Shandy's Dig

An Unexpected Harvest

2011-07-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

I spent my day off at the allotment today, which would have been cool but for the bleeding awful rain which had me sitting in my shed and... tidying things a couple of times. But, forgetting the rain, I still managed to get a fair bit done. I fed and watered chickens, chicks, ducks, ducklings and rabbits; strimmed most of the plot, tidying things up slightly - it has been mentioned that things had got raher scruffy. Fair comment.

While strimming, I came across a lovely crop of potatoes that I had planted as a Christmas crop back in 2009 and that had subsequently been killed off by bad weather (I thought) and forgotten... I also pulled some baby swede, turnip and broad beans, as well as a few onions and one of my elephant garlic bulbs.

Oh for some sun.

With apologies...

2011-06-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest, things have been tough recently and the allotment has suffered as a result; weeds have taken over and the place is looking scruffy and unmanaged. Despite this, I have a nice crop of spuds coming up and my broad beans are looking strong and healthy! There is a bumper crop of garlic nearly ready to be pulled and last year's onions are coming along very nicely. Soft fruits are, of course, unstoppable and Helen has already made a couple of batches of jam.

On the livestock side, things really have progressed. There is now a second enclosure, currently housing ducks (Aylsbury and Indian Trout Runners), and I also have a few ducklings (mostly Muscovy). My ladies are also doing well and have been laying brilliantly - although the recent rains seem to have knocked them out of their stride, I have added a couple of Welsummers and their dark brown eggs are very tasty!

I had four broodies sitting on clutches and now have three Ko Shamo and seven American Game chicks, though not a single pheasant hatched. This appears to be my own fault, the broody I used seems to have been too large to properly turn the smaller, greenish eggs. A shame, but lesson learned.

The rabbit breeding has not gone so well and we have suffered quite a few losses, both in new litters and in the older stock, so I am considering a rethink and perhaps concentrate on one breed and one breed only (probably Belgian Hare, which is my favourite).

Finally, we have another new dog, a teacup Jack Russell, who has been mated and hopefully has a belly full of pups! With Pip, our Parsons, coming into season shortly, I am hoping for a much-needed bit of extra income.

I hope all you growers are doing better than I have managed and don't forget, tell your friends about Shandy's Dig!

Itchy moobs

2011-04-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic couple of days: sun shining, loads of people at the allotment and tons of jobs done, with the whole family joining in.

Helen digging over and weeding the potato patch.

Four rows of spuds have been put in in Helen's newly dug over patch: first early Rocket and second early Maris Peer. Having chitted my sweetcorn, the young sproutlings are now in pots in the greenhouse, waiting to be planted out in a week or two

Sweetcorn babies nearly ready to say hello.

In addition, many more seed trays have been sown - tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, courgette etc - and new planters have been created for a variety of uses, including new additions to the herb garden, which I am delighted with as it comes along nicely... Even the weeds can't annoy me!

Herb garden.

Of course, there have also been ample salad sowings: lettuce, mixed leaves, chard, radish, spinach etc.

Things are also happening on the livestock front, with work moving forward on the second run and a third, much smaller pen.

We have also had two new girls donated to the 'farm'!

New chooks.

Finally, in weather like this it is worth pointing out the importance of sun protection, itchy moobs are no joke! Seriously, cover up, wear a hat and make sure you have a high factor sun cream in the shed.
I'm awful at following my own advice of course...

Family day

2011-03-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Another good day on the plot with a lot getting done without doing a lot, if you see what I mean...

Raised bed number two has been thoroughly dug over, weeded and manured and I think this is where the sweetcorn will go this year.

Early carrots have also been planted in my larger, wooden container. The Sea Kale, sewn last year from seed collected in Littlehampton a few years back (is that legal, I really don't know!), has burst back into life, and a new herb garden has been readied in my second butler sink.

Helen has cleaned out the animals and weeded both the front fence and the rhubarb patch, one crown of which seems to have died off over the winter. I also managed to get Joseph weeding for about half an hour!

The kids ran around for a while with a young friend and the dogs were, generally, well-behaved.

I'm pleased to report yet another half-dozen eggs from our ten layers, and one of my Seramas is back in lay! A strange shaped egg and quite large for the smaller girls; it certainly sounded like it smarted a bit!

Big bad Bertha!

2011-03-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Finally, a full-ish day in the plot; a large portion of growing space has been ploughed over (twice), thanks to Big Bertha, animals fed and watered and one of my three large raised beds has been sown with broad bean, swede, turnip and of course, radish!

Big Bertha!

Lots of people on the site today, which was good to see, and lots of gossip to be had!

It was a lovely sunny day and set off brilliantly by the song of my new blue canary, who didn't stop twittering and tweeting all day!

Here we go for 2011

2011-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

First chance this year to spend the best part of a day on plot. Parsnips, tomatoes, cabbage, romanescu, kale and calendula have been sown in the greenhouse, soft fruits pruned (rather late), apple trees manured, new rabbit hutch built and lame ducks housed; all animals (we now have ten laying chickens, three Seramas and two silkie bantams; seven rabbits and two ducklings) have been fed and watered, and a water butt has been installed on the greenhouse.

I've also prepared a bed for my early carrots.

Busy day.

Last turning of the earth of 2010

2010-11-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look much but next year this will be five rows of garlic, elephant garlic, shallots and onions...

iPhone report

A can, a hen and a troublesome egg

2010-10-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Long but beautiful morning on the plot: filling the feed bins, cutting back the jungle and waiting for one of my bantams to pass a particularly troublesome egg! Also brought home sprouts and kale for tonight's tea, as well as swede and baby leeks for tomorrow's.

Many people chatted with and a pint can of lager thoroughly enjoyed.

iPhone report

Another crop!

2010-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Seeing as we've had a couple of frosts now, I dug up my row of parsnips and half rows of salsify and scorzonera this afternoon, in the wet and cold October drizzle. I was a bit disappointed with their size but then again, I had pretty much left them to compete with the weeds, so hardly surprising!

Looking forward to a nibble!

iPhone report

Another cracking October day

2010-10-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

The dismantled chicken
shed has been moved from Brian's plot to mine; Edge Lane grub & gossip day provides spectacular cup cakes, corned beef hash and rhubarb wine (a couple too many!) and I'm now sitting, top off, in the shade of the shed with my bare feet in the blazing sun, cup of allotment tea close to hand.

Massive thanks again to the 'posh Irishman' for all his help; for a man with a dicky ticker, he's still twice as strong as me!

iPhone report

Nice October day

2010-10-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

Lots of hard work at the allotment as i have dismantled Brian's old chicken shed, ready to put it up on my plot, but just eaten the first apple off my own tree and enjoying a can of pop donated by my new plot neighbour and friend, Patrick the Posh Irishman. Picked the last of the toms, peppers, chilis and runner beans; the shed's full of onions and spuds and there's still parsnips, salsify and scorzonera in the ground. Not a bad year all told...

iPhone report

September: the end of things?

2010-09-26T02:20:00.000-07:00

It's cold. Really cold. Did we have a summer? Bah!

Yesterday I cleaned out the chicken coop and the bantam run... And the rabbit hutch.

This morning, after a rare lie in, I went up to the plot to let the chooks up and feed everything. I decided to dig up the last of the potatoes; we've been eating them for months and the rows don't seem to be going down! Some have gone over to slugs and whatnot, but a bit of a bumper crop is now drying in my shed.

I also picked a feast of runner beans, as well as Cherokee Trail of Tears beans, some of which I will save for next year.

I have been letting the last of the broad beans dry on the plants and these too have been picked and saved for next year.

A hard morning's work, I think I deserve a big breakfast now!

iPhone report

New Seramas

2010-09-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

New colour hens join the black trio

And a fine-looking boy joins the flock

I also seemed to have acquired a Dutch bantam hen!

iPhone report

The Wascally wabbits!

2010-09-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ebony the lionhead

The kids with Nibbles, the mini lop

iPhone report

My little chickedies

2010-09-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

We took my distant cousin's children up to the allotment today to see the chickens and, most popularly, our two new Rabbits (thanks to Les for Nibbles, the mini lop).

