I'm cream crackered!!

Got up early this morning and went to the local industrial estate. I got 4 large pallets, 2 small pallets and 4 square wood things that look sort of like gates. I then had to lug them halfway across the allotment site as it was too wet to take the car in.

After lots of re-arrangement (I am a woman - it's got to look right!) I got compost bins, muck enclosure, leafmould bin and waterbutt all in their correct places.

I was also asked whether my shed was going to be a cafe or a bar - someone else asked whether it was going to be a ladies loo - little do they know - it already is!!!
Set out two beds for the strawberry plants and started digging one of them. I also potted up the strawberry plants - all 45 of them! I have got Honeoye, Florence and Cambridge Favorite (the last being an obvious choice)

I also planted the fig tree and potted up the Octavia raspberry canes. I have put the other three varieties into water ready for me to pot them up tomorrow as I have not got any idea where I am going to plant them yet!

I want to build a fruit cage on one side of the plot with the raspberries, gooseberries and currants. I would also like to plant some blueberries in there but will need to dig a hole and change the soil for ericacious compost.

At last my broad beans are starting to sprout

A view across my plot. you can see where I've planted the fig - just in front of the shed. I have had to enclose it with mesh otherwise my stick loving dog will pull it up. It does not matter whether the sticks are growing or not, he's not fussy.

Talking of stick loving dogs here he is - very tired after a long walk yesterday and an afternoon at the plot - Just before this photo was taken he was snoring very loudly!

Saturday update

Today at the plot I put the glazing into the other window in the new shed, put the hooks up for the tools and put up most of the guttering. I just need to attach a down pipe and sort out the water butt. I plan to plant the fig tree tomorrow after I have painted that side of the shed. I was given another rhubarb plant today which should mean that I have enough for the bed. Looking forward to lots of lovely rhubarb crumble...

In the greenhouse the strawberries I was given from a friends garden are beginning to sprout. I am going to pot up the others as it is still much too wet to dig any beds. The broad beans that I planted into plugs are finally beginning to sprout and the garlic is going great guns - I want to plant this out soon.

Shed update

I have very nearly finished the shed - Up at the allotments people keep in commending me on the shed and asking if my husband built it!

What cheek

NO it was ME all by MYSELF with NO HELP

A veritable home from home!

All that is left to do is trim the felt, finish the guttering and painting and seal the windows.

Look what's been lurking!

Look What's been lurking in my greenhouse - It even sat still (just as I told it) whilst I took it's photo!

I think it likes B&Q orange buckets!

Purchases

I was surfing around ebay last week and ordered 30 strawberry plants 24 raspberry canes and a fig tree - 'Brown Turkey'


I am going to train the fig up against the side of the shed as it is south facing - apparently you should restrict the roots otherwise it would grow very large with loads of foliage and not much fruit I am going to sink a very large flowerpot with the bottom cut out into the ground and plant into that.

Door's on

Well I managed to get to the tip and got myself a door and also quite a few new engineering bricks which I have been looking for so that I can raise my big blue water tank up to create some gravity for watering from a hosepipe - all will become clear soon....

The shed now has a door fitted and a chubb lock. I ordered the glass for the small window yesterday (I have temporarily put a wire grill over it until I get the glass) and have fitted the glass into the large window which I had already.

Francis 'helped' me start painting the shed - I now have a blue son and a blue labrador - I think I might finish it off myself!

Before I left the plot for the day I planted an early rhubarb plant and also christened the shed by making a cup of tea on my camping stove. Ahh lovely!

Unfortunately I forgot the camera but will take it next time.

Burnside Allotments

There has recently been a surge in interest at our allotment site and nearly all the plots have gone - Went there yesterday and where my plots are it was a hive of activity- even the plot I only recently gave up has gone - Despite being covered in brambles.

In Cambridge we are quite well served for allotments. MAP You can get an allotment by either contacting the council or just by going along to the site and asking.

There is a Cambridge Allotment Network but the website is very out of date so I do not know if the telephone numbers are correct or not.

Here are some pictures of the Burnside Allotments: These pictures were taken some time ago.

This is the trading shed, which is situated at the Burnside entrance.

A view across the site

This is Giovanni whos has a plot near to mine. He always stops for a chat and supplied me recently with some parsnips which went into lovely parsnip soup.

Taken from the Burnside entrance - It was a scruffy site and unfortunately it still is. Hopefully this might change with more people around.

Nearly there!

My shed is nearly finished!

As you can see it was pitch black when I finally managed to get the roof finished today. But all the cladding is done and all there is left to do is to put in a door, put in the windows, fit a very sturdy lock, put up some guttering and run it into a water butt. Job Done!!!

I plan to go to the household tip tomorrow and hopefully get a door, and anything else that looks useful, then go to B&Q to get a lock, handles, some more timber so that I can secure the windows into the frames and some shed paint.

More shedscapades

Shed building again this weekend - managed to get most of the recycled cladding on to the frame. Some bits were just too full of holes to be used but the amount I managed to use wasn't bad for some old fence panels.















It is starting to look more like a shed now! - By the way I only plan to make cups of tea and ponder in this shed!

Operation shed build

At last I have started to get round to building my shed. Thin momentous occasion was sparked of by having my wheelbarrow nicked so I have been drawing up plans for a sturdy shed.

This weekend despite the very rainy weather I put down the slabs which will serve as a base and built the framework.

Not entirely helped by Buddy the dog came with me and spent most of his time getting very muddy and 'fetching' old bottles from other peoples plots. He is nearly as partial to bottles as he is to food!

These are the garlic that I put into pots recewntly and theyve sprouted really well - I am going to get them into the ground in the next couple of weeks.

I went to Wilkinsons and found some gooseberry plants for sale - I bought 2 'red' and 1 'white' for the princely sum of £4 for the lot - bargain. Potted them up and have kept them in the greenhouse to geve them a headstart. I will plant them out when I have prepared my soft fruit bed. Mmmm dont quite know when that will be though!