The Frost didn't come so I got of off my Bum....

....and went to my Lotty for another tidy up!

Before

After

Before

Oops I forgot the After, but trust me, it's been done

This is the other side of the Brassica's -  you can just see the After bit to the left

This bed didn't really need much weeding but it was good to turn it over 

I don't  know if you can see from the next two pictures, but I made a ridge all along the edging

You can't really see it unless you squint but it's there - trust me - I'm an

Allotmenteer!

And so is he - that's Doug who stopped for a chat today

My First Dig & Weed of 2012

As the weather was dry today, I decided to visit Plot 144 and get Digging & Weeding, however, as all allotmenteers know, if you say you are going to the allotment for an hour, you really need 2 so that you can get all the chatting in too, especially when the weather is favourable and more plot holders are on site!

So when I arrive I find a "Dalek" type composting bin by my wooden compost bins.  I was mine, once, but I gave it to a fellow plot holder as he was just starting out.  He happened to be there and told me that he didn't have a need for it any more, so I decided to put it to good use by putting anything new from kitchen scraps to weeds in there from now on, which meant that my current 2 composting bins - the wooden ones - could have a rest and the bits that are already in them will have a good chance to get on an make me some compost!

I then had to take all the kitchen scraps that I had put into the wooden composters and move them to their new  home

I then got to weeding the Garlic in the 1st raised bed.....

 And the onions next to that.....

And then I dug the patch next to that and weeded it at the same time

So a good 2 hours spent there today and a good third of my plot weeded and dug over!

Hooray

Last day of November....

Toad is still in residence

It was a lovely sunny morning so I went to weed and dig today

I managed to do this large patch

But not this one as I ripped my nail of my finger half way down and it's very painful.

Digging after the rain & the return of the FROG

All that rain we had in the last few days has done me a favour!  The sun came out today and I went out to the Allotment to dig!!  It was like putting a hot knife through butter & I had the added bonus of a little harvest of baby sweetcorn and some beetroot!

To add to my delight of digging over a large bit of my plot I found my friend the frog!  He was hiding in a compost bag.  Now this was unknown to me at the time and I tipped the little amount of compost left in the bag onto the plot and out came this frog who was covered in compost dust - he did look a sight, so I got my watering can and gave him a shower.  He then rewarded my by posing for some photos....

More Digging, weeding, tea drinking.....

....tidying up, chatting, raking and planning!

It is a beautifully sunny day today.  After this morning's frost, I put layers on before braving the allotment this morning, but they soon came off and got hung up on my shed door.  After a few minutes digging I was down to a long sleeved tea shirt!  It was lovely in the sun, just lovely!

I dug and weeded the old swede and beetroot bed and tidied up all the leaves that had accumulated there over the winter and I re dug and raked last years onion bed too.  Both these pictures show a little of the work done today, as I did continue to dig just to the other side of the leeks that you can see. 

It was hard to take pictures in the bright sunshine!  I also had a go at weeding the back area where the scarecrows are but it's full of brambles and needs some heavy duty work there.  Derek our Allotment Angel has kindly offered to come along with his mattock and give it a good "seeing too" for me this year which will be great as that will really tidy up the plot for good.

So another good 2 hours spent there this morning.  My only problem today was changing the gas cylinder on the camping stove.  You need massive hands and some brut force to extract the old cylinder and then put the new one back in place, but I got there in the end!! (I have small hands and the strength of a sparrow)

My First Day on the Allotment 2011

I made it to the allotment this morning, despite the raging wind!  I was surprised to see Mavis digging away, and further down Derek, so as that was my plan, I thought I best get on with it.

First I removed the old brassica stems, chopped them up with the spade and composted them.  Then I dug over & weeded that area....

...gosh that was hard work but very enjoyable.  You forget what a good hard dig is like don't you, especially as my last dig was around October 2010.  So after a good hour of digging over & weeding the old Brassica bed, I then moved on to something a little easier.....

Bed one - currently empty apart from a few welsh onions at the far end was weeded....

 Bed two - some strawberries to the front and some spring onions to the rear was weeded.....

And finally the Onions and Garlic were weeded using the good old Onion hoe.

So not a bad hour and a half spent there today in the wind!

Another job done!

More work on plot 121 took place today.....

As you can see there is this tiny little weed that has tried to take over

but this little weed didn't bank on Ali, her spade and her new found love of digging!

So 121 is now all weed free and has had it's 1st rake over.

I have decided that this is where my potatoes (or at least some of them) are going to go this year.

Over on 144, I did a 1st rake over on the little patch of earth in front of the shed.