While I was there, I realised my little chicks no longer exist; instead there are five near-adult chooks: definitely two cocks, maybe three.

They grow up quickly...

Lazy Saturday

2010-09-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting looking at the weeds. I know I should be doing something about them, but I'm too comfortable; Helen has taken the kids and some friends for a nosey. We helped them to get a plot and they are very excited about it.

So, it's quiet for a moment. The bees are, in the words of my youngest, having a pollen party on our two lavender bushes, the sunflowers are small but bright and I've just scoffed a fistful of blueberries.

The chickens have all dropped into a contented quiet, having had their mid-afternoon dust bath, Ebony the lionhead rabbit is chilling and we all seem to be in a semi-blissed out state.

I'm not collecting any produce today, though there is plenty still to take (yesterday I took home courgettes, runner beans, onions and tomatoes galore.) instead, I have put up a bird feeder and several insect boxes.

So... The weeds can enjoy the sun like the rest of us. Their time will come.

iPhone report

Slim pickings

2010-09-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry doesn't really ring true as we have had so much off the plot this year: spuds, onions, garlic, broad beans, peas, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, kale, radishes, raspberries, blackberries, tayberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, strawberries, rhubarb and loads of herbs - and there's more to come!

Big failures though have been pretty much all of the brassicas, which either bolted or were devoured by slugs, pigeons and caterpillars; broad beans, which fed all of the blackfly in the NW; and the toms in my temporary greenhouse, which I fear are blighted...

Still, a much more productive year and more knowledge and experience for next year!

iPhone report

Busy busy busy...

2010-08-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

It has all been a little hectic and I've been rather slow to update the blog. So, pictures speaking louder than words as they say, here's a pictorial update!

As you can see, there's been a lot going on!

What it's all about...

2010-07-05T00:33:00.001-07:00

It's been so busy lately that I've not really kept on top of the blog, but here goes.

The chickens are doing well and the chicks are growing very fast - though it looks like we have four cocks and just the one hen.

Despite being fairly neglected, the plot has been cropping more than just the usual array of weeds, we are averaging 3/4 eggs a day from the chickens and I pulled the overwintered onions a week ago, some are enormous and very tasty. This weekend, I pulled the garlic and was delighted to find that most had split into cloves; I gave the smaller ones to Brian for his pigeons, as I had promised him, and the rest are drying in the shed with the onions. The first of the courgettes have also been picked.

I also lifted the first of the spud (Arran Pilot) - beautiful new spuds, very tasty and (touch wood) not a trace of slugs/wire worm etc.

We are cropping soft fruits - strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants - like nobody's business and I have made several batches of jam (including rhubarb and ginger which I am about to have on some toast).

We also have peas galore, though the broad beans have been decimated by blackfly and the runners and trail of tears beans are slow to get going...

Lots of other stuff coming through and all very exciting.

This weekend we've had a cheese and onion quiche from our own eggs, onions, peas and courgettes, with our own potatoes on the side, and I made a sausage casserole yesterday that had our onions, garlic and potatoes...

This is what it's all about.

June pics

2010-06-18T09:15:00.001-07:00

New girls Abbey & Claudia

Dave

Nom nom nom

Stuff growing at the start of the month

My little girl with Donna

Our first chick!

iPhone report

A funny old year...

2010-06-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've been a little remiss of late, but it's been go, go, go on the plot recently. The chicken run is of course finished and all but one of the girls has been rehomed there, leaving our broody Legbar sitting on a clutch of 11 eggs. Well, we then added two Bluebelles to the flock and, a day later, I was gifted a Partridge Silkie cock. He's a handsom young chap but totally henpecked at the moment!

Our first egg hatched on 16th June and we now have five beautiful little chicks, just days old and chipping away.

Of course with the beautiful sun, lots of rain and then more sun, everything has burst into growth and we have been enjoying salads, spring onions, herbs of course radishes. My over-wintered onions are really swelling now and there are a few monsters in there. There's lots more coming through nicely and I have transplanted the best of my tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers and peppers into the two greenhouses.

I've also sown some Romanesco cauli - not too late, I hops.

Tonnes going on and I'll post more photos soon.

Oh and weeds? I've got the best on the site!

First crop of 2010

2010-05-31T02:04:00.001-07:00

Although the mice have got there first! Plenty for everyone though!

iPhone report

Meet the neighbours!

2010-05-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

It's 'Meet the Neighbours' day at Edge Lane today and it's been a lovely day, with friends dropping by and fairly reasonable weather.

I have just come back to the plot after accepting the Cake Conpetition winner's prize on Helen's behalf.

Big smiles.

Patrick judging: it's a tough job!

iPhone report

Phew, what a scorcher!

2010-05-24T02:10:00.000-07:00

As Helen was working and we had a barbeque at our friends' house in the evening, I didn't manage to get on the plot on Saturday except to water my toms in the morning - poor things looked close to death, after only a day's sun... Thankfully, with another couple of good soaks on Sunday, they were back to form.

It's been a scorching few days and I really felt it; I spent the best part of Sunday building Stalag Chook. All four sides are now finished and I have roofed half of it with chicken wire. I fitted perches in the shed and sanded them to a nice, comfy bevel, cut a pop hole and fitted a hinged door. So, half a roof, the skirted edges and painting of the shed left to do and we're ready to rock.

In between all this, I was making sure that both mine and Noel's plots were getting a good soak - he was away this weekend and I didn't want him to get back to find his crops shrivelled.

I really began to feel the heat though and realised I hadn't put on any cream - working with a t-shirt on felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Note to self, make sure there's always suncream in the shed.

Unfortunately at home, my youngest, trying to be helpful, smashed one of the broody's eggs so, with the one she kicked out there's now only four left to hatch. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the smashed egg didn't seem to contain a foetus, so that doesn't bode too well for the others, but we shall see in a fortnight's time, won't we?

Looks like another nice week, so I should be able to get on the plot most nights.

Happy digging!

Livin' on the Edge

2010-05-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a great couple of weeks at Edge Lane, with loads achieved. Last week, despite a warning that a frost was expected, I planted Dwarf French and Borlotti beans in one of my raised beds, as well as two of the courgettes. Of course, the frost did come and saw the courgettes off completely, though everything else it seems escaped damage.

Plenty has come through in the last few weeks: peas and broad beans, beetroot, chard, salsify and scorzonera, leeks and potatoes, and my overwintered onions are swelling nicely. My brassicas are planted out and netted, and the rhubarb is massive!

The big news for me is that Noel, my new hero, has fitted a standpipe, run off the pipe on Paul's plot next door, on my plot for the pair of us to share. I turned up on Saturday to find that he had also left me his own hose and sprinkler, so everything got a good soaking.

It feels so liberating to have water so readily at hand now - and timely, as the forecast appears to indicate a hot summer ahead.

Of course, given a couple of hoses and a little Heath Robinson ingenuity and what else could I do but fill the pond? This has now been done and the addition of water has only gone to illustrate perfectly what I already knew and this is that I had made the classic error of not properly levelling the thing. The water level isn't out by a lot though and I'm not going to be emptying it out an re-digging it in a hurry!

I moved the log pile, added a few plants (26 bloody quid for eight bloody plants!) and sowed some wild flowers and green manure. Just need to add some cobbles to make it easier for wildlife to get in and out, and maybe a few more plants.

Helen has carried on with the weeding but they are fast and furious and I fear they are once again winning!

I have made three new planters from six tyres and they now contain hyssop and kale.

Finally, the chicken run fencing has been started, not with shiney new weldmesh as I had hoped, but with pieces of mesh panels kindly donated by my next-door-but-one neighbour Brian and Patrick, the Plot Steward. It's ugly and looks like a third world shanty town, but it will do the job. Whilst hammering in the many rusty nails, I also ensured that I gave my thumb an amighty twatting. It's tradition. It's also black and throbbing horribly as I write this!

April photos

2010-04-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

The little raised bed I made for the kids.

Planting the kids' bed.

Gardening. The new rock 'n roll.

Planting sunflowers.

Doing what I do best...

Digger Dan.

