Winter arrives...

Well, it's been over 6 months since we wrote on the blog and there have been several reasons for that. Firstly, lots of work on the plot and secondly a little op meant we couldn't really give the time to the plot and did the minimal amount for a while.

It's not all negative though! We've been so happy with the amount of stuff we've had even in our first year. Most things worked in one way or another but our real disappointment was the tomatoes and potatoes. They both got the dreaded blight! Not being a couple to dwell on the negatives we managed to turn it around. We dug up the tatties and managed to salvage a fair few! The tomatoes had not even turned red so we were faced with the decision of whether to risk waiting and see them all succumb to the ever impending blight or just harvest the green toms. We harvested them, got rid of all plants and made 'Green Toamato Chutney'....with FANTASTIC results!! we managed to turn a negative into a positive although to be honest we missed making tomato sauce :o(

We also got approx 8 jars of honey from the bees, which the neighbour actually loved!! The sweetcorn was great as well and the raspberries managed to fruit really late prompting enquiries from other plot holders asking for the variety name...which obviously I didn't know! lol!

The best successes of the year have been the beans, cabbages (which made great coleslaw) and Leeks where brilliant!! Still got some in the ground now.

The allotment seed catalogue came round a few week ago. Which to a new plot holder is VERRRY dangerous! I tried to 'plan' for next year but whether things go to plan or not we're not sure. Long story short - we have almost every type of seed available!! Including about 6 different types of beetroot!? how many different types does one family need?? lol!!

We're just gonna clean up now. Ready for next year. Try and put some wooden borders around our beds to try and bring it all together. The important thing is we're still excited about it and can't wait to start growing again, in fact we have some over wintering cabbages, cauli's, spring onions and garlic already in!!

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!!

The plants are in!

So, we've had a MAD MAD few weeks trying to get everything ready. It seems we got the allotment slightly late as it was time to plant a lot of stuff but we first needed to do all the clearing, by which time things would be late to go in!

Solution - work like dogs!!

What have we acheived so far?

Allotment cleared, all rubbish been skipped!
New Beds created
A section 10m x 5m rotovated
Greenhouse frame erected (waiting for glass and then base needed!)
Fencing re-located and new fence made
Pallets collected ready to make compost or manure bin
Bee hive to be delivered in the next few days!

Plants in the ground...

Potato (Red Duke of York and King Edwards)
Garlic
Red Onion and White onion (from sets)
Broad Beans
Strawberries
Peas
Dwarf french Beans
Beetroot
Purple sprouting Broccoli
Cabbage
Mint
Lettuce
Camomile
Dwarf Curry Plant
Thyme
Lettuce
Roses to cover fence (2 climbers and 2 ramblers)
Honeysuckle to cover fence (and the bees will love it!)
Raspberry bushes
Blackcurrant
Redcurrant
Tayberry
Blackberry
Apple tree
Cherry tree
Fig tree

Sown - Butternut squash, radish, Lettuce, Peppers, Basil, Hyssop, Runner beans, lemon balm, lemon grass, sweetcorn, toms, Melon and various chillies

Busy Busy!

After the monsoon, i thought the whole weekend would be a right off. Luckily there were a few breaks in the cloud. Even though we didn't leave the house until 11, we got loads done. Beds leveled, beetroot in, peas, beans, seeds sown. If i dare say so myself.....it looks.....lovely! Would have liked to get the roses in, never thought it would be so hard to get horse poo, and really annoying knowing that there is piles of it at my Mum's, perhaps we should just drive down and get some.
Poor Bo seems to have spent alot of time in the pushchair so i managed to get the baby swing up, so he can sit in that and watch us digging! He really enjoyed it, can't expect him to sit there all day, he is also desperate to crawl, have been trying to time it with his sleeps. Roll on summer when he can play on a rug.....if we get a real summer this year.
Claire xx

And the work starts...

So...the work has begun! We got back from a great trip to Peru and set straight to work.

Most of the work was preperation, we filled a skip with all the rubbish. Including the MASSIVE container of animal faeces...I kid you not! Awful stuff, not suitable for manure at all :o( Worst Job me and Claire have ever done.

We managed to borrow a rotovator and completely rotovatored a large section of the plot. Then we went a bit mad...we went to 'look' at roses and have ended up with Raspberry bushes, blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes, Tayberry and thornless blackberry bushes, fig tree, apple tree, cherry tree 2 climbing roses and 2 rambling roses...and a greenhouse!!

We have our eyes on bees ;o)

We've definitely broke the back of the work and can now start planting things in an organised fashion rather than just 'putting things in' in the way we did before heading off travelling.

Can't wait!