31st October 2011

In a couple of weeks i will have had my allotment for a year it's gone so fast!!

I spent Saturday morning helping allotment Amy with her new plot it's much bigger than mine meaning she can grow so much more :):) it was a really good morning i took callum with me lots of hard work and we cleared a nice area
Sunday morning arrived and my arms,shoulders and upper back were really aching bad but had to try and ignore it as Pete had arranged a delivery of free horse manure
the afternoon arrived and the call came so i rushed down to my allotment with callum and waited ,didn't have to wait too long he backed his truck down to my plot and dumped it .... omg there was loads didn't have a clue where i was supposed to put it all it was very well rotted dry and crumbly :)
i rang Pete and told him to get down to the allotment and help he came with an extra wheelbarrow ,i was a bit worried as it was totally blocking the path to everyones plots!! we soon moved it though and lucky for us another plot holder came so we gave them some here are some pictures of my plot covered with about 4 inches of horse manure

I went back today to try and dig a little bit in but gave up in the end and planted my blackcurrant bushes instead  hope they do well will be a couple of years yet before they fruit bit hard to see but there are two in a line

i took down some of the netting on my plot too as it was stretched right across my plot but most things have been picked so just left the area where the brussel sprouts are spent over two hurs there :)

14th October

Went to the allotment yesterday haven't had time to go down for a proper dig around :(
Me and Callum popped down after school last week to collect the last 3 pumpkins that were ripe brought them home quite pleased with all 4

Yesterday had a good clearing session dug up the pumpkin and courgette plants they have all finished now then had to move to the other side of my allotment as some fat balding workmen were shouting abuse from the road like have you got oat for note grrrrr then went to remove my runner bean supports and dug them all up i left the roots in as they are good for the soil
Had a chat with another plot holder which made the fat balding men shut up!!!
Everything was damp even had to wear my wellies haven't worn them in such a long time it smelt really damp too reminded me of when i went to view my allotment for the first time which will be a year ago in 4 weeks!!!!
I still have parsnips, Brussels sprouts, 1 cabbage ,celery, leeks and swede left to pick it's looking very empty now, next year i'll know to sow spring cabbages and cauliflowers
Hoping to get my car back soon as i need to have a very good weed and dig around!!!

29th September 2011

when i look back this time next year to see what was going on ,I'll be shocked to read how hot it's been!!!
First chance to get to the allotment since my car came home :) spent 2 hours there wanted to spend longer but i knew i had to get back.
spent a long time weeding i think they are slowing down now well everything but the nettles!! as i was pulling weeds up i found a radish i took it home and ate it :)

My parsnips are looking very big i had a peep today can't wait until the first frost has been then ill test one frost is said to make them taste sweeter

Couldn't believe the courgette plant has burst in to life again and is producing lots more courgettes also the french beans have flowers again i thought they had finished

Looks like I'll be bringing home my other 3 pumpkins soon they have turned orange

Pulled up the sweetcorn today it produced plenty of cobs but inside only a few yellow bits were there if you remember i bought them late in the season as plants ,so next year will grow from seed

the allotment is looking quite bare now ... i have some carrots ,parsnips,leeks,b.sprouts,french beans, swedes, pumpkins courgettes celery and i think that's it apart from fruits..... hoping i can get down tomorrow too
  

Strawberries

Went to the allotment today and spent almost 2 hours in the strawberry bed. i hadn't planned this but when i arrived after a week of being away i noticed it was covered in weeds and the new strawberry runners had grown everywhere.
First i had to give it a good weed then separate and dig up all of the runners something i was meant to do months ago ..oooops
I started with 10 strawberry plants that i bought from ebay and planted them back in February i think it was (it's on this blog somewhere) i stopped several runners by snipping them off but they just kept growing ... somehow i have ended up with 53 plants altogether!!!! and i brought 10 home with me to pot up and give away  

Callum was busy at the other end of the allotment where i couldn't hear him ;) he pulled up the broccoli and a couple of cabbages and did some weeding ..... there is so much to do down there at the moment

anyway here is the new strawberry bed with lots of plants watered in and ready for next year :)

