No one warns you before you get into gardening that it can be terrifying, but it is (and I’m sure that’s not just my anxiety disorder talking). I love reading gardening books and allotment blogs and I love to marvel at the spaces other people have created, but when it comes to our own plot … More Feeling the Fear
Back in February I revealed my allotment plans for the year. I didn’t want to leave too much wriggle room as I was worried without structure I’d sow the entire contents of my seed tin (it’s a secret, overcrowded place where no one dares venture alone). My plans, therefore, had to be adhered to without … More Going Off Piste, and Other News from the Plot
Rabbit proofing is a never-ending battle, and one that we’re trying to keep up with as the rabbits outsmart us at every turn, but, and I mean-B-U-T- (that’s a tentative, and yet a big ‘but’), we think we’ve stopped them for the moment. We haven’t had an incursion for a few weeks. I know this … More Preparing for the Bunny Uprising, and Other News from the Plot
We pre-ordered a set each of ‘Ariane’ and ‘Mondeo’ asparagus crowns from Thompson & Morgan in January and thought it would give us plenty of time to build an asparagus bed. It did of course, but then it rained and snowed and rained a bit more, and as I recall we had even more snow and it’s … More The Not-Quite-Finished Asparagus Bed Adventure.
Intruders came on Friday, under the cover of darkness, and forced the lock on the main gates. They must have been on site a while because only a few plots escaped their attention. Plots on our snicket were raided – all the ones with sheds… Except ours. We know this because they left the gates … More Break-ins, Boobytraps, and Other News from the Plot
It’s been a busy week on the plot as shed work continues. I’ve painted the inside walls to protect the pallet wood. We’ve used four 5 litre cans of Cuprinol wood stain so far (in shade Silver Copse). Rob helped paint the ceiling as finishing it meant he could start laying the floor. I’ll need … More Shed Update, Cold Frame Construction, and Other News from the Plot
Since we have only had our plot since March last year we are still trying to find our feet. Our philosophy in 2017 was ‘try it and see’, and this best sums up every decision we made, every plant planted, and every structure built. 2017 was about getting to know the plot (clayey, compacted and … More 2018 – Allotment Aspirations
We have been collecting pallets since April with the goal of eventually turning them into a shed and, as you can see from the featured image, we are nearly there. Our family worked enthusiastically and tirelessly (and without being put under any duress) to build our shed over a very cold weekend at the beginning of … More Building a Pallet Shed, and Other News from the Plot
I spent Monday afternoon at the allotment re-doing and changing work we had previously completed. We do try and get things right the first time round, but plans have a habit of going awry. I guess this is because we are still getting to know the site and all its idiosyncrasies, and because this is … More The Convoluted Route (of Leaf Mould Bins and Compost Bays)
This week I’ve been digging a new flowerbed. I’ve been dying to get started on the area around the hazel tree near our gate. This end of the allotment has been neglected since we took the plot on in March. The ground is heavy clay and tough to dig, although there’s been plenty of thistle … More Starting the Flower Beds
We were lucky enough to have an extra pair of hands on the plot last Thursday when our friend Chris popped over for “a tour.” The inverted commas are because we waited until we’d locked him into the allotment site before breaking the news that we actually meant manual labour. Chris is an ex-florist and … More Gifts and Helping Hands
I drew the line in the sand today – except I didn’t because we don’t have sand and the clay is so hard there’s currently no drawing anything in it. What I actually did was yell, “JUST BUGGER OFF WILL YOU,” across the abandoned plots beside us, and, because my inner charm was flowing, “OR … More A Declaration of War
It’s been a busy week on the plot. Rob assembled the new greenhouse and I patched the fences where the bunnies snuck in. I helped Rob with greenhouse assembly where I could by propping things up and/or being too short to hold the roof frame at the required height. I mainly just got in the … More A Tale of Two Greenhouses and Other News from the Plot
It’s amazing how many people give you things they’re getting rid of when they hear you have an allotment. Since my last update we’ve acquired a haul of items, some as gifts and some in exchange for good deeds. L gave us some onions and potatoes in return for sharing the Jerusalem artichokes, and we’ve … More Freebies and Other News from the Plot
We finally have our potatoes planted. Hurrah! I wish them well finding their way through the heavy clay as they grow. They’ll also be fighting the dock and nettle but I like to think we’ve given them a little bit of a fighting chance. I planted two rows of Maris Peer and two of King Edward. We … More Spuds! And Other News from the Plot
It’s been three weeks since we started work on the plot, and dare I say it, it’s beginning to look a little like an allotment. The Russian comfrey has bedded in nicely. And we’ve also started work on a third bed. Digging the path seemed an endless job and I ran out of weed suppressant … More Taking Shape
Everybody knows that you can’t have an allotment without a compost bin. An allotment without one is just a piece of land. It’s one of the most important items we need to make or buy for our site, at least that’s what I told Rob in the arguments I presented in favour of us getting … More The Unnecessary-Necessary Compost Bin and Other News from the Plot
That’s certainly how we’re feeling one week into allotment ownership, but we’re starting to make some progress. I haven’t drawn up a plan for the site yet because I wanted to get a feel for the plot first. I’m also slightly worried that we’ll be intimidated by all the tasks to come if we see … More Dazed and Confused
That’s what L called today. L is a Twitter friend who just happens, coincidentally, to have the allotment opposite us. Rob and I took the van to the plot today to drop off wood and pallets. Our first setback occurred upon arrival when the van became stuck on our way to the car park. L … More Baptism of Fire
We didn’t plan to visit the allotment today, but during a break in the rain we decided to pop along and take some measurements so we can plan our beds. When we arrived we discovered our greenhouse on its roof, its legs akimbo. I guess ineffective greenhouse tying down is a typical rookie error and … More Spot the Newbies
Day two of owning an allotment mainly consisted of bickering over what crop to grow first and how best to lay the bed we’re planning to dig. Constructive use of our time considering we actually spent the afternoon setting fire to a pile of weeds, rifling through the once-used compost heap, stabbing some bramble roots … More Day Two
Rob received notification that his name had come up for an allotment. We’d been dreaming about our own little piece of tilled earth for a long time. Time enough for dreams to get carried away and out of hand, and so contact from the local allotment association came when we had our imaginary allotment fully … More Our Plot
A Whole Plotta Love 
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