First fruits and a small success

My plot neighbour Mike has just harvested some radishes, and further away Jon has cut a lettuce - success!





One of my other neighbours was a very reluctant allotmenteer - his wife was very enthusiastic though and started him off as he's never gardened before. So there was much grumbling initially. However, he came up to me the other day and said excitedly "My potatoes have come through". A convert!

Only the weeds have grown....

After my 10 days away, I went up to the allotment today, but only the weeds have grown much. Having said that, not much of what I planted out has died - although the pak choi seedlings have been seriously affected by flea beetle - so that's not too bad, given that it's been very largely dry, albeit with a cold wind, since we went away. And on Thursday there was hail and a gale

Holidays

No more blogs for a couple of weeks - we are off on holiday to Russia

I've now planted everything out - it will have to take its chances, although we have still had no more rain, and the forecast is dry.....

No more rain!

Apart from the odd shower a week ago, we've had no rain for well over a month. I just hope it rains next week - lots - because we are off on holiday and it won't get watered. I've planted out some lettuces, and planted seeds of Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Hopefully, with a bit of rain, they will come up whilst we're away.

Planting out

This evening I planted out courgettes and climbing French beans. Too soon? Maybe, but we are going on holiday next week, and I wanted them out before that - they were all well grown plants - so we'll have to hope there's no frost.

Rhubarb!

Today I planted 3 rhubarb crowns, variety 'Stockbridge'. I have 'Timperley Early' at home, so hopefully we will get a succession. Mind you, my wife always pulls the first rhubarb when it's about 2 inches long, so the more the merrier!

Rain at last!

We eventually had a couple of showers on Friday night, and a little more last night. Better than nothing - and everything has really responded well - but we need more, a lot more!









Here is a close-up view of our steel containers. We will be painting them soon, and the roof will be used for collecting water.















Everyone has different ideas on this new site - so anyone that has a good idea is immediately the focus of attention. (Much of the time spent tending the plot seems to be leaning on a fork chatting to the neighbours!) Some people took advantage of an offer made by a local resident to rotavate their plots (for a price) whilst others have relied on the more backbreaking traditional methods. I started on mine before the offer was made, so it's all been done the hard way.

One thing most plots have in common is a seat - but usually not as elaborate as this one!

This is what our new allotments looked like at the beginning of April 2011.

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And this is what they look like today.

In the distance are 2 steel containers for storing tools etc. Our chairman has also put up a gate, and buried a water pipe in a trench, ready for when it will be connected to the mains. In the meantime, we have a number of water butts on site - essential since we have had no rain since the allotments were started at the beginning of April. Tatsfield had allotments (I am told) until 1961, when they were abandoned due to lack of interest. Not so today - there are 60 plots, 40 of them 10 metres by 10 metres, 4 triangular plots at the edge of the site of about 150 square metres, and the remainder 4.5 x 4.5 metres, ie a quarter plot. Even the largest plots are not as big as a traditional allotment, which was about 250 square metres, but they are all manageable. Also on site will be (probably from October) Tatsfield's very own community composting site, where any member of the village can bring compostable waste, and receive for a small donation a bag of black gold. This has been in operation elsewhere in the village for a number of years. All of the plots have been allocated to Tatsfield residents; there is a waiting list of non-Tatsfield residents but there are no more plots available.

On Monday we had two more deliveries of well-rotted stable manure - great stuff for those who were too late for the first delivery!

I decided to split my plot into five - 4 squarish plots for a 4- year rotation, plus a strip along one egde for more permanent stuff like rhubarb and apples. So far I have planted potatoes on two plots (mainly to break up the soil) and onions and seeds (beetroot, parsnips, pak choi) on a third. The fourth has been dug and covered with very well rotted manure, to plant out lettuce, french beans and (eventually) brassicas. Yes, I know they like un-manured ground, but the soil is so hard (we've had no rain for 6 weeks) that I had to do something! So far, the potatoes have shown through, and some of the seeds have germinated.

Muck, Glorious Muck

There were two huge deliveries of well rotted manure on Saturday morning, by Sunday morning it was spread over the allotments. If you weren't quick, you missed out. My plot took 35 barrows.