December 2023

 2nd December 2022 - The festive month has arrived and it is now officially wet all the time

The long wait for the holiday season is over, and nice though that might be, it begins to call time on the allotment effort and of 2022. 

What we have begun to appreciate is that really from the beginning of December the instances of wet weather increase, the amount of daylight available each day, and the continuous presence of dew, means that from now until at least February the ground is permanently wet. This means that working conditions become quite poor and with the exceptions of clearance work and maybe moving things about, what can actually be done is minimal. Construction, drilling and sawing wood all becomes pretty much a "no! no!" as everything is wet and of course, wood expands during these times. Best wait until spring is well underway for these things.

The wormery however only has the lid left to do, and this is breaking pallets apart as opposed to putting things together. So this little exercise is something that can wind up the current year.

On well drained parts of the allotment it is also possible to loosen the soil, pull out the weeds which are now normal kind of weeds, not the irrepressible bind weed and couch grass of old. Desi managed to sort 90% of this plot in a couple of hours. There are still some plants to remove, hence why not 100%.

Some clearance work to be done too… carrots and parsnips. We aren’t digging them all up, just 50% but as you can see the carrots are not the shape you would want. Both the carrots and parsnips suffer the same problem. The soil is so dense for these root vegetables, 2 years we have had this problem, next year will be on more sandy soil so that the roots can go straight down and not have to twist and turn. The taste of these vegetables is the same, just it is a lot more difficult to prepare them to cook.

All the beans and the sweetcorn removed and the support canes stored away for another year. We are going to use this same patch next year for beans and sweetcorn, but will be a completely different setup… watch out for that next May as we begin to construct and plant.

In this last picture Desi is clearing away some plants and disposing of them in the compost bins. The two avocado’s we may place in the cold frame there and let them take their chances with the weather, we’ve nowhere to put them anyway.

Notice the cladding now on the terrace on this side. We are all ready to build the path, we just need some more wood… just putting the request out there!

That’s a Good Idea, a Wormery

 30th November 2022 - That’s a Good Idea, a Wormery

Do you remember we had dumped a pile of weeds at the end of the row of 4 square raised beds and I asked what on earth is going on there… well we are building a wormery. The worms made short work of the bind weed, couch grass and other weeds, so, we thought we could build a little place to tidy these “difficult” weeds away and coax the worms to grow and multiply in their own little house. The allotment has plenty of worms already, but you can never have enough worms. They aerate the soil, worm casts are amazing food for plants, and they take the goodness (manure etc.) down into the soil where the roots need it. A worm= an all-round desirable creature to encourage multiplying on your land.

The second picture shows exactly where the wormery is located from a different perspective. This old black sheet we found on the plot. Didn’t seem to be too useful at the time, but it was the perfect size for 3 walls of this wormery. Another piece of good fortune. No measurement, just went to see if we could use it and it was the perfect size, couldn’t have measured it any better… perfect coincidence once more!

The Big Clear-Up!

 26th November 2022 - The Big Clear-Up!

The peas are still doing well to the right hand side of the first picture. We have had a nice little crop from them. If we’d have thought to put them in a tad earlier, it would have been much better.

When the manure arrived, we hastily added this orange pallet and the thick metal white-coloured panels in order to prevent overspill onto the terrace and the cold frames (in progress). So we ended up with quite a large pile and it was as long as the 5 metre plot we had built. Pure guesswork but it isn’t the first time things have seemingly turned out well without a lot of thinking beforehand.

As you saw in the previous blog there was some distribution (the excess) of the manure and that will have to do for now. We haven’t cleared the growing areas from last year yet, which we must do first, then we will get on with the manure-shovelling to where it is needed.

Desi is now clearing some of the easier-to-clear things from last year. The Butternuts have all gone, the corn will be next, then we can dig that area. It didn’t take too long to dig that patch once we acquired it back in April, but it will be interesting to see how long it takes us to dig the 3 main plots ready to distribute the manure.

In the next picture the marigold has been uprooted along with any remaining peppers. Time to dispose of anything that is already dead, or won’t survive the winter.

Surprisingly there is still quite a lot of produce going on. Cabbages, parsnips, carrots, swedes, peas, potatoes (just harvesting), parsley, brussels and some radish. Amazing that we are now almost in December and there is plenty of food remaining!

The gooseberries, blackberries and raspberries have received a good dose of manure… they do need some management though next year to inspire them to grow in an orderly fashion. Next spring we’ll be staking this little lot!

The Manure Has Arrived!

 22nd November 2022 - The Manure Has Arrived!

Wahey, under that white sheet is a pile of muck!

