Tending the Flock

 4th June 2022 - Tending the Flock…

We are definitely getting some slug damage going on. The slugs love this time of year. Plenty of moisture still about for them, nice long warm nights, and lots of delicious sweet young plants to wreck. We have had to cover the Courgette (which you can see under the white box in the bottom right of the first picture). These slugs have been ravaging the Marigolds too, but luckily these flowers are quick growing and managing to stay ahead of the onslaught.

The cold frame is useful to keep the slugs away too and we may have to investigate the beer traps this year as the volume of slugs is causing issues for us. Having the polytunnel insulated with wood walls will definitely reduce the problem of slugs in there, however the prevalence of wood all over the plot now provides many hiding opportunities… always two sides to every coin!

We’ve taken down the majority of Kale and the rest of the brussels along with the white net. We are going to plant Swede this year in this area, a good dense winter crop. The potatoes are doing their own thing as is the Purple Sprouting. We have two unexpected hedges at the end of the “Haven” now. 

In the last picture, the Passiflora is now entering its growth stage, by the looks of it. It was looking a bit gloomy a few weeks back, but it has shed the winter blues and is now making great strides. There are shoots everywhere and if it continues like this we’ll be trimming it back!

Back to The Grind

 2nd June 2022 - Back to The Grind…

As we turn our attention now to Plot 2. here is a chance to take a photo for posterity at an instance in time. This is Plot 1. Apart from planting out and now having to look after those plants, fruits and vegetables as they grow and mature during the next 4 - 5 months, we are pretty much finished here for the time being. It’s been a good start to the year and we are very satisfied with the progress.

The herbs at the bottom left of the picture are doing well, oregano, mint and chives. Just across the new path on the other side of the fence is an interesting plant. It’s name is comfrey and it is used as a fertiliser. Basically once it has grown (possibly a bit bigger than it is here in the pot) it can be cut back and then put into a jar filled with water, closed and left to decompose. What you get is a very good feed for the plants but there is a price… it stinks, not just a bit, but a huge amount, very nasty… do it on a windy day with no one around, to maintain your popularity!

And now, let's see what we can make of the new land we have been allocated.

Desi getting stuck into the hole she has been excavating for the potato covering soil. This has all gotten a bit hard and quickly this year on account of the lack of rain. The trouble is, we have a hole but nothing to fill it up with at the moment, making planting in this spot a bit of a challenge.

Except for finding some spots to plant everything we don’t really have much of an idea about what to do with the new plot yet, we’re hoping that it kind of arranges itself a bit like plot no.1 did. 

It feels different facing the challenge of plot no. 2 knowing that plot no.1 is there and we can always retire for a cuppa and a biscuit in semi luxury (in allotment terms). 

Summer Has Arrived! Woodchip Finale

 1st June 2022 - Summer has arrived!  Woodchip finale…

Since February 8th we have been putting in the hours to finalise plot 1. We didn’t even know about plot 2 back then, but we ran out of days last year to get everything done that was on the list. Today as we sort out the front of the polytunnel and put down the woodchip this is basically the last landscaping activity needed. Look, there are still things left to do of course, but for the most part the tasks needed so we can get on with the growing season are complete. Now we can focus on the new plot, and get cracking with developing some more land to plant everything we’ve got on the go.

The large concrete slab has been sunken under the wooden frame around the polytunnel. The concrete slab for the watering cans is now in place, as is the slab at the centre meeting place of all paths… so it was just the case now of adding the wood chip.

The broad beans (to the side of the polytunnel) are getting close to needing to be harvested. They have shot up really well over the last month or so, we have been battling with aphids (spraying with milk, apparently they get all stuck to it and they don't like lactose) and so time to harvest and then reuse the space for something else maybe. 

The front of the polytunnel looks good now with a sturdy woodchip working pathway. After yesterday's slippery wet day we are glad to have had woodchip available - we might survive falling over for a while yet! Here is what it looks like, as seen from the bottom perspective of the path.

Just the grass path to do now. The jury is out as to whether this would be another woodchip installation or we keep it grass… the path’s are subject to quite a bit of wear and tear, so we’ll have a think about this, just like we changed our mind about the access to the polytunnel. We originally thought we would have it as grass...

And so, finally spade gets put into the soil where the make-shift polytunnel/greenhouse of the previous owners used to be. This was originally dug out, some kind of weed suppressant buried and then soil on top. This “weed barrier” is making things a little difficult to dig, and the weeds / roots underneath are pretty voluminous. This is the patch that we are going to use for our “3 Sisters” idea. This is the so called "companion planting" of runner beans, sweetcorn and butternuts. 

