Allotment Diary

GreenFly_2

Week 1 - The dream
I've finally got my allotment dream as advertised on all the popular TV programmes, so I thought I would share my trip down the road of growing your own at the allotment in the form of this diary blog. Please feel free to comment as I go and offer encouragement, tips, and any other positive thoughts.
I originally put my name down on the allotment list 3 years ago. Last year I emailed the council and they said I was on the list for 2 sites, on site one I was 7th on the list and on site two I was also 7th on the list. So this year (march) I contacted the council again to be told I was 7th on site one and seventeeth on site 2. Now even by my calculations I could work out that I was going backwards! When I dug out the original emails to double check I forwarded the emails onto the nice chap at the council to be replied back that there was a mistake and he now has a plot for me. I was overjoyed!
I immediately after work went up to the site to check out my new land where I had already in my mind planned, sowed, picked and eaten my first years crops. When I got there I found a plot that had not been worked on for three years! It was overgrown with brambles in places, sodden and covered with halve a skipload of rubbish! The shed on the site had been stripped by the other allotmenteers long ago and now the carcass lay in bramble, there were old nappies, a rusty wheel barrow minus the wheel, a few sheets of old plastic that may have been used in a pointless attempt at stopping nature do what she does best. Even after this first dawning on the amount of work that was needed to make this useable I replied to the nice man at the council and said I would take the plot on! I had trepidation but at the same time I was also excited!:j

Tips
I guess the best tip I could offer on getting an allotment plot of your own is make yourself a nuisence with the nice man or nice woman at the council.

Be prepared initially for a lot of hard work

GreenFly_2

Week 2 - The hard work begins

I stood on my new allotment site thinking about where to begin the task of clearing the debris, weeds and brambles when a chap from a nearby plot comes over and introduces himself. We talked abit, he had been on the site for over 10 years and offered to give me a tour of his two plots! He explained that he likes to show at some of the larger shows such as Melvern. His plots were undoubtedly amazing, he had poly tunnels, pipes the height of my 5 year old daughter where he explains he grows his parsnips and carrots, he had buckets of his own special recipe fertilizer and many other surprises. I felt even more disheartened and daunted at the standard of my neighbours plots but also pleased how friendly he was and willing to offer advice and encouragement.
I decided earlier in the week that I needed to take a week off work to try and break the back of the work that was needed to get the plot started. Monday morning I started to fork the 90 ft by 35ft plot. I broke the plot into 5 sections in my mind. The top of the plot will be where I planned to put a shed and greenhouse and have a few raised beds for salad and crops and an area for fruit crops, I also found a small sapling that I could not identify so decided to leave alone for now, sections 2 and 3 I plan on covering with black plastic for the first year and will not look at doing anything until the Autumn. Sections 4 and 5 were not that bad, there were a few brambles, lots of weeds, but some of the sections had previously had plastic and old carpet on so the grass and weeds had not been as bad as sections 2 and 3. The first day (Monday) I managed to clear the rubbish onto a pile at the end of the plot to be moved to the skip bit by bit. I also managed to roughly fork over an area of about 15ft by 10ft.
Monday evening I managed to be the highest ebay bidder on a 10x8ft greenhouse that needed to be dismantled, the chap selling says he would be willing on delivering locally on the back of his trailer. We agreed I would dismantle the following Saturday, that gave me 4 days to clear some of the top of the plot (section 1) to put the greenhouse.
Tuesday morning my back was not too bad but the tops of my arms ached, I got down the plot about 10am and continued forking sections 4 and 5, wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday and I had managed to dig over about 30ft by 30ft. The brambles were the hardest to dig out, seconded by the grass but I now had an area that started to resembled an allotment plot where I could start to grow goodies!
Thursday and Friday I started to clear section 1 ready for the arrival of the greenhouse on Saturday. The majority of section one was dock and grass and following advice found on MSE I carefully tried to get the majoroty of the tap root out. While digging out I stumbled upon some forgotten potatoes and carrotts, the carrotts were rotten but the spuds looked OK! At the end of Friday I had managed to clear an area in section one of about 20ft by 12ft, enough workspace to put the greenhouse together and start to dig the footings. My mate's wife called that day and said my mate had some paving slabs for me and will drop them up that day, fantastic I thought I could use them to pave around or inside the greenhouse. Six 60x60 slabs duelly arrived with Thanks and an offer of some of my first Tomatoes.
Saturday morning and some of the afternoon was taken up dismantling the greenhouse. Before dismantling I had taken pictures, made some aspect plans and labelled the greenhouse frame and glass using a black marker pen. One of the biggest issue was the screws at the base had seized up but the chap selling it had the foresight to soak the screws in WD40 , about 8 had to be coerced using a variety of methods including hacksaw, drill and mini crowbar. I finally dismantled the greenhouse and we loaded it onto the trailer and dropped it off at the site, by this time it was about 4pm, about 4 hours longer than I thought it would take, but nevertheless we had got the greenhouse to the plot without any damage to the frame or broken glass.
Sunday morning I had promised to take the kids swimming, but all I could think of was getting my new greenhouse frame put back together while I could still remember how it went, after swimming I went upto the plot where I started to put the frame together inbetween meeting some more neighbours all offered me spare seeds, including seed potatoes, runner beans and garlic. The best gift was one of encouragement on how well I had done that week!
The majority of the frame was put together and the glass safely stashed in a secure corner of the plot ready for when the greenhouse footings and walls are built and the greenhouse secured onto its base.
I decided at this point to give the plot a break for the rest of the day and spend some time with my partner and kids down the beach.

