[Pic Heavy] Just been offered an Allotment :)

Thanks everyone I managed to grab a couple of sturdy wooden pallets from a neighbour today from their new building project so hopefully I might be able to grab a few more and cobble together a composting bay or two! or even repair some of the raised beds.

 

Great idea!

Mind you, get a few more and you could cobble together something for those times when you need to take a break:-

 

I love the plot! It looks great. You've already got a good start with the fruit trees & bushes I can't wait to see it later on in the year all planted up good luck & enjoy it

 

Just sowed some sweet peas 'Coronation Festival' & 'Old Fashioned Ladies' for my allotment from the Van Meuwen muck up last year

 

Good luck with those. I remember you got plenty of seed.....like me

 

Two questions

1. Your hands look lovely too. Please post a new pic of your hands at the end of the summer, you'll probably be like the rest of us with gardener's hand

2. Can we get an emoticon for "green with envy" please. Your plot is absolutly lovely and huge!

 

So where do I start with these strawberries? I've never grown them but they look like they need weeding and all the old dead leaves cleaned off? should I wait until it warms up so that the old leaves protect the crowns from frost? I suppose I'm going to need to create some kind of netting to putt off the pigeons...



And I finally got in the shed, looks very cozy, just need to redo the felt on the roof

 

I can't answer the strawberry question as I've never grown them. I just wanted to say that I like your shed! There's plenty of useful shelving which is something I need.

 

Thanks JWK, we've just had our first frost of the year so I think I will leave them for a few weeks...

 

Here's a close up if it helps? quite a few dead ones by the looks of it?

 

Your shed is awesome. I thought it would likely be full of rubbish. Happy to see how spaceous it is and clean too! So nice to see your good fortune!

 

May be just dormant crowns, I would go with JWK's advice probably around beginning of March.
Mine look about the same (they usually do this time of year) I sort mine out, remove all dead leaves and let the birds get among them, as JWK says. I throw old woody ones out and replace with last years rooted runners.
You will be surprized how they grow from something that looks dead when the weather warms up. Regards Alex