The noob allotment adventures..

I'm terrible for spending way too much in garden centres at the mo. Eek!

 

Tonight I made myself the frame for a herb bed out of cladding and some old wood I found up the plot. It's not treated or anything so won't lady long, but it'll last long enough to get me started I have a little windowsill kit in which I've started off basil, parsley, chives and thyme.

 

I'm going to need more pots and a bigger green house. LOL

 

My cat is officially in the doghouse

 

Whoops.


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I went out the allotment today, spent about 4 hours digging out another bed..... So slowly getting there

Two chaps turned up to work on there allotments, we got talking and there was something familiar about the older chap but I couldn't place him... Until he said I don't live in the village but in town and named the road...... As I said that's where I grew up, he said my maiden name, I grew up next door to him...

We had a laugh, as I never know him to loose his temper, with the exception when Dillon our rabbit got into his garden and feasted on his salad crop!!! there were death threats laid down to the rabbit lol

I haven't seen him for 31 years... Small world

 

Finally some sun! Managed to get up and prepare a couple of beds. Felt good to back up there working!

 

Lots of progress made today but forgot to take a picture! noooo.

Have started weeding and clearing out the raspberry patch. A neighbouring allotment holder introduced herself today and gave me two wheelbarrows worth of topsoil for my herb raised bed. She also reckoned that the raspberries didn't need pruning and should fruit this year. Exciting!

I've now dug over and hoed 4 beds in the last week, the raised herb bed and 1m x .5m-ish sized beds that I want to build up. The soil is pretty much all clay, put I've been digging in more compost and will be raising them up.

I've got some veggies that will be ready to plant out up there in a couple of weeks. I could do it now but I want to wait until they're a bit bigger. Also have some more bits propagating at the moment so I really need to get digging and get the beds ready

Only downside at the mo is that I've lost my hand cultivator and my moisture gauge. so annoyed!

Will upload some pics when I get some more. For now, here's the raised bed before the 2 barrows of topsoil were added

 

I went out to my allotment today for hours worth of work....

Planted up my first lot of earlies, lady Christle, and one of the other chaps gave me some Duke of York as he had too many, met a few of the others today all seem a nice bunch

Almost finished clearing another bed, it's a mammoth task, so full of weeds such as forget me not, birds eye and clover accompanied by grass and dandalions...

The other plot holders are very encouraging, said I'm doing really well, and clearing the plot is the hardest part, once I've cleared the weeds it become easier....

 

I'm impressed you can tell what the weeds are. My method is 'if it's in the way and I looks ugly, yank it out' haha!

I've met two or three other plot holders now and they've all been lovely and keen to offer advice. They know the land so their help and advice is much appreciated!

I'm looking forward to planting my herb bed especially for some reason, I suppose mainly because it'll be quite a central point. Not sure whether to put my new seeds/seedlings in or wait for them to be more established though!

I've also got sprouts and garlic that are growing well and could do with being planted on, just need to pluck up the courage and not presume everything will die when it gets up there!

 

Found my hand cultivator! Still can't find my moisture gauge and ph tester though. Poo. Will have to order another. God knows where they could have gone! I'll find them no doubt when I've gotten a new one...

Going to do another couple of hours tomorrow weeding out the raspberry patch and digging some more beds. I need to get some planks of wood so I can build raised beds, but not sure whether to go for the cladding again. Think it'll do as a temporary measure seeing as it's cheap.

I've been itching to go up all weekend but we've been too busy. No excuses tomorrow! Will take some new pics too.

 

Updated piccy time. Managed to get 45 minutes up there as my black dog is rearing it's ugly head again so struggled.

Progress on the raspberry bed. It's been hoed, raked and weeded. Just in the process of putting a layer of rotted manure/compost down and will then look at putting some kind of border around. Need to find space to chuck a few blackcurrants in there as well but think I'll extend it sideways rather than cram them all in together.
They're starting to come into bloom now so should start looking lovely in the next few weeks.


This is the broad beans which have yet to sprout, the carrots under the cloche and the bed I'm preparing for the parsnips and more carrots if there's room. That bed has been dug over, hoed and raked/weeded. Going to start building it up before I plant anything.


I swear these look more like graves than vegetable beds. I know they don't look like much but they were a blanket of weeds before. This is the start of where the brassicas are going to go. Again dug over, hoed and weeded but I'm trying to decide if I should build them up or just plant them as is seeing as apparently brassicas like clay. Hmmm.
The ridge behind this is going to be flattened and cleared to make way for peas, runner and french beans.

Not much to report here other than some lovely tarpaulin! This is the other half of the plot and will likely house things like sweetcorn, pumpkins, watermelon, peppers and the like. In the section that isn't under tarpaulin in front will be where tomatoes will be going.


Then last but not least, everything else! The finished raised bed is going to be my herb garden. Not sure when to plant out yet though! The covered circle is an old trampoline net, and will eventually be a flower and strawberry circular bed. Behind that in front of the compost bin are gooseberries. Haven't decided what the rest of the space will be used for yet.

In between the sections will be wood chip/bark and paths to make it easy access and stop beds getting trampled!

Still a lot of work to do, but I'm happy doing it bit by bit and not expecting it all to be done at once. Still have plenty of time until the decent weather comes in and things can start growing properly.