Allotment Begins Again

Why hello there, it's been a while since I've provided allotment updates! We've had relatively few chances to get to the allotment until recently and with things returning to normal in Wales, everything is beginning again!

The first time we returned, the ground was absolutely sodden, it was more of an ice rink (of mud) than a place for growing food. But that didn't stop us, there was some upkeep to be done! We took down the make-shift bean arch from last year and went about raising the beds up as they'd managed to sink considerably, we even installed a new one!

(I got to wield some nails and a hammer in order to fix the compost bin, it was fun.)

Marjoram!

Now with all the beds raised and filled with new soil and compost, we waited until we were sure the frost was over before planting or repotting. We planted onions in one of the bigger beds with the aim of staggered sowing later on (we've just put the second lot in). Parsnips went in the old potato boxes, we made sure to have nicer soil this year in the hopes that we'd have some luck, but so far no. But we do have the beginnings of beetroot coming through!

We've also been sowing courgettes and pumpkins at home which will eventually be brought to the allotment, accompanied by some chilis which will stay at home. Also, the strawberries were in a bit of a mess so I cleared and re-potted some, I also moved the marjoram into the big tyre!

Other than that, we've cleared and organised behind the shed, and started lowering the entrance into the woods, using the earth from there to re-enforce the wall. Oh, and we've also used a broken pot to create a hide-away and planted some flowers in preparation for the bees!

It may take me a little while to get in the habit of taking the right kind of pictures again, but thank you so much for reading this far! Here's to, hopefully, a fantastic allotment year.

See you next time,

Mort

The Great Beans Disaster of 2020

Since the last allotment update, our beetroots have grown well and we've been bombarded with courgettes! (We've enjoyed many of them, some of which were turned into to the most awesome courgette cake ever, it was SO GOOD) Our parsnips were maybe planted in the wrong type of soil because they never sprouted, and in the place of kale, we have last year's tomatoes growing strong! The smallest rhubarb plant suffered a fatality and we thought it was lost but it has recently sprung up again and all three are looking good.

We also cleared a little space at the back of our allotment from which we can have a cuppa away from the wind or sun and watch the birds take to the feeder, it's very peaceful.

So, as the title may have suggested, we had a bit of issue with the beans. Not the ones on the tipi (although you can see how we tried to support it in the photo), but the ones on the green arch by the courgettes (not pictured). They were growing really well, they had flowers and baby beans appearing, and they were looking really strong. We'd even supplied the arch with some bamboo supports.

Then we had a small run of thunderstorms which then turned into violent winds. Mum and I travelled to the allotment the first chance we got, and the wind had effected everybody in some way. There was a trail of broken fences and fallen trellises leading across everyone's plots.

And then we saw our allotment, but not our beans.

The arch had toppled over sideways, the beans all seemed to still be in the ground but the arch had broken at many of its intersections and was more like a really long nunchuck than a metal pole. As the light was fading, mum and I did our best to lift the beans from the floor and rest them at an angle in order to save them from the worst of the slugs.

All three of us, mum, dad and myself, then returned the next day and fashioned a makeshift arch from bamboo sticks and string. Our engineering proved strong as the arch is still standing after a battering from the wind, however I fear that the beans have had enough as they're looking, ever increasingly, worse for wear. We did manage to pick a few handfuls of beans from the plant, however, and they were super tasty. It's just a shame that the storms struck when they did.

I'm proud of our efforts, even if they may not have worked. We tried our best and did get to enjoy some beans, and we also have a lot of other things to look forward too, like more courgettes (and cake) and yellow beetroots! Plus everyone else will get to enjoy the tomatoes.

Well, that's it for the allotment update so far.

Thanks for reading this far, see you next time,

Mort.

Plant Hotels and Tiny Courgettes

Well, I realise I've not spoken about the allotment very much at all on here but it's a really fun part of my life. A somewhat neglected part of my life too, and not just in the writing. Once again lockdown hindered us and we weren't able to venture out to tend to it for MONTHS. During this time we had a heatwave and almost everything died or withered, plus we'd almost missed planting time completely.

When we were finally allowed to venture five miles from home, it was the first place to which we travelled.

I really wish I'd taken a picture because the grass was as tall as me! It took all day to clear the grass and refill the pond - which had been half-empty - with three of us working. The closest I have is the picture of the chard before we cut it down.

From there we planted some beetroot, parsnips, kale, and runner beans in freshly turned over beds, and recycled some old bottle lids as tiny greenhouses to help them grow, and to protect them from anything that might think the new plants looked tasty.

We were also lucky enough to be gifted a pair of courgette plants, they didn't like their new home at first but, after a while, they began to thrive and now we actually have a courgette!!

With the continued growth of the courgettes and other veggies that we planted hopefully we'll have something to eat soon, we've had to give the plants - courgettes especially - some defence against the strong winds of late, which appears to have secured everything in place quite well.

I'm really excited to see how the allotment develops now that we're able to travel to it again, I very much enjoy spending time there and hurling soil around!

I'll leave you with a wide shot of our space, a few days after we chopped the grass down.

Until next time,

Mort