new allotment!

After waiting for just over year i have got my own allotment! It's a great plot too - sheltered, very few perennial weeds, no junk or brambles and some veg already growing there (fennel, cauliflower, beetroot, khol rabi).

I harvested some green pumpinks, sprouting brocolli, onions and potatoes, and some rather unusal things that are know as "chai chai". They grow on a climber that looks like a cucumber, but they're shaped like a very large lumpy pear and pale green. Does anyone know if they're good to eat or how to cook them?

The plot is about 8x9m, I think that's plenty of space for everything that I want to grow. I am dividing it into 4 - one quarter for fruit and permanent herbs, the other 3 for crop rotation.

There are some scaffold poles with netting at the back so I'm going to build a fruit cage there since half of it is already built. I also have a greenhouse and shed to share with the plots on either side.

I dug up a lot of the weeds on Sunday and I cleared a bed which I have planted garlic in. I'm going to plant my strawberries and blackcurrant next weekend.

Are there any other things that I could/should be sowing/planting/doing now? Is now a good time to be sowing grass seed on the paths?

I will get some photos up at the weekend.

 

I have just more or less finished my winter digging as you can see here;

http://tinyurl.com/y4slxq

Now working on the garden at home.

Next years seeds arrived today.

 

If you want to see a year in the life of my allotment have a look at the slide show here;

http://tinyurl.com/y72ret

 

It's so neat TG! Amazing.

I see you have netted your garlic, does it get attacked by birds?

 

Oddly enough No! it is to keep out cats who in the course of their ablutions tend to scratch them out.

 

Fabulous garden,allotment and web site TG.

CONGRATULATIONS.

 

congratulations sparkle!
look forward to before and after pics

 

Well, I've just applied for one, dont' know a thing about edible gardening. Always been one for growing nice little seedlings for the flower garden. I believe there are a couple of plots availabe! Will be wanting lots and lots of advice!! Good luck sparkle, looking forward to watching your progress.

 

Good luck to you Sheppy! Probably a good way of shifting those 5lbs you were talking about! :D

 

Good thinking!! Never thought of that!

 

Just discovered a programme on BBC1, "Grow Your Own Veg!" Its on Wednesday mornings at around 1am, next one will be on Wednesday 17th Jan at 00.55am. Its only on for 30mins and as a newbie to gardening with 1001 projects in mind I think its great! Many of you are probably far more experienced than this programme but just had to share.

The first ep was great and they are starting up a very small plot about 3 metre square and we'll be following its progress which is about the size I have for a small veggie plot in my garden so will be copying to the letter!

Am so excited bout everything to do with gardening at the moment as only started last July so am a sponge for info at the moment. Also watching "A Garden For All Seasons" on BrightIdeas TV and my mate is on it on Friday morn at 8.30am

Dont want to wish my life away but cant wait for spring to get the burst of growth in my garden and start seeing the progress. Will post before and after pics when its taking shape.

 

Just read a post about "Grow Your Own Veg!" from another thread, looks like I caught the repeat during one of my many late nites, first showings are on Fridays, BBC2 at 8.30am.

 

Blinkin heck me again, was a typo in the original post that I copied and pasted from, its on BBC2, 8.30PM, Fridays.

Im going to bed!

 

TG , your website is fab!

 

Hi sparkle i have had a small plot for the last 5 years. apart from the products that i grow and pick (last sat sprouts,swede chard and swede) it is a place where I can destress from work .I watch pheasants sparrowhawks buzzards and there is also a herronary all this for �£8.00 a year!Good gardening for 2007 King Edward