Our Allotment Journey - Day 1 !

miggy

Good to have you back - sorry to hear about the break-in though.
Do you know something I don't about the weather forecast for a couple of weeks' time? 'Cos up here I don't think we could get a spade or even a fork into the frozen tundra (Yorkshire, that is)!
Keep posting - I'd love an allotment but have to learn to make better use of the garden first. Meanwhile I'll enjoy yours vicariously .

wornoutmumoftwo

I'm on a waiting list for an allotment (number one), an have to wait until the 24th of Feb's meeting totake place. Basically we have very limited alotments here (6), and they are reserved for people living in a certain area of town, so I have to wait (and hope), that no-one in that specific area wants it. If they don't I'll get it.

So fingers crossed, in the meantime I'm ploughing my way through seed cataloges and working out what I'll be growing this year, if I get the ok I'll be ready to go.

Frugaldom

Reading along and eagerly awaiting the next set of photos

Good luck WOMOT, hope you get your lottie soon

jtb2412

miggy - we tend to warm up a bit quicker down here in the south, I noticed the growing season was a good couple of weeks longer . I think I'm going to start the peppers off towards the end of next week (kitchen windowsill) - they need a long growing season and I can keep them indoors until it warms up enough for them to go in the greenhouse. Re: making better use of your garden, what are your plans? Would love to hear them .

warnoutmumoftwo - can you find someone to share with? That's what we did, we're still on the waiting list but sharing for the meantime. Although we've got a whole 1/2 plot now so gawd knows how we'll manage if we get another one. I'll just have to give up work .

nyk - re: photos ....... I need to do some weeding first :eek: :rotfl: .... hoping to get down there this weekend as a few have popped their ugly head up and I want to try and stay on top of them.

Got to get our potato bed dug over too and then covered to heat the soil.

Plus hubby has to repair the shed door :rolleyes: .

Will update soon ....... TTFN x

jtb2412

Well, i've just spent Valentines Day afternoon down the lotty :grinheart(which I'm happy about - like a little old couple we were :rotfl: ).

We've fixed the shed door after the break in so it's nice and secure, for now !

Our new crowns of rhubarb are starting to come up nicely. Our fellow sharer's rhubarb is going great guns ! I think it's been in a good few years so is extremely well established.

We've weeded (not too bad) and have put together another two raised beds.

Have also popped in some garlic in - I think we'll have about 100 bulbs if they all come up :eek: lol - good job they store well .

Ground wasn't too bad and we've got a nice lot of air into it today so should make things easier as we go on.

Plans for tomorrow - allotment if weather is ok:

Finish two more raised beds.
Start to dig potato bed.

If raining:

Start planting some seeds (bell peppers as they need a long growing season, chillis 'cause hubby can't wait any longer :rolleyes: and various other bits that I need to look on the seed packet to make sure when they need to be sown :rotfl: .)

I'll remember the camera tomorrow and get some pics. Oh and we saw a likkle mouse in our compost heap - kinda cute ! I'm just glad it wasn't a huge rat :eek:

How's everyone else doing?

Beki

you're doing so well! can't wait to see pics

Frugaldom

Looking forward to seeing the piccies!

I've started off peppers, chillis and tomatoes indoors and sown artichokes, spring onions and cabbages outside under glass, so far. It should also be OK to start planting cauliflower - reading back of pack, it says January to March under cover, so maybe you could try them. Are you doing a herb garden or fruit bushes & trees? Must re-read previous posts in case I have missed/forgotten what's already been done.

Have fun

jtb2412

Beki - thanks for the words of encouragement, sometimes we need them ! lol

NYK - a quick rundown of the journey so far ...

moved here in Oct 2007 and started to dig over the garden in spring 2008 to grow our own. Managed to get a 12ft by 6ft greenhouse from freecycle :j - couldn't believe our luck ! Grew various things in garden such as strawbs, rasps, rhubarb, blackberrys, blackcurrants and had more raised beds for 'seasonal' produce. We grew lots the first year and i'm not sure if it was just beginners luck but more or less everything was a roaring success. Most of the things we grew we got for 'free' e.g. fruit canes/bushes/plants from MIL plus some seeds and also seeds from our greenhouse donor.

So, we thought we'd bite the bullet and get our names down for an allotment. Lo and behold a waiting list as long as our arms but we managed to find someone to share with in Sept, again from freecycle (we put a 'wanted' on there and someone responded - talk about smelling of roses ! haha).

Threw ourselves into digging over plot towards end of last year but obviously didn't get everything done. So, we're now here looking forward to our first year on the lotty !

However, being a bit out of practice and having put on a bit of extra weight, i'm now aching like mad !

Our ultimate aim? To be like you nyk [bows down in admiration] and more or less totally self sufficient with a nice cottage somewhere in the country and an acre (or ten :rotfl: ) of land :T . However, we can't see it happening until kids are much more grown up and have flown the nest. But that's our dream and we're going to hold on to that .

Ohhhhh and we have looked into chooks but we're not allowed them on our lotty . Booo hisss.

Right i'm off for a nice soak in the bath. Got to have an early night as got a very early start in morning (Girlguiding dawn event) but going down lotty afterwards if weather holds up :T

Will pop up some pics tomorrow

jtb2412

Well we're back after a great day's work - feeling very tired (i've been up since 5.30am !) but satisfied. Had a very productive day and found approx 1/2 a carrier bag of potatoes in one of the beds (must be maincrop as they're absolutely fine !) Looking forward to having them tomorrow for tea :j

Pics of today's efforts as promised:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209002.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209003.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209004.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209005.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209006.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/kaj030405/allotment150209007.jpg

Hoping to get the last 3 beds dug next weekend (weather permitting) and finish off edging them with the free pallets we got from the building site :money:.

We have got rhubarb in one of the undug beds so will just edge them for now until they get more established.

Manged to empty one of the compost bins on the beds so we've got some room now to start composting again. DS enjoyed digging the manure :eek: (I sent him and OH to do it !!! :rotfl:)

Off to cook tea now, i'm ravenous ! TTFN xx

miggy

jtb2412 wrote: »

miggy Re: making better use of your garden, what are your plans? Would love to hear them .

Great photos - all ready to roll!

I have to admit my plans are hazy as yet. I started a small bed with some spare potatoes (they were sprouting!) but none showing their pretty heads yet and I can't blame them. We have various soft fruit and a greengage tree, and I usually have some tomatoes too though last year they just failed to thrive. Can't blame them either, it was so cool & wet. I will try again this year, maybe with growbags.

I decided to try a few cauliflowers and if I'm orgainsed enough I might do some broccoli too, a friend tells me it tastes amazing when home-grown.

I'm glad you are posting - you've spurred me on to start proper plans.