ticking along....

Well, it seems like things are slowing down but I think with the start we had it couldn't do anything BUT slow down!

The bees have settled in beautifully, I've found the queen and have watched how the hive has slowly been filled with eggs and larvae etc. So much so that today I have put in the 1st super on (The bit where the honey is collected from) and fingers crossed I should start seeing some honey being stored there in the next few weeks.

We've planted a 'hedge' of lavender and some chives and filled the area between that and the pallet compost bin with Foxglove, poppies, sweetpeas and wildflowers for bees. The hive is gonna be in a beautiful spot if it all works as we hope!

We actually harvested a small amount the other day but we chucked it all into a salad, we got some radish, beetroot (and leaves) and some lettuce...very nice it was too.

We've also moved some squash into the plot, out of the greenhouse, some went into the sweetcorn plot but the sun has scorched them! The others went along the fence by the peas and seem to be doing ok....so far.

New lettuces have started to sprout up and everything else seems to really have settled in and are doing well...I'm excited we should be harvesting soon.

Think we're gonna sneak a peak at the potatoes over the next few days...fingers crossed....

a buzz of excitement...

Plants in, Greenhouse built...now what?

BEES!!

I've always been fascinated by keeping bees so now we've got an allotment we've decided to get some. We got a flat pack from Thornes and spent a few days putting it together. I'd asked around for bees and the costs are astronomical! So, after a tip from a beek (that's the 'in speak' for bee keeper! lol!) I gave my contacts to the council and asked for them to call me if anyone reported a swarm.

They did.....

I spent a good few hours picking up a swarm and then dropped them into my Hive. At first inspection they seem to be doing well but gotta check again at the end of the week - see if we can see a queen!!

House of Glass

So, the plants have been popped in it's time to get the greenhouse up!

I'm no builder.

I got advice and started work on setting up the foundation for it. The advice given was really just to raise it up off the floor to maximise the head height so I built the base on concrete blocks. I marked out the footprint, with the knowledge of another allotment holder who was an ex builder. I then started to build away...HATED every minute of it - I know why I'm not a builder!! Finally managed to get the base built, popped on the greenhouse frame I'd built (which was fairly easy and enjoyable) only to find....It wasn't square!?!?

I'd followed the geometric tips from the builder. Didn't work so I just knocked one wall down and built in 'by eye'. Worked and the frame sat on well enough to screw down. Unfortunately B&Q didn't have all the glass in stock so I'd ordered it and just put the glass I picked up into the frame. Several days later I got the call, "Mr Wood, your glass is in stock". I headed over, picked it up and started to put it in. Thinking that I'd have it finished that day....no.....the last 4 panes of glass were all cracked!! I went back, re-ordered replacement glass and had to wait almost another 2 weeks for it to arrive but once it did it all went in smoothly and the greenhouse was up! I got out my Prayer flags, tied them up and sat back to admire our great new piece of kit!!