A productive Saturday

This morning after the compulsory Saturday morning lie-in, I went down to the allotment. The unrelenting rain yesterday worried me as our plot has been more of a bog than plot after rain the last few months. People on site have taken to suggesting we have our own pre-made paddy field.

Happily, apart from a few small puddles, it was mainly dry. I went down and sorted the chickens who were very vocal about my being late in feeding them. I managed to sort them out, extract the eggs from underneath a grumpy Fizz and refilled their water.

I then went to check on the mouse. Sadly, I found it hadn’t made it. But hopefully the mouse had a comfortable last few hours in the quiz coop with food, water and bedding. I went to bury it in the wildlife area at the back of the site.

Despite knowing I should really finish dismantling the wooden frame in the greenhouse, I left it, hoping it would magically sort itself out. I opened up the shed and got out the hoe determined to eradicate the weeds that keep insisting on growing. The greenhouse frame is covering half the width of the plot and weighs an absolute ton so I left it where it was and proceeded to hoe the left side of the plot from the shed down to the potatoes.

Halfway down, I took a well deserved break and swung by the club house for a natter with the others. Will had brought in bacon and a loaf and was making everyone delicious bacon butties! Bacon butty demolished I went to have a chat with Rachael about her fruit trees to get some ideas about which seem to be growing best and to work out where I will plant the new trees.

Then I went back to hoeing. I had enough energy left in my arms to finish the entire left strip of the plot. That done and a half hearted effort to start on the way back up, I gave up.

I picked a huge amount of rhubarb and managed to offload it on Rachael after wandering around the site trying to find someone who hadn’t just picked their own.

Picking the rhubarb has given me more room to manoeuvre around the fruit bushes. All of the fruit bushes are going hell for leather and I am hoping we will get a good fruit crop this year.

Tomorrow I will work my way back up so the entire plot has been done and weeded. And of course, being Sunday, if the weather is fine we will be doing the bee check!