Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Earlier this week, I walked down to the allotment before work to feed the chickens. Granted it was still quite dark and I was half asleep but I quickly noticed a problem with the roof of the main coop when I struggled to open the door. The roof panel by the door had bowed downwards... Continue Reading →
This morning saw both of us down at the allotment again. I can't remember the last time we were both down two days running! Determined not to waste the momentum from yesterday, we grabbed the ladder and made a start. The final three panels went up relatively easily although the apex panels proved much more... Continue Reading →
Armed with only a vague plan and a handful of tools, we headed off to the allotment early to tackle the roof. I'm not going to lie, it was rather a daunting prospect to get the scaffolding netting, greenhouse shield and old roof panels off and put up the new roof within a day. Especially... Continue Reading →
Shortly after lunch, I dragged my somewhat hungover husband down to the allotment to make a start on the jungle. As he fed the chickens, I walked around the plot, trying to work out a plan. I decided that if we could clear some of the main beds then other jobs such as clearing the... Continue Reading →
After a busy day out with the family yesterday, I headed down to the allotment to make a start on the seemingly endless battle against the weeds. My first job was to finish pruning the willow screen and arch, a job I started last week. I dread cutting the top of the willow. It's a... Continue Reading →
Tonight we waited until the scorching heat had abated somewhat before heading down to the allotment. Yet again, the temperature is above 30 degrees and it is sweltering. There is no breeze and the hot air hangs over Crewe, blanketing in the heat. It's days like today that I wistfully daydream about my home town... Continue Reading →
After a morning of house clearing, I headed down to the allotment to clean out the Nest House. It's a job that always takes ages and it's one of my least favourite jobs. Upon arrival, I spotted Liz, Sarah and their mum so I went to say hello. Daisy was with them and gave me... Continue Reading →
What should you do when drowning in strawberries? Make jam. Lots and lots of jam. Despite my husband's heroic efforts to work his way through the kilos of strawberries I have harvested, there were tons leftover. Whilst giving strawberries to the chickens would undoubtedly result in their undying love for me, it wouldn't be good... Continue Reading →
Late this evening, I walked down to the plot to do some weeding. The patio was completely overgrown with weeds - it's been a job I have been putting off for a while. It is nearly impossible to get the roots out especially when they insist on growing between the slabs. The best I could... Continue Reading →
Today was productive. Very productive! With my husband's help, we managed to clear most of the plot of weeds. The sunshine and rain over the past two weeks has meant the weeds have gone berserk. I armed my husband with the WolfGarten soil tiller and left him with instructions to clear the weeds on our... Continue Reading →
After lunch, I pottered down to the allotment, determined to finish planting in the greenhouse and to clear some of the weeds from Geoff's raised beds. Last year Geoff kindly let us grow some vegetables on his plot and I have been meaning to clear the beds for him so they were ready for him... Continue Reading →
Today was a day spent running between home and the allotment. Our first job today was to get the roof on the shed in the garden. In order to improve the strength of the roof panels, I added some extra batons to the edges. My hope was that this would not only stabilise the roof... Continue Reading →
Today was a very exciting day. A day that for us chicken keepers means the end of months of lugging gallons of water down to the site. On days when the coops needed cleaning out, I would occasionally have to do two trips, one for the chickens drinking water and another to collect enough water... Continue Reading →
Finally today, the weather cooperated which meant we could put up the shed! Between us we spent a while shifting around the different sides of the shed to work out the best way to orientate it. After some discussion, we decided on having the window facing the house and the door facing down the street.... Continue Reading →
Today, the sun was out, the sky was blue and I finally managed to clean out both chicken coops at home. To thoroughly clean both Omlets, get them dry and put in new bedding took the same amount of time as it takes to clean the wooden coops on the allotment. I know Omlets are... Continue Reading →
Over the past weeks, we have been organising a new site project. The back corner of the site, next to the Razza, doesn't have easy access to a tap. Added to which, when the pond needs topping up or refilling, we need two hoses to reach it from the nearest tap. So the committee has... Continue Reading →
Today, apart from feeding the chickens, Cliff, Geoff and I helped clear a half plot for a fellow plot holder. The plot needs quite a bit of work, specifically removing old bricks, broken glass and wood as well as the usual weeds. Geoff had done a great job removing some of the wood yesterday and... Continue Reading →
Well today has been one of those incredibly productive days where enormous amounts of jobs get done. But it's even better when everyone joins together to get these things done. This morning, we had arranged for several of us to meet by Plot 8 to move the greenhouse backwards towards the shed to widen the... Continue Reading →
Today was a day of two visits to the allotment. With the Town Clerk coming to the site tomorrow morning, it was time to make sure the plot was respectable. Upon my arrival I said hello to Phil briefly before opening up the shed. As I am led down the plot, working out my plan... Continue Reading →
Big changes were set in motion today. I dashed down to the allotment later than planned to find Derek, Cliff and Ian busy working on Plot 22. This plot is in the process of being given up and the ancient wooden greenhouse was barely standing. The wood had rotted to the point where the glass... Continue Reading →
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