A discussion about, I think, geological rock strata formation...

Tired, aching and sunburnt...

2010-04-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where to begin, the last three weeks have seen things taken up a notch on the allotment; not only have I spent much more time on the plot, but the rest of the family has too...

First, Dan joined me to 'help' dig over the potato patch. Later, Helen, Joe and Lily joined us for weeding, barbeque and scooter riding.

The following weekend, we all spent a day on the plot as a family again; Helen weeded, I dug trenches in the new patch and planted five types of spud (Arran Pilot, Carlingford, Maris Peer, Pink Fir Apple and Maris Piper) as well some in tubs (Red Duke of York).

There was a lot to do on the greenhouse too, with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes etc all needing potting on, and brassicas being potted on and hardening off - the greenhouse is packed to the rafters now!

More picnics and family fun and the allotment has finally become something of a 'yay!' place for the kids.

This week I took three days off work and spent almost the entire time on the plot, digging, planting seeds (parsnip, salsify, scorzonera, beetroot, radishes and chard, and mixed salads in pots.)

The broad beans and peas are beginning to poke their heads out but there's no sign yet of the leeks I put in a little while back; I used a seed tape for the first time.

No progress on the chicken run, I'm afraid.

I spent all yesterday digging out the pond, and then backfilling as I'd dug the thing to big and too deep for the liner! Not the most accurate job, I'm just hoping the whole thing will 'settle'... I really can't be arsed doing it all again!

I'm tired, I ache and I'm brown as a very brown thing after three fairly solid days in the blazing April sun!

Aching but happy...

2010-04-04T11:48:00.001-07:00

Last week, I concreted in the posts for the new chicken run. Yes, we have four new girls (off Freecycle), two Black Rocks and two Silkie (?) crosses. They are at home but keep escaping from the garden so we desperately need to raise funds and get the run sorted on the allotment!

Lots of beautiful, tasty eggs again!

Today, I've dug over, levelled and raked the new run, and built a shed for my hens; shovelled half a tonne of horse poo onto my raised beds; put in a new fence post to stop next door's awful fencing from coming down; fixed a loose panel on the greenhouse; planted somebroad beans and leeks; sown kale and courgettes in the greenhouse...

And I have managed to help secure a plot for a pal - he got his keys today.

I've just had my roast lamb dinner and I think I'm due a long soak in the bath.

The new shed, awaiting pop hole and perches!

iPhone report

Cabin fever!!!

2010-03-20T05:43:00.001-07:00

I popped up to the allotment to drop off a few bits and lo and behold, the new community log cabin has been built!

Good work by Patrick and the rest of the committee!

iPhone report

Plastic fantastic

2010-03-13T06:59:00.001-08:00

In a hugely optimistic frame of mind, I decided that every single tomato seedling on the windowsill was going to grow to mammoth proportions. It was clear then that my little greenhouse wasn't going to be enough, I was going to have to dig out last year's plastic walk-I'm mini greenhouse.

So I did.

It took all morning to sort the parts, figure out how it all went together, assemble and secure it. I was taking no chances this year, having seen the wind destroy it like the three little pigs' straw house last year; I secured every joint with Duck tape, tied the plastic cover to the frame at regular spacings, tied the frame to the fenceposts and anchored the whole lot down with eight tent pegs.

I looks tatty and wind-torn, and I don't expect it to last me for next year, but I can get at least six additional plants in, if not more.

Still in an optimistic mood, I sowed two short rows of onion sets ('Turbo'). I also cloched a couple of rows to warm the soil where I'll be putting some peas.

iPhone report

Beans, chat and injuries

2010-03-08T07:50:00.001-08:00

What a stunning day Sunday turned out to be; -2 degrees when I arrived at the plot, but sunny all day and not a cloud in the sky.

My first job was to build a bean frame and it's a corker. Trademarked to Munty on the Allotments & Vegetable Growing forum (see my links) this south-facing monster goalpost should be quite a sight in the summer. It certainly caught the eye of a number of fellow plotholders, though I suspect not without a certain 'what the f... is that then?!!'

Thanks to 'the Irishman', Martin, for the paving slabs, which will act as a base for my chicken shed.

Also, big congratulations to Jes, and not just for her new shed. 'The wriggler', as she is calling her belly bump, looks like he'll be a big 'un!

Lots of standing around chatting today, especially at the shop, which opened for the first time year, and plenty of pottering at the little jobs. I wonder if it is worth planting anything until April?

The new coldframe is up, but I can't see anything going in it for a few weeks...

Finally, cutting back the previous plotholder's razor wire earned me one or two nasty nicks, and I appear to have broken my finger somehow... Don't ask.

All in all a satisfying day.

iPhone report

Seedy day

2010-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

A day off today and I took the opportunity to pick up a few new seed trays and propogators; on the kitchen windowsill we now have five varieties of tomato (Golden Sunrise, Marmade, Tigrella and two types that my Mum brought back from Italy - their name excapes me.) There's also cucumber, aubergine and a couple of types of pepper.

I also had yesterday afternoon off and started caulis, sprouts and kale in the greenhouse.

A quick trip over to the local Aldi and we now have two Apple trees (Golden Delicious and Cox's Orange) heeled in and waiting for a permanent home.

Come on weather, let's warm things up a bit!

I wish spring would spung

2010-02-21T07:44:00.001-08:00

End of February and look at it...

I had planned to sow some tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine and early cauliflower; maybe dig over the new potato patch. Instead, I was greeted by two inches of snow and freezing temperatures...

I fleeced the potatoes that ate chitting in my shed in the hope that they won't get frost damage, then I prepared a load of seed trays in the greenhouse, letting the compost warm up in readiness for the seeds.

The garlic (below) and onions look happy enough, but I think I can kiss the early broad beans goodbye.

This arctic winter is so frustrating, I desperately want to get on and get growing!

IPhone report

Fancy a dip?

2010-02-14T04:42:00.000-08:00

While Lily and Joseph were at their church parade with Beavers and Cubs respectively, dan asked if we could go to the allotment. It was a good opportunity to check on the greenhouse (one of the seals had indeed come out) and to get some fresh air.

While walking around the site, a chap that I've never really talked to before asked me: "have you been planning to put in a pond?"
I've thought about it, I said, but not really done more than that.

"do you want that pond?" he asked, nodding over at an upturned rigid plastic pond liner...

As you'll have realised by now, I'm a bit of a magpie and never pass up on an opportunity!

"Er... Ok. Thanks!"

So, I now have a 6' pond to dig out!

But what to do with it? Do I plant it up as a wildlife attractor, or should I incorporate it into the chicken coop and keep ducks too..?

IPhone report

People in glass houses...

2010-02-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

I had a great Friday night with my ex-bandmates, and a rare blow-out; playing loud music, laughing, curry and drinking Irish whiskey and homemade cider. The thing to remember about homemade cider is the hangover. Unfortunately, I forgot the hangover and had arranged to put up my greenhouse with Rob on Saturday morning. The thing to remember about erecting a greenhouse is that it's a bugger of a job and not best done in the fug of ciderhaze...

But we did. Eventually and with much bad language.

It's not the biggest greenhouse, just 6' x 4' and all the budget would allow, and I know that come summer I am going to wish I had one twice the size, but I am NEVER going to put another one of those things up again!!!

Big thanks to Rob for all the advice, hard work and abusive language, and to Gareth for the paving slabs!

Rob loves doing 'big meccano'!

IPhone report

They forecast wind...

2010-02-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering what I did with my Jerusalem Artichokes, here's a nifty recipe:

Curried Jerusalem Artichoke soup
Soften up a couple of onions in butter or oil and then add a paste of Tumeric, Cumin and Cayenne Pepper. Add peeled/scrubbed, roughly chopped Jerusalem Artichokes, two bay leafs, salt and pepper to taste, a little grated nutmeg, a couple of smaller potatoes and a few carrots and simmer until everything has softened. Blend to a fairly coarse consistency and mix in a little milk to thin. Reheat and serve.

And then spend a couple of days farting like a docker.

(I amended this recipe from one that appeared in 'Grown in Britain')

Let's get this party started!