The idea with the 3 Sisters is that the corn grows tall, the beans grow around the corn while providing nutrients into the soil and the whole thing is kept weed free by the butternut which grows on the ground and fills up the space. We’ll see how we get on. 

We have learned that apparently this plot has historically had a lot of thistles growing. I can see some for sure, we’ll see how much of an issue this is as the season continues.

Last Day of May

 31st May 2022 - Last day of May brings spring ‘22 to an end

We are having some well needed rain, although, to be honest, these light showers, apart from making the ground wet, don’t really provide the plants with a real watering. Infinitely better to have rain than drag out the hose though. We’re all tidy on plot no.1 and almost ready to do battle with plot no.2.

One final task for the spring is to get the last of the wood chip down in front of the polytunnel. It is all a bit of a quagmire here at the moment. This pathway which became very hard and durable very quickly has turned into a skating rink, so the sooner the woodchip goes down, the quicker we’ll save our necks.

Round the back of the plot the potatoes are growing nicely, as are the gooseberries in the distance, although, to be honest, we haven’t really taken much notice of them - there are other more important things to worry about this summer. The wild grasses, weeds and vegetation on plot no.2 are galloping away, so it is time to focus some attention over there now.

That’s a wrap then… spring is over and the next one is the last ever picture of spring from 2022. Everything is enjoying a little bit of the rainy weather, even the Lobelia (in the raised square) has begun to flower now. 

Thus far we have managed to dig a hole on plot no. 2, steal some soil, and cut the wild foliage… we have work to do!

Maintenance, Management And Potting On

 27th-30th May 2022 - Maintenance, Management And Potting On

During February of this year we had some pretty strong winds, some say the worst on record. Anyway, there was plenty of devastation on the allotments. Although we got away reasonably lightly, one of the things that sustained some damage was the trellis. You may have seen in some of the pictures that the trellis was leaning towards the road.

So, the job of sorting out the trellis that was added to the bottom of Chris' job list back then, has now come to the top, and is pretty much the last job before he can focus his attention on the new plot. It was also left till now as it was a bit of a challenge to figure out how to deal with the problem.

So this is a two stage task. The first will be to attempt to secure the pole which sustained the most damage (and is the middle one too) with the other side of the raised bed. The old water pipe pole was hammered in quite a long way to provide the anchor (that is the one with the white scratchy markings on it, not the white paint) and then it was secured to the raised bed wall and all solidified with parallel woods supports to the main centre beam of the trellis. 

In the future there are plans to fix a 3m pole the other side of the grass and decorative fence with a beam to the top of this same trellis centre pole and maybe turn it into some kind of living pagoda, anyway that is for the future. For now we are enjoying the green grass!

We acquired a new sledge hammer🔨… you can spot this in the picture of the terrace with the grass, table and fence (3rd photo)… on the right hand side next to the black tool case, on the other working terrace. Very useful for hammering in poles and beams, this will be getting plenty of use, no idea how we managed to build all this without a sledge hammer to be honest.

Picture number 4, the finished article. Doubles up as a little drinks table when entertaining. Let us hope this keeps things in place for the time being. Some border plants have now made their way into the raised bed. These were also a little late going in, but Chris needed to dig holes to sort out this trellis, so the planting was waiting on this job being finished off.

We are quite pleased with this bit of landscaping: the wall, the herbs, the terrace, grass, planters and fence, all combining to provide a very enjoyable rest space.

Meanwhile, back in the polytunnel, we are gathering quite a collection of plants that are waiting to be planted outside. The trouble is we’re running out of places to plant them! The new plot beckons… just as well we are running out of tasks that need our immediate attention (except for planting and watering) on this first plot.

Here is a better picture of the handiwork regarding securing the trellis. With Desi dousing it with a few coats of wood preserver it has now turned out to be a bit of a feature. If we want, we can put flowers inside those parallel planks… so it turned into something useful after all, apart from helping secure the trellis.

At the rear of the polytunnel, the additional shelf has now been completed and some salad leaves planted out in that spare guttering. Potentially this concept could be used in other places to… watch this space.

The final picture for this post showing how things are looking as we come to the end of Spring. The Passiflora was looking a bit sorry for itself earlier in the spring but now lots of new growth is appearing and looks like it stands a chance of covering this side of the trellis this year. Can you also believe the size of the “purple sprouting” it is now pushing the limits of the white netting… to think the birds almost saw this off just a couple of months ago! The potatoes are also doing really well, if they grow much more they will hide the neighbours greenhouse completely.

This Colour Green!!!

