Allotment/Veg Patch - Thread 7 - The Harvesters Arms

[bookbook]

Well, it's been an interesting summer, to say the least.
We are now heading into the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness :)
Everyone welcome to join in and ask for advice , share their woes and just enjoy growing!
previous thread here

I loved that picture too. The shed we inherited, which while upright and almost stable had had a corrugated roof thing nailed on , with a big gap into the shed. First decent wind ( and rain...) that came along, peeled it off like an orange skin!
good gracious shove - that many presents for adults? . Mind you - DGS 's other grandparents are totally out of control bonkers when it comes to him .... so we scale back a bit there if anything . This household does about between 4- 6 presents now for adults along the lines of 'something to want, something to need, something to wear, something to read'

I love Christmas though - it's always been a big thing here, but more about family and food and enjoyment than presents. :)
I am hoping for good weather too , but this week

I love your rhyming Christmas list, that's perfect! And efficient at hitting all the major targets that you want in a few gifts. I do agree, it's the time with people I love that I enjoy the most. I do quite like a little nip outside to do a tiny bit of gardening if I can get away with it - particularly if it's one of those glorious sunny Christmas days with high blue skies and a crunch underfoot!

And yes, every family has different rules don't they? I have no idea whether their rules are normal or whether my own family's experience is more usual, or whether it's just class differences, or what. There is an expectation that between £120-150 per adult will be spent and it takes me all year to save up for it! I come from a thrifty poor family where stockings at Christmas consisted of an orange, apple and one or two presents and where a treat is a glass of Harveys Bristol Cream, so mountains of gift wrap and presents everywhere and drinking expensive wine heavily from the afternoon feels very different.

That seems a little OTT for me. There again, I come from a very poor background , so as you - we had 1 or maybe 3 'proper' presents, some nuts, a few pennies a chocolate and a satsuma . Here the drink was a snowball !
We haven't bought presents for anyone outside our nuclear family for years . Certainly not brothers and sisters . Each niece and nephew got a present up to 16 . (I have 9 of them) But it gets miles too expensive , and after all what can you buy?

Afternoon all. Have been trying to catch up. Welcome to elephant and Golden. Very very envious of the big plots, sheds, Christmas trees, etc
Haven't got much to report about my plot. It's now officially put to bed for the winter. I was up there last weekend rearranging the manure pile. My mum (who had 2 full size plots before she moved house recently) visited at the weekend & gave me a couple of little rooted blackcurrant cuttings to plant. Also the most enormous gardening book she found in a charity shop, the RHS encyclopaedia of gardening. We don't really have room for it but it looks useful so will have to relocate it to the allotment if I ever get a plot with a shed.
Interested to read about the house renovations. My house seemed spacious when I bought it (small terrace) but then I acquired DH followed by the 2 DCs and we are bursting at the seams. We really really need a new kitchen, have been talking about it for years, but never quite plucked up the courage to do it. We'd have to live in the house while the work was being done and I hate the thought of all the dust & noise, also having to improvise a kitchen & move all the furniture into nonexistent spaces...it would also really freak out the cat, although that shouldn't be my prime concern!
Off to have another look at the gardening encyclopaedia now

Afternoon!
I have to at rearranging the manure pile timtam . The RHS book is great - it has one of the clearest descriptions of what to do in the veg garden. I don't, however think mine will ever look like the lovely picture showing a good one in all it's glory... but we can but strive :)
I popped into the plot this morning - a flying visit, and picked leeks and my first sprouts ! I was hoping to get back this afternoon, but after helping DH with some tree branch lopping ( I'm the one doing the holding so they don't tear - good eh? ) it has gone black, and started to rain, so thats off the agenda now.
They should do programmes about sorting out ordinary houses in a practical sense ,( as well as all those amazing building ones). I feel as if more and more are turning back to what used to happen. DIY along with knitting/baking/sewing /growing veg is now the only real practical solution for many. DH and I were so poor for so long, we always have done all the DIY , right up until our last kitchen. And even then, we did a lot of the boring needed to be done stuff. (But yes it's hard. Our very first house was a tiny 2 up 2 down and we got given a second hand kitchen by a relative. When we went to rip out the old one, there were no floorboards near the outside wall - they had all rotted away - we had to buy secondhand sleepers to replace them, when we could afford it. I had to jump across joists to get to the tap that was just stood in mid air at the top of a water pipe. I can smile now, but couldn't have done it with children)
On another note. Out in the backgarden, the thug rhubarb thinks it's spring - leaves are starting to burst from the buds !

