digging, but far too hot. Popped down at the end of the day to water - nibble of a strawberry, water the new beans, watered the courgettes (some now need taking). Used the comfrey leaf tea Carol said I could help myself to. Even put a can on the strawberries.

Next goals - get the lime on and kale in, sow some french beans to finish the legume plot, and get the potato space started. Tomorrow is a Monday so with a bit of rest from this ridiculous heat, I'll get that lot done while J is at pre-school.

Day 12

Took day 11 as a vegging day (me, not plot related!). Let the sunburn die down and take it easy. Really was a hard dig on day 10!

Day 12 was a catch-up. Got some timber and delivered. Strengthened some pallets and sunk in some creosoted baton posts to support them. Result was 2 huge (and I mean huge) compost bins. Moved the massive pile of weeds in, layered with guinea pig sweepings, lime and soil layers. Plenty of water and covered in carpet. Reckon that I might manage to fill one bin by the time I've cleared the whole plot.

Lets see if I can run it hot!

Also put up my bean poles and planted in some runners that I bought as small plants.

That tiny strip in the back left in front of the beans is the bit that broke me a few days ago! Compost heap is in the back left behind the canes.

Small crop of strawberries being shown off in front of the courgettes which have taken very well.

Below is a close up of today's work. The closest bin is the one about a third full. Need to remember to tie the netting at the top a bit more - currently just hooked in at the corners.

Day 10

Dug one strip today - took me longer than I could believe. Ground was in terrible condition and clearly the bit I was digging had once been a path. It was very heavily compacted. Took longer than I expected too and I had no suncream. So... I got lobsterised. Damn it!

Can also see the bite on my left arm - much better now 

Day 9

I'll start with the final picture. Its been a week of digging. Hard digging! Strimmer and mower used to clear the paths a little more, back plots attacked in earnest and, as a morale booster, I bought some courgettes so that I actually have something growing. Felt good putting them in, even if I am cheating.

Above: the courgettes against the weeded out strawberries. Plot dug first, no enrichment before planting (I'll drop dress with growmore in due course but for now I haven't the time, nor the compost, to dig.

Below: a few small fruits showing themselves when purchased.

Above: the weed pile generated by the clearing of the 3 plots (courgette bed and the back two plots shown below an nearly finished).

Day 7

Great. Nature bites back. Got a tick on the back of my arm. I didn't see it so didn't remove it properly. Now I'm on anti-b's and you could fry an egg on my elbow.

Ho hum.

Day 6

Left the plot for a while to let the weedkiller sink into the plants, and to do the whole 'work' thing. Met more people on site, one of which has routinely left a somewhat communal petrol mower in the shed I am now inhabiting. That means I get to use it - not great as its reeeeally blunt. I also couldn't remove the blade to take it home to sharpen - somewhat annoying as would be fine if the blade didn't just chew everything.

Day 1

Tough day. Been at it with the strimmer and dropped the height of the weeds by about 2 feet. Looks better though - finally able to differentiate between paths and weed beds. Found some strawberry plants, what might have been a rhubarb and leant against the bean canes - they disintegrated...

Introduced myself to everyone I saw. Got plenty of carpet, loans of black plastic and some buckets donated to the cause. Also found a decent fork in the shed (nice and long handle - a little bent but ok) an the dustbin turned out to be a burner - now tucked into the back of the shed. I didn't notice a wheelbarrow during my first visit but another little plus. Rusted badly but still solid enough.

Sprayed the 'beds' with glyphosphate and covered them up. I found 6 distinct areas but I'm guessing only 2 of them had been recently worked. Some of my neighbours suggested the plot had only been tinkered with a few times in the last 3 years. Amusingly the council rotavated the plot for the new tenant and I could still find furrows. That said, most of the ground hasn't been walked on - its in surprisingly good heart.

Day 0

Ok. So its not day 0 (24 June 2013). Its about day 12. But on day 0 I wasn't sure whether I was going to go through with the whole allotment thing, let alone start a blog.

Got my letter from the council Sunday morning. Signed the documents (site unseen) Monday morning - figured I'd take the site whatever condition it was in. I hadn't looked into whether they typically rotavate the plots for you, or whether all plots are typically passed from the previous user in a usable condition. Wrong on both counts!

On thing about the plot is that I need to be careful with the time commitment. 2 kids and a tough job balanced against recently having gone part time so having a 3 day weekend. So when I first saw the plot I was really disappointed and discouraged.

First thing was to phone the council to confirm that they would give me some time to sort it out. There is a penalty point system and if they were going to play rough, I needed to make a fuss. It seemed they would take into account the original state of the plot.

First photo I took. Did a little weeding first just so I could see the '9'. The shed, old canes across to the dustbin burner on the left are 'mine'.

Second shot just an example of what it looked like. Buttercups (so assuming wet and acidic soil) across everything and my biggest concern.

So, to get motivation back on track I didn't touch the plot but went to B&Q for some boys toys - glyphosphate, a sprayer and a petrol strimmer... Brruuumm brrruummmmmmmmm....