Looks good on Paper

This is what we've been working on for the last few days. A plan of how we want our allotment to look. We've incorporated a greenhouse and an area for the kids to plant whatever they want. Plus a shed which I'm still trying to source.

We're going for a 4 plot crop rotation plan because we so much space and we want to grow lots.

23 August 2008 - Digging

Starting to take shape at last. At least I know where the paths are now. I found some plastic sheeting in the shed at home and got some underlay off freecycle to cover the back half of the plot. I can leave that fallow for a year to let the remaining grass rot down to loam.

















The soil digs very easily. Turned it over nicely and started a pile of turf at the front of the plot. This will slowly rot down to loam.

Dan reckons we've got couch grass. What's that?

And my first structure. The compost bin. Crate curtesy of Paddock Motors in Tansley.

And here's the pile of pigeon poo kindly donated by the pigeon racers who also occupy a spot on the allotment. This can go in the new compost as an accelerator. Not too much though!

10th August Clearance Day 2 - Sunday

Finished with the strimmer today. Good job too as the nylon cord finally ran out. Just a few nettles at the back to get rid of. Might leave those there as they don't take up much space and will make a good mulch later in the year.

Lots of little helpers to clear the cut grass. Nice day too.

9th August 2008 Clearance Day 1 - Saturday

Here it is in all its glory. Our first plot. The shed to the left is not ours but the grass in the middle is! Oh, and you can just make out a black plastic bin on the far right which I found buried in the grass - might be useful for mulching etc.



Right, where's the strimmer?







Time for a tea break first. It certainly rains in Derbyshire. By now we're all sodden. Off to the shops for some milk whilst I get started with the hired petrol strimmer.











Not a bad effort for 3 hours work. Home for a shower and well deserved slice of cake!

7th August 2008 Day One - The Viewing

We met up with Trish, the Town Clerk, today to view our possible new and first ever allotment. We'd expected weeds. There was bound to be weeds. But the weeds in the first plot we were shown were monsters. Killer veg eating alien weeds!

Trish showed us another plot, twice the size but fewer weeds.

Now the dilemma - Trish and her hubby had taken the plot next to monster weeds and were already well into clearance stage 1. Hubby had dug a deep trench to tackle the bindweed and there was a very grand set of fence posts running the full length of one side which Trish explained would mark their wildlife loving hedgerow.

All very ambitious with the potential to make our attempts look very half-hearted if we were right next door. Bit like the 'always park your old rust bucket next to an even bigger rust bucket in the carpark to make it look less rusty than it really is' syndrome.

After some deliberation, during which time the kids stung both themselves on nettles and got muddy wet feet in a huge puddle, we finaly chose the plot three rows down from Trish which was twice the size (i.e. twice the work) but much less weeds. The extra size also means we can fit a greenhouse and shed in at a later stage.

Okay so now the hard works starts...