18th September

Finally went down the the allotment today :) due to to illness and no car i haven't been able to get down.
All of the potatoes are now out of the ground ,it looks very bare :( infact as me and callum looked around other plots it was a reminder of November last year when i went to view the allotment time has passed so quickly.
I brought a pumpkin home with me today i was very proud of it :) it is now curing so that it stores well  there are still 3 more there will add a picture soon...
The runner beans have finished now (yay) partly due to the fact i hacked at them before the winds came last week and they are still standing!!! well just, they are leaning over , I'll be pulling them up when I'm fully recovered i found out today i didn't have as much energy as i thought i would have very odd as nothing knocks me out!!
The sweetcorn hasn't come to much the cobs appear to have about 6 ripe corn things on them and that's it, having read about this on forums it seems I'm not alone ,i will give them another go next year i bought them as plants so ill have a go at growing from seed .
One of the other plot holders gave me some parsnips today which was very nice of him it's the same one who gave me some asparagus earlier in the year he doesn't go down very often, he also promised me some red currants bushes :) which reminds me i must get some pics up of the fruit bushes i have .
No idea when I'll get down next i know i wont be able to go on my bike for a while until i get over this properly :)

30th august 2011

heck just noticed it's been a month since i updated on here. The main reason for this is when i go down at the moment it's to  pick runner beans !! and french beans and im sure noone wants to read that over and over so here is what is going on ....

The allotment has a bare patch now where the first early potatoes were im still busy digging second earlies as and when i need them.

All onions and shallots have been lifted and are now hung in the shed

The 2 cauliflowers i grew as an experiment turned out well and both picked so will grow more of them next year :)

cabbages also doing well despite me digging them up and finding club root :( so far it hasnt made any different to the growing of anything but this might be because i limed the area before i planted them apparently liming slows down the clubroot so again will grow some more next year

The sweetcorn won't be much longer now had a peep yesterday they have done well quite pleased with them

brocolli is just to big and flowers to easily before you get to pick it did try some and wasnt keen so wont grow that again

carrots did well and some still growing in the blue tubs

The courgette is still going mad very pleased i only grew one plant and nearby i have 4 large pumpkins turning orange

The celery is still growing not ready yet

swedes hmmm i havent looked after them like i should have and some have split but think they will be ok we shall see again take up too much room not sure if ill bother next year even though i have impressed the alloment people with growing them

Brussels doing well though im sure they will soon be ready to pick which is not what i wanted i planted them when it said to in time for xmas

runner and french beans seem to be slowing down a bit now never had a year as good as this

parsnips i hope are doing ok wont be ready for a while yet until first frosts have been its makes them sweeter

not sure what the leeks are up to i must have a look

ill get some more pics on my facebook allotment wall soon :)

beans beans and more beans!!

What a change in weather today was!!

Me and Callum went down to the allotment on Saturday morning and was surprised by how many were down there it's been quite a while since we have been on a Saturday morning i had a chat with a plot holder then got on with  picking runner and french beans,I'm getting loads one of the plot holders said it's been one of the best years for beans, the ones I'm picking from were started earlier than the other half of runner beans in the row so may have all this amount yet again to pick.
We pulled up some shallots and onions and picked a couple of courgettes then headed back home for something to eat
Today (Monday) we went again this time the allotment was deserted ,just us two until another man came as we were about to leave.
Today's main task was to take and fill up 2 more blue barrels that pete finally managed to saw in half for me, i did take them down and put them in place but then got distracted by weeds!! so they didn't get filled with soil.

Yes its been raining which means the weeds have sprung up all over again!! there were some knee high nettles and other weeds between my shed and the hedge Ive been putting it off as i thought it was a perfect hiding place for rats!!! but i was very brave pulled them all up and now it's tidy :)
my first cauliflower is still growing well I'm going to pull it up later in the week :) another first attempt is the celery also doing well and looking more like celery now
i noticed there were loads more beans ready so got picking shouldn't complain but it takes ages came away with another half a carrier bag and a courgette then i pulled up the last of my shallots and a few more onions took them home to dry out
Had my first disaster growing at the allotment and it's the lettuce they have either rotted (not due to watering as i didn't water the leaves  ) or they have been full of bugs so next year ill grow them at home only lesson learned!!