Greenhouse - Taking shape!

Nearly there - the greenhouse just needs the glazing put in now, although I will need to replace alot of it as I broke loads in transit. I am planning to put weed supressing fabric on the floor with gravel on top to stop the slugs.

Plot plan

The first plan of the plot, although the layout of the beds has not changed, at the top ther is now the half built greenhouse, and the shed will go on my next door plot with some grass (for relaxing) in between!

Brussels sprouts with very small sprouts sprouting! 

Spring cabbage at the rear and leeks at the front - I think we might be having baby leeks this year!! 

A bed full of garlic - 'Tescos', 'Thermidrome', 'Marco', and 'Cristo'. So far all but tescos appear to sending out little shoots. 

The beginnings of a greenhouse 

Better things to do!

Was meant to be doing my dissertation but ended down at the plot - oops! I have planted some more garlic - I now have nearly a whole bed of it! Planted Cristo and something I can't remember the name of. I also planted the spring greens that I was given by a work collegue.

The great greenhouse rebuild has started. I have dug the trench and bolted the base together and have started to fill the trench in. more photos to follow!

Got a greenhouse!

Having been looking avidly on Ebay for a greenhouse for what seems like ages and being out bid every time I am now the proud owner of a lot of bits of aluminum and glass which hopefully will go back together into a 10' x 8' greenhouse, purchased via an ad in the local free ads. I have just spent most of the weekend taking it apart & transporting it to the plot. I need to thank it's previous owners for the constant supply of cups of coffee and words of encouragement, needless to say I am now on the hard stuff as a reward for getting the thing down without completely losing the plot.

I also cut the green manure ready to dig in and planted lots of garlic - ' Thermidrome' and 'Tescos' and have 'Marco' and 'Cristo' to plant - we like garlic!! There seems so much to do on the plot at the moment but I am also writing a dissertation at the moment (hard going) Although I do keep on finding myself with a fork in my hand instead of a pen and paper & I have no idea how that happens.

Unwanted wildlife

Last Sunday I went to the plot to pick some beans and tomatoes and I was just checking how my poor cabbage plants were after their inauspicious start and I was dismayed to discover that there were some caterpillars on them, my children had come to the plot along with my daughter's friend, I am not very good with creepy crawlies of the caterpillar type so I thought it would be a good idea to get them to collect the caterpillars so in my wisdom I told Francis that I would pay him 5p per caterpillar (there didn't seem to be too many there) - I am now £7.50 poorer!!

I managed to persuade Francis to drown his caterpillars but Chole & her friend were adamant that this was not on so you can imagine her mum's face when she was delivered home with 52 caterpillars as pets!

Prize winning vegetables!

Look I won a prize!!
I entered some of my veggies into the local flower show and I didn't come last - in fact my lettuce won a first prize, I came third in the longest runner bean (It only got that long because the under gardener didn't bother going to the lottie to pick anything whilst I was away with the children), 2nd with my round courgettes, highly commended with my baby courgettes and third with my '6 runner beans' - the weeds have not got the power to destroy me - I will conquer!!!

Food glorous food

Even though the plot has been taken over by killer weeds I did still manage to find some edible stuff in amongst the undergrowth, and very nice it tasted too!

Invasion from outer space

Help! - I was right the triffids have landed - it appears that the weeds also like hot, sunny and wet weather - perfect growing conditions for them apparently - my only consolation is that it will soon be winter and all these weeds will die! - will I be sorry?

Surveying the view

This is the whole of the allotment from the top end - this photo was taken in mid July, I have been away for a couple of weeks and before that very busy at work and although my Husband did go down to water he said it looked like the revenge of the triffids - I am dreading going because I know that the bindweed will have attempted to divide and conquer - I am planning to spend a couple of days there over the weekend so I will take some photos of the damage.

Sweetcorn & courgettes

Sweetcorn - growing nicely, and at the rear courgettes producing very well indeed

Runner beans

Here we have runner beans and behind the orange netting there is purple sprouting broccoli and brussels sprouts - yes the ones that the creepy crawlies were eating almost as soon as I had put them in!

tomatoe picture 

Tomatoes everywhere

Tomato plants - the ones at the front I bought from Thetford market (Alicante) and the ones at the rear (no idea) were given to me - as you can see I have staked the front ones but I was told to just let the others do as they wanted - I will wait with baited breat to see what they will do!

