'"Hows the plot?" - "Coming on..."

Tess' herb bath

Before the digging began...

After Tess dug it into the ground...

The reason for using this for our herbs is so we can keep a check on their spread. Many herbs, example Mint, will spread voraciously if given the space and opportunity. We are going to control this spread by planting them in an old bath I acquired for a tenner!!

Before Tess filled it will soil, we laid the tub so as the plug hole was down stream, next we laid a mesh (handily donated by an anonymous fellow allotmenteer) in the bottom to help with drainage.

Then some stoney soil was expertly shovelled in up to half way. We are going to fill the rest of the tub with shop-bought compost. 

The 1st Tree in our Orchid

One of my many birthday presents....

Sweat and Hard work

I have a helper up myAllotment now, so we decided to design a new shape (as seen in the previous update). Today we took on the task of putting are ideas into practice....

We arrived after a hearty breakfast of Strong coffee, brimming with ambition for what we could achieve that day. We mapped our area out with bamboo canes and string;

next more coffee :)

Refreshed, we grafted away....Tess working much harder than MontynotsoDon.......dig, dig, dig.............turn, turn, turn....................de-weed, de-weed, de-weed,..............then...finally...

She never stops :)

We have begun

A new year, a new allotment plan...

Birthday Bonanza

All that needs to be said is told by this cake....a BIG thanks to Tess for an awesome birthday x

Here is an update from across the pond...

My Desert Island

Beautiful x

Finally up to date...

A rough marking out of areas I wish to grow in this year... On the right, space for my broad beans and GIANT Sunflowers....on the left, space for my small patch of Sweetcorn.

However, myAllotment would not be myAllotment without some...

.....oh yes, flooding!! 

so there was just one thing left to do...

Preparation

As the main 'growing' season is nearly upon us I need to prepare my beds ready for planting...

as you can see, I delegate well..."dig Chris and Steve, DIG!!"

Allotment good times.. ;)

The picture speaks for itself I think....

My Mothers beautiful allotment

I had to share these photos with you. 

My mother lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, so maybe I should have written Mom! As you can see she is a little short on green space...but with some lateral thinking, hard work and under the watchful gaze of the family dog, Andy, has created a little piece of paradise  for herself and husband Kevin.

I will share more on my mothers garden as the year progresses....

Big Brother is always watching...

"Really!! Is that it..."

The sum total of my, oh so productive (!!), allotment year...

as you can see, on a plot of 3 poles (75m2) I had a lot of space left for my bonfire..

Making use of the useless...

I was lucky, or unlucky depending on your view, to have been paid to get rid of a lot of old wood. Being as I was unable to dispose of this wood I took it up to myAllotment. As you can see I have put it to good use...

bench, coffee, bonfire, bliss

Back again!!

Hello people!

I apologise for having let my blog go unattended for so long. I have had a busy gardening year and haven't spent as much time up myallotment than I would have liked, but I AM BACK.....

NEWS FLASH ---PUMPKIN CAM UPDATE-----NEWS FLASH

Where once was a pumpkin.

"If you didn't see it the first time, here's a close up..."

"We appear to have lost picture with Pumpkin Cam at the moment ladies and gentleman, I believe it is due to technical difficulties.... wait a moment.....

Pumpkin Cam 1

P C 2

Jakes pumpkin, he grew in class, now planted. Watered well, raised slightly from the ground ,as it can become water logged, then mulched. I used some of my more rotted compost and laid a 'straw type' barricade. Advice taken from plot 6 I believe x

'Home Sweet Home'

Aaah, its good to be back. Weeds and all!!

Just the one simple job today, turning the compost heap...

Half way

Finished

I chopped each fork full of compost up into smaller pieces to aid with decomposition. Turning the heap also creates pockets of air within the compost, aiding decomposition.

now just to wait a few months...x

Gardeners World Live 2012

 As you can see the cat wanted to come as well...

The Monty Don on stage....

Monty at the 'meet and greet'...

MontynotsoDon showing his intentions....

....oh, alright Carol, you can stay...