Spring 2009

Apologies to those of you that were following the blog... I know it's been a while since my last post. I will try and get in to posting regular updates!

Where to start? The plot had changed a lot in the last few months, most of the raised beds have now been completed along with a few addition ones.

The front 1/2 of the plot that was taken on towards the end of 2008 after the previous tenant gave it up, has also had a lot of work done to it and now has Potatoes, cabbages, broccoli and Cauliflowers planted. There is still a rather large patch left to work but this has been covered with plastic for the time being to kill off the grass and weeds until later in the year... Eventually the plan is to dig it over and make another vegetable bed otherwise the compost bins will be moved further down the plot and three more raised beds will be constructed.


The whole allotment site is also now starting to look a lot tidier, after two skips were finally supplied by the new contractor after much pressure from the Association chairman. Funnily enough, by the time the first skip had arrived, we had already cleared the huge stack of rubbish that was uncovered whilst clearing the plot. No surprise... After waiting almost a year!

A few more pictures of the plot as it looks today:

Well Summer has been and gone.. although I didn't have a bad harvest considering I was trying to concentrate on getting the plot tidy and ready for a big push in 2009.

This year I succesfully harvested:

• Tomatoes
  
• Runner Beans
  
• Pumpkins
  
• Marrows
  

I now also have the Hens, which have settled in well... supplying us with fresh eggs.

There was quite a bit of uncertainty about how long the hens would last when I first metioned keeping chickens down on the plot, not just because of the local fox population but also because of the two legged vandals that occasionaly visit the site. But touch wood, so far I have not had any problems that I'm aware of!

These are a few pictures of the hens when they first arrived:

I will get some up to date pictures in the next few days, as we have already replaced the hen coop with a larger house to give the hens more sleeping and nesting space and so now have two coops. The original coop is now sitting at the top of the plot empty, but I will probably use it to rear some of my own hens next year otherwise i will sell it on again and put the money back into the plot or towards a few more hens.

Thats enough for now... tired and aching after today efforts down on the plot, but planning another morning down there tomorrow :)

A few more pictures from the plot:

Tomato plants are thriving, along with the runner beans that have taken really well to growing over the rose arches...

August Update...

Appologies for the lack of updates over the last few months...

Even though I haven't got round to updating the blog there has been plenty going on down on the plot or should i say plots ;) as since my last update I have also taken on the rest of the original 10 rod plot. After reciveing a responce to my letter that I sent the council regarding the over grown plot that adjoined mine, it turns out the owner has given the plot up a while ago and so I was able to take the rest on under a new contract. (Returing the two half plot back to one now called just plot 31)

New area: Before & After

The newest part has now been strimmed and partly covered, until I can get round to starting work on it. The main plan is to concentrate on getting the first half finsihed before winter sets in.

Managed to get a few plants in even though I have run out of soil to finish filling the raised beds.. Runer beans are doing really well growing over the rose arches and also the courgetts are doing well... We even had our first produce from the plot the other day which was two cos lettuces that had survived and so were taken home a used for our dinner.

I have also started on the newest venture down on the Allotment, which is going to be keeping our own laying hens so we can have fresh eggs on a daily basis.. This helps again with our goal of trying to produce as much of our own food as possible, the local council have now given me full permission to keep them on the site, so I have been cracking on with the pen... Still have a lot to do before I can get the hens but it shouldn't take too long once get a day off that is dry LOL.

Need to add a door to the mesh pannels and also lay bark chipping around the outside area to make the path ways.

Once we have completed the Chicken coop, the next job on the list is to get the rest of the raised beds completed. I have managed to source some second hand scaffolding boards to construct the rest of the raised beds, this has not only saved me money but also is a great way of recycling old boards that are classed as unsafe to use on a building site.

Last but not least we have the shed... Yeah!

At long last I have a secure place to store my tools and shelter from the showers. One of my parent's neighbour sadly had a bereavement in their family recently and kindly offered me the shed from the relatives garden. The shed was originally the gentlemans work shop and they said he would be pleased to know that it had gone to someone who would appreciate it and continue to put it to good use rather than it being discarded.

Planting...

Even thought the weather has been rather poor this week the plot has progressed, my dad has started building me two more raised beds and a new delivery of bark chipping arrived on site so I continued making pathways between the beds. No idea who keeps dropping the chippings off to the site but i'm very gratefull as it's saving me a fortune... If only someone would drop a skip of for a few days LOL, at least I could then get the rubbish pile cleared.

Today I built a couple more bean arches and started planting some of the Runner bean plants that my mum got me in to the finished middle bed, will plant the rest on the other side of the arches once I have finished filling the beds... also moved my Morello Cherry Tree from home and planted it in between to the two new raised beds. Dad popped over for a while in between jobs and arrived with some fruit bushes for the plot, which was a nice suprise as I didn't know he was coming over. After spending a while helping me sift soil for one of the raised beds dad headed of to a job and after watering in the newly planted runner beans I decided to call it a day.

Update...

Appologies for not posting an update for a while... this was mainly due to the fact that I have been spending most of my time down on the plot filling in the second raised bed and not really had a lot to report.

Purchased a couple of rose arches to train the runner beans up and have placed these over the path way that runs between two beds as I can then also plant other things in the beds and utilise space.

I have also netted the Strawberry plants today as something seems to have been walking on the bed and moving the bark chips around, the netting should protect the fruit as it ripens and stop it being eaten by wild birds etc...

Above you can see a picture of the newly repaired road that leads down the to the allotment double gates... before being repaired it had some huge holes that would fill with water when it rained and was very uneven to drive down. The Church have funded the repairs as it is a private road and everyone that uses it has been asked to contribute £10 towards the repair costs which I believe are around £1000.00

Also above is a picture of the rest of plot 31 (Numbered 31B) which is apparently let to someone but as you can see is very overgrown with Couch grass etc... Since taking on my plot I have never met or seen anyone working plot 31b and I have now drafted a letter to send to CIP expressing my interest in taking it on if the current occupier doesn't make any signs of cultivation in the near future.