Thanks for the advice, there is a kind of makeshift mini carport thing behind the shed, I may well look to level the ground and move the shed to there. My DS (14) seems to have taken on the job of hard landscaper so I will have to consult with him first. But if I do move the shed at least he will be able to help.

Oh - wonderful that your DS is interested in helping! That's so brilliant. I hope you have loads of fun together.

Managed to make a start in our new allotment - Dh had day off which made it 100x easier. Took littlest 2 down. In hindsight a pink tutu is not the outfit of choice for a 4 year old at an allotment in December.

Got so much done, spent an hour and a half clearing weeds, and managed a couple of dump runs to get rid of the weeds ( have read that weeds are no good in a compost). Then took the 5 year old for her first look after school. Highlights were the girls digging up worms for the Robbin they saw ( 4 year old loves worms and birds so she was super happy). Finding a frog under a covered raised bed, and a Robbin flying into our shed. Also found loads of seeds in the shed and a wheelbarrow. All in all it was magical and perfect.

Also a really fab day for other couple of other reasons - friends and random strangers being kind, which following a couple of hard days with the three littleies has really helped lift my spirits.

And.... Managed to keep the 2 1/2 year old awake all day, so after all the allotment fresh air, she has actually gone to bed at bed time! Which really is a Christmas miracle for us.

Feeling positive and looking forward to going back tomorrow....

Sounds idyllic Golden. I have to wait until Saturday to start due to work so I hope the weather will be kind. I am laughing about the RHS book, my DM bought one from a charity shop last time she was over. I had to go and pick her up in the car because it was so heavy but she had wanted one for ages

Morning!
elephant - that sounds like a plan, and so nice that your teenager is happy to help -giving them a sense of responsibility is always good too , so that is definitely a bonus-! so good luck :)
wow Golden what a lovely thing with the little ones - worms and robins - and a frog - good for keeping slug numbers down!. It does all sound wonderful for you - love the 4 year old in a tutu . Once cleared , some weeds can be put in the compost - once you have cleared the undergrowth that is. Not any of the perennial ones, obviously , but annuals that haven't got seed heads will , if you can be bothered to separate them.
Well, I am sat here feeling as if I have a mild hangover. I had DGS yesterday, and accompanied him to a matinee performance of a Cinderella pantomime , along with all the other 4 year olds at his nursery. All went well, but we had a gap at the end of half an hour were the performance had finished, and the bus hadn't arrived. I shall just say 'controlled mayhem'.... I now need to go and spend some quiet quality time at the plot, so will hopefully get there today!

Afternoon all. Busy morning today (an hour at work, coffee with mums from DS's school followed by carol service, dropped him at home and helped at DD's school Christmas dinner till 1.15. DD's school is conveniently located next to the allotments and the weather is gorgeous, I'm in a teeshirt basking in the sun after a bit of digging and harvesting (red cabbage and leeks). Think I might sprawl out on my seat with the Kindle app for a bit before going home as the garden is shady and here it's so peaceful.

Book - I had controlled mayhem last night, DS goes to a special school 10 miles away by taxi with 3 other boys, last night it didn't turn up so just as he should have got home he rang me (I was happily decorating the Christmas tree) and I was plunged into half an hour of phone calls with the taxi firm and other mums followed by a DS in autistic meltdown when he finally got home 90 mins late. They are old and sensible enough to cope with the emergency (secondary school age) but as they have autism it sends their stress levels through the roof, I don't envy the taxi driver who had to pick them up in the end.

oh poor you WhoKnows and your DS - that sounds horrible for you both, and I am supposing it takes a bit to settle him back down too. But at least you had what sounds like a lovely destress today :) - Bit what did I read -sun ???? -pah. None of that malarkey here. Just warm, damp, cloudy.
Busy this morning, as needed to help DH with a big branch cutting off our crab apple tree- a true monster, so today it wasn't holding branches, it was steadying ladders and lopping off smaller branches . But it's done now - and someone has been and picked up the wood , so we don't have to try and dispose of it ourselves. ( I assume someone with a wood burner - I popped it on our local fb site, and had quite a few replies)
Managed just a quick trip this afternoon to pick leeks and kale for tea ( pasta made with those and roasted butternut squash - was rather good...:) )

Oh my goodness whoknows - that sounds like stress levels going to 11 on all sides. Your poor DS! You must all have been shattered by the end of the day. It's not what you need this time of year when nerves are frayed anyway.

And at the idea of over-excited Christmassy four year olds waiting for a bus! Must have been like herding cats book.

