Day 41 - Crates, Beds and Leaf Mouldabiles

 Okay so I stretched the heading a bit, but aren't we all allowed a bit of artistic license, as much as you are down your own allotment. One of the best things said to us on our first walk around the allotment site that we have our plot on, was "It's your plot, you can do what you like" (Well within the allotment rules). But basically don't get hung up on what other folks are doing or not doing.

Today would be the third straight day we have made a day out at our allotment, and it has felt good, even though our lass would think I had made a good job of hiding this fact. 

You will see below, we have finally found use and positioning for a large crate which was left in the plot, it now sits between the pear trees, and is two thirds filled with leaf mould so when we add the bought in compost it doesn't take a silly amount of bags, we should get away with two bags and then our lass has another bed for flowers.

We have found more trunks to line the dog roses, so that is coming together even more now and the crate which came from the same corner was going to be given away but is now lined and will store more leaves to create leaf mould, you can never have enough, compost, leaf mould or manure you will come to know.

Lastly, I nailed together four planks of the wood that we got a few weeks ago, it is to make a raised bed for the carrots, as the soil is quite clayey and is the reason why it looks like the onions have failed. but the bed frame is ready for next week when we will mix compost and grit together to put in it. It is also the right length to simply put the netting straight over to keep the carrot flies out. Considering a bag of carrots is around fifty pence, we are going for the priceless experience not a cost saving exercise.

Carpets on to stop the leaves flying off, but next step is to add compost on the top level

I know I have shown a few photographs of this corner over the past few days, but this is nearing it's ready for now stage, nothing is ever finished it can always be tinkered with.

You can never have enough leaf mould.

First use of the wood we got a few weeks ago, a bed for the carrots.

Day 40 Dig, Dog, Do.

I know a lot of the time is where I write Our allotment, but today I truly felt like it was our lasses allotment. Our lass did a lot of work today and all I did was barrow some wood chippings up the hill. Now I ain't fishing for credit, just in awe of our lass. 

The dog rose is all in place, and for an added touch our lass noticed some tree trunk/thick branch sections from a well established tree. So I brought them up with the wood chippings and our lass edged the area as you can see in the photographs below. The trench from yesterday was lined with blood fish and bone, the dog roses were then bedded in with compost mixed with grit. We also got a bonus as it seems someone from where got them from couldn't count to ten as we got eleven. Must have been a one more for luck.

Then when our lass had finished planting the dog rose, the potato bed was her next target and with the flash of a spade the lazy worms had the straw part of the manure turned over bringing it closer to them, so this will help more rot down for next month. 

I did also do a drain pipe of peas, in between the trips up and down the hill with the barrow and swept. but the star for today was our lass.

How this area used to look

And how it looks today

Our lass will be happy when the dog roses have grown up to cover the fence and block out the blue.

Can our lass dig it, yes she can.

Before

Day 39 - Tidying one of our corners.

 The freeze has ended it seems and the long term forecast hopefully will be for above zero temperatures, so with this in mind our lass led the way with a job which had been on the agenda for some time, namely sorting out one of the allotments corners. At home we have some dog roses healed in awaiting there new home. As you can see from the series of photographs below there had already been a big transformation before we had started todays work.

How this corner initially looked when we took over the allotment.

We had already tidied a lot as you can see

Surprising what you can find in a seemingly forgotten part of the allotment, our lass dug out what seemed to be the concrete block from a washing machine

Trench ready for the dog roses tomorrow. Helps to tidy a corner and turn it from dumping ground to edge of our wildlife pond area.

Day 38 - We have a cunning plan for the greenhouse roof.

Sometimes the simplest remedies can be the best, we have over the past month or so, been trying to figure out how to sort the greenhouse roof on our lasses greenhouse. Whoever had it before had obviously broken some of the panes, left them around the back of the greenhouse and then filled the gaps with poly carbonate and lots and lots of glue, with the occasional screw thrown in for good measure.

A replacement greenhouse brand new with toughened safety glass, would be great but quite an investment to be put down the allotment. Replacing with glass, would also cost and the frame is slightly twisted. We thought of a wooden frame, but would it take off in the wind, and although I am growing in confidence in the building department, I don't think I quite have the skill set to make a good enough job.

Our lass had the final idea, and as per usual the best. We sourced a see through tarpaulin, much the same as a buggies rain cover. It has eyelets and as you will see from the photographs below, held in place with available ropes, wire and milk bottles with some spare pipe insulation to cover the sharp bits.

Fingers crossed for the first breath of wind, will report back saying it is still in place or we had to fetch it from yonder field.

This is what needed covering up

What our lass needed to do to capture all the rain which was coming through the roof.

First of all piping on the roof, so hopefully kept away from anything sharp.

