More Digging

 The work continues as we prepare the ground incorporating manure into the soil as well as breaking it up. We have all the beads planned out, the long bed is dug and needs more manure then digging it in. The top bed is almost finished with just a little section of manure to be incorporated. The middle bed is almost dug and ready for its covering with manure. And lastly the fruit cage and experimental bed is being dig and will soon needs its manure. 

Here is some pictures of the progress.

Over due update

Its been a while since my last post, I have been far too busy. We have been getting plenty done, digging beds and adding manure. the below is of bed 3 freshly covered, you can see how happy Bill is about it. 

The picture is actually a couple of weeks old. We have since dug that manure into the bed and dug more of other beds too. Also in the done list since last update list is moving the rhubarb away from the path/to be fence, Tidying up stuff laying around and removing the old raspberries. 

We missed a couple of weeks but now that the ground is finally soft enough to dig its all hands on spades to get it dug before the ground freezes. 

We have had some bad news, Mother and Bill are being evicted, so the back garden with its lovely soil that Bill has been working on for years will be lost. No more beds 4-7, so we are having to rethink what we want to grow next year. 

Weeks 40 and 41

I didn't get a chance to post about week 40 till now. I have been feeling really drained lately and just haven't had the time or energy. Week 40 was a good weekend though, we managed to get the bulbs planted. 

I have had a stash of bulbs waiting to plant for a while but its has been too dry to dig the flower bed to plant them. Worrying that they would suffer if left un-planted for too long we came up with a back up plan. 

We planted the ones that would flower first in the top of bed 1. The iris's and daffodils should flower in February and march and after that, before the beans need to go into the bed, we can dig them up and move them to their permanent place in the flower bed. 

The rest of the bulbs plus some elephant garlic went into pots put on top of the flower bed. Once the pots have flowered they too can be replanted into the bed. 

By the time we are planting the flower bed we will have had plenty of time to dig it over nicely and incorporate lots of compost and manure. This will be quite good as the bulbs will be a permanent and they should have a good start. 

This week, week 41, was a little too rainy for us to get anything outdoors done. So we made some seed tape to test out how easy it was and if the glue (flour and water paste) would be too moist and cause the seeds to rot or germinate, more to follow on how it turned out.   

Week 39

I didn't write a plan for week 39 because I didn't think there was much to do. It turned out that we got a lot more done then I expected. 

We cut down the bush at the end of the flower bed that has been mentioned before. It was getting really big and once it was cleared there was so much more space. We still need to dig out the root but we are getting there.

We looked to dig the flower bed but although the top was softer, below was not. We considered taking the grass off the top but a look at a weather app told us that it was going to be dry so there was no benefit. We did however dig over the end of bed one so that we can plant some of the bulbs there, the full plan will follow in another post. 

We did some work on the "secret fruit" I can't say what it is because its something we are growing as a surprise. I also can't saw what we did because we don't want Mother to read this and it not be surprised when we bring it home.

We had a think about what we need to do, both long and short term. But most excitingly we had a good harvest. Its a joy to take food home, we haven't planted much this year so to have a trug full in year zero is wonderful. He have 3 small beetroots, some apples, some tomatoes, some mini peppers, more carrots, mangetout and purple beans, and a big handful of herbs for Mother. 

Jobs To Do - Week 38, Year 0

Last week was a great week. We didn't need to water because it had rained so much, unfortunately not enough to let us dig the flower bed though. The same is true for the raspberries and brambles, much to bills annoyance. As soon as we get a day we can dig we will have a big blitz and get lots done.

 I cleared the remains of the corn, sad that I would not get to try any this year. I cut back the part of the bush that was encroaching on the path, so as not to be a bad neighbour, but didn't get to cut it all back. We couldn't get the fire going in such wet so didn't even try. 

But we did get to pick some carrots, they are still quite small so we only picked a few, but I have already told you about them in my last post. We also picked some beans, beetroot, apples and herbs. Was a wonderful feeling to go home with my trug full of things we had grown.

Preparing and eating carrots I had grown was quite a strange feeling, thinking about how I had planted these tiny seeds and they had grown into something so big (well compared to the seed) and yummy, even my partner commented on how nice they tasted.

So what needs doing this week:

Watering

Weeding - Got to keep on top of it

Cutting back the bush - must remind Bill to bring the saw so we can really get is back.

Burn - if its dry enough, maybe if its dry till then we get there we can burn.