Looking Forward to next week

Tips
Buy some decent gloves when you fork over the soil, they will save the blisters

When dismantling a greenhouse, give yourselve plenty of time, atleast 6 hours. Make detailed plans of the greenhouse while still together and take photos.

Be prepared to take advice as well as free seeds from your fellow allotmenteers!

GarnetLady

Wow, you have been busy! Well done on getting so much done so quickly. Our council doesn't have anything (not surprisingly) but if I get into gardening more I might apply and share with my dad if we get one.

LJM

sounds like you have been really busy i would love an allotment was just talking about this today with my dad

GreenFly_2

The weather has been absolutely wonderful, unfortunately I am back to work now, so with looking after the kids I can only spend a few hours during the week at the allotment and eagerly await the weekend to arrive. Most of my evening time (after the kids are in bed) however has been spent reading about crop rotation, soil types and planting plans. I’ve made my seed order via the Marshalls seed catalogue, which was quite expensive. Total cost of order was £34! I’m sure I can bring this cost down by saving what seeds I can at the end of this season. I’m also sure that I have over ordered and ordered stuff that may not be suitable for my location, however I am going to give it a try and learn by my mistakes.
Well Saturday finally arrived and the weather was fantastic. My 5 year old daughter Eve was also looking forward to going to the allotment as I had bought her some sunflowers seeds to plant. After breakfast I got the kids ready, caked them with sun lotion and went down the allotment in the car (about a mile from home). When I get a shed I would like to cycle the journey but until then I have to drag my fork, spade etc back and forth from home. We arrived and my daughter was eager to start planting, the seed packet she was holding was well and truly crumpled by the time we got out of the car. My son Josh is only 2 so he was more interested in putting stones in the watering can than planting seeds but with the help of his sister we each planted 2 Russian sunflower seeds and if the packet is to be believed will grow to 14ft. After the planting I continued to dig over some more of the plot keeping an eye on the kids who were happy playing. Sarah my partner arrived at lunch time to take our son home for lunch and a nap, my daughter wanted to stay and we shared my pasty for lunch. After Lunch my daughter and I continued to dig over some of the plot, not much else we could do today as the seeds I had ordered were still waiting to arrive, my daughter started to get a bit bored so we cleared up and went home to plant some of the runner beans that were given to me in week 1 by a fellow allotmenteer.
Sunday my daughter wanted to go and water the seeds we had planted so we had a quick visit to the site as we had plans to go to the grandparents for dinner that day and then down the beach.
Tuesday (Today) my seeds arrived so busy evening putting them in seed trays, no chance until the weekend to plant my potatoes, so they will have to wait.
Not much update on the greenhouse, I have dug the footings, may need to go a bit deeper, then order some sand, cement and maybe some more breeze blocks. The frame is completed and glass in a safe place on the plot. I really need to get it finished if I want tomatoes and Cue this year.