 25th May 2022 - Grass, seedlings, plants and preparation

The summer preparations are forging ahead. Take a look at the lovely green bed of grass we have now cut for the first time. We didn’t cut the grass that short, just a clipping really as it was starting to get a bit long and lanky. We are really pleased with how it has come along, but are aware that this is the honeymoon period, let us see how it looks after we begin walking on it.

In the polytunnel we are taking care of all sorts of plants at different levels. We are nearly out of the frost potential zone now, and looking at the weather forecast, frost is probably done for this year, happy days.

At the other end of the polytunnel more seedlings and seedlings are growing. Plenty of brassicas with nowhere to go unfortunately so we’d better get the spades out. It has been a while since we have done serious spade work, more than a year now.

Up on the shelf, lemon / orange plants, tomatoes, melons or cucumber I think, and some random marigolds too.

Out front, things are shaping up: the Passiflora is taking off, and we’re starting to plant out the raised bed on the terrace. We’re looking for a nice show there again this year. The tomatoes appear to have settled in as well.

Down the bottom of the plot, the potatoes appear to be doing well, maybe the experiment will work, growing upwards, we’ll see. Everything is looking nice and green anyway!

In the last picture. We managed to rescue some old chicken wire from somewhere and have now installed this in the gap where we have added the polytunnel window. We will be leaving this window out till October to ensure things don’t get too hot, but we don’t want our furry friends making a b-line for the polytunnel and causing mayhem. We’ve tried to seal the polytunnel off with the raised beds pretty much the whole way around, so we don’t want to lock all the windows only to leave the front door open. Although we still have some stuff to move from the polytunnel, as we get around to planting out, space will become available to relocate this stuff… and we’ll be using some of it too!

Neighbours and Innovations

 22nd May 2022 - Neighbours and Innovations

In the first two pictures we have created an extension for the cold frame. Sometimes you can leave the lid off with the weather being good and it saves hoisting it up and down. This little addition saves us traipsing down early in the morning, as it is getting hot in this “cold” frame now.

The good weather is bringing the neighbours out. The kids are being introduced to the wonders of watering and the challenges of an allotment and growing food. 

In the third picture it looks like the allotment that had the fire is finally being cleared, and maybe the neighbour next door is giving up her allotment as the vegetation is beginning to get out of hand. Once you leave it a couple of months things begin to get on top of you.

It has been pretty dry weather-wise and consequently plants are needing to be watered. We have an issue now that we have plants that should be going in the ground but we haven’t cleared or created the space as yet… time is getting tight.

Tomatoes have been planted in the polytunnel, finally… and there is enough space this year to get quite a few peppers in there and the aubergines as well, although we are late with them, again. We didn’t have huge success with aubergines last year, they seemed to get some disease or other (mould) which then stunted their growth / fruit production.

Lots of seedlings in the polytunnel and in the cold frame too… 

The plot is filling up… we have the table out properly today too. When we get a chance to have long days at the allotment, we are starting to make a day of it down here and enjoy lunch on the terrace. This time last year we were still sitting in makeshift rest areas… These days we are very grateful!

In the last picture everything in the front of the allotment is starting to grow nicely… And you can see at the top of the rear of the polytunnel the extended shelf we have built that will enable us to grow salad leaves and seedlings out of harm's way, making more use of the structures we have created.

The “Haven” Has Really Arrived…

 19th May 2022 - The “Haven” has really arrived…

The allotment, affectionately called “the Haven”, is certainly living up to its expectations now. Although not possible (for us) to just go to the allotment and sit there enjoying the space, fresh air, nature and tinkering, we both are in agreement that this would be a very good way to spend some days.

There is still much to do in terms of the new plot, and also erecting substantial enclosed (netted) areas that is much easier for us to access (planting, harvesting and clearing). We both are in agreement that harvesting needs to be easy, and the wetter and colder it gets the easier it needs to be.

In the first picture it is hard to believe that in October 2020 we put the first spade into what was a flat piece of ground covered with weeds, grass and brambles. We have worked hard but we have to pinch ourselves sometimes and be so grateful for this food production capability we have created from those humble beginnings.

The grass is now coming along, and it is so nice to see a rich strip of green that adds to our terrace and entertainment area.

Behind the polytunnel the construction appears to have fired up again. What is going on? The upper parts of the structure seemed a bit empty and hence some lightweight shelf is being erected so that we can perhaps grow some salad leaves in the spare guttering that we have. Whether they are left in these or once established plant them out who know. All part of our intention to grow food wherever it is possible up, as well as along.

Keeping the new plot free from weeds and tidy at this time of the year does consume ½ day a week as nature picks up the pace from April through September.