Strim the grass - till we get the fence and paths in we are going to have to keep the grass under control. After is just the paths around us we will want to keep tidy.

It wont be wet enough to dig, will have to keep waiting.

Herb corner - Still need pots and compost. 

Bills Carrot Challange

When we took on the allotment Bill would tell me of the heartbreak he has suffered trying to grow carrots. Never had he managed to get one to stay true and straight for more than an inch, they would fork and tie them in selves in knots, Mother even tells of one that had grown into a granny knot. 

So with a knowing smile Bill challenged me to grow a straight carrot at least 2 inches long. I think he was sure I would fail, he has tried so many ways to get them to grow straight without success, a newbie like me was unlikely to manage it.

Being up for a challenge I did my research and picked a method. Having so little of the allotments dug and because I wanted to control the composition of the soil I decided to grow them in plastic tubs. 

Carrots apparently have a tendency to fork in soils that are rich in manure, so even in the future with the beds dug and ready I would not want to plant them in the ground, as manure will be a major of our soil improvement and feeding.  

So into my two tubs I emptied a few grow bags and planted my seeds. Carefully I watered and cared for them and this weekend we pulled the first carrots to see how they they where doing, where they straight?

The answer is yes! I grew straight carrots! I am so proud. The look on Bills face was priceless, a mixture or envy and pride. Envy because I had managed to do in my first year, something that had eluded him for years. And pride because I have learnt so much since we started, he seems to be disproportional surprised with me, that I listen, learn and repeat so easily, I am sure it is because he is a good teacher, or has low standards.

We only picked a few and will leave the rest to get a little bigger. Tonight the few we did harvest will be part of my dinner along with some dwarf green beans we also picked. Yum. 

Jobs To Do - Week 37, Year 0

Things that need doing this week:

Watering - Its still hot and sunny so the crops we have managed to get in will need a good drink.

Pick carrots - It may be a little early, but the calendar says they should be ready so I want to pull a couple and see.

Clear the corn - or what little is left of it. some wildlife got in and has completely flattered all our plants, so we may as well clear it out now, keep the place tidy.

Digging the flower bed - it was dry and hard last week but with enough rain there is a change we can dig it. 

Digging out raspberries and brambles - Its unlikely to be wet enough to double dig but there is a chance it may be wet enough to get out some of the old Raspberries and brambles. 

Cut down/back a bush - The bush at the end of the cut flower bed needs to go. Chances are it will be too dry to dig it out still but I can still give is a good hacking back. 

Burn weeds and other waste - This depends on the weather, you just cant trust the forecast lately.

Plant out seedlings - we have Beetroot, Swede, and Pak Choi seedlings waiting to go out, these will be going out at Bills so we can concentrate on ground work at the allotment.

Herb pots at home - I need to go buy more big pots and some compost for the herbs at home. 

Bill is keen to get the manure in soon but I am happy to wait a little longer and focus on clearing and digging. For me I could even wait till the borders are in but its a partial democracy so there will probably be a a compromise.

I know I wont get it all done, most is dependant on weather but e will see. 

A few herbs for home

One thing I have always tried to have even before I had a garden is a few herbs. Admittedly I have not been very good at it. My old flat was right on the seafront so keeping them on the small balcony was a death sentence given the harsh salty sea salt winds. Plus being south facing kept inside on a window sill killed them by cooking them or drying them out.

The one thing I have insisted on in the garden is some herbs in pots at the end of the garden. Its paved and shaded and not a very attractive part of the garden so a good helping of herbs in pots can only improve it. 

But where to start, what to grow. At the moment I have some supermarket herbs I bought to use in recipes, but I have limited hoped for such abused plants. I will wait and see how they survive, those that do well will be given nice homes while the other will be replaced. Some I know will not survive the winter like basil and parsley. They do give me a good starting point for my list of what to grow. 

So my list, what do I use, a better question than what do I want.

Basil - lovely with anything tomato, plus I have seeds for 2 kinds, the normal sweet and some purple so that should brighten things up.

Parsley - Can't go wrong there, great with fish or as a garnish to finish the look of a dish

Mint - such a versatile herb, an absolute must. An aggressive plant though so its a good thing its in a pot. 

Rosemary - A delicious herb, hardy, and evergreen, so will be a little bit of green in the bleak of winter.

Thyme - Hardy again and tastes so good.

