30th June 2021 - A Terrace to Be

Construction of the Terrace at the ‘Haven’ begins!

Although technically work had already started on construction with the compost heap, we are now getting into the terrace area. A passing couple walking their dog said, "We think a seating area is one of the most important items on an allotment!" With all the digging and makeshift seats we’ve deployed they had four willing ears with Chris and I…

So Chris got 4 posts for his birthday and with a quick trip to Wickes (there are other DIY stores available 😀) we secured some trellis to complement the posts. And off we go, the first post installed on the 30th June 2021. Not much sign of a terrace yet, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that one!!

Next picture is exposing our two recycled chairs. Apart from the legs sinking into the mud and resembling a bucking bronco, very serviceable, and more so as solid ground to sit on appears.

The inverted Heineken bottles are not the end game of a boozy night during the summer solstice. These are markers for different elements of the terrace to be referred to, as construction proceeds.

The next picture is a quick shot across the front of the plot. We are approaching the very edge of our “terrain” and we do have to be careful of the water pipe (blue) which passes close by. The rather lush large leaf plant is Horseradish which seems to like it there and will pose a real challenge later on. However, Horseradish is good, if controlled! 

Next image - half complete compost heap with a good side-shot of the runner beans (the 3rd time of planting) which we think are going to make it, just planted straight into the soil, no faffing about!

The next picture looking across our potatoes - a picture of health - and you can see how the terrace will perch on the end of the plot, so that we can look out at the work we’ve done! 

Final two pictures for this post - check out the butternuts and the courgettes all adding to this quadrant along with 7 tomatoes. The orange peel and eggshells are an attempt at keeping the slugs at bay (mmm not very effective). Also, check out the brassicas (cabbages, caulis, sprouts, kale) under the white netting. And a blue ghost in the polytunnel 👻...

the ‘Haven’ comes alive

Back end of June 2021, the ‘Haven’ comes alive!

Seeds starting at home. We’re not really kitted out for seed propagation at the ‘Haven’ right now, and we've got the added challenge of furry friends! Best to get things going at home and get the seeds germinate and grow to small seedlings before we take them to the allotment for now. Next year will be different. Here we have lettuces and some self set tomatoes that we might be able to plant somewhere outdoors in pots.

With all the hassle over germinating seeds coupled with getting the soil all ready for a growing season, we’re a little behind and playing catch up. Hopefully we’re not too late to the party and things will fruit in time. We had problems with our brassicas and in the end we bought a lot of seedlings from the garden centre! Next year we will do better.

In an effort to prevent airborne disease and pests we are deploying some essential oils, hopefully these static diffusers will do the trick. Well, you have to try things! 

 

While sorting out the area where Chris will begin to build a terrace / trellis / raised flower bed, he came across this root network! Well, it was a rather large Stinging Nettles plant which had managed to grow fairly uncontrolled right where the path between allotments is, and, under the manure pile we recently dug into the allotment. This wasn’t all of it though! This is about ⅓ of it! A little bit of drying out and before long, back in the ground as ash… 

Two piles to distribute: one is the last of the manure, the second one is soil harvested from the roots we dried out on the pallets (mainly couch grass, bind weed and horseradish) mixed with an emptied fire which was full of ash. The area they are situated on, is slightly low in soil so it will be distributed on this quadrant.

Next week is the last day of June and beginning of July. We begin the construction phase of the ‘Haven’ (as if we haven’t been doing loads already) Plenty more to come!