Latest developments

Not updated the blog in a while, but things have been a bit slow down the lotty over winter. Anyway, back with a vengeance now.

9th February 2013

Got down the allotment for the first time in a while. Dug over the existing beds again and continued to extract roots and weeds.

Soil was really sticky and clay like, not surprising though considering the amount of rain we have had.

Mini greenhouse now set up in the conservatory & i bought potting compost and trays today. Will get a bunch of seeds started off tomorrow.

16th February 2013

Got down the allotment again for a couple of hours. Bit better progress today as the ground was a lot dryer.

Dug out bed number seven but couldn't build the edging as no daughter with me help lift it into place. Couldn't strip out the brambles down the back of the latest section either due to my gloves being in the car, with my wife.

Still, the hard work was done & can do the rest next week. Off work Thursday& Friday so hoping to get lots of digging done.

Found a lot of garlic in the bit i dug out today so scooped that up and planted it into a mini bed i quickly dug out. May do a few small beds for wilds flowers and herbs in them.

Bed number seven

Garlic

Conservatory Greenhouse. Bought a bag of potting compost that i thought would be enough to fill my 10 trays. Bit of a disappointment when it only filled three of them.
Planted some Cress, Tomato's & Basil. Will buy some more stuff this week and plant some more.

I'm not actually going to sow anything directly outside as i find it hard to tell what is a weed and what is not.

22nd February 2013

Dug a 1.5 metre square bed today for wife's planned herb garden. Council had dropped off loads of wood chippings so i wheel barrowed  loads over and put it down between the existing beds.

Was pretty cold today, even started snowing a few times. Arleya spent 3 hours just sat in the shed with a face like a slapped arse. Soon warms up if you do some work!!

Be back down there tomorrow to burn off some of the crap i cleared out today, forgot to take a lighter.
Not many brambles left & doesn't seem daunting at all now, although there will still be plenty of weeding to going forward but at least it will be manageable now.

Next job is also to clear round the Elderberry tree for a sitting area & also clear a few more brambles for another wild flower bed.

Photos - re posted July's pics when i first took on the plot

Today's pictures

Be glad when i get the beds all planted now. See some reward for the hard digging work

cheers

Andy

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Happy New Year 2013

Doesn't feel like i have done an allotment update for a while. Probably due to the fact i haven't done anything down there for a while.

Busy year coming up, main focus getting my training in for Ironman UK in August. Not only have I had to diary all my training times to fit in with other stuff & Arleyas activities, I've had to diary in allotment time. Also have the added inconvenience of having to take the wife to work and pick her up at 3pm on weekends due to her job being a bit further away from home now as well.

Until August i should be able to get down the plot for a few hours every Saturday, after that a bit more. Will also be able to get down for an hour a couple of evenings a week once the days get a bit longer.

So, despite having a deadly case of man flu, I made it down the plot for a couple of hours today. Turned out to be quite productive. We managed to clear another 3m x 1.5m bed & build the edging.



6 Beds dug

looks a bit different to what it did when we took it on

 

First day at the plot was grim

 

So, conservatory is going to be used as a greenhouse this year. That announcement didn't go down as bad as i thought it might as it goes :-)

Planting plan for this year.

Raspberry - Already in
Cauliflower - Already in
Carrot
Sweet pepper
Tomato
Onion
Beetroot
Cucumber
Potato
Strawberry
Herb Garden

Next weeks plan is to keep digging out weed from existing beds and start on number 7 bed.

Happy Gardening

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Raspberry Canes

Little update.

Managed to get down the plot today to do a  couple of jobs.

Burnt some more rubbish & more satan brambles.

Second dig over of bed number 5, lots of weedy crap still in that one.

Moved some raspberry canes over to their new home. Felt quite satisfying finally having future edible produce growing in a bed. Although the cauliflower is coming on, they still look like weeds to me though :-)

Digging was a bit f a chore today, soil was very sticky & heavy.

Thats all for now

Happy Gardening

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We love freecycle

Picked up a big bunch of wooden planks today.
Sourced off freecycle for nothing.

20 planks, 3metres by 30cm. Quickly knocked together 3 to create a raised bed. Simple and perfect, not half the faffing I've had making the other ones.

However, now thinking i could use them to extend the shed. Design in progress.

 

As i was leaving got talking to an old boy who has a plot opposite me. Friendly old fellow, retired and spends 3 days a week fishing, the rest down his allotment. Happy days.

