Polytunnel

I've been reading the forums on allotment.org.uk and found directions to this site, looks like a really good idea, making your own polytunnel, think I am going to give it a try

http://www.overthegardengate.net/UserPages/pp_view.asp?FName=polytunnel&Page=1

Looking good

Well our plot may still be looking a bit rough around the edges compared to the raised beds and immaculate completely weed free ground of some of our neighbours but it really is starting to take shape and is looking the best it ever has under our tenancy. This evening we planted our sweetcorn and another row of potatoes plus a row of carrots. I've gone for 'flyaway' this first time to ensure they have some resistance to the pests while we are still learning.

I've scattered my organic slug pellets and I noticed when going to the communal water tank that a few of our neighbours seem to have had the same problem, particularly with beans so I didn't feel quite so bad in a weird kind of way.

Sometimes it's easy to get disheartened when you're just beginning but seeing the plants growing is really giving me hope that by summer we will be eating our own produce regularly and that's a really good feeling.

SLUGS!

We went off to the plot this morning only to find that the dreaded slugs and snails have invaded. From a large crop of lettuce there are now only about four left and they've munched the best leaves on my beans too. At the side of the shed I saw a huge snail, the biggest I have ever seen who had clearly been feasting on my crops, I shan't repeat here the names I called it, thank goodness my two year old daughter was out of earshot or I might have been regretting it this afternoon. It's quite disheartening when that sort of destruction happens so this afternoon we went out and bought some slug killer, it is supposed to be organic and safe for use around children so we'll have to see whether it is effective in getting rid of the problem. We're also thinking about trying the sunken beer trap idea. I'll update soon on how we get on.

On the bright side my peas have started showing through now and I've got some netting to protect them from the birds and a little scarecrow which my daughter chose in the pound shop. The strawberries which were given to us are flowering in their new homes so they'll need to be netted too and my onions all have green shoots on them which I was most excited about, they've been under fleece so far but I'm thinking of removing it next week so the shoots are not restricted. My sweet peas have also started to grow in pots near the entrance to the plot. Peter has dug a bed for the sweetcorn to be transplanted to today so that will go in on the next visit. There's so much happening now which makes it feel worthwhile what we are doing and as long as we can keep those nasty slugs in check it shouldn't be long before we can actually start eating our own produce again.

Bank Holiday weekend

It's very exciting to see shoots spring up everywhere at the moment, the trouble is that not only are our plants growing but the weeds are also growing too and with baby plants you need to be very careful with the hoe to save damaging the small seedlings.

We now have potatoes and raspberries planted, an aubergine, (only one to see how successful it is) and some outdoor tomatoes. These are in addition to onions, sprouts, sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, leeks, strawberries, lettuce, radish, rocket, spring onion, broad beans, runner beans, peas and some flowers! It really will be a feast if even some of our efforts come to fruition.

The other thing I did today was a PH test on the soil, armed with a little kit from the Garden Centre I collected a sample and tested it. The result came back as neutral which I'm quite pleased with becuse it should hopefully support a large range of plants and we can add organic matter as and when necessary to make it more acidic or alkaline to suit the crops

The weather has been beautiful just lately but very warm so we have been giving all the plants a good douse of water on each visit. If we do have a hot and dry summer as is being forecast at the moment we'll have to make sure we keep the ground at least a little moist so that things keep on growing.

Photos

Strawberry plants in a raised bed

Olivia getting pots ready for seeds

Broad bean plants

Runner bean plants

It's all go!

After a slow start to the year plot 3 has finally started to get the treatment it deserves. Last year was truly an 'Annus Horriblus' in our house with my mother being diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently undergoing months of treatment and the death of two other family members in close succession. Autumn and winter were indeed dark times and we nearly gave up on the whole concept of 'allotmenteering' as we struggled to cope with all that was happening and the plot slipped further and further down the priority list. At Christmas we had a family meeting to decide what we were going to do about the site, we didn't feel it was fair to keep it and not use it while so many people are on waiting lists for allotments. We decided to give it another bash and although at the time I was thinking, 'Can we do this?' I'm starting to feel glad that we are.

In March work began in earnest clearing the weeds - again! Peter decided he didn't want to rotavate - again! and we started to plant our seeds - again! In a funny way clearing the ground and the weeds, digging over preparing the soil, planting seeds and starting to see the shoots appearing has kind of been symbolic for my life and this spring is probably just what I have needed. Springtime has certainly seen an upturn for us all and cultivating, 'our special garden' as Olivia calls it has been very meaningful.

Anyway, I digress, on the plot it's all go at this time of year, there is so much to do, plant and tend so I'm hoping keeping this blog will help me remember what is going on with everything and be a bit of a record for next year about the ups and downs so we can repeat successes and change direction on things that don't work. At the moment we have 4 large rotation beds for potatoes, roots, legumes and brassicas, we have two 1m square raised beds and another bed with fruit in it.

Bed 1 Potatoes - These are due to be planted next visit

Bed 2 Roots - We have some onion sets planted in here at the moment, they are covered with horticultural fleece to protect them from the birds and keep the soil a bit warmer for a few weeks until into May. I have carrot, beetroot and parsnip seen to grow here too

Bed 3 Legumes - We have broad beans, runner beans and peas in here and some lettuce filling in the gaps for now

Bed 4 Brassicas - Leeks (oops in the wrong bed) brussel sprouts, red cabbage and broccoli have all been planted from seed in this bed

In the smaller fruit bed we have strawberries and 2 very tiny immature apple trees which we hope will grow and be trained into cordons along the fence. The 1m square raised beds are mostly planted with salad crops but I hoping one will be a home to asparagus soon.

There's loads more to say but I'll save it for another post as this one is already quite long so I'll be back to update soon.

New Year - A New beginning

Well it's been months and months since I updated our allotment blog, that's in part because in the second half of the year we didn't manage to do a lot with the plot due to some hard times and rotten circumstances and also because life has been a mental whirl of activity with our jobs and family life. At one point we considered giving up the plot but quickly realised if we did that and then changed our minds back it could be years before we got another one so we are sticking with it and with the current economic climate it seems sensible to have another bash at producing some of our own food.
The greatest success last year was the broad beans, I will definately plant those again, the radish were also really quick to grow and at least twice as tasty as shop bought. We only used about a quarter of the plot last year so really it's like starting anew and because we did little in the Autumn there is quite a lot of weed clearance to tackle. The next time we get a bright day we are going to skim all the weeds off and then rotavate another quarter. Peter wasn't keen to rotavate last time and did all the digging himself but it took an age so this year we'll let the machinery do some of the work and because we are members of our local allotment association we can hire a rotavator for a good price from our colony.
Anyway I hope to be updating more soon and must add some more photos. Our daughter is now 2 and a half and will be much more able to take part in activities on the plot this year which will be really good.