Cover up those screws

Another way of recycling the milk bottles, filled with water and hopefully keeping everything in place they have been pinned as well.

Hopefully enough wire and rope to keep it all in place.

Crossing our fingers, but I am sure it will do the job.

A bit of health and safety, having cracked my head twice here, I have used some of the left over foam.

Day 37 - We do give a fork.

We had a nice leisurely walk to the allotment today, the snow and ice of the previous days had gone, so we could walk with the assurance of not slipping. You will see from the first Photograph it was a lovely day, so it gave us chance to sort things, the manure has been rotting down and so we added some more to it, and whilst I was going up and down the hill, our lass sorted the leaf mould and forked over the beds and did a dirty dig over on the potato bed. The days are slowly getting longer, there is prospect of more snow in the days ahead but soon it will be spring and full steam ahead.

A lovely day as you can see.

Our lass forked over the soil breaking it down the clods of earth a bit more, also started the division of the bed, eventual this will be split into four.

Another bed forked over, and starting to portion them out

To give the worms a helping hand our lass forked in some of the manure we put on, so it will be well rotted in time for the potatoes in March / April

A long term project, as it can take three years for manure to become well rotted, but we topped up the pile, as it had rotted down by a third.

Day 36 - potting on and turning the compost

 Storm Bella came through last night, and the sight we were expecting this morning as went to the allotment, well, we hoped for the best but thought of the worst. The worst thing that happened... The star went slightly crooked on our improvised tree, Oh! and a bucket toppled over. No gloating though, as have seen some photographs of flooding across the country, then again if we got flooded, it would need to be biblical, as we are on a hill.

No major duties today, our lass potted on her violas, I moved the compost from one bin to another, to give it some air, and break it up. I write like I know what am doing, not one bit, as our lass had already chopped up some of the chunks I left in it last month. They do say it gets warm, ours wasn't steaming, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.

From seed  tray to individual pots, Violas move along.

Our lass put some teak on the potting table, as even in the greenhouse it was starting to catch the mould.

We really do need to sort the greenhouse roof, as this is for catching the water.

Time to turn the compost, been a month, so adding to the pile in the empty bay

Door off, and some might be worth sifting through next time.

All done, another job mediocrely done.(as the Simpsons would say)

Day 35 - Fire, mulch and sunny views.

 As with a lot of the times we go to the allotment, we go with one job in mind and end up doing another.

I took this first photograph thinking all this would be covered in mulch

But to my surprise our lass let me play with fire, I love fire, our lass doesn't like the smell of smoke, but it helped clear some old wood and stuff which needed burning.

I then went for the leaf mould, I collected our lass did the spreading.

You don't see the elevation on this road way, but the leaves were right into the distance where the telegraph pole is.

Then another lane, then left up another hill, our lass will be laughing now, saying how I am really laying it on thick. but it must be at least three miles there and back (okay maybe half a mile)

The grey cylinders made a good template to keep the leaves off the rhubarb.

Hopefully that will keep the weeds away and the goodness in,

Four bins full of leaf mould, paving slabs moved, box full of nets and hose pipe, just the two tubs to sort and this area is getting sorted.

Another bed mulched

Big oak at the back of us, gives us shade in the summer mornings so we don't heat up to quickly. It was great to see some blue skies and sunshine.

Views from our allotment, over the tees valley.

Sunshine over the greenhouses

A late stay, meant we got to try the light out., photograph doesn't quite do it justice.

Day 34 - Last of the raspberries arrive and just one more thing before we go.

 Today was slightly different, normally we get to the allotment and what we planned to do is superseded by another job because we see manure, leaf mould or wood chip on the way to our allotment. This then means that job takes priority and we then get on with what we originally went to do. This was the reverse today, our lass finally got to plant some raspberry canes which have took a second time of asking for them to arrive. I collected the wildlife camera (disappointed as the damp weather has foggied the lense) and our lass put some feed out for the birds. It was a cold day, so it was back off to the warm. 

Just as we were leaving a car which had been parked had left, which revealed a pile of fresh bark chippings. Which meant from impromptu return to the allotment. I grabbed the spade and barrow and our lass her trusty rake. We now have a fresh layer on the pathway, which makes it look neater and helps level out the bumps and hollows in the path.

Out next big job is the our lasses green house roof, first of all we need to find a way to fix it, also needs a calm and clear day, guess we can count them using two fingers between now and next spring.

Last of the canes in, gritted for drainage, lets hope they fruit in the future.

Before

After

A little bark chipping between the compost and the blueberries/logan berries

Looking sharper, it was starting to get muddy especially with sorting the compost bins out.

Our lass said I had earned my Kit Kat

Noticed the fungi on the bottom of an old tree stump we have

Next job, answers on a postcard, on how to fix?