2010-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

The first full day on the plot of 2010 and what a cracking day. I walked up to the allotments at 9.30am and made a start by putting the three varieties of potato out to chit in the shed.

The next job was to clear an area that has lain covered and untouched for the best part of a year - this is where the new greenhouse will go and Rob is coming over next weekend to give me a hand putting it up. So I spent an hour or two digging out roots, bricks, rubble, glass etc and raking over the ground, doing my best to level it out.

Then it was time for a brew and lunch (cheese butties with the beetroot I grew and pickled last year). It was great to sit in the sun on this surprisingly warm day, listening to the pigeons coo-cooing and looking at the plot; planning and scheming and imaging this year's crop.

It was also nice to see that most of the garlic I planted last Autumn has survived the terrible weather in January and February, and the overwintering onions are coming along nicely. The broad beans I planted in autumn are looking pale and sorry for themselves, but fingers crossed a bit of sun will perk them up!

After half an hour 'chillaxing', I decided to clear a small space next to the shed, digging it over and planting the three 'rescue case' whitecurrant bushes that I bought for about 50p each last year. Then I mulched that whole area with woodchip to tidy things up and suppress the weeds (I hope).

The toughest job of the day was lugging three wheelbarrow loads of assorted rubble, brick, roots and muck to the skip on the other side of the site - a real bastard of a job when the wheel on the barrow is flat! Thanks to Noel for pumping it up with his compressor (and for the new gloves!) I was knackered after that, having not done this much work in months, and rewarded myself with another sit down and a brew - to be fair, it was either sit down or fall down at this point!

With the sun starting to sink and the temperature dropping, I decided there was just time to dig up the last of the 'fartichokes', cleaning up the weeds there as I went. I'm sure I'll have left some tubers in the ground but that's cool, another (free) crop this year!

Shoots of the New

2010-01-31T05:45:00.000-08:00

Now I feel like the year has started; we dropped into Wilkinsons this afternoon, on our way back from a wild morning at Kiddy Chaos. I picked up my three crop potatoes: Arran Pilot (first early), Maris Peer (second early) and Maris Piper (maincrop).

They only had 3kg bags, so I imagine that I'll be sharing a fair few out!!

I also bought a bag of Turbo onion sets, a couple of packs of carrot seed and some dwarf runner beans.

All this for under £12.

Next week I will be clearing the ground for my greenhouse, amongst other jobs, ready for the 13th, when Rob is helping me to put it up.

Starting to get excited about the plot again...

IPhone report

Location:Shoots of the new

Jag tractor

2010-01-17T08:08:00.001-08:00

I've just picked up a very nice hen house from a generous Freecycler, much better than the one we already have.

An interesting moment when I realised it wouldn't fit in the car after I had spent ages disassembling it...

But, as the saying goes: there are no problems, only solutions... Even if those solutions are a bit illegal.

New Year's Day

2010-01-01T12:35:00.001-08:00

A frosty day on the allotment.

Winter wonderland

2009-12-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

Today is the first time I have been in a couple of weeks, after putting in some more garlic and two rows of broad beans.

-4 degrees. Cold. Snow.

I dug up the two rows of second crop spuds but pickings were thin as I hadn't properly protected against frost. Needless to say, it's bought spuds for Christmas this year!

There was no one about so the snow was littered with various tracks: pigeon, fox, small mammal (probably rats) and some unusually spaced ones that I suspect are hedgehog - which fits nicely with the poop I found on top of my compost heap on the last visit.

Far too cold to do much more than enjoy the silence.

I'm at home, wrapped up warm and watching the footie.

IPhone report

Grim oop norf...

2009-11-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

Nearly an hour I sat in my shed, nursing a brew and waiting for wind to drop and the rain to stop; the rain did eventually pass, but the wind was wild all day on Sunday. Nevertheless, I popped up to the hut to pay my rent (just shy of £50 and not too shabby for a year's-worth of back-breaking pleasure, I'm sure you'll agree?) and finished chipping one of my side paths.

Edna gave me some spring cabbage and lettuce, which was really nice of her - I've no idea how they'll do, but its got to be worth a shot. I managed to give a bloke over the way some of my excess strawberry runners and now only have to figure out what to do with the remaining 20-odd!

The rest of the morning was spent weeding and mulching, and sitting and planning, and chatting and gossiping...

It's a shame I have to work or I'd be there now!

Jobs still to do:

Lots of weeding
Lots of ground clearance
Put up the greenhouse
Plant some more garlic? Too late?
Plant some Boroad Beans - is it worth it?
Start lifting the Jerusalem Artichokes
Patch the shed roof and put up some guttering for the water butt
Re-roof the Midden
Build a chicken run

I'm goinf to stop there, I think... :-0

Where'd the summer go..?

2009-10-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, the fairly sudden season change and increased childcare duties over the past few weeks have meant that I haven't been on the plot as much as I'd have liked recently. Still, we have finally had the last of the tomatoes, which have been transformed into green tomato chutney and, if I say so myself, a rather wonderful 'hot' ketchup.

We have have had a hard time waiting for the tomatoes to ripen as, despite using all the suggested tricks, they steadfastly remained green for weeks!

We have also enjoyed our first sweetcorn and yes, it really is a world apart from the stuff you buy at the supermarket, and turnips; we also tried a young swede, which was delicious, and have had a bumber crop of carrots virtually destroyed by carrot fly.

Anyway, this weekend, after attending the Committee meeting, I managed to get a fair bit of time on the plot,doing various jobs, such as taking down the temporary greenhouse, clearing weeds to one edge of the plot and laying the beginnings of a path on that side, trimming off the strawberry runners and seperating the potted plantlets I started a while back and so forth.

The garlic and onions that I planted a couple of weeks back are growing nicely and my potatoes seem to be doing well, although not every one seems to have survived. Last night was a frosty one, so I went down to the plot at about 7pm last night and, in pitch black, covered them with cloches... it was still only 4 degrees C this morning, so I left the cloches on and will do so tonight, and we'll see how the weather does tomorrow morning. I hope they make it, it will be nice to have homegrown spuds on Christas Day.

I have a pumpkin! Poor bugger, it's not going to get much bigger, I suppose, But I have left it anyway.

Still to come: Swede, celeriac and purple sprouting broccoli (which refuses to sprout).

Also ahead of me: digging and clearing; making a chicken coop, finishing my paths and beds, and erecting the greenhouse.

Looking out of the window, it looks like a beautiful clear day, I wish I wasn't in work.

The nights are drawing near...

2009-10-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

Not an awful lot going on on the allotment lately, I've been finishing off the tomatoes as the plants start to die back a bit, most of the cabbages are now done and almost all the brassicas that are left are riddled with slug - except, for some reason, the purple sprouting broccoli.

I have blackfly in my winter carrots, so that crop is probably doomed, but I also have a few beetroot to come, celeriac, turnips, swede and sweetcorn to look forward to. The strawberry bed looks insane with a mass of runners everywhere and even a few late fruit here and there! I really must tidy it up.

My central path has been extended and I should have finished it this weekend.

Finally, my Autumn planting is almost all done, with two varieties (Red Duke of York and Ulster Classic) of spuds in, hopefully for Christmas; overwintering onions (Radar and Electric) and garlic also planted. Some shoots are already showing and the spuds' heads are well above the ground.

I'll be doing a couple of rows of Broad Beans this weekend too, for an early spring crop.

The good, the bad and the bloody awful...

2009-09-14T03:16:00.000-07:00

A mixed couple of weeks if truth be told. The allotment is creeping up on me in terms of weeding to be done and jobs crying out for attention, but it's still producing with plenty of tomatoes, cabbages, chard, pak choi, perpetual spinach etc...

Other stuff to come include cabbages and caulis, turnips, swedes and beetroot, sweetcorn, carrots and fartichokes.

The bad news came at home when I was in the bathroom one morning and Helen called upstairs that she thought 'something has happened to one of the chickens...' Sure enough the garden was full of feathers and all three of the birds were gone; to cut a long story short, I had gone to bed without shutting the coop up, a fox and come calling and there you have it.