Tips
Get the kids interested in gardening at an early age they love it!



Don’t buy seeds from a catalogue unless you have to, ask around the allotment for spares to get you started.

GreenFly_2

GarnetLady wrote: »

Wow, you have been busy! Well done on getting so much done so quickly. Our council doesn't have anything (not surprisingly) but if I get into gardening more I might apply and share with my dad if we get one.

Thanks its worth getting on the list as soon as possible. I'm getting to know more of the people on the site and there is a little community here, very friendly and generous. I am so pleased I decided to take up allotmenteering it was the best decision to make. Good Luck on getting a plot of your own.

All the best
GF

Hippychick

Lovely way to spend a weekend

Good luck with the lottie, I don't have one and have only just started to grow this year so instead I have an 'apotment' on my patio.

GreenFly_2

LJM wrote: »

sounds like you have been really busy i would love an allotment was just talking about this today with my dad

Sharing with your dad is great idea. I hope my daughter and son are interested in growing veg and I can't wait for them to get a bit older so they can have a bit of my plot to grow what they want on.
The plot next to mine is shared by two neighbours, both produce plenty for themselves and say a full plot would be too much for them on their own.
Good Luck on getting a plot, it was the best thing i've done and the kids love it. :rotfl:

All the best
GF

GreenFly_2

My seeds finally arrived from the seed catalogue and there were a few amendments in my order. The seed company had sent me some alternatives where they were out of stock, so my research on the ones I really wanted went out the window! I decided to keep the alternatives however and go with the flow.

When I first got my plot there was a huge amount of rubbish strewn across it, one bit of rubbish was an old wheelbarrow. Although not rusty it was missing a wheel. I decided to keep it at first to use as a container of sorts to grow in it what ever maybe suitable, yet to be decided. Well one of the guys on the site noticed the wheelbarrow and said I have a wheel that may fit that! Great I thought thinking that will save me £30 odd pounds for a new one. A few days later the wheel arrived, no inner tube or axle, OK I thought it will still be cheaper to improvise and see what I can do, so off I went to a local engineering suppliers and got myself a 2 foot length of threaded steel bar, two nuts and two washers to use as the axle and then onto ebay where I ordered an inner tube of the right size. The next day I went back to my plot to improvise an axle. That's when I noticed the forks on the wheelbarrow were not forks with open ends like a cycle but enclosed drilled holes, which as it happens were not the same diameter as the axle I started to improvise. I could try and drill the holes larger but this would weaken the forks. So a re-think was needed (Total cost so far (£6 for the threaded bar, 40p for the nuts and washers and £6.50 for the inner tube, total £12.90). The next day at work I mentioned this to a mate and he says he has a wheelbarrow wheel with an axle and he will bring it in for me the next day. Again great I thought but I wasn't too optomistic this time. Anyway the wheel arrived and it had an axle as described and an inner tube. On the way home from work I went to check the wheel would fit and fantastic it was a perfect fit, only needed pumping up! So I now have a working wheelbarrow for £12.90 (+ running around costs) a spare inner tube and a 2 foot length of threaded steel. It may have been easier to just buy a new wheelbarrow but it would not have been as much fun tinkering with the old one as well as keeping some more rubbish out of the landfill.

