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 Today was slightly different, normally we get to the allotment and what we planned to do is superseded by another job because we see manure, leaf mould or wood chip on the way to our allotment.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?

Day 32 - How many sides does a box have? and sorting out the compost bins.

Our lass continues to put forward the very relevant idea, that we are spending quite a bit of time at the allotment whilst we still have a fair few jobs to do in our own back garden. My response was about enjoying the expanse of where we are, unlike the six foot fences which surrounds most of us which we have at our home to protect our land from neighbours, at the allotment you have at most a 3ft fence, mostly wire fencing, with views to the horizon. But our lass does have a point so our garden at home will get the required attention.

But first, How many sides does a box have? This question is raised thanks to the concern our lass had when the packaging was opened to the new crate container which had been sourced for the allotment. "We have too many sides" Our lass said,  unfortunately I don't have photographic evidence of the sight which greeted us, but when all the sides were laid out on the ground, you could be mistaken for thinking you may have to many. Also on reading the assembly instructions, a this way up sign would have been really useful.

The compost seems not to be doing the composting thing it should be doing, and where as I mess around on here, our lass is much more constructive and had been looking around the internet forums, and read that we really could do with a lining on the bins. This was the perfect time, to do some moving around and then line the empty bins one by one. So manure is in a bin by itself, and the garden waste, scraps and cardboard is in one where it can be moved and turned month to month. Our lass did a grand job of lining, I did the moving, and our lass chopped the bits up which I thought the garden fairies would sort. (Well they did, our lass sorted it)

A new box of many sides

A freshly lined compost bin,

Mid way through sorting

All nice and tidy, and lined ready for when it gets turned between the two bins, hopefully it will help with the composting effect.

Day 31 - Fixing things, tidying things & experimenting with things

Ever since we have taken on the new allotment I have been wanting to sort the gate, due to it having a plank of wood which had been attached across the bottom which would forever stick as you opened it, and our lass wanted us to have a number, as we looked unknown. Today we sorted that, our lass dug up grass, placed old compost bags and put down some slate to help hopefully to keep the grass back, and I took the gate off its hinges and sorted the wood at the bottom so it no longer sticks mid open and attached our plot number so we can proudly say which plot we are.

As for experiments, the tomato seeds which i tried to dry out which ended up germinating have now started to become seedlings, there chances of survival through the winter are slim, but trying to give them a fighting chance. We will see what happens.

Annoyed but this is the only before photograph from the outside before we stepped on to the plot and it then being ours

Our tidied frontage, still a bit more to do, but we are now a number.

These sprouted through

Lets see if they sprout some more

Day 27 - Planting bulbs and a little tidying

 Exactly what it says in the header, bulbs in ready for next year, and we both had the idea at the same time, where as the old kitchen surface does a great job of blocking out next doors compost heap it is not that tidy, so some membrane our lass had kept made for a perfect cover.

Bulbs and a trusty dibber

Before

After, although I hadn't swept the grass.......

Day 23 - preparing to be prepared

Obviously, everything you do happens in the present, yet when working an allotment everything done is for the future. In the times we are in at present, planning for a better future might come as a relief.

We are both itching to grow, yet to grow you do have to prepare, the soil is quite clayey, so our lass has added grit, and dug over where the paths were for the frost to get to the soil, we should be getting some compost in the week, add more grit to the compost and place that in the last bed and around the edges in preparation of the raspberry canes.

Our final preparational work of the day is for the section by our neighbours fence, we had moved an old compost bin, fencing and triple layered carpet, only for our neighbour to put an open compost bin by the fence. Luckily we hadn't started on that section, so where as we was going to put an arch, we have used the side of the old compost bin to block this part of the fence, and as we have an abundance of membrane, used that as a screen. For the moment we have left the fake grass down, but it gives us an idea of the effect. Seating area with soil to plant around the edging, we await a bare root rose which will grow to cover the area. Bulbs and other flowers along the pallet fence, and our lasses experimental bottles stayed in place, so have been filled with a bargain find of 10 pence violas. 

Also don't forget the birds, with a bird feeder for the tree.

Our lass having gritted the beds, hoping to help with the drainage

Never ending supply of previous tenants bits n bobs to dispose of, and of course carpet

Before

Just Before

After

Experiment working, they have stayed in place now filled with bargain flowers 10 pence violas

Looking after the birds

Pretty flowers

Day 20 - You go to do one job but end up doing another.

We had gone with every intention of doing one job, but on the way to the allotment we noticed that a local stable had just made a fresh delivery of manure. So seven trips up and down the hill later, we had manure which now covered all the potato bed, ready to be dug in January/February and also a barrow load for each compost bin we are working. That kept me busy, and our lass got busy removing even more carpet, you can see the cleared area on the last photo, and the pile on the 4th. Also our lass planted another two blueberry bushes, it seems you need differing varieties as well as ericaceous soil for blueberries, so the old raised bed works wonders to let them have their own environment. 

Then finally the stump, bit by bit it has been sawn down, our lass has the plan of putting a pot around the stump, planting some flowers and letting that rot down the stump, lot easier than trying to dig it out. The pot won't be the grey cylinder you see, but we have more hose pipe which we have found, so watch out for the creation in the future.

Day 17 - The path reaches the shed, and more plants are planted.

I can indeed be annoying, impossible you may think, but today was a rare day of crossed words. On the half allotment there was never enough room for everything, On this allotment, we have a large shed, greenhouses, vegetable section, fruit section, compost bins, wild life area, the list goes on. I do however have the urge to clean up, and whilst our lass had been sorting around the pond, i had got disgruntled the grass was getting mixed up in with the bark chippings. in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter, It is good it is a rare event now. In what we had achieved, the tayberry (* correction needed, it is a Loganberry bush not a Tayberry) and blue berry got planted as well as strawberry plants which couldn't fit into the bed, other plants found a home, and I finally made the potting bench up, maybe as asked if I had checked it when we got it a few weeks ago, I would have noticed a part was broken and we could have got it sorted, but all the same said potting bench is made. 

Day 7, By now God would have finished and had their feet up.

But we are only human, and as such take our time. Everything is in the preparation, yesterdays photo of the empty strawberry bed, will now have the photograph of a full strawberry bed, There is also preparation for the rhubarb and raspberry canes. One of many tidying up photographs, and you can never have enough pallets, they do come in very useful as you will see later.

Preparing for rhubarb in the corner and raspberries along the fence

This will all look a lot different in the coming days.