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Monday 15 February 2010

I Finally Got There!

Well I made it to the allotment today. The first day of half term and the day greeted me with frosted surfaces and sunny blue skies so I bundled up the girls and while they roller skated, I walked with them to the allotment for the year's first visit.

I did some measurements to accurately plan out the beds and marked out on graph paper where last years planted crops were. I also laid down some old fence panels to create a temporary center foot path to my little plot.


I have decided the majority of beds will be 4ft x 8ft (I find beds are much easier to maintain rather than long rows, especially when it comes to weeding or digging over an area). The beds won't be raised just marked off with wood stakes and twine. I'll be in town tomorrow and so I'll pick up some nylon twine in a nice bright colour. Some of the beds might merge to form bigger beds for netting conveniently like the brassicus, or in the case of short rows of potatoes and in the case of the scrambling squashes.

I only really plan to grow on the allotment things like long standing brassicuss plants, potatoes, root veg such as carrots, parsnips and beetroots, garlic and winter squashes. A couple other types of crops might fine their way their but I haven't yet decided.


To the back of the plot I want to plant potatoes this year but I still have to clear about half of it of rubbish and dig it over.



So besides getting measurements, I pulled and discarded the spent crops that were still on the plot from last year. Then the clouds came so I took the girls back home before complaints of being cold started.

I hope to get back there later this week to mark out the beds and start digging them over to remove the light covering of weeds you can see in the pictures. I would also like to get those poor garlic bulbs into the ground, I do hope they give a nice crop, I'll just have to wait and see.

8 comments:

  1. Well done Kella...that's one more visit than me...well kind of!!

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  2. oohh I too have been doodling designs on graph paper for our allotment, exciting isn't it :-) I have just been reading a book too with some fab advice on veggie growing and companion plants etc, i will have to post some on my blog soon. I am sooo excited - sad I know :-)

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  3. That's great news Kella. It looks like you have your work cut out for you, but I know that whatever you do it's always a success, so I look forward to seeing it all bloom. x

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  4. I haven't done anything at all on my allotment yet this year. It's so exciting measuring everything out and doing all the planning. How different it will look at the end of the year.

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  5. Sounds like you have made a good start. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all grows.

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  6. Tanya, it did feel good to finally make a start, regardless of how small.

    Scented Sweetpeas, doodling and planning on paper is certainly a big part of the fun for me as well, thankfully after a few years I have my preferred way and so it is easier to complete in a shorter time than years gone past.

    Maureen, it looks worse than it actually is, the biggest part is the removal of that last stand of rubbish at the back. The soil was a bit sticky yesterday and we had another wet day today, so I'm not sure if I'll be digging in any big way this week, I would still like to at least dig over the bed for the garlic and plant them out, the other beds can easily be done when the soil dries out a bit more.

    Jo and Garden Mum, it is a little daunting this year as I have two patches in two different locations to take care of but I hope I would do well and rise successfully to the challenge.

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  7. I think your wise to plant long standing plants that won't need tending to every other day, esp as you have two dif patches. I understand why. Remember last year I had plot 11 and plot 45. I like the way you are going to make your bed borders. Wood is expensive. The beds at my plot were beginning to show their years and needed replacing and the thought of buying, even recycled wood is pricey. I look forward to seeing what you do, as I may pinch the idea for my tiny garden plot now.

    Congratulations on your award from Clare too. Its a sweet one.

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  8. Hi mangocheeks, I hope to get back there tomorrow so hopefully if the ground is less sticky I could make some head way.

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