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...........

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Slow Progress...

Although today didn’t go quite according to plan, & I didn’t get as much done at the Hill today as I would have liked, the good news is that I think that the bean frame – when finished – will work just fine.

Of course a sunny day brings out the allotment holders, which meant that when I got to the Hill – & bearing in mind that our plot is pretty much by the gate – before I’d even unfinished unloading the car, I’d chatted with novice neighbour Jody who’d brought his smashing little lad with him to come & ‘help’ daddy, & walked down to talk to John Badger at the bottom with Julie (2nd best plot).

JB gave me a fabulous spring cabbage which he had growing in his greenhouse border (‘secret feed formula!’ he winked). Walking back up with Julie, I told her my tale of woe about the pigeons dining on my brassicas – & was knocked out when later on she brought me down four well grown CABBAGE (kilaton) seedlings ready to plant out, how wonderful! I popped them in the ground & protected with some stiff plastic netting that I pinched from the store pile on Jody’s plot.

I then turned to the job in hand – putting up the two uprights for the bean frame. I marked out when the first was to go, & got bracing sticks cut, & experimented with the layout with the 8’ canes that I’d brought from home. The cordless ran out of juice as I was screwing in the bracing sticks, & recharging it made for a perfect excuse to go to the clubhouse for a little light refreshment.

I wanted to go up to see the Saturday lunchtime regulars anyway, as I had a query on the treatment of the mildewy gooseberries (spray with dilute washing up liquid & hose off), & also learnt that they should be pruned to form an ‘open goblet shape’ which will increase airflow to prevent mildew, & hopefully stop me getting ravaged when I pick the gooseberries – although I don’t believe the latter.

I finished fixing the one bean support post with the pepped-up cordless, & called it a day. I picked about 4lb of rhubarb stalks & a LETTUCE (stoke) & headed off to the garden centre for a bag of compost, but they were out of stock of the brand I like, so I had to content myself with a packet of carrot-seed-on-a-tape which I’m going to try in the never ending quest for growing a decent carrot…

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...