In order to get the whole load of muck onto our newly created staging area we needed to take some that had spilled on the road to other parts - notice the dark colour of the soil in the raised beds in the centre of the picture and the bit of land in front of them. Also, some was liberally distributed onto our gooseberries. We had to improvise a bit to stop this manure from invading the new terrace and getting on top of the white door… but all in all it’s now good to go.

You can see that there is a big pile of weeds in front of the square raised beds, what is going on there then? Shouldn’t that pile be in the compost bins?

Yet another perspective from down by the cabbages. This manure will just lay on top of the soil, giving extra protection for the soil, suppressing weeds, and providing some good stuff for the worms to take down into the soil. We could’ve dug it in, but we would definitely disturb all the creatures in the soil, this is a good no-dig option. We sorted the soil already with weeds, this is now improving the soil… you know what they say, “if you take care of the soil…” 

Sorting the Other Side of the Terrace

 19th/20th November 2022 - Sorting the Other Side of the Terrace

Having got the top part of the new plot sorted and ready for the manure next week (just about) now to sort out the other side of the terrace.

You can clearly see now the black sheeting under the terrace and if you look closely the stakes (piles) that the pallets are resting on. Basically I need to add cladding on this side of the terrace to prevent anything getting underneath. I have also moved the slabs that were creating a makeshift path to where they will be located and provide a proper pathway to the terrace and to attend to the contents of the large cold frame (white door) and the smaller one between the door and the terrace.

Rearranging the path meant that I also had to place the cold frame (white door) where it will ultimately be located and raise it up onto those wooden beams. Then the soil was dug over and placed out of the way. The path will have a wood beam in front of it, and when you continue the path on, it will finish beyond the terrace and continue to the other side of this new plot (almost). This is where these decorative (normal) stones will find their new home.

The next picture once more gives us a view from another perspective. We took off what was a white concertina-type cloche which was supposed to have potatoes under, but it doesn't look like potatoes, it looks like weeds to us. Just in case though, we put the cloche back on in case of potential potatoes and left it on thereafter.

The soil around this part has been dug over and the part from the plank of wood and then to the right will need to be tidied up too.

Onto the perspective from the compost bins. You can now clearly see the white door cold frame angled to allow the water to run off. We’re quite pleased how this is all coming together, there will be another nice terrace to sit at, and good fun using all this new collateral when it’s finished.

In the final picture, having moved all the wood and pallets from this part of the plot, we are now able to finish off digging and then this middle (long and relatively thin) section is now ready for next year. It has been a year of “a bit at a time”, as and when we had things to plant, but now we need this to be ready to receive manure in preparation for next year.

Shorter and Colder Days = Less Time at the Allotment

 18th November 2022 - Shorter and Colder Days = Less Time at the Allotment

This top part of the new plot is now almost ready for the manure which will arrive next Tuesday 22nd of November. We are now on Friday 18th so just a few days to go. This has been quite a rush job to get everything ready in time, especially now the days are shorter and not guaranteed to be nice weather. We have been fortunate so far though. The pressure of something happening on an exact day is good motivation and certainly helps to get things done!

The next picture is from a different perspective. We like taking pictures like this as it sometimes inspires new features, and maybe gives us ideas, especially on what to do next. When reviewing the pictures in the evening, at leisure, the ideas form on how to do things and this makes best use of the time at the “Haven”.

Another perspective in the 3rd picture. The soil all nicely levelled and for the first time really you can have some good idea of how things will look next spring. This plot has come quite a long way in the 8 months since we’ve had it. We are quite pleased to have got this far, with everything else going on at the same time.

The final perspective of this top section. From this perspective you can see something that happened whilst we were away in Hungary. The weather was pretty grim while we were away, lots of wind, thunderstorms and very heavy rain. Check out the polytunnel. Basically the weather tore to shreds the whole plastic covering sheet and the whole inside is now exposed to the weather. We are not going to attempt to fix this until the spring, when once again we will be able to use it, and repair it when the weather is much better too.

The fallout from the polytunnel means that we also have a lot of plastic bits to clear up. But the frame is in good shape. We have already acquired new sheeting, but on this occasion we will really think about how we are going to secure everything, and make it easy to replace, should the same happen again, which to be honest is inevitable. You have to take the setbacks just as you take all the good stuff, just learn from it and go again!

Getting Ready for the Manure

 14th November 2022 - Getting Ready for the Manure

Levelling off the soil now ready for the manure delivery in about a week’s time.

Notice the wooden panelling on the side wall of the terrace has a slight pink hue to it. This wood has been selected because it is much harder wood than the regular brown / pale softer wood. As these panels are likely to be under the soil Chris has selected the best of what we had for this purpose.

Once this soil is levelled, we can begin to focus on the other side and ready this for the work in spring when the cold frame will need digging as will the path the far side of the terrace. Still plenty of construction and groundworks to be done, but we’ve done most of the hard work now.

