I know it’s a terrible pun executed badly, but we live in strange times – if now isn’t a good moment to get distracted by awful puns, when is? As you might have guessed from the title we’ve been busy planting potatoes. We’re trying a new-to-us growing technique we discovered whilst watching a YouTube gardening … More Mystery PotHAYtoes!
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
We can’t believe it either. I assume the long hot days of the heatwave made them too lethargic to attempt to break in, or maybe they found an easier plot to target because even when the heatwave crashed and the days became cooler, the rabbits still didn’t come. I’m not going to curse this by … More We did it: A Summer Free From Rabbits!
I recently hit a landmark birthday and I have to say the allotment did really well out of it. I mentioned in my last post that Rob bought me a few fruit trees – they’re settling in well and putting on new growth. Apple ‘Red Devil’: Pear ‘Doyenne du Comice’: and cherry ‘Kordia’: I also … More The Big Four-Oh, and Other News from the Plot
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
It’s been pretty wet on the plot of late and I’m very behind on digging the beds as they’re too waterlogged to be worked. That’s nothing compared to the situation at home. Two days ago the river crept its way into my little garden and now it’s the playground of ducks. This is, of course, … More Hello Thames, 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.
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
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
I finished digging and planting the second brassica bed before the heatwave hit. We now have a little row of Savoy January King 3 cabbages and a row of All Year Round cauliflowers. They’re hiding in netted tunnels away from the prying eyes of rabbits. I had plenty of seedlings left over so planted 2 cabbages and a … More Brassicas, a Heatwave and a Summer Solstice Photo Tour of the Plot
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
I arrived at the plot a few days ago to find another hole in the fence. Rob patched it today. I could’ve missed it on my original round of fence mending, but I highly suspect the rabbits are devious enough to wait until we leave before making a concerted effort to break in again. They’re … More It’s a Nature Conspiracy
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
A Whole Plotta Love 
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