I Don't Have One Yet But.....

[Shortie]

Nooooo, I'll still be here at my second home lots. Sorry guys, not getting rid of me that easily!

[Debs]

Just wanted to add my congrats Shortie! Been watching from afar and am soooo jealous! would love an allotment but really struggle for time at the mo, will just have to be content with my veg garden for now. Looking forward to seeing your photos.

Well Done!

[Shortie]

First Impressions

Sorry guys, I did forget to post photo's didn't I. Well, here goes....




The strimmer wasn't playing ball today so we went straight for the weed killer. Burnt most of the brambles and started to clear out the shed. The previous guy kept EVERYTHING. I'm only a sixth of the way in ans have so far thrown around 6 empty slug pellet bottles, a tonne of yoghurt pots and some massive spiders (good job they don't bother me then!). Oh, and I think I'm getting near the rodent's nest too as there's a sudden flurry of shredded bits and pooh. Hopefully my bashing around today has scared it off.

I'm in work again next week but we're going to pop down on Wednesday hopefully to check on the weedkilling progress and will go over any bits that look like they've been missed

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi Shortie! Looks very similar to the crop of weeds we started to tackle today at our new allotment! We managed to get 2/3rds of one of the beds and 2 of the paths cleared in about 4 hours, some piccies on the newbie seeking advice / possible allotment thread you replied to me on the other day!

[nick the grief]

Sorry guys, I did forget to post photo's didn't I. Well, here goes...........I'm in work again next week but we're going to pop down on Wednesday hopefully to check on the weedkilling progress and will go over any bits that look like they've been missed

Hmmm, Nice shed Seriously, it looks as though it may be repairable although it maybe just as easy to know it down & start again.

As it happen I think it's probably the better option ussing weedkiller as you're trying to play catch up. If you can beg, borrow or hire a rotavator after you've removed all the thatch & perennials & then ron over it & you'll have a lovely crop of weeds sprout but then you know that these are weeds & you can deal with them where as if you make a seed bed & then sow you'll never fid whatever it is you've sown - trust me I did it Even Guru's get carried away with enthusiasm rather than using their heads !

I can't see any docks so that means that you've probably got a neutral - alkaline soil as they seem to prefer it a bit more Acid.

Anyway, I look forward to the official opening. You've got my address so you know where to send the invite haven't you

[Shortie]

There seem to be bits I can salavage Nick, but we're going to bring it all down and then reuse what we can to rebuild it again. Not sure yet if I'll keep it the same size or make it smaller as it must be between 4-5 meters long!!

I'm really impressed with the soil as I did start to dig it out yesterday (got about an eigthth [sp] done and the soil is really soft and loamy. We're going to hire the site's rotavator to churn the soil once the weedkiller's done it's stuff

Oh, yes.... An opening may be in order. I have some schnapps already made and maybe I should make some more up... I have tonnes of squash to make a soup! I'm only allowed 5 peopl on my plot at a time though, so could prove to be a problem

I'll have to smuggle you in slowly and hide you in the newly build shed - on second thoughts, let not make it smaller

[nick the grief]

It doesn't matter how big a shed you have it won't be bigg enough shortie

I wouls say you need somewhere for all your tools maybe store some produce & then you want enough space for the 3 of you to site when it rains & a bit of space for the stove. so you can probable lop a metre or so 9of the width & install some water butts linked together instead.

Do you have a limit on visitors on your site then? Never heared that one before. I suppose it's a parking thing is it?

[Peter]

[QUOTE=nick the grief;30507]It doesn't matter how big a shed you have it won't be bigg enough shortie

I wouls say you need somewhere for all your tools maybe store some produce & then you want enough space for the 3 of you to site when it rains & a bit of space for the stove. so you can probable lop a metre or so 9of the width & install some water butts linked together instead.
QUOTE]

I assume your site is secure and / or has not had any vandals then Nick?

In my experience it is best not to leave anything on the site that you cannot afford to loose.

Treat the shed as a rain shelter with space for the basic set of tools and essential addatives like lime, growmore, chicken poo pellets etc.

Also do not spend a penny more than you have to on it.

Forogt to say, do buy a couple of bags of 25Kg dry postcrete and scrounge some old angle iron or dexion. Set the latter in the former inside the shed at opposite corners and fix onto whed structure with screws. Make sure the metal in the cement si splayed out, cut a couple of inches up the V of the angle iron and bend the seperated bits out so the really stick in the concrete.

[clarelouise4]

Hi Shortie - well done - I ended up away for the weekend and have been dying to know how you got on. I'm really pleased for you - looking at the photos it looks just like mine did 3 weeks ago and its amazing how quickly you start to make a difference on them.

[nick the grief]

............I assume your site is secure and / or has not had any vandals then Nick?......

Not yet Peter, but there again my shed looks so knackered they probably don't think there is anything worth nicking

I aggree with your other comments though & I was going to do something allong those lines when I re-build my shed next year.

[blossom]

Congratulations. I am so excited for you.

[Peter]

Where's Shorty?

Come on then gal, how did the weekend go?
Hasn't affected the typing fingers has it?

[Shortie]

Hiya!

I think it got a bit embedded in previous posts, but I did reply honest! Although at one stage it was along the lines of, I'll post pictures later if I can peel myself off the chair. I was tired!


Well, on the Saturday I managed 12-4.30 of digging couchgrass (thankfully not too much and hasn't taken too big a hold yet) and other various weeds, attacking the brambles and sussing out the stability of the shed. I swear there's a rodent of some form in there as it stinks!

Sunday we decided to hire the strimmer to chop everything down and then burn the cuttings and then weedkiller the rest, but the strimmer didn't want to play ball so we burnt the brambles I'd cut (Hey, I even found a wire bruning cage thingy under them to burn them in! Started to clean out the shed (thank god I'm not phased by spiders - there were some whoppers) and think I'm nearing the rodent's nest so stopped there and started heavy handedly shaking nearby large objects and sheeting to disturb it in the hope it runs away before I get there next time. As we were leaving we sprayed the weed killer

I'm hoping to get down there tomorrow to check the weedkilling progress. If it's browning already then we should be able to see any bits we've missed so that we can get them soaked while there. The plan now is to continue with the shed while we wait for the weeds to die

The shed really puzzled me though as I looks like it was really suddenly vacated. There are masses of onions and garlic hung up to dry (very dry now ) and I'v already thrown a bag full of various descriptions of dried beans in pods and can see tonnes more that need to go Also, the person before certainly had a thing about keeping everything. I've thrown loads of empty compost bags (would have kept some for light exclusion/potatoe bags etc if i weren't for the rodent) and about 5 empty slug pellet pots so far too...

I've posted a couple of photo's in a previous thread in here if you want to take a peek?

[Snadger]

Are you now going to change the thread title to " I do have one now but...."?? shortie.

No chance the previous tennant kept chickens in the shed, giving it the pleasant aroma you have encountered, is there?
Just a thought! Without a food source 'lang tails' as they are called around here, usually stay away, I'm told

Nights are starting to 'put in' a bit now so I would imagine most of your allotmenteering will be done at weekends now

Tight lines is a fishing term used for good luck so I suppose the gardening equivalent is 'Keep digging'

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi Shortie - sounds like you've been very busy! don't do too much though! dexterdog