Neighbours & Friends

[Aud]

Allottment Diary – Started on 23rd October 2006-11-02

Size – approx 70m x 30m – with a shed, greenhouse, 2 cherry trees, 1 apple tree.

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Week Beginning 23/10

Mon- Len started digging today and Stuart cut all the weeds down with his strimmer.
Tues – My first glimpse and I loved it there. It's a lovely south facing site and so peaceful. I cleared weeds in greenhouse which were coming up through the slabs and applied weed killer and jeyes fluid. Planted 3 rows onions.
Wed/Thurs- Len continued digging the plot.
Fri – Took Abi & Faith- cleared weeds and rubbish from around shed. The girls loved it and remarked when we came home after 2 hours that they needed to buy wellies for next time.

Week Beg 30/10

Mon/Tues – Len still digging and also making bonfire
Wed – I cleared rubbish at side of shed and planted 2 more rows of onions.
(The ones I planted last week are already shooting up.)
Thurs – Len had bonfire and burnt lot of weeds and burnable rubbish.
The foxes had the chickens from the chicken coop on the plot next to us last night. Felt really sorry for the owner as he has only just started on his plot too. We were offered one of the chickens but Len declined. He wasn't into plucking and cleaning one and I couldn't do it so I think the man took them to the local butchers.
Fri - Took Daisy to see it and she loved walking round all the little paths. Didn't stay as it was freezing cold.

NB
Need to buy greasebands for trees & soil tester kit too.

[Barney]

This sounds like a bi-ig challenge, Aud. But you have proper bean stands!!!

[Marie]

This all sounds lovely, Aud ! The allotment is quite big, isn't it ?

But burning weeds and other burnable stuff ? Is that allowed in the UK ? We can't burn anything in our gardens here ! Forbidden !

I think you'll have a lot of good times there. Just imagine you can eat your own vegetables next year ! Mmm... nod.gif

[Lynn]

Looks like a lot of work there Aud but very rewarding when eating your own food.

I wish you luck in your venture nod.gif

[Val]

Aud its Huge! I love the bean stands, I must get my Len to have a look at your pic, and perhaps he could make some, its better than growing them along the fence> its a lot of work, but you are going to be so fit and healthy from the digging and eating all the fresh fruit and veg, what else are you going to plant, I fancy trying to grow beetroot next year.

[Aud]

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Update 17th November 2006.


[smilie=whistle.gif] Dig dig, dig dig, dig dig,,dig dig, he digs the whole day thro' [smilie=whistle.gif]

Now he's nearly finished digging till the spring.

One of the plot holders is a tree surgeon and he's pulling up the monster hawthorn tree in exchange for another two jars of my home made marmalade. nod.gif

The council have been and taken a lot of the rubbish we've accrued and everyone keeps coming to look at the plot which has lain under 6ft weeds for years.

We still have the shed and all the brambles behind it to sort out but at least the frosts can now get to work killing all the roots of nettles, docks, brambles etc.

I'm going to buy him a new spade and fork for Xmas as the ones he's using are the old ones and the earth sticks to them too much.

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Barney edit to put space between pictures

[Marie]

He sure has been working hard, Aud ! nod.gif It looks quite different !

[Barney]

Did Len dig in all the ashes, Aud? It's a first class source of potash, which your plants will need.

Also, has he made a compost bin for all that green weed stuff that you'll be digging out? If not, do get one started because it'll be a great source of compost / organic matter for you in six months' time, so long as Len turns it over a couple of times a month. Otherwise, contact your local council, as usually they will provide compost bins at a much reduced price - that's how we got ours, and they work very well.

Put all your kitchen raw veggie waste, crushed egg shells, spent teabags (empty them first as the bags take forever to biodegrade) into a small bin and take them to the allotment heap a couple of times a week.

The best organic compost accelerator is urine. I learned this from Bob Flowerdew a few years back and have proved it's true!

[Aud]

Thanks for the tips Barney. These are all things we've thought about but haven't put in place yet. I have tried to suggest composting but he has had a one track mind for the last month. Dig, dig, and more dig!!!!! I think I'll try the council after Xmas.

[Barney]

What news from the allotment, Aud?

[Aud]

Hi Barney everything is growing very well so far including millions of weeds! The only 2 failures have been with dwarf runner beans not germinating and parsnips pulled out thinking they were weeds. Not by me I might add!

We have courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes all ready setting in the greenhouse (my domain) and are already eating turnips, spinach and salad leaves from the ground. By next week the broccoli should be big enough to cut and some of the cabbage is nearly ready too.

I nearly pulled all the shallots up on Thursday thinking they were salad onions. Len loves shallots so I'm really glad I checked in the book first as they looked like salad onions to me.

We pulled the last leeks from the garden at home and this is what they looked like.

Think one lost its way for a while!

They weren't very big but I wanted to plant some shrubs where they were growing and as we have some at the allottment Len dug them up.

I am keeping a diary so I will try and post more soon.

Bye for now.

[Aud]

Val @ Fri 03 Nov, 2006 1:20 pm wrote:

I fancy trying to grow beetroot next year.

You must put some seeds in Val. I planted some last week and they're already through!

[Aud]

Forgot to post this , it was taken last week. As you can see it's looking a bit different now.

Len planted a Victoria Plum last week bought to celebrate his retirenment birthday. He loves them. We have 2 cherry trees which are both laden with green cherries, if they all ripen the girls we be so happy.

[Val]

Hi Aud, We bought a half barrell and the beetroots are now in there along with the carrots, after reading about Lynn and Barney and their potatoes, we might try to do that next year!

[Lynn]

The difference is amazing Aud! A lot of hard work has gone into there, so I do hope you continue eating your rewards nod.gif