New Allotment

[Sheneval]

I planted those earlier and they are doing well but as my daughter reckons she uses 20 per week I'll plant some more in the spring, otherwise I'll get none for myself

[Sheneval]

My eldest gson and myself had a good day today despite the BBC weather forecast - instead of having an hour or so without rain betwen 1100 -1200, the rain failed to materialise and had still not arrived by 1445 when we finished.

Took a bale of straw, 20 8ft canes and 3 bags of 20L compost bags up to the allotment and planted 2 rows of garlic and 1 row of Alium flowers on Bed 1. I had intended to use the straw as a mulch on the garlic but my friend Jim advised this should not be necessary.

[veg man]

Hello and welcome to the vine Sheneval you have done realy well been looking at all your photos,soon be planting time

[veg man]

Just noticed no sheds or greenhouses in your pics our you allowed them

[Sheneval]

Just noticed no sheds or greenhouses in your pics our you allowed them

Afraid not or at least no one has one - only a handfull of full sized plots, most are half like mine with some quarter plots.

In addition the allotment site is situated in the middle of protected woodland - I suspect they would be afraid of fire. The trees protect the plots from the winds blowing off the sea which makes up for the lack. A shelter has also been provided at one end and two of us recently made a Willow shelter at the other, although will take some time to grow to full maturity.

[Sheneval]

3 hours at the allotment today - 1 hour spent chatting to my friends Jim & Linda and a new allotmenteer who benefited from Jim's expertise and help.

By the time family arrived by cycle, I had brought in 3 loads from the car including 4 pieces of rhubarb split today from my garden grown plant - these were planted in the small beds but I saved 2 more for the garden.

The compost from another flower tub and hanging basket was spread around the plot.

Another fellow allotmenteer advised covering the garlic planted yesterday with fleece as otherwise the rabbits will eat the new shoots when the arise - In light of this I put down a bed of straw and covered this with 2 lengths of cheap fleece obtained earlier in the year from Home Bargains.

I also covered one bed with straw and the seaweed collected previously which had been stored on the kid's plot - will probably need a few further trips to the beach to top this up.

[Sheneval]

Picked up a large bag of seaweed from the beach and added it to the bed intended for potatoes covering the remainder of the exposed straw. see pic

Unfortunately, my sack barrow which has served me dutifully for the last 6 weeks came apart whilst I was collecting the seaweed but think it is just a broken split pin.

[Sheneval]

Put lime on 2 beds today and watered it in

[Sheneval]

Spent a useful couple of hours at the allotment today. After collecting another load of seaweed from the beach I covered part of the 2nd bed with the remainder of the straw and covered it with the seaweed.

[Sheneval]

Another three hours on the allotment today during which I hand weeded the environmesh covered onion bed - apart from one of 3" and one of 2" the rest were minute. see pics. Also checked for mice in the straw covered beds but found none.

[Sheneval]

Weather was excellent today so spent 3.5 hours on the allotment. Took up another bale of straw and returned with the water butt intending to insert a tap in it tomorrow.

Collected another barrow of wood chips.

Tidied up the edges of two of the beds and the path using some wood I inherited when I got the allotment, by stapling the excess weed suppressant to it - see pics I'm sure I have some wood in the garage to complete the rest.

[Sheneval]

Fitted a tap to the allotment water butt this morning and returned same to its normal place part filled with water.

Also tidied up the path edges using small stones until I can get some new wood.

[Sheneval]

Trip to the beach today for a few bags of seaweed and put down more straw on remainder of bed 2 and all of 3rd large bed - both topped up with seaweed.

Noticed tractor further along beach gathering the seaweed into a large heap

[Sheneval]

Another trip to the beach this pm to collect enough seaweed to cover straw being put on the remains of the 4th large bed. Also put some straw covered with a little soil on top of one of the rhubarb crowns now showing signs of life. My daughter saw an article about this which said, by doing this, it should be ready for March.

The only thing is I am running out of things to do - help - any ideas?

[Aberdeenplotter]

The only thing is I am running out of things to do - help - any ideas?

yer, slow down