The good the bad & the ugly

Got some wood yesterday from the local Timber merchants so that I could put it around another bed that I had 'dug' - I have to say that all that lovely rain makes digging much easier. I have done beds nearly half way along the allotment now and although I have not dug every bed properly it is starting to look much less daunting. The courgette plants have got teeny courgettes on them, the mange tout have got baby mange touts on them and I even spotted two tiny tomatoes on the tomato plants that I bought from the market. that is the good news - all my brassica seedlings that I planted out are covered with aphids in a variety of colours and now they look not very well -- sprayed with some soft soap to see if that will help but I might need to re plant & cover with fleece. I did spot some ladybirds but I think they were full up! - On a brighter note I picked some gooseberries and we had gooseberry crumble this evening and it was scrumptious!

First Harvest

Had our first harvest last weekend - found some lovely raspberries in amongst the brambles on our second plot (actually we were told they were there by the people who had the plot years ago) so after some serious jungle exploration - difficult when you are not equipped with the correct implements, we had the most lovely raspberries for pudding - I am sure the assistant gardener put more in his mouth than in the pot - much to Chloe's admonishment.

Dig, Dig, Dig

What wonderful rain, Before the downpours I managed to do quite alot more to the lotty and have dug another 2 beds, moved the Rhubarb (probably the wrong time but preferable to being under the 'shed' - shed being the loosest term of the word - will take a photo so you can see it - when the rain stops!) I have planted some tomatoes a whole bed of them, some more runner beans, purple sprouting broccoli, cabbage - 3 sorts, brussels sprouts, peas, calabrese & have ready to go in some round courgettes, leeks, butternut squash and lettuces.

Runner beans 

Green manure - clover 

Sweetcorn & Courgettes 

Broad beans, Mange tout, Courgettes

Got stuff planted

I have now got 5 beds edged with slates and have got stuff growing in the - at last it feels like a proper allotment.

Earth at last

Look the rotovating has been done! and so far I have done the marking out with a little help from Chloe - she was wielding the hammer I still have my thumbs - just!

Rotovating time

Tuesday 7th June 2005
Hooray - Tomorrow the undergardener and the people he works with are coming to Cambridge armed with a mini tractor, a plough and a cultivator to sort out the allotment, they are also going to break up the path between ours and nextdoors allotment so that we can reset it - we might be able to get a barrow along it then! All this means that I can get on with setting out the beds and getting things planted.
This evening I planted some seeds:
Asparagus - Martha Washington (I dont know if this will work - if not I will buy some crowns ready for next year).
Runner beans (I am trying the loo roll inner method)

Plot envy

Monday 6th June 2005
I took another pic of next doors plot - I can't help but compare our weedy patch to theirs - they are growing things & I want to also!

Bad idea

Monday 6th June 2005
Yesterday the undergardener (My husband Chris) had a brainwave - after having had a drink or two - that we should rent the plot next to ours and grow fruit trees on it - Here is Chloe in front of it - it is far worse than ours was!

Getting there!

Sunday 5th June 2005
I'm sure that this grass looks decidedly yellower than it did a week ago! - anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Over the last few days as it has been half term I got my children to help me sow some seeds & so far we have done:
Cauliflower - Galleon
Capsicum - Californian wonder
Corn salad - Cavallo
Lettuce - Webbs wonderful
Coriander - Cilantro
Lettuce - Little Gem
Cabbage - minicole
Spring Cabbage - Advantage
Winter cabbage - January King
Beetroot - Boltardy
Sweetcorn - Jubilee
Broccoli - Purple sprouting

I don't know whether it is too late for all these but never mind we have had fun planting them in pots and seed trays, and now my garden looks even more like a plant nursery! - It seems that the more people you speak to the more ther are who either have allotments or grow vegetables at home most of which are very willing to offer advice, seeds, surplus plants etc - what is it about dirt that does this to people?

Fledgling compost bin

Thursday 3rd June 2005
I've been making a compost bin!
So far I only have two layers which I made out of bits of left over decking which were too small to have any use. I keep having to find things to do at home as there is still not alot I can do at the allotment as it has not been rotovated yet.