2nd Terrace Next Steps

 13th November 2022 - 2nd Terrace Next Steps

We’ve been away and now back to the Allotment. We have spent a few days before taking these pictures and consequently it appears things have moved on quite a bit.

The remainder of the second part of this boxed-in bed on the new plot is now pretty much sorted, maybe a couple more screws to finish off the job. Also the terrace has now had the black plastic installed and on this side the panels have been added to block the soil from finding its way under the terrace.

The decking surrounds are not ready but the way they have been laid here you can see how they will look in due course. And the wall which finishes off this vegetable plot although not installed is now taking shape and we’re marshalling the resources for when we want to finish everything. The next task is to complete these two beds as it won’t be long before the manure arrives and will be dumped exactly on this section.

In the next picture you can see that the soil needs levelling out, and we will need to work out how to finalise the wall where the soil will rest against, but, this is about as far as we can go now until Chris digs out the Cold Frame (white door) and everything is ready to complete. Like all good building projects, the preparation work always takes way longer than the finishing up and beautifying parts. 

The Terrace Arrives (Unfinished)

 16th October 2022 - The Terrace Arrives (Unfinished)

Finally finished preparing the space for the terrace. The soil has been shored up to stop it from falling into the hole. We’ve got the Workmate out to assist with cutting wood for the stakes (piles) and we have the pallet ready to test everything out as we go along… make sure what we are creating actually works.

Here is the second picture, it looks like four stakes are in the ground, courtesy of the Sledgy. The first pallet then is sitting atop those stakes and just two more to go! … What Chris has done here is drive in a wide-ish stake where the pallets are next to each other, such that we only need one stake each side to provide support for two pallets. So 4 stakes on each side, a total of 8.

In the 3rd picture you can see the size of stake wood we are using. It should last a long time, especially as the amount of water going under the terrace should be minimal, so not that much rotting going on.

In the 4th picture the basics of the terrace are now in place. 3 uniform pallets, all at the same height, ready for positioning of the decking surrounds, batons and then the decking to screw down onto that… Plenty of other things to be getting on with now though so to prevent soil from getting underneath the terrace, we are going to use pallet panels screwed to the stakes and pallets to do that.

Another view, from the other side. There is no black plastic down under the terrace as yet. We will do that part before putting the side panels on, but we are going away for a couple of weeks or so, and may just run out of time now.

So a panorama view of the top section of the plot and you can really start to see how the plot will look in due course. We are miles away from finishing, but at this time in the Autumn, when plants are finishing off and there is little in the way of propagation, this is a great time for construction work and repairs to take place.

In the last picture a view from the top of the plot (roadside). The Sledgy has proved a real asset doing this task. Would have been virtually impossible to create this solid pile / stake type support without it. You can also see with the two long bits of wood in front of the white door the height that the wood covering the terrace and the two cold frames is going to be. Shaping up well and looking forward to completing this… but for now, we are off to Bulgaria and then Hungary for a little R&R.

Second Terrace Preparation!

 15th October 2022 - Second Terrace Preparation!

Bigger than originally prepared, the terrace needed some additional digging out. My guess-timates on the space needed for 3 pallets came up a little short, so extra digging and levelling out was needed.

In the second picture - a closer look at things. Chucking all the extra soil onto the second section where the vegetables will be. This soil here is very sandy. Maybe it was once used for breaking down plasterboard and cement. We will get delivered manure at some point and that will hopefully add some nutrients and fiber. 

The "Sledgy" is making an appearance again to hammer in the stakes that will support the pallets. More stones, 3 buckets now!

Here we go, two other pictures providing other views from different sides of the hole. 

So the process for making this terrace will be as follows:

1. Create a hole that is large enough for the size of the terrace; deep enough to be able to protect (in whatever way decided) from vegetation growing underneath. 

2. Drive in sufficient stakes to place the pallets onto. Must use a spirit level to ensue everything is at the right height.

3. Place black plastic into the hole in such a way as to restrict light, prevent weeds etc. but with holes to enable water to drain away.

4. Place rubbish on the black plastic

5. Affix the Pallets

6. Board up the sides to prevent creatures getting in there (birds, rats, mice etc. ) as they may not get out again and we don’t want blood on our hands.

7. Finally lay the surrounds for the decking boards, and then screw on the decking boards.

This is the plan, although we will not be finishing this side of Christmas as we will complete the project in the spring when the weather improves.

There is a video about this HERE (https://youtu.be/QqP4M0rIsxs)

More Construction Holes And Soil Displacement!

 10th October 2022 - More Construction Holes And Soil Displacement!

Fortunately we needed some additional soil to make up the difference in the lower (of the two) enclosed beds we are now building. In the last blog you could see the difference and it is just visible again here top left of the first picture. 