No sun here at all - it's been drizzle, drizzle and - wait for it - more drizzle. I am madly busy because this weekend is our big Christmas celebration with the in laws, so work-wise right now it's December 23rd for me, and I am elbow-deep in cooking, present-wrapping, and organising. DH has been working incredible hours and is on his knees with tiredness - last day of term tomorrow, though. By next Monday, everything should be a lot easier. I am looking forward to peaceful days at the plot over the holidays!

Morning!
good luck shove on the home run into celebrations. It's the worst time isn't it . I like a good worry - -over and over checking that I have not forgotten something, running around like a mad thing, even after years.
I am very karma like this year, as DD1 is hosting for the first time, so I am only having to help by making the Christmas Pudding (-already done ), stuffing ,( cooking today and frozen) baklava (made Christmas Eve) and bringing fresh leeks and sprouts :).
Well, still dank here, but a free morning, so I will get my compost heap sorted!

Just been catching up with the thread. Good photos of your new plots Golden and elephant. Neither of those look like they need too much work to get them shipshape. And there is plenty of time before spring to make a start.

Shove - sounds like you're very busy - and that does sound like a lot of presents for everyone.

We've got DD's nativity concert this evening. This is Key stage 2 children so not the littlies. She's also in her drama club's show next week.

We spent a couple of hours at the allotment on Sunday. New manure had been delivered to the communal area so we shifted some barrowloads of that and spread it on some of the plot. Also cleared out two and a half metal posts in the new part - half because I couldn't quite get the third one out of the ground and had to stop to help with the manure instead. And a couple of small oak trees - well one was about 5 foot tall but the roots weren't very big. So we are making progress with it. Hopefully we'll get the chance to get up there this weekend, if the weather is up to it.

Afternoon!
Cedar - you are licking it into shape there - but two oak saplings?- I wonder if they were self seeded, or planted. Its amazing what people do with plots - the 3 metal posts sound intriguing :)
I managed my morning at the plot, and finished rebuilding my compost heap, at long last. Mind you in front of it , and the empty manure heap is a suitable site for a mud wrestling championship ! I tried to get it tidied, but it is so wet. It has not been raining, but mizzle has hung in the air for days , so it never gets the chance to dry up. I shall just have to have patience now to finish it looking tidy.
I picked perpetual spinach, and the very last of some calabrese that had had their main heads already used . They do keep trying, but I've dug them up now - I have had the main head of calabrese, and the secondary ones already - these were the last third picking, so worth leaving in until now.
I then had a little wander up and down to have a look see. My overwintering shallots have sprouted :)

Love reading about your plots - I've been able to get to our plot every day this week, for 1 1/2 hrs - have 2 year old with me so actual productive time has been less than that. ( she's doing a lot of falling over in the mud, and she found a spoon she has taken to, so it 'helping ' me dig with that! ) been lots of clearing and digging. And lots of thinking about what's best to do / where best to put things etc.
There is a massive pile of compost / rubbish (including bricks and paving slabs) in the corner which u know we need to sort. Think we will build a compost with pallets. So much to do but progress is quick at the moment - I'm amazed at what a difference has been made already.
Taking the 4 and 5 year old up later as school finishes early, but not planning on getting too much done today. It been great being there though, although I have a ton of Christmas stuff to do which has been sidelined!

I love the image of your DD digging with a spoon golden - it's good she's learning already!

Cedar - you've done so much already! I'm so impressed. I'm intrigued by these communal manure deliveries some of you are getting - is there a deal where you all pay a little towards them and a local farmer delivers? I wonder if we could organise something similar for our site - we don't even have a committee yet! Hope the nativity and play are as lovely as they sound! On that subject, this is my favourite nativity video of all time:

book - yes, running around like mad at the moment! I have a few side dishes to cook today, some cheese and some beer to pick up, packing to do, and DH to collect from the office Christmas party later on, which may be the most challenging task of all . I am rather of your compost turning. I greatly prefer that kind of thing to this stuff!

Golden - that's lovely that youngest wants to help you. A spoon is a good starting point. We invested in a set of small gardening tools for my daughter when she was little. She was so enthusiastic at the idea of helping and not really of that much use!

Bookbook I blame squirrels for the oak trees. There used to be one about (I haven't seen it recently) and I reckon that it was storing up acorns. The posts are the metal support thingies that go in the ground and had wooden posts held in them. The wooden posts have rotten so collapsed leaving these nice metal bits sticking up out of the ground which is why we've dug them out. Originally they were the supports for raspberry canes I think.

Your compost turning sounds so organised. My compost heap is more of a random pile in the corner.

Shove the manure is coming from local stables. Another allotment holder arranges the delivery and if you want some you put £5 towards it. The only slight disadvantage is that it is stored at the other end of the allotments from our plot so it's a bit of a performance shifting it.