I can't blame the fox (bastard thing) I suppose, it is after all what they do. What I am upset about is the fact that this was a totally avoidable scenario and, due to laziness/stupidity (take your pick) my beautiful girls are now gone...

Anyway...

All is not doom and gloom, on Saturday the family had a lovely al fresco dinner/barbecue on the allotment - bangers and sweetcorn on the flames, fresh tomatoes and lots of yummy goodies, the sun shining.... sigh.

Rather a nice antidote, I guess.

Foraging 2

2009-08-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

We're at the seaside this weekend and came across a lot of clumps of sea beet - a great favourite of our conquering Viking ancestors.
In spring, the fresh young leaves are delicious steamed for 5 minutes or so, though I found that by the end of August, no amount of wilting, butter and pepper could remove the bitterness. Helen and my mother found it perfectly edible if picked at, but I remain disappointed.
The long, white fleshy root, however, was a revelation. Scrubbed and boiled, there was a strong beetroot-y aroma whilst cooking - indeed, when chopped, it has the same concentric rings.
Once boiled it was neccessary, as with cultivated beetroot, to gently rub off the outer skin, leaving a soft white inner flesh that has a consistency something akin to parsnip.
The taste, however, is of a mild and much less sweet beetroot... Delicious and highly recommended.

Please remember that, although sea beet is widespread and commonplace, the landowners permission must be sought before uprooting any plant from the foreshore.

IPhone report

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have just realised that we have had the allotment (in theory) for a year now.

Ok, so we didn't actually collect the keys until November, but it is a year since the wheels began turning.

Hurrah!

The larder is full

2009-08-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

I took a nice box of goodies home on Saturday, loads of lovely Pink Fir Apple spuds, lovely lettuces, tomatoes (including a rather nice black variety, which was a bit watery but looked great!), Chard, Perpetual Spinach and Pak Choi.

As well as that, I took the the blackberries, wild plums and crab apples that I picked and made a rather delicious 'Forager's' Jam - my first ever!

The bug hit and on Sunday morning I was up and making ginger curd... I'm doing Olde English Marmalade tonight (perhaps with a dash of whisky or armagnac...

More foraging...

2009-08-19T05:17:00.001-07:00

Picked my first tomatoes this morning and whilst I was on the allotment, I also picked 600g of the most amazing blackberries off a fellow allotmenteer's plot and (with permission of course) nearly 4kg of windfall crabapples!

Then at lunchtime, I found another wild plum tree (yellow fruit this time) and a Blackthorn with only a few sloes on it!

Hedgerow jelly here we go!

IPhone report

Foraging...

2009-08-18T06:26:00.001-07:00

Just mooching around near work and I stumbled across a wild cherry plum tree - they're quite scarce by all accounts.

Lovely free fruit!

IPhone report

Edge Lane Open Day

2009-08-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

A lovely day yesterday as the children and I attended the Edge Lane Allotments Open Day. We got there slightly early to drop off a few cakes that Helen had made for the refreshment hut; armed with a picnic hamper and a disposable barbeque from Wilkinsons, we set out our chairs and had a mooch on the plot.

Than we took a walk around. Patrick and the team who run the society had done a magnificent job of tidying the place up a bit. Their outstanding work on 'the orchard' is one of our favourite parts of the site and when the kids are with me, it is there that we always end up having a quiet sit down...

There was so much to do, with face painting, lucky dips, numerous games and well-stocked refreshments (hot and cold), but my favourite had to be the display of fruit and veg grown by members of the Edge Lane allotments themselves... wonderful, wonderful stuff. Lily went home with a huge marrow and I ended up carting off the biggest beetroot I have ever seen - next year I will grow one bigger!

So, a sunny day, sausages on the barbie and lots of smiling faces... fantastic.

Oh, and I even found time to dig up a good 15-20kg of Maris Piper spuds at the end of the day!

Rainy Sunday...

2009-07-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

Not the best weather to be on the plot, pretty much a steady drizzle all day... though I suspect the spuds will love it! I got to the allotment at about 9am and made a brew, looked warily at the sky and sat in my shed, contemplating the day ahead... lots to do.

Suitably refreshed, I sowed three lines of turnip, each a different variety, where the broad beans had been a week before. Then I weeded the front border of Dahlias and cabbages and made a start on weeding the 'outside' fence line.

At 11am, I attended the Society meeting: much of the usual stuff and all fairly positive apart from a vote on a 'problem' plotholder. Great news came with the announcement of a £10k grant for the community garden, the completion of the orchard and the announcement of our own open day in August (the 9th).

After the meeting, I trudged back to the plot and carried on with the weeding. Sowed a new line of Mizuna, as it has proved so popular at home, a line of chinese radish and (probably too late/early) a line of Marigolds on the front border.

Then, I popped over to Levenshulme to pick up an anchor (yes, an anchor!) from Derek Jarman's garden in Dungeness - a fan of the director and having some family history linked to the sea, this will make an unusual, interesting and valid addition to the family plot!

I still eye the back half of my plot with some trepidation - the weeds are vicious and both my soft fruits and Jerusalem Artichokes are engulfed. This has to be the next job!

The winning is in the eating

2009-07-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ate a hearty lunch. Far too much, to be honest but everything on the plate was grown on the allotment: the last of my Vivaldi new spuds, the last of the broad beans in butter and pepper, raddish 'thinnings', mixed salad leaves and mizuna...

Num num num....

This morning, before setting off for work, I picked a mugfull of blackberries for a mid-morning snack. I don't even grow blackberries! Even the weeds are being kind to me today! (Sort of...)

Isn't this what it is all about?

What a difference a day makes... or five months.

2009-07-13T03:09:00.000-07:00

After a brief visit to the plot on Saturday, I managed to get in a good day on Sunday, spent weeding the beds on the front portion of the plot - and what a difference! Above is a photo from February and a similar shot taken on Sunday... I'm very pleased! This also gave me the opportunity to clear some space to plant some celeriac and to make some late sowings of beetroot and swede (this was meant to be turnip until I realised I didn't have any seed!)

The stuff I sowed a couple of weeks ago (pak choi, chard, perpetual spinach, carrot and beetroot) is poking through and the sweetcorn is thickening up (though looking very young in comparison to other plotholders' wonderful plants.)

I took out a line of spicy salad leaves that had bolted and re-sowed the line, so there will be plenty to look forward to over the next few weeks.

On Saturday, I noticed the rusted, hole-ridden top of an old wheelbarrow had been left on the rubbish pile, so I took it back to my plot, lined it with gravel and filled it with a mix of topsoil and sharp sand - hey presto! Another herb planter!

Unfortunately, after the heavy rains of Saturday night the herb sink was completely waterlogged and was steadfastly refusing to drain; I had to raise it up, dig out all the soil and gravel and chisel out the plug hole. Job done...

I pulled up a couple of my Maris Peer to find a fairly disappointing crop, though again I planted late and perhaps should have waited a couple of weeks; a couple of spuds had wireworm and the rest were fairly small (but tasted fantastic) except for this monstrosity:

Of course, we have had continued to enjoy potatoes, broad beans and a variety of salads, strawberries and herbs, though I must confess that I won't be happy until I have FINALLY cropped a decent load of beetroot!

There is an awful lot to do, but I am off tomorrow afternoon and can concentrate on clearing and tidying the soft fruits bed.

I can't wait until next year when the plot is finally into the swing of things.

Making a meal of things

2009-07-06T03:47:00.000-07:00

I started to cover my bare earth paths with a woodchip mulch and, for now, it looks well. We are lucky at Edge Lane that we get things like woodchip and horse poo free - a testament to the Committee's hard work and it's excellent relationships with the council and other community organisations.

I also managed to pick enough for a complete meal for the family yesterday, which leaves me feeling smug and contented!

The heat... argh.

2009-07-03T05:12:00.000-07:00

November 2008

July 2009

Herb sink!

Can you believe this weather? It was actually too hot yesterday for me to work more than an hour before giving up and going home to wait for the sun to drop and, with it, the temperature!

