Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Today was hot. Really hot. Too hot. I went down to the allotment this morning to get ahead of the weeds. I started with the weeds in the greenhouse which insist on growing in our tomato bed. The mix of bindweed and mares tail is lethal to any plants attempting to grow within several feet... Continue Reading →
At lunchtime, I headed down to the allotment with a vague plan of watering seedlings and feeding chickens. Several hours later, covered in dirt I realised I had not only lost track of time, but had been rather productive! I always check on the chickens first and I was greeted enthusiastically at the run door... Continue Reading →
Today I headed down to the plot early with a long list of jobs to do. The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It's been weeks since we had such beautiful weather! My first job was the most important, catching up on all the site news with Cliff and Geoff.... Continue Reading →
Finally, after weeks of delays, we finally managed to get down to the allotment for a decent amount of time. As usual, we are behind everyone else but after a decade, I have resigned myself to this, ignoring my annual resolution to be more organised next year. My first job was to clear out the... Continue Reading →
Over the past two days, we have made huge inroads into the jungle of weeds which used to be our plot. On Saturday afternoon, I headed down and focused on clearing the nettles, doc plants and other weeds from the back of Geoff's plot. The nettles are lethal and it was challenging to cut them... Continue Reading →
Today I ambled down the plot determined to continue tackling the weeds which are currently on the cusp of overtaking the entire plot. When I arrived, I found Steve kitting himself up in his bee suit - it turns out the weather have it swarm season again! The swarm this time was located on the... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, we both strolled down to the plot to get going on some jobs before the forecast washout for the rest of the week. It's frustrating as the plot is only just beginning to drain after the last deluge. Our first job was to check on the new girls in the Main Coop. There... Continue Reading →
With the rain of yesterday over, I went down to the allotment this morning to see how the plot had faired after yet more rain. I'm not hopeful that we'll be able to start off any of our crops for another two to three weeks as it will take at least that long for the... Continue Reading →
With the demise of the Allotment Federation and Wilko's, it's severely limited local options to buy seeds. I am loathe to go to B&Q as they are really expensive and only have the usual selection of seed varieties. However, on a recent visit to my parents, we ended up wandering around a garden centre which... Continue Reading →
With the next storm rolling in, I went down to the allotment this afternoon to check on the chickens and to make sure everything was tied down ready for the very high winds which were coming. Maude and Mavis were tucked away in their nest box avoiding the wind and rain. As I checked over... Continue Reading →
I had meant to write about this exciting development a couple of days ago but finding time to write has been tricky over the last few days. Our site Clubhouse, closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has left us at the mercy of the ever fickle British weather. It's all very well in... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, I finally made it down to the plot. We've had some rain this week and I was dreading what I would find. I imagined the weeds would be several feet taller and the greenhouse would resemble an overgrown jungle. Much to my surprise, the plot wasn't as dreadful as I thought it would... Continue Reading →
I didn't manage to get down to the allotment until after lunch today. I spent the morning trying to persuade my eyes that I hadn't spent half a day outdoors, so they needn't stream and itch anymore. Typically, they refused to cooperate! But knowing how much more work there was to do, I knew I... Continue Reading →
After a wonderfully relaxing holiday, I trudged down to the allotment this morning dreading what I would find. In my mind's eye, the weeds were waist deep and would require days of hacking back to rediscover the plot below. Having seen the amount of sunshine Crewe has had over the past week, I knew the... Continue Reading →
I took advantage of the dry weather to make some progress on the plot today! It's been very damp and drizzly most of the week and with yet more rain forecast for tomorrow. I grabbed the weed bucket and slowly made my way down the path, weeding as I went. It seems almost impossible to... Continue Reading →
It's been a busy bank holiday filled with DIY and painting. But I did manage to escape the paint fumes for an hour this morning to feed the chickens. Fortunately, everyone was on their best behaviour and there were no missing chickens, escaping chickens or marauding eggs in the water bowl. For this, I am... Continue Reading →
Yet again February and March have disappeared in a blur of work and holidays and somehow it's April and I've not started growing anything! It doesn't matter how many years I have the allotment, I always seem to end up planting late. I promised myself I would get things growing in February after last year's... Continue Reading →
So this morning, wrapped up warmly, I headed out to the allotment. It's been a busy week and I wanted to make inroads on weeding the raised beds that Geoff kindly has let us use the past couple of years. As I arrived, I ran into Ken. It was lovely to see him looking so... Continue Reading →
Late this afternoon, I ambled down to the allotment. I had hoped that the weather would have warmed up during the course of the day, but no such luck! Wrapping up warmly, I filled the big water bottle with hot water and used it as a hand warmer as I walked to the plot. The... Continue Reading →
As I smashed the ice on the top of the waterbutt before work this morning, I wondered about how warm the last few winters have been. It seems so much colder this year and I have to keep reminding myself it's January and cold weather is normal at this time of year. The Met Office... Continue Reading →
The Good Life Crewe 
Recent Comments