Clearing 54a.

It seems very strange to spend time on the allotment on a sunny (but cold) day after months of bad weather! After a few hours on Sunday and nearly three today it is possible to see some progress on what was the worst corner of 54a. It is thick in nettle roots. Still, Michael says that nettles only grow on hood soils!

2013 - Happy New Year

It always happens. People start a diary, or web page or blog, and after a while it's not used so much. Looking back at 2012 this seems the case. Reasons are various, but it's not because the allotment isn't being tenderly cared for so much! Despite the wet weather we survived 2012, and as 2013 starts are still harvesting red cabbage, sprouts, kale, beetroot, spinach, and over wintered cabbage is looking OK.

Little has been done since November, however, when we weren't busy, the weather was too wet, or the days were too short. Today at least I found 2 hours to dig 54a.

54a I hear you all ask?

Yes, the other end of our plot, which has been neglected since before we took over in 2009, become available in October, so we now have all of plot 54, and are in the process of vacating 53b which we've borrowed for the last two seasons. It is hard work clearing it, with deep rooted perennial weeds and nettles, but I hope it's ready for March.

Here's some pictures I took in early December:

This is looking from the end of 54b across 54a and the rest of the site. I've just covered as much as possible with black plastic and weighted it down with junk!

This end near the road was full of nettles and deep roots, so I've started at this end first. Today I double dug it,a nd added about 10 bags of donkey manure before planting the decorative willow hedge!

The boundary between old and new. I hope to make this a seating area!