CathB, Author at Girl with Allotment

Compost

19th June 2016 by CathB Leave a Comment

Inheriting compost has been rather unexpected and is certainly one of the more unusual items.

On clearing the garden, we discovered two large compost bins and thought how well they would work on the allotment.

Discovering they were each half-full of compost was a mixed blessing; hard work to empty them, but the reward was the richest, rotted, fine compost.

I think it was time well-spent, digging it out and bagging it up and taking it up to the allotment.

The compost bins are now set up on site and already have a good amount of good rich compost in them, ready for the growing seasons ahead.

Fencing the plot

9th June 2016 by CathB Leave a Comment

Last weekend was a mix of hard work and great satisfaction as we spent time fencing the plot.

I am in awe of anyone who can bash in 24 fence posts in an afternoon, but that is exactly what was achieved. Recognition and immense thanks go to Andy for his hard graft and brute force, and to Barry from the allotment who lent us his auger and post rammer.

I did try, I really did, to turn the auger (nope, it spiralled around and didn’t make much impression on the ground) and then use the rammer (I struggled to lift it above shoulder height), so if it wasn’t for Andy’s strength I think the allotment would remain unfenced forever more!

I did manage to move things into the right place, sort out the string lines, supervise, and saw down the corner bracing fence posts.

Sunday was spent attaching the netting.

Excellent work all round!

Laying out the posts .. an inexact science

Treading down a new path as our plot edge has been used as main access into the allotments

Quick and easy work using the fencing clips tool

Rainy Days…

1st June 2016 by CathB 1 Comment

It’s not a Monday but there is no excuse, I’m not allowing rainy days to get me down either.

I’m not sure what the rest of the country has been like, but for two days we’ve lived inside a great big grey cloud in Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire. Occasionally the cloud has lifted and we’ve had heavy rain, but for the most part it’s been grey drizzle, the kind that makes your hair frizz and your shoes wet, without you even realising at the time.

Enough of flamin’ June.

Despite the bad weather, we headed over to the allotment this evening to measure up.

26 fence posts, 45 metres of wire netting, 90 metres of wire and 2 gates’ worth of measuring up. That’s an awful lot of kit we need to get started – and that’s with one side fenced already!

I say we; the allotment is very much mine but I have solicited help for these early stages. Practicality and brute strength are not my forte, but I know a man who can.. in fact, a man who takes great pleasure in turning his hand to practical problem solving. I’m rather looking forward to us working together on creating something out of nothing, planning the space and giving it its own lease of life.

So tonight we measured up. The site has now been staked out which will make it easier to fence, it’s next to the path and I do hope that we’re not too much of a nuisance to the other allotment holders as I can see that our plot has been used to access all the other plots as the path is so overgrown! I will try to cut back some of the weeds with shears when we fence it.

Fencing along the line of the white stakes, we will limit access for everyone else via the path. Without electric it’ll be tricky to cut it back, but I will attempt to cut back the undergrowth and give better access with shears.

Overgrown Beauty

30th May 2016 by CathB Leave a Comment

There’s something beautiful about an overgrown, unlived in, neglected garden. Through the tangle of branches, new life continues to push forward and grow, nature winning over in its unordered, chaotic way where once the clippers, shears and secateurs kept it in line.

This beautiful garden holds many special memories for me and now it’s time to say goodbye. But it’s fabulous to see it go with the flowers in bloom and life continuing within its confines, ready to be nurtured and loved again.

For life does go on, and that is exactly as it should be.

My very first allotment!

28th May 2016 by CathB

Allotment plot — My plot on the allotment – number 1! May 2016

This is it… my very first allotment!

Paperwork and monies have been returned, so now I’m just waiting for the signed contract to come back so it’s completely official and we can start work!

I’m so excited by the thought of having space to grow vegetables for our family and enjoy more home-grown veg on our table. There’s something deeply satisfying about eating in-season fruit and veg that is full of flavour and has been grown entirely by hand. Last year I grew so much (keep an eye on the gallery for some of my veg from last year!) and to have teenagers asking for more because it tasted so good …

No exaggeration but one daughter didn’t even eat tomatoes until I gave her the ones I’d grown. Sweet, juicy and bursting with flavour, they were delicious. Every day each of us would take a pot of them in to school or work to eat as snacks.

The plot is a full size, ten-rod plot, 250m² which is just huge! I honestly think it’s bigger than my garden at home.

It’s going to be hard work and a big journey ahead – as you can see from the pictures we are starting out from the very start!

I’m delighted to say that the plot has already been cut down and kept under control, which means our first jobs are killing off the weeds in an area and erecting fencing.

Next step is planning the plot!