My Allotment's Work In Progress

I've told a few others but I don't think they realise the significance of this.

I should also mention that I was at the local country fair at the weekend and got chatting to the people running the local historical society. I mentioned that I kept digging up thick lumps of terracotta (I'm talking 1/2" thick) and I wondered if they knew what was there before the allotment was. They seemed quite excited as there are theories that there may have been a Roman building there of some sort. I've been collecting the pieces as I found them yesterday and have been told to drop them into the local museum to be identified.

 

Next thing you know it is will become a site of historical importance, all the tenants will be thrown off and Tony Robinson and his team will pitch up and dig trenches

 

Yes I am starting to wonder that as these terracotta pieces are quite thick.

I don't mind if they want to excavate my plot, will save me having to do any digging.

 

Indeed, ask them to backfill the trenches with brassica stalks and plant your Runners there

 

Relayed the weed membrane, making sure it didn't gave any gaps between it and the scaffold boards by stapling it to them.

 

wow you have been busy! looking so much more different now! well done x

 

Shed is coming along nicely. Attached some barge boards in the hope it will keep the felt on a bit better. Also started clearing the weeds and brambles around the shed too.

 

So I'm thinking about planting some apple trees soon but am not getting much information about planting distances from veg crops. Sure there is page after page of information on spacings between trees but not how far I can plant a tree, probably a trained tree, away from my veg beds.

 

The roots usually are the same spread as the canopy of the tree, but in the drought conditions i've had this summer the roots from the trees have extended by about 2 metres .

They've had every last drop of water out of the lawn and one corner of the veg patch.

 

Hmm that's not good. I was thinking of having a espalier (or row of cordons) with roughly 3 feet either side (running parallel) of spacing between the vegetable beds.

Back to the drawing board I guess.

 

Why not a few step-overs here and there? Or columnar trees?

 

I've seen others use step overs on the allotment. But I'm assuming that they don't give as big a yield as espaliers or cordons do.

 

True, but it does enable you to get a few more varieties in ... assuming that is something you would want of course

We store our Apples, but with mixed success, so to a certain extent I might be better off with more varieties, smaller crop, harvest spread over the longest possible period, and the opportunity to wander out into the garden each day, during the apple harvest season, and pick a ripe one off the tree to enjoy ...

For cooking apples then I guess high yield is beneficial as easy to convert them into puree for Winter cooking, or pies to freeze

 

They have wonderful stepovers in the gardens at Chenonceau on the Loire, don't know if it's possible to download a photo but I've seen them LADEN with apples.

 

I've been to Château de Chenonceau, and don't remember seeing the Step Overs How annoying! I'll have to go back

Mr Google found this:



Errmmm ... not very helpful, sorry!

Somewhat more useful: