Adventures in the life of an English allotment
This morning I ambled down to the allotment to clean out the greenhouse. It's been overdue for a few days and we managed to get hold of some new shavings late last night before the shops closed for Christmas. I arrived on site and stopped to say a quick hello to Geoff. Due to the... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I picked up an old tyre from a local seller to make a swing for the chickens in the main coop. Lugging the tyre down to the allotment was rather amusing and I wish I had gone with my first plan which was to roll it all the way. For some unknown reason, I... Continue Reading →
With the rapidly impending DEFRA deadline for ensuring every coop is secured against wild birds, we dashed down to the allotment armed with a 50m roll of scoffolding netting and a bag of cable ties. Unfortunately, there have been a a number of bird flu cases in Cheshire and across the UK over the past... Continue Reading →
The main challenge we have over winter is trying to keep the chickens off the mud in their coop. Every autumn, we put in a layer of chippings and hope they last the winter. Unfortunately, this year, despite a thick new layer being added in September, the chickens are back on mud again. However, our... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment, wrapped up warm against the cold. The temperature has definitely dropped significantly today. Upon arrival, I found Lilja and Leia sitting together up on top of the nest box. They immediately moved when I opened the door with Leia instantly and incessantly demanding to be fed. Telling... Continue Reading →
After days of ran, we finally have a glimpse of some winter sunshine. The weather is surprisingly warm considering we are now in mid-November. Down on site, I spotted Alan and Billy and went to say hello. They were both busy doing some winter jobs. On the plot, we still have some digging to do... Continue Reading →
Suddenly the days are much shorter, the nights longer and the temperature drops. The clocks went back yesterday and the change in daylight is really noticeable. I ambled down to the allotment at lunchtime to feed the chickens. As I arrived at the gate, I saw Cliff busy fixing his trailer. Apparently it had come... Continue Reading →
The last two days have been significantly warmer and with more sunshine, the usual brightness that heralds the start of autumn. It lulls you into a false sense of security before the autumn storms start. The sunshine has meant that the winding down at the allotment has been slightly delayed but there is a feeling... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment to feed the chickens and to check on Pop. Geoff has kindly been closing up the greenhouse in the evening the last two days so I haven't had to go down in the evening. Both of them were out and about enjoying the sunshine. I put the... Continue Reading →
Early this morning, I walked down to the allotment to feed the chickens. Looking into the greenhouse, I watched as Leia stretched and came out of the nest box but no sign of Pop. Surely she had to be in the nest box somewhere? Reaching into the next box, I felt a bundle of feathers... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I walked down to the allotment ready to sort out the enormous builder's bag of mulch my husband dropped off outside our greenhouse last night. There was far too much for me to use but I took the opportunity to finish off the fruit section. Each time we get chippings, I always forget... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment armed with antimite spray ready to do battle with the coop. I had borrowed a pressure spray contraption from Cliff to make the job faster. It's an important job but it always seems to take forever to do. Before I started, I checked on Pop and Leia.... Continue Reading →
Today was quite what I thought it would be. I anticipated an afternoon of pottering around the plot, doing ood jobs and, weather depending, clean the main coop out. As soon as I arrived, I went to see Pop who I had placed into the nest box last night. There she was, by the front... Continue Reading →
I arrived down on site at midday today, determined to do some more weeding and cleaning out the greenhouse. When I arrived, I spent a few minutes sitting in the shed, looking at the plot. I am so pleased with how it has transformed this season. The new sections have made my life much easier... Continue Reading →
When I arrived on site today, I found Sarah and Cliff hard at work digging an enormous hole for the new pond. Cliff had spotted a perfect container on another plot and the plot holder was happy to donate it. This saved huge amounts of time and effort as we didn't have to buy pond... Continue Reading →
I walked down late to the allotment this afternoon. I ran into Sarah as I arrived and we had started to have a chat when Cliff joined us. He had managed to find a large container for Sarah and Liz so they could build their own pond. We discussed where was best to put it... Continue Reading →
So a quick dash to the allotment this morning before a day out and about. Upon arrival, I shouted hello to Geoff who was busy cleaning his coop and checked the greenhouse. Leia was visible, shouting at me for some reason. There could be so many reasons, that I have given up trying to work... Continue Reading →
Despite growing very little veg this year, I managed to harvest two beautiful little squashes (plants courtesy of Liz and Sarah) as well as Ken kindly giving us a small melon. I am always amazed at the variety of fruit and vegetables that can be grown on site. Here in the north of England, the... Continue Reading →
After a rather sad start to the morning, I walked to the allotment hoping that there wouldn't be anything wrong with any of our other girls. Fortunately, all the others seem to be ok and Pop seems to be going from strength to strength. I joined Cliff and Koko for a chat whilst Pop spent... Continue Reading →
Despite the south of England enjoying a mini heatwave, up here we have reverted to the age old relentless rain. This meant that I couldn't use the mushroom dowels or clean out the chickens. Tracy was down and we spent a while checking the loofa plants in the greenhouse. It continues to grow at a... Continue Reading →
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