 

Seems very knowledgeable. Showed me where i had Raspberry canes already growing so that's saved me a few quid buying more. I thought they were brambles. Will move them to my planned Raspberry bed next time I'm down there.

Told me about a guy down there who sells  manure at £15 a load & who i can buy fresh eggs off.

He also showed me what i can leave in the ground when digging & what i need to make sure i get out.

Apparently the tree on my plot is an Elderberry & attracts blackfly so would be a good idea to chop it down

 

Only a quick visit down there today but some valuable learns

 

Next jobs

• Move raspberry canes
• Creosote raised beds
• Use planks
• Start digging bed number 6



Thats it for now, not sure when i'll get down there next as the next 3 Friday nights are Christmas parties. Theres always a chance i wont over induldge in the alcohol but that is a very slim chance :-)

Happy Gardening

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Bonfire day

Great day down the allotment today.

Probably the most productive day we have had down there for a long while. Looks like the cauliflowers are coming through but i cant be sure, they may well be weeds ;-)

Burnt loads of old crap that was left on the plot, bits of wood and pallet i cant find any use for.

 

Collected up loads of the brambles & nettles we had chopped back since we got the plot & burnt that.

Arleya enjoying a good bonfire just like i used to with my dad. I also used the last of the dug up chicken wire which I've ran down from the shed. If anyone wants to break in and nick stuff I've made it pretty awkward now. If anyone trys to break in, they have to break two padlocks & will get nicely cut up on wire & bramble



 

Had a bit of a picnic



The good life.

 

Was a really nice sunny day today, so we had a picnic down the allotment. Excuse the Mo on my face. Arleya has given up a months pocket money for me to do it.

 

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Knocked together a frame for the last bed we dug. I only have enough decent wood for one more so will have to run up one of the garden centres to scrounge some more pallets.

 

We have four beds completely ready now & dug out a fifth today. Needs another going over and the frame built. Will go for a total of 8 beds for growing all down the right hand side. Although i need to work out where all the fruit trees are going to go.

 

 

 

Quite nice having the footpaths between the beds. Starting to look like everything is coming together.



Cleared out the shed



Got a little bench now, tea making facilities will be incorporated next time i'm there

 

Knocked up a third compost bin out of my last pallet. Filled that up with leaves to make some mulch.



Good days work



Will clear the are where the plastic table is next time i go down. This will be a seating area under the tree ready for next summer :-)




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Wild flowers

Just back from the allotment. Latest progress is

Two wild flower beds dug and seeds planted

Third bed is now finished and covered. Will start on a fourth next week. I'm currently injured from a big cycle event so no training for me, on the plus side should mean i have more time down the allotment.

I think my cauliflower seedlings  have been eaten or i have pulled them up thinking they were weeds. Going forwards i will grow seedlings in pots then plant out. At least i'll know what they look like them.

Bit peeved at Norwich City council.  Took on my plot earlier this year with an annual rent of £37.50. I then got a rate increase to £42.50 for the next year. No worries about the small increase. However, also in the letter was a notification that rent was jumping up to £70 in 2013???? Although still not a lot for a year i thought the huge increase is a bit harsh.

Bonfires allowed o the plots from next week which is good as ive saved up quite a it of stuff to burn. Sould be good forma big clear out next week. Also need to get back down with the strimmer again to keep on top of some areas.

Thats all for now.

Happy gardening

Progress

Slow progress but progress nethertheless

From a 10 days ago

Managed to remove all god foresaken chicken wire now & strim the whole plot right down.

Unearthed a ready built raised bed so dug that over & covered it. Two beds done now 

Acquired a water butt, 6 x paving slabs, bag of bark chippings & some garden canes off freecycle today.

Tuesday

Popped down to weed & water the cauliflower bed. Snipped a few more brambles. Think i'm going to have a digging out brambles blitz.

Today

Managed to get some old carpet off freecycle today

Dug over the second bed again & weeded the cauliflower bed. Weeding isnt taking long now.

My net tunnels arrived. Got them off ebay, two for £25 including postage. Big enough to cover a 3m by 1.2m bed.

So covered the cauliflower bed today with net cloche.

Dug a third bed, clearing all the grass and crap. Will need to go over it again to remove more roots.

Split up loads of pallets so have enough wood to build a couple more beds. Left my saw at home so that put pain to building them today.

Covered all dug beds & more with the carpet.

Need to order some wild flower mixes now as i want to have lots of wild flowers down there. Hopefully plant the right ones to attract friendly bugs

Net cloche & bed number 3 started

Carpet down. Plot looks better than it did when i first go it

Happy Gardening


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