BBC News - Allotments

When it comes to allotments, the plot is thickening.

Once a haven for retired granddads to potter in their sheds and grow a few spuds, they've become a must have accessory for the middle classes.
Modern trends for greener living and healthy eating mean a movement that was designed to help the families of the labouring poor is now more likely to support the families of urban professionals.

Click on the link below to see the full article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/7391868.stm

Strawberry Plants

I was away over the weekend, so popped to the allotment this morning to check on the Strawberry plants... all seem to be doing ok so far. Not going to get any time to spend down the plot today or tommorrow due to shifts this week but hopefully should get the second bed finished on Wednesday which is my next full day off.

12-05-2008

Time for an update...

First raised bed is now finished and has been planted with 32 Strawberry Plants, little late getting them in so we may not get a huge strawberry yield this year but next year once they are established we should do well. My brother came over on Friday afternoon to give me a hand digging out the next bed, this ones now almost finished and just needs weed suppressant laying and in-filling with topsoil and well rotted manure.

(Forgot the camera, so will get some pictures of the Strawberry bed shortly)

Most of the plants that will be going down to the plot have been started off at home in the garden, so they will be ready to plant out asap...

Decided to have another go at growing our own Tomato's and started with 6 small plug plants, these are now thriving and growing really well since being repotted and caned... Spent 1/2 hour pinching out the tomato plants this moring which makes the plant's channel their energy into producing fruit rather than foliage.

Freecycle

Came across a local freecycle group recently on the web... great way to give & receive unwanted items locally for free. Managed to pick up a few bits for the plot this week including 30 large paving slabs and a brand new compost bin!

http://www.freecycle.org/

Compost Awareness Week

May 4th - 10th is Compost Awareness Week. You can download Enjoy "a newsletter full of hints and tips to keep you composting". You can buy composting accessories and even search for Composting Events in your area.

Composting is Nature's way of recycling and helps to reduce the amount of waste we put out for the bin men. By composting kitchen and garden waste you can easily improve the quality of your soil and be well on your way to a more beautiful garden.

Beds...

Due the weather last week I haven't been able to do much on the plot, apart from tidy up the rubbish pile and move it further down the plot so it's out the way... (Until we manage to get a skip on site)

One thing we did manage to get started on was building the raised beds!

Today the weather had greatly imroved on last week so I spent most of the day digging out one of the newly finished beds, laying weed suppressant and sieving soil.

Rubbish/Carpet Pile

26-04-2008

Spent most the day down on the plot today, mum and dad also came over for a few hours to help me out. Finished the back area and relaid the paving slabs...


We also moved the water tank back in to place and made a small fence at the top end of the plot, next job on the list is leveling out the soil so we can get started on building the first set of raised beds.

A couple of the neighbours popped their head over the fence this evening and said how impressed they were with all the work we had done on the plot... certainly put a smile on my face!
~

Looking forward to getting the first raised beds built as I have plants everywhere in the back garden waiting to go down the plot...

Plant list so far:

• Cherry Tree x 2
• Raspberry x 3
• Redcurrent x 1
• Blackcurrent x 1
• Red Gooseberry x 1
• Strawberry x 10
• Tomato x6
• Pumpkin x 2
• Rhubarb x 2
• Chilli (Jalapeno) x 2
• Sunflowers (Giant)
• Sweet Peas (Mixed Colours)

P.R.A.A.

Attended the A.G.M. last night at the Town Wharf Pub, nice to meet some more plot holders and listen to what issues were arising regarding the site. Also joined the Park Road Allotment Assosiation, which consists of various members from the site and was originally formed to try and do something about the vanalism.

A.G.M.

Off to the allotment AGM meeting tonight, it being held at one of our local pubs down by the river, so not only will I get to meet new people; find out what the society are planning/doing etc... but I can also have a drink and walk home!

The Old Shed...

The newly barked area... where the old shed used to be, now ready for a small table and chairs.

Busy, Busy...

I have been trying to spend as much time down the plot this week as possible, due to the amount of work we have to do and the fact that the afternoons have been so warm and sunny it's perfect for working on the plot.

On Monday & Tuesday there were lot's of people down the Allotment and I got to meet my neighbours both sides who I had a chat with and introduced myself, (Only problem is I cannot remember their names...) Also found out that the old rotting shed on the plot is mine as I wasn't initially sure who it belonged to as the plots don't really have any boundaries. Shed has now been pulled down and we are building an area for a table and chairs so we have somewhere to relax after a hard afternoon digging.

Forgot to take the camera down, so will get some pictures taken today!

Contract

The contract arrived in the post this morning along with all the details that I have been asking about... Read & signed the contract and put it straight back in the post!

Plot Deatils

Size: The plot is listed as being 5 Sq rods or thereabouts.

Price: Cost of plot is going to be £25.45 per year, which breaks down to £5.09 per square rod, payable yearly in advance on the first day of October.

First Day

Today, with the assistance of my father we started on the plot with the aim of clearing enough room ready to put a second-hand shed up and build one of the first raised planting beds.

After a hard day's graft, we have managed to clear quite a lot...

Arggghh!

Spoke to CIP again today regarding when I could collect a key to the allotment... seems they don't currently have any! and are waiting for some to arrive. Arggghh

Very eager to get started and i'm off all day tommorow (Thursday) with someone available to help me start clearing some of the rubbish and brambles, just have to keep my fingers crossed that someone is not working and down on their plot so we can gain access.