Call me Barbara!
Our allotment plot has come a long way from its overgrown state three weeks ago. It doesn't feel like the same space. The area covered in straw on the right is our fruit patch; filled with strawberries, rhubarb and a blackcurrant bush. The previous owners left some strawberry plants behind and we rescued the others from an abandoned plot further up. Its been a great help because we've managed to fill a quarter of our plot without spending any money.
We lucked out with the straw. I was having trouble finding anything other than pet straw online so I asked someone for a recommendation and they told me there was a bag of it by the compost pile. It contained enough to cover the majority of the fruit patch. Very jammy!
The rhubarb was another freebie. It needed a new home so we gladly accepted. The knobbly bit that looks like a brussel sprout is a new leaf growing.
One of the biggest improvements we've made over the last week is a path. It divides our plot in to four clear areas; roots, beans, fruit and potatoes.
Scott is the only person I know who can spend a whole morning digging in a plain white t-shirt and not get a smudge of dirt on him.
I on the other hand must have been a pig in my past life because I go home with soil all over the my clothes and skin. In these photos we are digging over the last patch of soil too tough for the rotavator - it was like getting a fork in concrete!
I started some broad beans off in the garden at home and they've finally grown large enough to plant out at the allotment.
The French beans aren't far behind. This growth happened literally overnight after heavy rain.
These loo rolls contain sweetcorn seeds. Apparently it's a good way to grow them because it minimises root disruption when planting out (you just put the loo roll in the soil). No idea if it will work out but worth a try.
We've been plodding on, doing a bit here and there and I hadn't realised how much progress we'd made until I looked back at the first photos. Tom and Barbara from The Good Life would be proud! But we haven't done it entirely by ourselves. People at the allotment have been really kind, offering advice when we need it and helping us get started in any way they can. Gardeners are good folk.