This is going to be where the second terrace is going to be. Why are we digging it out so deep? Well, we are going to put the terrace (pallets) on stilts (piles), which will allow us to easily level off the terrace and give us something to build on top of. Below the pallets we will be lining with black plastic to prevent weed growth and then filling the space up with all the rubbish we have dug up, bits of plasterboard, rubble, metal, plastic et al.  We won’t be using these stones that you can see in the buckets. These we are saving to use as slightly decorative filler for another part of the construction… more on that later.

In the next picture Check out all that rubbish we dug out (center left)… that little lot, plus those bricks there, and two compost bags full of junk metal, plastic and other random stuff.

The melons were long harvested and here is another view of the construction. Now the second sowing of peas is doing well in the foreground (above picture), as are the radish behind them (it must be the 3rd or 4th sowing of those).

In the above picture you can start to see how things are shaping up. Gradually the plot and what we intend for it is emerging. Top right: the three pallets that will be forming the main flat surface of the upcoming terrace. They were acquired via a fellow allotment holder who he had 4 or 5 of them, and told us to use as many as we needed. We grabbed 3 as we wanted uniform pallets for this particular need. Some beetroot seedlings have been put in the foreground (notice the sticks that mark out the ends of the lines).

In the last picture. The courgette foliage has all caught this dusty white mold. We keep chopping off these leaves as it inhibits the leaves from doing their job… to the left of them, the swedes are going well too… although the white stuff appears to have spread to them and we might need to do some pruning to encourage “fattening up” during the remainder of the Autumn. 

We have to wait for these plants to die off before we can seriously harvest the potatoes which are in the foreground within that box-like construction.

Construction Holes And Soil Displacement

 9th October 2022 - Construction Holes And Soil Displacement!

The construction continues and now the first box is completed… This will be the area to grow flowers. It is quite a bit larger than the raised bed around the trellis so should be able to get a good show of flowers for the bees and other pollinators next year. 

Now Desi has completed the weeding of the cabbage patch, it looks rather good. Marigolds are pretty good with cabbage, allegedly good companion planting and helps keep the bugs off (naturally).

Back up at the top of the new plot, you can see the height differential between the top box (now finalised) and the potential steady slope of the soil down to the cold frames and where the new terrace will be.

Also we have now marked out the soil to be removed for the new terrace. It will extend from the side of the small cold frame to where the soil has been turned over on the right hand side. The path will be created out of wood by those two large wooden stakes, and might even have a little storage area designed in. 

This part is now taking shape as we go along. Not really any grand designs, just random developments as we go along… adventuring!!

Construction Continues As Does The Weeding!

 8th October 2022 - Construction Continues As Does The Weeding!

We’re running out of days this year. December is a bit hit and miss and we’re going to be away for over two weeks towards the end of the month, plus we’ve got to get this top plot ready for the manure which is going to be dumped on this top bit and that is coming next month! … so got to press on with the construction when the weather is good.

In this first picture, the the side panels have been installed and now preparing for the second raised bed wall that separates out the flowers section from the vegetable bit that extends down to where the white door is laying. This top bit will be a stepped drop, so sorting out the levels and moving the soil around.

The second picture is a different perspective from just below where the new terrace is going to be positioned. Right in the middle of the plot giving a nice 360 degree view of this new plot.

Meanwhile, over in our cabbage and brassica overspill mini plot, Desi is performing some miracle weeding. Check out the back bit she hasn’t done yet! Marathon job to be honest even though the plot is relatively small. I think it is like this because when we dug over this bit which was under black plastic when we inherited the plot… we just popped in the plants and didn’t do any weeding (they were all dead) but the roots live on and the seeds are only suppressed. 

This was the closest to “No Dig” we have come to. The black plastic suppressed weeds as we carried on with other areas, then when we were ready, up came the plastic and in went the plants, but… no dig doesn’t mean there is no weeding. Definitely a very beneficial way of getting a plot under control without having to keep tending to it… until you are ready, that is.

Allotment Challenges

 7th October 2022 - Allotment Challenges

In the first picture, the string, the stakes and the bottle on the stakes (eyes not being poked out) have all disappeared, all gone, in what looks like yet another piece of vandalism. Even the tyre marks have been blatantly left for all to see. No one is hiding their actions. What do you think? Someone lost control of their vehicle, or just wanting to be a nuisance? Anyway, thankfully the wood and stakes remain.

This issue of vandalism on the allotment has been an ongoing issue. It is known who is responsible, but they would do much worse if accused or challenged about it, so we just let it be, move on, and repair / resume when it happens.

Here the tyre marks clearly visible. The footsteps in mud to the right of the picture are mine. As I begin to level out the soil and prepare for the next stage of the building process.