I've done quite a few hours into the late evening over the past couple of weeks and have managed to get a fair bit done. I have cropped my first broad beans (having them for tea tonight) and a pitiful haul of beetroot that I boiled and eat from the pan last night!

Fantastic Freecycle has come up trumps again and I have another water butt and a small butler sink that has made a welcome addition to the herb garden (see photos).

Other than that, I haver planted Pak Choi, Chard, Perpetual Spinach, two types of Carrot and some more Beetroot (I won't be beaten!) I have also bought a couple of Blueberry bushes for my youngest son, and they will go into pots, I think.

My salads are all doing really well too.

I finally feel like I am getting somewhere.

Unsociable hours

2009-06-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

Who had 'rat' in the What's the Critter comp? Yeah, well, you win, dagnabit. I lifted the plastic and three of the little buggers skittered out of there like greased lightening. Poison and traps, methinks.

Anyway, what with this being another tough weekend in terms of work, childcare and what have you, I was on the allotment at 7.30am till 9.30am and 6.30pm till 9.00pm on Sunday but, hurrah! I actually managed to dig over and de-root another patch and plant my sweetcorn.

But wait... MY FIRST CROP! Actually, it was the radishes that Joe planted a few weeks ago - and very cheeky they were too. Yum.

I'm knackered this morning, mind.

What did strike me (again) is the amount of work I have still to do...

Newly-planted sweet corn

Joe's radishes

Not strictly allotment news...

2009-06-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

It’s been a good weekend.

I dug up the old crazy paving and took my beloved blue shed down on Saturday so that the chickens ('the girls') could have the run of the back garden; chicken-wired holes etc… On Sunday, Helen took Joe and Dan to Joe’s football tournament and Lily and I spent a lovely day together; went to the park, went for a nice walk and then sat and watched the chickens in the afternoon. She made me watch Hannah Montana, but that still didn’t spoil it.

Helen and the boys came back, and Joe has been given a 12-month contract with the club, which is great news!

Popped down to the allotment to feed my neglected tomatoes and to water the brassicas (an hour before the bloody heavens opened!) Planted two pumpkins from seeds we dug out of Dad’s French pumpkins last year, and was pleased to see all the salads coming through.

This was our first weekend with 'the girls' and I have been taking every opportunity to just sit and watch them. Chloe will follow me around and is not only more than happy to feed from my hand, but now expects it every time I go out into the garden.

Sophie is more reserved and tends to keep her distance; she is also the one that does the most scratching about. Neither of them is afraid of the children, who are really enthralled.

I really had to sell the idea of having the chickens at home whilst I got the allotment into shape, but my wife asked me on Saturday if we couldn't keep them at home permanently (or have more on the allotment, but keep these two here.)

For myself, I feel really contented watching them - they are a delight. I never thought I'd say that about chickens!

So yeah... I reckon I'm a convert!

Of course, having dug over the garden and 're-structured' it recently, I guess that's the new lawn that I was going to sow b*ggered.

Falling fowl of chickens but enjoying the vole thing

2009-06-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't managed to spend much time on the plot over the past couple of weekends (we had a lovely family holiday in the Lakes a couple of weeks back and Helen was working this weekend, so I was on daddy day care duty), I have been down twice a day almost every day for the past fortnight, in the morning and evening, opening up the mini-greenhouse, watering and weeding - the weather has been glorious!

The news... I have bought a greenhouse. It's cheap, an odd shape with the door on 'the side' rather in the front as is convention, and it is polycarbonate rather than glass. It is also, as Rob has pointed out, rather small at 6' by 4'. But it's mine. All I have to do now is put the bugger up.

Most of my time has been taken up with weeding the beds and removing the overgrowth down the sides of the plot; lots of lovely nettles for the compost and all the other stuff can go on the skip!

In other news: I bought a chicken coop with attached run. Having been assured by the manufacturer that yes, it was certainly adequate for up to five birds and I could happily house them in it until I had got around to building a larger run ariound it, I delightedly informed the good people on allotment.org.uk... only to be told that, in fact, two birds was about the limit. Argh. Once again, rushed purchasing and lack of foresight are my downfall.

What we have decided to do is to erect the coop in the back garden, where it is both secure and productive (eggs, wonderful poop-covered eggs!) until I can muster the hardware and resources to build something more substantial on the plot. I spoke to a young lad on the allotments called Hughie, who breed LOTS of chickens and he has advise a couple of breeds that are good layers - I think I will go with the Wheaton Maran.

In yet more news: my first two broad beans... yummy! I picked them as babies because I am impatient! :-)

Finally, there was a vole in my compost heap yesterday. I was crashing around, moving carpet and so on, and when I lifted the bottom piece, there he was sitting looking at me as though I had been terribly rude in disturbing him during his snack...

So very much to do!!!

Sunny Bank Holiday?!! No Way!

2009-05-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those long weekends after which you feel as if you had been off for a week, rather than three days? We fit so much in this weekend that this is exactly how I feel today. Luckily, we managed to get plenty of time on the plot too!

On Saturday morning, I visited a fellow Freecycler and picked up four more tomato plants, each a different 'heritage' species, though goodness knows where I am going to put them! At the moment, they are sharing a rather cramped mini-greenhouse! Then I finished digging and de-rooting more space for two rows of spuds. I also started to weed the raised beds, as they had started to look a real mess.

A 6.30 start on Sunday and I actually planted the spuds (Pink Fir Apple and Maris Piper) in the rows I had dug the previous day; they looked wrinkly and worse for wear, but then so did the earlies I planted and they are now nosing their way out of the ground! All a bit late, but there you go. I said to Helen at the weekend that I had grossly underestimated just how much work there was in digging up all the old root...

Helen was working on Sunday, so I took the three children back to the plot after we had run her into Manchester. We all attended the Society meeting, which threw up some interesting points (particularly on the bee front - something I will be keen to look at further next year.) Then, after the meeting, Joseph and I planted three varieties of radish while Lily and Dan played hide and seek, then all three went off to play with a school chum from another plot, giving me the opportunity to carry on with a bit of weeding.

Anyway, I also planted a couple of leftover seed spuds in a tub and while I was doing that, I noticed a rustle and movement underneath the plastic sheet that covers part of my plot. Oh no, I thought, a rat... there was definite movement and a scratching noise under a bit where water had pooled; it sounded as if the creature under there was trying to dig through the plastic. The following day, I stood completely quiet and still for a few minutes and sure enough, the same movement in the same spot - I wonder if I may have a hedgehog under there, which would be cool, but for the fact that I want to dig that area soon...

Maybe I shoud run a competition? 'Guess the critter'... (Edit: Poll now added! Please vote and we will hold an eviction at the end of June - just like Big Brother!)

We took the children out to the Chestnut Centre on Monday, which was lovely, but I still managed to grab a couple of hours on the plot, planting the last of my strawberries and adding a lemon balm (potted) to the herb bed - against all advice and my own better judgement. Lemon Balm can be a bugger of a weed, self seeding just about everywhere but do you know what, whilst battling bind weed, bramble, dock, nettle and that bloody awful, low-growing velcro-endowed (what is is, cow parsley?) stuff, I reckon something as lovely and as useful as lemon balm would be a relief... weed-wise!

I also started to dig over a patch next to the shed, where I think I will put either my courgettes or a pumpkin!

Happy days.

Oh, and the sun was blazing. No, really!

Bloody wind and bloody rain!

2009-05-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

I got to the allotment on Sunday to find my mini-greenhouse in many, many pieces, scattered about the place by the recent high winds. I know it is a temporary structure but this really takes the biscuit... so, an hour and a half I spent rebuilding the thing and trying to make it more secure in the face of the gales we have been 'enjoying'.

Having got to grips with the Meccanno-like frame and muttering oathes and curses to anyone in earshot, I finally got to stop and look at the plot. WEEDS.

I popped over to the allotment shop to buy a couple of grow-bags and feed for the four lovely tomato plants that Rob gave me last week and I installed them in the newly-resurrected greenhouse (if these get destroyed too I may not be able to look my friend in the face ever again.)

