We did it, we made it through our first year of allotment gardening without killing everything or each other (excluding that time I nearly took Rob out with a ladder). Has it been a successful year? Well, we’re still on speaking terms and it hasn’t ended in divorce so that’s a pretty positive close to … More One Year on the Plot: Our First Year Reviewed
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
I started keeping an allotment journal after reading Richard Chivers’ post on the subject last year and it’s been an invaluable tool, so this year I’ve gone a step further and also made an allotment plan and spreadsheet. The plan and spreadsheet’s main purpose is to keep me on top of planting and sowing times, and … More Allotment Plans 2018
Work on the living fence has been going well, and we’ve not seen any recent evidence of rabbits on the plot. However, when I arrived today two very cute muntjac deer bounded away down our snicket. I stood for a while and contemplated their beauty as they disappeared amongst the treeline. And then I checked … More Oh, Deer!
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
I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by the plot. I have no routine, I’m out of my depth, and I don’t fully know how the year affects the site. With the turning of the season into autumn I was left floundering and wondering, “what do I do next?” Luckily for me, that question … More Falling into Autumn with a Bump
There’s a few things I’ve learned about gardeners since we’ve had a plot. They’re unbelievably generous with their time, knowledge, seeds, plants and produce, and they’re not keen on waste of any kind. We’ve experienced this generosity ourselves as at least three of our beds are planted solely from gifts and surplus from other gardeners. … More Food Charity
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 have potatoes! These are our second early Maris Peers. We waited a week or so after the flowers had faded before digging, and this just happened to coincide with family visiting so we had extra hands to rummage and join us in our first toast to the land. And, for favourable future harvests, we buried … More Our First Harvest, and Other News from 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
When I arrived at the plot today I noticed there was a little dip in the woodchip path near our gate. From certain angles, and if you squinted hard enough, you could picture a rabbit having made such a dent. But not on our plot because we’ve bunny proofed it. I didn’t spend too much … More Outfoxed, or Should that be Out-Bunnied?
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
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
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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