So that is what I have, what else would I like

Sage - a herb I want to use more.

Tarragon - I have a lovely recipe for Tarragon roast chicken with a creamy sauce, so if only for that I need tarragon.

Then ones I don't use but might grow so I can try them.

Dill

Borage

And lastly, things I wont be growing at home.

Coriander - both me and my partner don't like it, it tastes kinda like soap to us. 

Chives - now I do cook with chives and like them but I have a cat with a taste for grass, so anything grass looking and in the allium family (which isn't good for cats to eat) is not to be grown

Garlic - although I like the look of the big pompom heads of alliums the cat again rules them out, I don't trust him not to expand beyond grass

I have a few pots and a little compost left from planting some flowers so i'll get planting what I have soon and share.

Year Zero

Having taken on the allotment so late in the year we knew that this year was not going to produce a great abundance of produce. As such we have come to think of this year as Year Zero, next year of course being year one.

This year we have grown a few crops that have let us gauge a few things about our plot.

First is that our tree definitely produces apples, and as I found out today they taste rather nice. The tree is there for assured a place to stay. Its beautiful and productive, just what I like.


We get a lot of sun and warmth, we know that by the mini peppers and sweetcorn growing well. Although the sweetcorn has been decimated by the local wildlife. Which leads us to another thing we learned, we are going to need a fence around the plot. The plots on either side are both enclosed and now we understand why.

And just as a bonus we also have pictures of some purple dwarf beans and tomatoes, also going strong. 

But really this year is all about the ground work and soil improvement. Something we where soon stopped from going when the weather dried out the soil and made digging too hard. Now we are entering Autumn (according the calendar at least) we have hopes of getting back to the digging. 

Having started with a lawn being invaded by raspberries and brambles the plot needed a good digging, a double digging to be precise. Its hard work and getting 4 square meters a day dug is a good day. We managed to get the bed to be know as bed one plus most of what will be the fruit cage dug before the weather stopped us. 

With both me and Bill (my stepdad) being big fans of rhubarb we tucked a cluster of 4 plants into the bottom of bed one. I call it bed one, but at the time we hadn't worked out how many beds we would have. The plan has only come together lately, we hadn't at first though about a fruit cage but we realised that the family are very fond of fruit. 

This week we mapped out the beds, agreeing where the paths would go and how big each bed would be. On the allotment will be our first three beds plus the fruit and cut flower bed. With a further 4 beds taking up Bills garden where there will also be a small green house and a grow house to start our seedlings.

So now we wait for digging weather, plan our crops and dream of the next years abundance. 

The Beginning

I guess this story begins when I moved into my house last year. I had my very own garden for the first time. It isn't a very big garden, a deck, a path, a paved bit and a lawn but once the inside of the house was sorted I soon started having hopes to grow a little veg, some flowers, and of making it a nice and productive space. 

Not all of my hopes matched my partners, and by that I mean he didn't want to grow veg in the garden, not even the most ornamental of specimens. He had plans for some flower beds with shrubs, no veg, not even any big flowers so I would have to find another way to satisfy my craving to grow veg. 

Soon I found out that my step day was looking to get a allotment and not long after that it was decided that we would get one together. He was on a waiting list for a plot in a village a few miles away but not having a car at the time I talked him onto letting me look for one closer to home. Some research and an email later we has an appointment to meet a guy about a plot just round the corner. 

The location was just right, not far from either of our homes. I could walk there easily, even pop in on my way home from work, with a slight devour. The plot its self was better than expected, I had fears that if would be a mess but the plot we where offered was basically a lawn with a tree on in.

This picture shows it on my first visit, my stepdad had already been along and had a little tidy and a bonfire that can be seen. 

Its not a very big plot, only 3 rods, but its enough. More so as we have my stepdads garden to play with too, my mother was not at all bothered to give the whole garden over to veggies. 

The little apple tree in the middle is just darling. There are trees available to rent on the allotment, and next year we are thinking of renting a couple but it was a bit of a bonus to have a mini one our plot.

Well that was Easter (2016) and we have got plenty done. Its been hard work, and we haven't reaped much veg so far, but we knew that was going to be the case having started so late in the year. Time sped by and soon it was too dry to dig, slugs ate lots, brambles invaded, and more.

Today I decide I want to record our efforts, experiments, successes and failures. For my self to look back on and maybe even for others to look at, even if all they gain is comfort from seeing our shared pains along the way.