Next job: I sawed the bottom off one of my old plastic dustbins, dug an almighty hole, dropped the bin in, re-filled the hole and planted my horseradish root. This can become an impossible, invasive weed so I am taking no chances. The bin looks slightly odd, protruding some four inches above the soil surface, but the roots are not getting under or over this bugger!

I started to lay out and weigh down great sheets of weed-suppressing plastic over currently-unused areas of the plot when the heavens opened, and I mean REALLY opened. This being a job I could not leave undone, I slipped, slided cursed and shook my fist at the heavens until I had finally finished.

What an awful weekend.

The good news is that my Curley Kale seedlings are up and I had 100% germination on my Corn, which I chitted (as advised on www.allotment.org.uk).

Weeds, weeds, weeds...

2009-04-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a major moment in my allotment experience so far; it was the day that I realised that weeds are utter bastards and I will never win. It's good to get a sense of perspective and this crushing, dispiriting realisation spurred me to get cracking again.

I planted my small 4' by 4' herb garden up with thyme, sage, lavender, chives, marjoram and chocolate mint though I didn't dig in any sharp sand first, so I need to wait to see how things developed there.

I also finished my last row of soft fruits with a few autumn raspberries that a fellow Freecycler asked me to dig up when I picked up some plants for the garden! I also put three rows of strawberries in half of the bed that contained the failed rhubarb - there is still room for four rhubarb (i need to buy three more crowns.)

On the sunday I started very early and dug a new bed at the very front of the plot, by the fence. In this, I planted three varieties of Dahlia: Kenora Challenger, Mary's Jomander and, er, Kiwi something-or-other.

Finally, I re-dug the bed that Helen had started, but that had gone over to weeds again. In this, I planted two rows of early spuds: Vivaldi and Maris Peer.

It is heartening to see that all of the Jerusalem Artichokes have broken through, the broad beans are going strong and there are some signs of recovery in my early cabbage and cauliflowers...

:-)

Day Off... What to do..?

2009-04-15T07:04:00.001-07:00

I had a day off to look after our eldest two children today. What should we do, park? Too windy. Cinema? No money. The zoo? No Money. Museums? Did that last week; I know, the allotment!!! This was met with blank looks and accusing sighs. After all, Spongebob was on.

Regardless, I dragged them over to Edge Lane and we started to put in some summer Cabbage and Cauliflower; I say 'we', Joseph sat in the car the entire time.

Got the veg planted and netted the entire bed, as I believe pigeons (something we have in great numbers at Edge Lane Allotments) rather enjoy a nibble on the brassicas, amongst other things.

I also topped up the compost with a bag full of seaweed that I picked up off the beach at Littlehampton over Easter - good and pongy!

My broad beans are coming up and - touch wood - it looks like they are untouched by mice. There are also signs of my Jerusalem Artichokes poking through, though of six rhubarb plants, there is only sign of one, which is a disappointment (I love rhubarb!) Seed trays are bare - I suspect my peas have rotted and I'll put them straight into the ground instead.

I had a look at the fruit canes and I suspect a few are dead, they are just sticks at the moment, but I'll leave them and see what happens.

Anyway, I have been putting off digging the onion and tattie beds, but I can get away with that no longer! Bugger.

Family fun - photos

2009-04-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

Digger Dan!

Lily helps to plant beetroot

Life on the 'lottie

Labelling the seeds

Getting caned

2009-04-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

I've got a fair few bits and pieces done over the last couple of weekends: beetroot is in, the herb bed is nearly ready to plant up and I have dug over a nice big area and planted a variety of soft fruit canes (raspberry, tayberry, gooseberry and blackcurrant); unfortunately, the canes were not marked to indicate variety, so the area will be something of an anarchic riot of mixed fruits.

The midden door has been painted and awaits a new roof.

Rob also managed to secure a free 8' by 6' shed for me, and delivered it to the plot, so I have that job to do after the Easter break.

I'm slightly worried, as the broad beans I planted have yet to show their heads, as is the case with my rhubarb, where only one of six crowns is showing. Seed trays are proving equally frustrating, with an alarming failure rate. Something to do with phases of the moon, my father tells me.

Two weekends ago, I enjoyed a spectacularly nice day on the plot with my two eldest children, Joseph and Lily - warm orange squash, Jammy Dodgers and cheese butties; Lily 'helping' me to dig and Joe, sitting in full sun with coat zipped up and hood up, playing on his DS (rolls eyes).

It was a good day.

Yesterday, I put my two maincrop tatties (Maris Piper and Pink Fir Apple) out to chit. A bit late, I suppose, as they need to go in the ground sharpish.

I still have three varieties of earlies and all my onions to put in - lots of digging lies ahead.

We sow the seed, nature grows the seed, we eat the seed...

2009-03-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

If you remember the Young Ones, those proto-anarchic TV offspring of the early 1980s, you'll remember fondly, I'm sure, Neil the Hippy repeating this mantra over and over to the exasperation of Rik, the People's Poet...

This is the scene that I had playing in my head all weekend as, at last, I began to feel like I was actually doing something 'productive', as opposed to endlessly turning dirt over and picking out roots...

This weekend was special, this weekend, I sowed three varieties of pea in the mini-greenhouse; I planted my broad beans and I dug over and planted my Jerusalem Artichoke patch.

It's starting to happen, I can feel it.

In addition to this, I dug over and made the frame for the small, 4ft-square herb bed.

The sun actually shone ocassionally and the allotments were bustling for the first time this year...

And life was good.

March photos

2009-03-10T06:25:00.001-07:00

Enter Spring

2009-03-10T06:15:00.001-07:00

Well, the weekend saw the completion of the third bed and it feels like I am finally starting to get some structure together. I put down a weed suppressing membrane between each of the beds and put down gravel for paths. I also planted two varieties of rhubarb (Victoria and Champagne) in the first bed, nearest 'the midden'.

I used the last of my broken flags and some bricks acquired off Freecylce to complete the 'patio' in front of the midden, with a couple of rosemary and one lavender planted through... the flags are, frankly, rather Heath Robinson and 'health-and-safety-be-damned', but I kinda like the ramshackle feel...

I also made an impulse purchase, a Morello Cherry tree (Aldi, £4ish), which I planted near the patio and off what will be the main path from top to bottom and should, I hope, be quite a feature. I'll just have to keep the roots in check - how I may come to regret this, but think of all those lovely pies!

I noticed that mice have visitied the compost heap already, only to be expected I suppose, but if rats follow, I could have a fight on my hands!

I also erected a temporary mini-greenhouse (half price at £19.99 at Argos) to start some seeds off...

It's all starting to happen!

Photos from February

2009-02-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

That cut is definitely not straight

My new beds....

The nest (not a great shot, but it's dark in there!)

Tom and Barbara

2009-02-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

Helen and I took Tuesday off together to spend a romantic day together, a chance to enjoy each other's company. So, off to the allotment we went and, shoving a fork into her hand, I told Helen to start digging.

It was quite a productive day, she managed to dig one bed over (in the face of much comment and criticism!) and I made two raised beds from some significantly hefty lumps of timber, purchased at a knock-down price from Dinger.

The manure heap was filled and covered; the remaining sides of the compost bins faced off and a large amount of wood acquired from a very generous Freecycler, TK Components in Denton.

Mooching about in the Midden, Helen discovered a bird nest up on a shelf, on top of my box of seed potatoes in the corner of the shed. I had previously thought a few leaves and whatnot had simply blown through a hole in the top corner but sure enough, a careful peek confirmed it was in fact a nest. We gingerly moved the box, took the empty nest aside, removed the potatoes and put the box and nest back where we found it. Who knows, maybe we'll have visitors soon?

Happy distractions

2009-02-23T02:02:00.000-08:00

Two full days on the allotment... bliss. Or it would be if I didn't ache so badly. But hey, you have to put the work in, right?

Saturday was a tale of many 'tea breaks'. Whilst finishing digging over what are now three 6' x 11' beds, 'Big Paul' from the plot next door popped his head over the fence to say hello and to ask if I wouldn't mind helping him to put up a few replacement panels. No problem, say I, ever-obliging. The panels are huge, metal and ugly, but highly effective and, frankly, a doddle to put up. We get the job done in 20 minutes or so as I repeatedly hit my thumb with the hammer and Paul's young lad helps with a steady supply of nails.

