Well another year has gone and we are now in 2012. Plans for the this year include

Re building the chicken house and getting a few new chickens

Getting some budgie breeding cages and trying my hand a breeding budgies.

Building a new bigger shed on plot number 2

And rowing a huge pumpkin ( wishing )

We will look back on this list later in the year to see if we carried the above out.

Looks like i have been caught out by the harsh frosts of May.
After tracking the weather and knowing that a frost was on its way i spent the day protecting the veg and fruit outside. All looked ok when i arrived the next day until i went to water the plants inside the greenhouse. The frost had managed to get in and ruin some of my runners and pumpkins. I couldnt believe that it had got some plants in the greenhouse however all plants outside survived.

Well its been some time since I last posted so i will do a quick update of the plot for 2011.









In the Brassica bed i have planted cauliflower and broccoli, Due to the high winds we are getting from the east i have protected the young plants with plastic bottles and canes until they get well established.





















The root bed is doing well even with the dry weather The only real pain is weeding round the small carrots










Inside the greenhouse we have runner beans which will be ready to plant out in the next two weeks once the risk of ground frost has passed









Also under the glass we have my three special chillia plants

In shock


I have been on the top of the allotment waiting list for about a week now and as luck would have it the plot that backs onto mine came available and for once in allotment history its not overgrown and it isn't full of brambles .

Here's a little history of the new plot . It was started about a year ago by a young lad . It was a very overgrown plot . He spent a lot of time on it and in no time at all it was cleared . He then planted summer and autumn raspberries a few dwarf apple trees , a couple of blackberry's and one black current bush . It has also had a loverly pond put in . And then out of the blue the other day he said was leaving to take on another site and was giving his plot up .

It was a very strange feeling taking on an allotment that was already done and im still finding myself wondering around it like a lost sheep.

I have so far only made to changes . Number one was to build a new bed that attach to mine next year creating one large bed . And this afternoon i have been down and put in 12 Asparagus plants .. Apart from that i will continue to wonder round like a lost sheep for a few more weeks yet ....

SPRING 2009

Well here's where the fun all starts. The greenhouse is starting to fill up and i am now starting to plan where im going to try and fit it all in on the plot.


The rhubarb is coming on very nicely and im already on my second crumble so far.






One lesson i have learnt this year is to never ever sow pea seeds in the greenhouse again it was a nightmare getting them out of the pods and into the ground.







So next year they will be sown straight into the ground and that goes the same for the broad beans to.




Also been to check on my onions today and they alook healthy even with the bad weather yet again.

Greenhouse Take Two

Quite a while ago when i first had my allotment i did manage to obtain a free greenhouse . But it was set out to be a failure from start to finish and all i ended up with was a lot of bent aluminum and a pile of broken glass.

Well as luck had it , I was offered a second free greenhouse and this time i was determined that it would not end the same as the first one .

The problem with the first one was the workers who i had enlisted for the job they were as good as me in putting together a greenhouse ( crap )

So i bit the bullet and asked my step dad for his help and the master of fruit Mr Simon Chapman ( allotment bag rat )

After a carful dismantle , Only three broken pains and a steady drive back to the plot all that was left was a hopefully successful reassemble.

Not to much of a drama putting it back together but it goes to show you that if you have the right TOOLS then all should be fine

Snow

I have only recently started to go back down again after the rubbish weather we have been getting










Winter update

Well as soon as the turkey hut went up , it soon came back down and was transformed into ash . A sudden change of heart was at fault .

Winter is on its way

Now that my freezer is full and the harvest has come to an end the plot is looking very empty. There is only a handful of leeks and 8 Brussels plants that remind standing , the rest is freshly dug soil .





There can be no better or fresher taste then growing your own veg , here are some freshly prepared leeks ready for the stew pot

I have also started to build my Turkey pen which has so far cost me nothing , as i have scrounged all of the material from around the allotment .

END OF SUMMER UPDATE

well so far so good i have runner beans and courgettes coming out of my ears . Im still waiting for the tomatoes to turn red and my carrots are doing great , The sweet corn has come on loads so i cant wait to take the first harvest from them .

Lets hope that now i have put a pond on the plot that this time next year i should have some frogs about to keep all of the bugs at bay

THE WEED WAR

Well what a difference one year makes , This time last year i was ready to chuck in the towel as i was overgrown with weeds.

Mother nature had well and truly won the battle . But i wasn't going to take it lying down so i thought hard with my fork and spade and it looks like i might have won the battle for this year anyway

RATS

I have been getting quite a few unwanted visitors during the night since i have had the chickens . Got my first catch today not a very nice sight

River cottage


Thought i would post the pictures from the river cottage spring fate that i went to , If it wasn't for me watching the river cottage programs then i would of never found interest in growing veg or keeping chickens . And hopefully Turkeys soon

Summer Veg Update

courgettes

onions

runner beans

Brussels

Summer 2008

Well after the rubbish summer and the last month of constant down pours the chicken run began to smell . This was down to the layers mash they eat once it gets wet it goes sour . I have changed their diet and put a plastic roof on the run and have put bark Chipping's on the floor this seems to have done the trick