Tomorrow (weather depending) I will lift the ground cover that you can see just to the left of the picture,

and dig that over.

My reward?

Leeks for dinner - yummy, and they smell divine.

Dig, dig, dig, dig, digging.......

Today's intention was to go to the Trading Hut, stock up on some more onions and buy some large garlic, and then go to 144 to plant them in the raised bed, one along from where they grew last year.

I got to the Trading Hut and I did purchase said supplies, but then the allotment Bramble Beater aka Derek came up to me and said "Ali, I'm at a loose end this morning - lets go and tackle those brambles on 121," so off we went, tools in hand, and got digging......

As you can see to the very front of the picture, lots of brambles are now in place of the courgette, marrow & butternut squash plants.

Derek was on the mattock and the spade, whilst I was on the rake and the fork - sounds like we are in a band doesn't it!!

So as Derek got to the root of the problem, I cleared the brambles and weeds into a large wheelbarrow that was heading for the compost heap or next communal bonfire.

A few hours later and it looked like this!

This is the other end of the plot - BEFORE (you can just make out the black 121 marker to the right top of the picture)

And this is the nearly finished dug over, de rooted plot!

I have now decided, after having a lovely chat with Derek whilst we worked, that I will be putting my Onions (all whites no reds) in along with my Garlic tomorrow, and probably some over wintering broad beans next week.  Then next year I will put my potatoes in this plot and swap my courgettes, marrows and squashes to plot 144.

So, that's plot 121 all worked out.

I ache from top to toe!

Easter Weekend - Digging it!

I am thrilled that my lovely Hubby Ian wants a bit of my plot to grow his own in.

However he said that this year I can use his "bit" to put my unaccounted from Maincrop potatoes in as I thought I only had one lot, but in fact I have two lots, so now I have the extra room.

So I got my spade out and got digging. The roots were MASSIVE but I was determined to do this little patch of plot by the end of the early morning, so I dug and dug and dug from 8am to 9.30am one morning, went home for a cuppa and a chat, and then back to the lotty for more work.

One interesting thing to note is that I have heard that there are a lot of cultivation orders that have been sent by the Council to plot holders - so if they don't have more than 70% of their plot cultivated, they have to give it up. They each have 28 days to make amends. I suppose it makes sense as we have such a big/long waiting list!

Above and below, you can see that I have been brave, and taken the bell cloches from the Hops plants (Prima Donna). I have put their strings in place and gently coaxed their little stems around the string to hopefully persuade it in the right direction.

And this is my lovely Hubby, who came down later in the day to try to fix my newly purchased Automatic louvre vent opener for me. However, without the manufacturers providing the right bits and bobs, it proved a little more difficult than the instructions had promised, so I am back to "manual" opening, until items are purchased to ensure the correct fixing.

New Spade is purchased!!

I arrived at 144 bright and early and started forking over my previously dug row. I pulled out as many stones and roots as possible and raked it to a fine tilth. If you squint and put your nose right up against the screen you can just make out the fine tilth! Just in case you can't it's between the fruit trees to the left of your picture and the red trug on the right.

I couldn't do any serious digging, as I didn't have a spade. Well I do have one but the handle/shaft end is in the shed and the spade bit is in the compost - yes, it's broke (see previous post) Ok, so it's in the photo above I hear you thinking, but that picture was taken after what you are about to read below, so keep up now please!

However help was at hand! Yes one of the allotment HERO's aka Nigel appeared and told me that I could go to the Trading Hut to choose which spade would be best.

I decided on the more manly one of the two as the other one was a little twee, and the width of the spade's head itself was about 2/3rd the size - so my decision was made and my new spade was purchased. Ok so I still have to pay for it, but that's besides the point!

Now there's more!! More? Yes - more....

Whilst I was at the Trading Hut chosing spade, Arthur came in with a Wilkinsons bag. At the AGM the other night, he told me he was going there and also said that they sold Greenhouse thermometers, and said he would pick me up one!

Not only did he get me one - he got me TWO! A big one and small one.

He also said that they were a present for me.

Bless him.

He brought a tear to my eye with his kind gesture.

Here they both are - ready to go - just need hanging up.

And finally, this is one of my little Sunflower seedlings, that I planted yesterday morning, and below is a picture of the row of Hops plants and Sunflowers - I think it will look lovely when it's all in full growth!

This is one of the first buds that I found on the Plum Tree - phew - it's alive!

And finally, one more picture of my latest Greenhouse Accessory......

No wonder I was feeling a little chilly.

Thanks for reading and come back shortly - If you don't want to miss a post just click on the "follow me" on the left!