Back to the digging, or so I thought - Jessica pops over and introduces herself. Jessica is the driving force behind the Edge Lane allotments' 'B of the Blog', amongst many, many other things and she wants to discuss the possibility of my involvement, which sounds really very interesting and I look forward to seeing where this may lead us...

Jessica returns to her plot and Brian strolls over. We chat about the weather, my plot, the problem neigbour who lives between us and Dave, the pigeon man on the other side of my plot, who has not been well.

Various other people stop by for a brief chat and it is fantastic as I start to feel a real part of the community.

And inbetween, yes, I manage to finish digging over the three plots!

Sunday was a strange day. It started with a fine haze of rain that eventually turned into something of a downpour. I marked out a fresh area to dig over for three new beds, but the rain made the prospect of a hard day's digging unappealing. As the rain came down heavily I sat on my chair in the doorway of the 'midden', flask of coffee in hand and waited. It was strangely pleasant and provided me with time to think about the jobs that needed doing and the order in which I should do them.

During the lighter drizzle, I cleaned out the 'midden', gave it a good sweep, clearing cobwebs, leaves and mud, and put everything back as tidily as possible.

Once the rain cleared, the sun appeared from behind the clouds and, for a while at least, it became a lovely day. I decided to start a manure pile next to the existing compost bins, stripping down a pallet (harder work than I expected, they are surprisingly well made!) to face the sides with. Several trips with the wheelbarrow and there I stood, the proud owner of a steaming pile of horse shit - just what every 40 year-old man wants!

The kindness of strangers

2009-02-08T03:17:00.000-08:00

Nothing doing on the plot this weekend, a combination of weather and full-time childcare has kept me indoors - ah, well. I'm not sure that there is an awful lot I can do at the moment without turning my soil into a compacted mess.

I would however like to focus on Freecycle, that wonderful, wonderful organisation that helps people to gift their unwanted 'stuff' to people who do want it, and by heck haven't I done well out of it; as well as getting rid of an awful lot of accumulated stuff out of the loft (stuff that I can't eBay for whatever reason), I have been extremely lucky in receiving the following:

Numerous seeds,
A brand new garden gate
Assorted timbers
Two huge timber trelisses
An end roll of roofing felt
A strimmer

Gardening aside, I was also lucky enought to receive all the components for a damned fine stereo set-up, a G3 Apple Mac (my dream machine a decade or so ago!), 11 demijohns for my homebrewing and a telly for the kids' room, amongst other things.

So, one man's junk is another's treasure and, whilst we may bemoan today's society and the lack of... community? respect? we should also take heart that there are thousands of people out there who are kind and enthusiastic and willing to support you in achieving your dream.

Freecycle, man; I urge you to sign up and get involved!

Come rain, sleet or snow

2009-02-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

Dig it!

Another weekend, another hard slog on the plot; still being new to this digging lark, my muscles ache, my back groans and right now, I can go to sleep standing up, but the sight of a few square feet of well-dug soil fills me with immense pride.

I have dug out barrow-loads of weed roots, rubble, broken glass, bits of unidentifiable rusted metal and, surprisingly, a betting shop pen that still worked! I very nearly have space for three raised beds of around 6' x 9'. I also managed to construct a second compost bin and sorted my brick, rubble and slate finds into orderly stacks behind 'the midden'; 'why?' I hear you ask... honestly? I don't know, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

By 1pm on Sunday, the first sign of snow was falling and as I packed the car up to go home at a little after 2pm, a blizzard had descended! Driving off the plot, I noticed Patrick, all smiles and thumbs up, dilligently ploughing the old Italian lady's plot... I swear, he looked positively cheerful!

Of course, as Brian commented, come the snow and "your plot will look as good as everyone else's!"

Photos from January

2009-01-26T05:33:00.000-08:00

After the first ploughing in goodness knows how long.
A number of holes were left after I had dug out a total of
eight concrete foundations from the old pigeon lofts...

My pallet-made compost bin... the door has hinges.

A man can be proud!

Big Berta!

Preparation, preparation, preparation...

2009-01-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

After the Council had cleared the plot, November 2008

In November, the Climance family once again paid a visit en masse to the Edge Lane site and were greeted with a fully cleared plot; we were all excited and, well I speak only for myself here, but I think a little daunted at the prospect of things to come. This was indeed a great plot with space enough for growing and keeping chickens, the latter was an ambition I had harboured for some time.

The trouble was, all those weeds had roots and they all needed digging out; the shed was lacking a functioning roof and had no door. the fences had fallen down in most places and, well, where the hell do you begin?!

As we entered December 'real life', Christmas, family visits and work all got very much in the way of allotment life; perhaps I am making excuses and perhaps the challenge had knocked my confidence, but it was not until January that I returned to the plot to start work in earnest.

I quickly realised that Patrick, the Plot Steward, had become fairly concerned that I hadn't been back to the plot and that the Council may well, quite rightly, start to question just why they had spent a princely sum to clear the bugger!

Preparation, they say, is everything and in the first couple of visits I focused exclusively on the collapsed fencing and clearing old, rotten timbers, pieces of glass and rubble and so on. I also fitted a new doorframe on the shed, found the old door and hung it. To my amazement, it all fit together perfectly (well, nothing a sharp hammer blow didn't rectify.)

Helen and I both took a day off work and between us we cleared a load of overhanging bramble from a neighbouring plot, whilst also laying flags in front of and behind the shed. I will be buying a new shed to accompany 'the midden', but first things first...

This weekend I constructed the first of my compost bins from pallets that I had either 'acquired' from the mill in which I work, or had been given by my good friend, Rob. I am very pleased with my handiwork - the door is hinged and everything - and once it is lined, it will soon fill up!

I also hired 'Berta', the plough. Berta is a hefty bugger that takes some manhandling but, after a brief instructional from Allotment Chairman, Mick the Stick, I got to grips with the thing and coverede most of the ground, mostly without incident, in a couple of hours.

After the ploughing was done, I covered an area about the size of my front room, picking out the roots by hand. I filled two wheelbarrows in two hours and time ran out on me, so next weekend I can expect at least a day of the same... still, as everyone who passed the plot on Sunday said, it'll be worth it in the end.

Reaching for the dream

2009-01-26T04:09:00.000-08:00

Plot 36, Edge Lane Allotments, August 2008

In the summer of 2008, somewhat out of the blue, I was struck with the idea of trying to get myself and my family an allotment. My wife, Helen, had suggested that we put a lawn down in our rather modest urban garden so that our three children had somewhere to play. Fair enough, I thought, you can't argue with that, though it would mean digging out my precious Euphorbias (the Date Palm can stay, thank goodness...)

So, at the beginning of August and on a complete whim, I knocked on my neighbour's door. Brian keeps pigeons and I knew he kept them on an allotment, though I didn't know where it was (even if it is just five minutes from my house - on foot!) He agreed to have a word and see if anything was available.
To cut a long story short, Brian did indeed have a word and, incredibly quickly, a plot became available, "Come and have a look," he said. So, the five of us jumped in the car an went down to check out our dream. What we were greeted with the most amazing jungle of bramble, bindweed, rubble and god-knows-what...
"It'll be a big job to clear it, but it's a cracking plot this," said Brian.
"Er, yes," I replied, unenthusiastically.
"It's not been used for a while."
"No..."
After this somewhat sobering introduction to my 'little piece of England', I was introduced to Patrick, the Allotment Steward, a friendly and extremely helpful chap who explained to me that he had spoken to the Council's 'allotment guy' and was trying to have the plot cleared for me. This small piece of information lifted my mood significantly and we agreed to keep in touch and that he would let me know when the job was finished.
Discouragingly, the days and weeks passed. I exchanged emails with Patrick and, eventually, with the Council representative himself. There was the issue of funding, he said, the quote was incredibly expensive, he said, it will be two weeks, he said... more than once!
To his credit and my eternal gratitude, the man kept his word and, in November, the plot had been cleared offering a wonderful, back-breaking blank canvas.