Sweltering in the Sunshine

Mid-morning I ambled across to the allotment. The sun was out, the sky was blue and it was perfect weather to be outside. The only flaw in my plan to spend the day at the allotment, was the heat. Today was a scorcher! With a south facing plot, there was absolutely no break from the relentless sunshine and heat. By the time I had arrived on site and opened up the shed, I knew it was far too hot to do the massive amount of weeding I had planned.

So instead, I decided to clear out the shed. This is one of my favourite spring jobs to do, typically done in March when the weather improves and the days lengthen. Due to being snowed under with work and other commitments, the shed clean out has remained on my to do list for weeks and weeks. My first job was to empty out the shed. Easier said than done as the shed seemed to be full of stuff somehow. It took a while but eventually, the shed was empty except for the larger pieces of furniture. The cupboard and table, I carefully dragged outside but the solar cupboard was more difficult. Rather than partially dismantling the solar system, I shoved the cupboard forward so I could clean behind it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement. Praying it wasn’t an eight-legged monstrosity, I slowly turned to discover the largest spider I have ever seen. It was HUGE! Rather than picking a fight with it, I kept a very close eye on it as I held the very end of the broom. Fortunately, it didn’t move which would have resulted in me running screaming from the shed at a speed which would have put Usain Bolt in his prime to shame.

With the floor swept, I replaced the solar cupboard back to it’s place,making sure not to disturb the evil beast behind it. Next I brought in the other cupboard. But rather than putting it back in the same place, I decided to have it just under the window. The table is incredibly heavy, even with the drawers removed. After several minutes of heaving, it was back in the shed. Over the next half hour, I sorted the stuff outside, throwing away any rubbish and reorganising the tools and other odds and ends before putting them back into the shed.

By now, I was melting. Then I remembered the sail sunshade! I rummaged through the storage boxes, eventually finding it in the solar cupboard. To put it up, I had to balance rather precariously on a chair but the result was worth it! The sail isn’t very big but the shaded area covers the front of the shed and half of the veranda. As I put the finishing touches to the shed tidy up, I made sure I stayed in the shade.

With the shed reassembled, I headed across to say hello to Cliff and Dolly. Dolly is a stunning dog with unlimited enthusiasm for play. One might argue she has a rather unhealthy obsession with balls. But I had a great time playing fetch with her much to the amusement of Cliff. With the day being so lovely, there were lots of people on site who I haven’t seen over the winter. One of my favourite things at the allotment is chatting with people who share a passion for the outdoors and growing.

Back on the plot, I dug out some netting for John on Plot 2. His family has been working incredibly hard on their plot and have been growing cabbages. It’s important to protect cabbages from the birds. They delight in pecking out the centre of cabbages which means they don’t grow properly. The good news is protecting your crops is straightforward – cover them with netting. Happily, the scaffolding netting we used on the Main Coop roof during Flockdown was perfect for John. I gave him two large pieces of netting and left him securing it.

My husband joined me and as he fed the chickens, I grabbed the secateurs and began to prune the willow arch. I love the arch but it doesn’t require half a ton of maintenance! I pruned it back at least five times last year. With the heat we’ve already had this year, I suspect I may be hacking at the willow even more. By the time I had pruned the path side of the arch, I was shattered. We decided to call it a day and head home for dinner.

The plan for tomorrow is to prune the top and plot-side of the willow arch and weed some of the beds. However, if it’s still scorching hot, then I may just sit in the shed and admire the view!