Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Sunday, December 10, 2006

A fruitful morning (or possibly not...)


It must be some sort of record that the weather for the last few weeks on Saturday mornings has been utterly glorious – and yesterday was no exception. It was a bit nippy – but then it is December, after all.

Given this most equitable state of things, it surprised me that I had the site almost to myself for a couple of hours – with the exception of Roger who came and chatted as I forked.

Jane also dropped by on her way home with E and I left the last of the forking over in case they wanted to come down to do a bit which just leaves the last metre from the row of garlic to the front edge of the plot untouched, but that’s it.

The composter has disappeared from the slabs at the top end of the plot but given that the weather has been somewhat blowy, I suppose that it should not have been a surprise - Jane will have to identify the right one to retrieve (I think that it's ended up on it's side next door but about three) as lots of people seem to have these and I don't want to be had up for composter rustling!

I then had a BIG FIGHT with the gooseberry bushes – and I learn that gooseberries have huge thorns and propagate by rooting from any branches that touch the ground, meaning that they were getting completely out of hand and turning into a bit of a thicket.

With the aid of the secateurs and a fork, however, we now have a proper row of bushes lined up along the edge of the plot each with a neat short back and sides.

It did occur to me – after I had finished - that if gooseberry bushes only fruit on the recent growth, we will have no gooseberries this year.

No loss to me – I’m not keen on gooseberries as I find them sour, and I’m even less keen now I know how damn prickly the bushes are, but it would be a shame if my rash action buggers our first crop.

I’ve used some of the canes to roughly mark the plot into the four areas, and now next weeks jobs are to get the lime bought from the hut and put onto the first of the four areas, to dig up and replant the garlic, and fork over the last bit.

I wonder if Fosters will be having a January sale on their fruit bushes…….?

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