Got me an Allotment.

[Arzosah]

Fantastic, Brambles, thats really good. Will you be planting it up with permaculture methods, or going for rows and whatnot?

[Brambles]

Fantastic, Brambles, thats really good. Will you be planting it up with permaculture methods, or going for rows and whatnot?

I'm a traditional gardener, so it will be rows and whatnot. I do have a few ideas to make it low maintenance so this first year is going to be experimental. I'm keeping a pictorial diary of how it comes along, I want to have a visual record to remind me how good a garden can look when it's cold and windy, and the plot needs work.

[Brambles]

Spent the morning at the Lottie. I'd forgotten how therapeutic gardening is. I took my nice new Digging Hoe and carved out the first 6' x 12' bed. Just roughed it up really, to get the frost on it and break it down.

Seeds have been ordered.

*Note* Digging Hoes rock! I reckon I couldn't have done a quater of what I managed if I'd used a spade!

[Brambles]

UPDATE.

I spent the afternoon at allotment yesterday and made a list of jobs to do and also did some more rough digging.

After discovering a small lake in front of one of the storage sheds, I realised the water catchment is very efficient to the point of overflowing! So to remedy the problem, I will empty the barrels that are there, and make a soakaway by digging out a couple of trenches the same width as the barrels and about a foot deep and filling with some cheapo aggregate, then adding the two extra barrels I have. Hopefully that should solve the problem.
Also managed to blag 3 nice big tarps to cover the other half of the allotment. Just need to find a supplier of manure that will deliver less than a blardy great trailer load!

Made friends with the people a couple of plots down, and have been discussing swaps of veg and seeds. All good stuff!

[Arzosah]

Brambles, thats great news!

If the incomers only had it for 18 months, even tho it may look abandoned, that means the fertility of the soil, and the "crumb", I think its called, will be great, since it was cared for for so long by the old boy (bless him!).

[ForgeCorvus]

You Lottie neighbours are a good resource (they'll know stuff about the area etc, thereby cutting out part of your learning curve)...... How about asking them if their interested in sharing a load of "Organic Matter" ?

[Brambles]

You Lottie neighbours are a good resource (they'll know stuff about the area etc, thereby cutting out part of your learning curve)...... How about asking them if their interested in sharing a load of "Organic Matter" ?

Unfortunately, they had some delivered in the autumn. If I can't get a smaller amount, I can always have it in a heap and use it as and when needed.