That nativity performance is very funny! DD's didn't have any little children performing so there was less comedy value but it was a lovely service.

Morning!
Golden - a spoon :) It is the most glorious feeling, getting sorted, and planning. It works a treat to let other stresses be put aside for a while, and does no harm at all being out in the fresh air.
Basically - grow what you like to eat!
shove - I am channeling positive calming vibes to you . I got on well with my IL's , but it is still stressful when you are hosting. And I hope your DH survives the party ( as do you, picking him up! ). Love that nativity - you can hear the parent filming it trying to keep the laughing quiet :)
Cedar -I have never managed to organise my compost heap before. It's a first :) Those metal post sound a bit lethal ! But could they be reused? We tend to hang on to everything, just in case.
I am out all day today , visiting and dropping off things to a variety of friends and family, also out visiting one of my best friends for lunch tomorrow, so no plot for me until Sunday now.

Good afternoon, I have just spent my first half day at the allotment. I have knocked down the lean to thing behind the shed and have managed to prop the shed up in more vertical aspect. I will have to move but I think that may be a job for after Christmas. I must remember to take gloves next time as I managed to have a few close encounters with nettles and brambles. I have dug the beetroot and onions, DCs are going to make orange and beetroot chutney for Aunties and Uncles for Christmas. Can I ask for some advice about compost bins? I took along a dustbin which I intend to drill holes and use. Should I drill holes in the bottom, and raise it on bricks or saw the bottom off and bury it about an inch in the ground?

Catching up.

Hi Golden and elephant. Your allotments look wonderful.

I've spent the day digging a new border garden. I'm about halfway done and am exhausted but feeling really great about it. (Also my fingernails hurt, which is weird.) Will rest tomorrow and try to finish it on Monday & Tuesday, though that depends on the baby having her usual 2+ hour morning nap and the older two playing nicely in the garden while I'm doing it.

I also mulched around my blackcurrants (it looks so tidy) and started using the loam stack the landscapers created last year. I'm making a new one with the turf I remove from the new border garden and have plans to turn both loam areas into shade gardens once the loam is used up.

I've decided to get a second compost Dalek once the first loam stack is cleared. I'm pretty bad at making compost so hope that the second bin will mean I can actually use what's slowly decomposing in the first. The only thing I don't like about the Daleks is how hard it is to turn the compost. I keep getting cuts/scrapes all over my fingers. Any advice on this would be most welcome!

Can anyone recommend decent gardening gloves? DH's aunt gave me a couple of pairs when we moved here and I've already put holes in one pair. They're a bit thin, really.

The other thing I'd like to know about is gardening vouchers. Does a scheme similar to book vouchers exist? We're going to need to get a whole lot of plants for my new border garden and I figure vouchers would be great gifts for my birthday.

Afternoon!
I have been out enjoying myself today
elephant - mm re dustbin. Ultimately, you need to beable to access the compost, so its going to be tricky burying it. It also needs a bit of airflow, not be allowed to dry out too much either. ( is it a plastic or metal dustbin? btw ) . I will have a ponder on that. But maybe someone else has some good ideas :). I cannot cope without gloves ! Not everyone wears them though .
Grouchy - hello , nice to see you :)
Yes there is a garden voucher scheme . I get given them given occasionally, and I have spent them in a variety of garden centres/nurseries.
Gloves - I get through about 2 pairs a year - always have them on my birthday/christmas wish list. The fingers always wear through eventually. At the moment I am using these and also some latex warm lined ones, - I am sure they are by Briers , but I cant see them on the website ( they were a present last year, )
Sounds as if your garden is really pulling together now!
We don't really turn our compost at home . We do the 2 compost bin thing. Fill one up and leave it . When the second one is full, the first is usually ready to use . It does get watered, and DH sometimes goes and gives it a quick prod around though. At the plot, its open 3 -sided thing made from pallets - just a big heap really....

Grouchy! It's great to have an update from you, I'm glad things are going well! I have a dalek too and I don't even try to get inside it to turn. I pick it up from the base, dump it down next to where it used to be, then fork all the compost back in. It turns the whole thing.

Am surviving the weekend!!

Oh, and gloves... I use the Aldi ones and I get two pairs. They do thin ones that are great for fine work where you need to feel what you are doing and thicker, more reinforced ones for thornier work. I have riggers for the really tough stuff. I go through a pair of the first two kinds a year on average.

All that said, I am terrible for not wearing gloves! I like the feel of things in my hands. I'm pretty sure this is not recommended by health experts though.