Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Suddenly, it's boiling. With temperatures reaching into the early 30's it's unbelievably humid and the heat just saps the energy out of you. Quite why people enjoy this weather is entirely beyond me. What is there to enjoy about drowning in your own sweat every time you need to move a limb? I don't have... Continue Reading →
Today was a brilliant day on the plot. At lunchtime, I was joined by the Lea family. It has been a couple of years since I last saw the children and it was lovely to spend time with them all on the allotment. The children all love the outdoors and were very keen to help... 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 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 →
With the sun out and showers forecast for tomorrow, I decided when I woke up this morning that today I would finally clean out the chicken coops. It's incredibly difficult to clean the allotment chicken coops over the winter due to the water being off and having two large wooden nest boxes to clean. Plus... 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 →
Some days at the allotment start out ordinary and end up being extraordinary! I walked down to the allotment this morning with a list of jobs to do. My first job was to sort out the willow. Somehow despite the heatwave, it has grown massively in the last week. Grabbing my trusty secateurs, I made... Continue Reading →
Just before lunchtime, I headed out to the allotment. The weeds have been taking over and the Nest House needed cleaning out. Stopping for a quick chat with Liz and Sarah, I quickly checked on Gertie, Winnie and Coco in the New Coop. Gertie was in the corner and the other two were finally off... 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 a frantic day trying to sort out everything for a trip, I ran down to the allotment. I filled the food bowls up to the top and refreshed the water in all the coops. Nursing a minor scratch to the face courtesy of the littlest bantam in the new coop, I threw out the... Continue Reading →
I ambled down to the allotment this morning, not really sure what I planned to do. For good measure, I brought down one of the trays of potatoes to plant and of course, the chickens needed cleaning and feeding. The sun was out and although there were some dark clouds, there was enough blue to... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, I walked down to the allotment weighed down with some seed potatoes, onions and other odds and ends for the new growing season. It was increasingly misty, with the BT building behind the site a shadow rather than the looming landmark it usually is. As all the chickens had enough food and water... Continue Reading →
So although it's not quite midnight, I thought I would do a quick review of the year. All over social media, everyone is sharing their highs and lows, so I think I will jump onto the bandwagon! It's been another busy year on the plot! Our feathery flock has expanded massively, welcoming in a small... Continue Reading →
The hardest decision at this time of year is choosing what to grow in the spring. Every year there are long debates on site about whether this variety of potato is tastier/better/stores longer (delete as appropriate!), which type of tomatoes have the best fruit and so on and so forth. Usually, I have a clear... Continue Reading →
There is always something so special about seeing children at the allotment. Time spent outdoors is becoming scarce in modern childhood due to a mix of over-scheduling activities and endless screen time. For the past few days, we have had one of our godchildren stay and we have loved sharing the joy of the allotment... Continue Reading →
With the heat beginning to lessen, my husband and I walked down to the allotment to feed the chickens. As my husband walked between the coops, refilling the food and water, I got busy weeding around the Omlet watched closely by Roxy and Foxy. Much to their delight, I threw in several handfuls of weeds... Continue Reading →
Apart from feeding the chickens and checking that the new girls are coping in the main coop, we spent half an hour harvesting the first of our crops. As my husband got busy picking our white strawberries, I ran around making sure that all the chickens had a full water bowl. Chickens can't lower their... Continue Reading →
The skies were blue, the air crisp and there wasn't a rain cloud in sight when I arrived on site this morning. Lots of people were down, making the most of the dry spell before the inevitable rain forecast for the entirety of the rest of the week. I said hello to Geoff and Andy... Continue Reading →
Late this morning, I walked down to the allotment. By the time I arrived, I was dripping. The heat was unbearable! I grabbed Pop and put her in the tree pot to have a scratch around. Cliff was down and I showed him the chicken wheelchair. To show him how it worked, I grabbed Pop... Continue Reading →
I walked down to the allotment this morning, never dreaming of how much would happen. There are weeks when nothing much happens then everything seems to happen on a particular day. Today was that day! After saying hello to everyone, I began to clean out the chicks. Steve dropped by and said they looked a... Continue Reading →
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