The portrait picture of the new path (lawn) is showing how the grass is beginning to knit together, although there are plenty of gaps. We may sow again (fill in gaps) next spring once we see how a full yearly cycle has gone.

Looking through the trellis down the allotment, a couple of marigolds have been planted there in the raised bed. The slugs are enjoying the newly planted flowers… if you spot Desi in the picture, I think she has a slug pellet tube in her hand! Nothing seems to stop these slugs!

In the last picture, it looks like the Pasiflora has begun its 2022 play, beginning to shoot from all parts of last years growth. It will be interesting to see how much it grows, 1 year in…

It's Only 2 Weeks Before Summer

 18th May 2022 - It's Only 2 Weeks Before Summer

Outside the potatoes are starting to really flourish. In the foreground the kale is producing a lot of yellow flowers. We have got quite a lot of brassicas coming along. The problem we are going to have is where to put them. The weather is marching on, the season also… 2 weeks only and we’re into the summer months!

Around the back of the polytunnel, in our newly created raised bed, it's looking good. The Lobelia are now planted, all 10 of them. These should give a nice bright blue display half way down the plot and bring a nice bit of colour to the vegetables. We intend to plant some lettuce in the middle area. Peas have been sown directly behind the polytunnel. We like peas. These were just sown straight into the soil. 

Round the front of the plot, the plants are all doing well, including the broad beans in the raised beds. 

We've found a new home for the strimmer until the second box arrives. Top left, you can see I have been busy with the strimmer cutting down the overgrown foliage on the new plot. It takes about three battery charges worth of energy to now cut the grass / weeds on both plots. As we develop the area, this will come down for sure as we turn more of the land into working soil areas.

It's a Window!

 17th May 2022 - It's a Window!

In the first picture, a view of the polytunnel from the back, and although a little bit bright, you can spot Desi wetting the ground on the left hand side. More planting to do, but the ground is a bit dry already.

In the foreground you can see the net effect of installing the polytunnel window. A reasonable sized gap which is secure (with a window too) and provides a vent for the hot air inside the tunnel.

In the next picture, much easier to see the nature of the window, and to the right the window which fits exactly into the gap which will help to retain the heat when the weather gets colder again.

From "Construction" to “Growing”

 15th May 2022 - Switching from Construction & Maintenance to “Growing”

This is the time when the workload switches from maintenance and construction to improve the plot over to what it is really all about: growing food! Still some jobs to tackle though, Desi is more involved in germination, planting, watering and feeding whilst Chris has still plenty to be getting on with, especially that of finding space to put the plants!

The grass is starting to get long. Just one week from the last blog post and what a difference! Still not able to cut the grass yet and we can spot some weeds also enjoying the sheltered spot, so these will be the first tasks: cutting and weeding.

Some mallows (seeds from last year) are in the terrace border, along with the Agapanthus (survivor from last year). The Horseradish is growing well although we never expected it to produce flowers!

First two flowers for the decorative fence planters are Echinacea. Let us hope they like it there. We’re on the lookout for other things that might enjoy this location.

In go the courgette plants next to the tomatoes. Last year these grew huge, we might have to work out how to “train” them this year as they have less space available to roam.

Can’t stop the potatoes, now 5 planks of wood high, and they are still looking to grow higher. We’re also running out of soil so perhaps just one more plank? In the next picture, we have dug the plot between the potatoes and last year's “tired” brassicas ready to pop in other plants there. We keep finding potatoes growing in places we had them last year, so we have relocated them to buckets. Evidently we missed digging them out last year. There are a few (lots).

Jerusalem Artichokes doing well, now accompanied by Rosemary… a little bit shady around here, but let's see how they cope.

Up at the top of the plot, the Horseradish is winning the race against the Sweet Peas. Having to fight them off to give the Sweet Peas enough light to get going. The good new is, they aren’t dying!

Inside the polytunnel we have acquired some seed trays and a long water tray to simplify the germination process and to water from underneath to promote strong long roots. There is an additional modification in process for the polytunnel too. This will be a window. The polytunnel got super hot last year so this will enable us to ventilate the polytunnel without having to always open the door (we are thinking).

Onions and the Purple Sprouting Broccoli continue to do well. The Purple Sprouting filling up the white netting these days, but not too much purple sprouting as yet, just lots of leaves.

On the right hand side of the next picture we have attempted to conceal the water pipe with some wood surround. Hopefully this will prevent it from being seen from the road and vandalised, which unfortunately has happened during our tenure here.

Time to wind up operations here today, and Desi having a last walk around checking on things. We are quite pleased with the start to 2022. The plot looks and feels much better than on February 8th this year, and now things are starting to grow it is beginning to be our preferred destination each day.