Allotment Diary - Week 1

THURSDAY 25TH JUNE 2009
Well, I signed the paperwork for an allotment today - my first. Actually, it's a half-plot measuring approx 5M wide x 20M long. The site caretaker, Joe, suggested taking only half a plot to start with because many 'beginners' like the idea of having an allotment, but just can't manage it. Even 100 sq.M looks quite daunting and 200 sq.M looks impossible - especially for someone in full-time employment and with a pretty active social-life to boot!Joe has rotavated my plot for me, so it's pretty clean to start with. Thanks Joe!

FRIDAY 26TH JUNE 2009
Purchased two books from Amazon; The Allotment Book by Andi Clevely and also Allotment Month By Month by Alan Buckingham. Total £20 inc P&P... I'll let you know how I get on with them as this blog develops!

SATURDAY 27TH JUNE 2009
A quick trip to the allotment with my wife, Michelle, to show her where it is and to start boasting about how I'm going to be the hunter/gatherer of the family

SUNDAY 28TH JUNE 2009
A trip to B&Q this morning set me back near £100. Some of it perhaps wasn't necessary, as we already have a garden fork, hoe, rake etc at home, but the idea is to put a small shed at the bottom of the plot and store a few tools onsite. I also purchased some planting pots (reusable), some netting (to keep the birds off), some small canes and some plastic tags to write on with a permanent marker (so I can remember what I planted and where!). I also spent £20 on 200L of manure. I probably could have got this cheaper elsewhere, but I was determined to get started today! Oh, and some Wellies and gardening gloves.

My good friend, Peter Chilcott will share some of the cost. Peter has some experience in growing veg from seed and will come over to the allotment with me occasionally to help out and, no doubt, share in the booty! This is fine though, as not only can Peter offer a lot of help and advice, he also has some plants started in pots, so they went into the ground today - Broad Beans, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Peppers. We've also invested in some seed between us, which Peter will start off at home before getting them into the ground. We've missed our window for many crops this year, such as Onions, Tomatoes & Runner Beans; but we are still in time to plant some Carrots, Parsnips and Lettuce. We're now on the look out for some seed-potatoes to plant, which we will eventually put-aside up to 20% of the plot for on a rotational basis, so we have spuds all year long! And I've already asked the site-caretaker, Joe, if he can help me get my hands on some Rhubarb to plant later in the year.

My 11 year old daughter, Megan, came to help today. It's the first time she had seen the plot and is clearly as keen as me to get started. I ferried the 4 bags of manure, various tools and a garden hose from my car, while Megan ferried the potting trays we had picked up from Peter's. I then laid out the bags of manure strategically across the plot, ready to be split open and dig into the soil. I can feel already that running an allotment is going to be quite physical and I'm looking forward to the exercise... some would say I'm desperately in need of the exercise!The first job was to split open one of the bags of manure and spread it over approx 25% of my plot, then dig it in. 2pm on a hot day is not the best time to be turning over the soil with a garden fork to dig in the manure and it was seriously hot work. After turning over about 20% of the 25%, I was sweating cobs! Megan hooked-up the hose pipe and it was a good excuse for a break. We had a drink from the hose and a good hosedown with cold water to help cool down. Of course, I made sure Megan got a good soaking too and we giggled like idiots before starting work again. Megan picked out any weeds as I turned over the soil. The hose scene was experienced twice more before digging manure into that section of the plot was completed.

As we stood back to admire our work, a neighboring allotmenteer walked past holding a bunch of flowers he had just picked from his plot. I commented on how good they looked and he offered me a smell of them. The smell was divine! We chatted for a few minutes and I told him what we were up to and planning today. As I hoped would be the case, he offered his help and/or advice any time I needed it.

Let the planting commence! One 5M row each of Broad Beans, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts and Peppers, with the rows about 8"/9" apart and the seedlings separated a similar distance from each other. Megan wrote out the plastic tags and then helped me remove the plants from the starter-pots as I planted them. At this point, Joe the Caretaker arrived and came over to chat. This is clearly going to be a very social pastime too! While Joe and I put the world to rights, Megan finished off the planting and before too long, all the seedlings were in the ground. A good watering to help them along and then, with Joe's advice close to hand, we covered the rows with horticultural fleece to stop the pigeons getting to them! Ideally, as the plants get established, I'll need to put netting over them, which will keep the birds off and Joe showed me how to erect a makeshift frame for future reference.

3pm and time to go home for a well-earned Sunday dinner and another opportunity to boast to Michelle how the veg on the plate will soon be coming from the land cultivated by my own hand! Megan and I giggled again like idiots... a great start to being an Allotmenteer!