A guy came along while I was at the plot the other day, he says he tested the soil on my plot the other day and the reading indicate that I have no nutrients in the soil what so ever, he says there is no charge for the testing. Ok thanks for letting me know I says and I explained that this is the first year the plot has been used in the last three years, at this point he tried to sell me two different types of fertiliser, potash and lime. I declined stating that I would be manure the site (not personally but wit the help of the local horses) in the winter and this year is just a getting set up and seeing what happens year. When I chatted to the chap on the next plot, he says the guy does test the ground, however he always then tries to sell you every option that all soil types need, so not much use testing in the first place. He then explained to me the concept of liming when the soil gets too acidic from the manure, and how the beans take nitrogen from the air and binds it to the soil. I learnt quite abit and as a result.

My plot is coming along now, I’ve dug over some more of the site, little by little and have starting planting. I have my early potatoes in the ground (1 month late but I guess we’ll see what happens), my mains are in also with some still chitting in the house. My runners are in pots in the conservatory and I have my broads planting straight into the ground, the rest of this week I will be planting my peas and potting up some of the latter crops such as sprouts etc. Until the greenhouse is up and running I have taken over the conservatory to the annoyance of my partner as I keep leaving the windows open for ventilation. The greenhouse is much the same as last week and there is not much happening with it just yet as I cannot afford to buy the cement and sand for the base).

I am still looking forward to next week, sowing and planting. I’ve also decided every time I go to the site I dig over at least a small area of the unused land as well as dig up at least one bramble (a little bit at a time)!.

Tips

Its sometimes fun to recycle rather than buy new

Never trust an expert, get to know the people on the site that actually know what they are talking about.

Buy your partner flowers when you take over the house with pots

Be prepared to attack the new plot a little bit at a time, slowly but surely

GreenFly_2

This week I decided I could afford to start the foundations for the greenhouse, not having done much laying of foundations I researched the best approach and hired the materials and tools. Luckily I had done an evening brick laying course a few years ago at the local collage, so was semi confident enough on completing the single course of breeze blocks that would raise the greenhouse high enough for most purposes.

I ordered the following which came to around £86 including £18 hire of cement mixer from HSS

1 Tonnes of Sharp Sand - I ordered more sand as I am also laying some slabs around the greenhouse (½ tonne only for base)
4 bags of cement
30 Breeze blocks
1 Cement Mixer

The slope on the site caused a number of issues when levelling the foundations, I thought I had worked out the depths and the levels before I started but it turned out my measurements were off 4” at one corner and the trench I had dug was skew by 7” (Not so much a rectangle than a rhombus ) so with the help of a retired builder who luckily has a plot at the allotment and was curious in what I was doing, came over to help .
I laid the foundations only to realise I was short of cement so a step was placed in the foundations and a single row of bricks was used at the front to both raise and level the final height of the greenhouse above the frost line at the high end.

Due to having to look after the kids some of the time at the weekend I did not get the single course of breeze blocks laid but I did with some considerable help get the foundations completed and the single row of bricks laid, so most of the hard work completed and the rest will have to wait now until maybe next weekend or if I get some time one or two evenings this week I will continue to lay the rest of the blocks. This will have to be done without a cement mixer however as I only hired it for the weekend!

The plot in general is coming along Potatoes, Peas, broads, onions and carrots are all in, runners and sweet corn are coming along in the cold frame. There are a lot of weeds coming through probably as this is the first year the site has been dug over in three years. Again I probably didn’t do as good a job as I thought when I dug the weeds out during week one!
Onions are the first to see growth, no sign of potatoes coming through yet! So I’m guessing my earlies may not now be earlies and my see what will happen approach when I planted them late hasn’t worked out as planned.

The plot next door has chocolate spot on her broad beans so from what I’ve read they advise adding fertilizer at planting time which apparently helps. Too late now so I will have to wait to see if my broads come up with the same problem.

On the whole I am pleased with my progress, if I get any tomatoes and cucumbers this year I will be doing well so not expecting much on that front until next year.

Tips

Ensure you are confident when doing a greenhouse base if not get advice and help from someone who knows how to or has done it before. Double, triple and quadruple check your measurements and depths!


Ensure you have ordered the correct quantities of materials before starting the job – For a 10ft by 8ft greenhouse base – ½ tonne of sand, 6 bags of cement and 30 breeze blocks (extra needed for breakages).