Allotment First 10 months

Lots of work achieved there.
Well done...
... good luck with your allotment in 2013. :o)

My heart goes out to you both, I had the same job 5 years ago. You should have it cleared by March.
Hope you dont get any unwanted 'visitors' from those houses. I am near the perimeter fence. Three years ago 5 roots of my main crop potatoes were pulled up, last year half my onion bed was stolen by a thief who climbed over the 6 ' high fence.
When I first took the plot the others said every bit of glass on the field was broken by kids. The P.C.S.O.s have been very good, been to all the schools. Told the kids to keep off allotment fields.
The EU forbids the use of barbed wire, but I was told by a policeman who had the same problem, that if you put barbed wire up put a notice up as well warning that it is dangerous, and to keep out. Photograph the notice, and if there is any trouble the prints prove adequate notice was given, and the injured person is responsible for his/her own injuries.

You guys have done a great job on that allotment! You were every lucky indeed to get a poly tunnel & a shed for free!

I have also had my half allotment for just over a year now & was down on the allotments just this morning. I only took photos of my plot & didn't do any work on it today. I will wait till the weather is a bit warmer.

I did, nevertheless, start to dig a bed on my friend Gerry's plot. I only got about half of it dug as I was too cold to continue after about 3/4 hour. He has a plot & 1/2 but finds it very difficult to find time to get down & do any work so I look after it most of the time for him. So in effect I have 2 whole allotments to look after!

While I was down on the allotments field this morning I had a wander around while talking to my wife on the phone. I found that a lot of the half plots have not been attended in a long time. I saw notices warning the tenants that if they didn't pay their annual rent in the next 10 days they would lose their plots! I'd been too busy with our plots to take much notice of the state of others.

During the next few days I should be making up my last allotment blog of the year. I'll probably include a few of the photos I took this morning with the allotments covered in frost!

Can see how much you have achieved since taking on the allotment, gaining the shed and polytunnel was a bonus and when you have the greenhouse as well there will be no stopping you, it will be so much easier next year as you have cleared so much already, lets hope we get better weather for a change, it makes it so much more enjoyable.........

What a lot of hard work you've done - its no joke dealing with land in that state. Enjoy your shed and polytunnel and lets hope the kids keep out!

Thats the problem with allotments, the Stewards let the land to applicants on the waiting list. They dont know what kind of gardeners they are, or whether they will keep working, or even want to learn how to manage them. In 3 years they are gone, and the plot is derelict, it gets us all a bad name. I have seen it so many times in the last 32 years.
I have now started 'The Allotmenteer' to help with this problem. Its bi-monthly and free by email. Issue No.2 concerns Christmas gifts found locally, so it would be best if anyone wants it, they start with No.1 and No.3. Jan/Feb edition.
Any Goyers can have a copy if they send me their email address by private message, to register - it will not be divulged to any other person.

Great work Steve. The other plot was very overgrown! good looking shed to be left with! I also like the raised bed, they are so useful as improving the soil quickly. Re the polytunnel. Does that work well? I was thinking of buying one.

Good luck with your alotment for next year. I hope you show us how it's doing :o)

Well done on clearing so much ... I know exactly how hard it can be as the plot my OH and I took on had not been worked on for a long time ... you'll reap the rewards when you harvest your crops ... :o)

Have you been able to do any more lately? It's been too cold or rainy to do anything here but I hope to get down again during the week. I'd like to finish the bed I started digging last week.