End July...

The end of July... where did the month go??

Despite planning to do lots of work on the allotment this month, we've been faced with quite a bit of weather, finishing off entries for the Gateshead Flower Show, and having to do stuff for work....

But we're still progressing at a slow pace...

Sean's got a couple of new toys to play with... a petrol strimmer which has proved very useful... and a couple of things that we're yet to try out - an incinerator for the weeds, and a post-basher-in!

We've gathered more gooseberries so Sean's working on perfecting his jams, and we've been given onions, a lettuce and more fresh eggs from our kind and helpful neighbours...

Not many photos... just our growing number of bare patches... but each time we look there are more weeds!!!

Sean weeding & 4 bare patches...

Increased to 6 patches... just waiting for planting!

So, onwards and upwards... plans to plant green stuff over the next few weeks & clear more areas of weeds. We're also going to get rid of as much rubbish in the white bags as possible - composting (once we've found, bought and installed an appropriate compost bin) or burning as much as we can, and hoping the Council might collect the un-recyclable waste...

Day 3: 8th July

Second weekend... it's been really rainy... like really rainy!!!
Only time to do one day's work...

So as Sean started to 'treat' the weediest end of the plot, Jane continued to turn over the patch dug last weekend, and take out even more roots and weeds. Starting to dig the second patch turned out to be too much for weak digging muscles and a blunt spade...


To treat or not to treat? That is the question.

So we were faced with the perennial question faced by all new allotmenteers. Do we use poison to get rid of the weeds or do we spend months of backbreaking work to dig the little buggers out?

I'm afraid we wimped out and decided to treat with glysophate. We consulted books, Internet blogs, forums, people on the allotment and that bloke down the pub. The only thing we worked out for sure was that each person you ask will give you a different opinion, some will be blazé and assure you 'yeah just stick loads of poison on there, it'll be fine' to other people with their holier than thou opinions who believe that you shouldn't even weed, 'as like all plants have like a total right to life dude' to others who suggest a non poison dig for England, orbanic or broke, cover it with carpet etc attitude. We figured we don't have forever as we both work, digging is very very tiring and time consuming, plus we want to grow something this decade. We treated half the site and will dig half. Do an experiment, see which will be best for future weed suppression. We'll let you know how it goes.

Hard work and time for a sit down... made all the better by having a lovely flask of coffee!














Before long the sun came out...

And time to dig again... third patch...

But it is starting to look like we've buried the neighbours!!!!

Actually, we have met several of the neighbours today... mainly really helpful suggestions about how we can get rid of the weeds, and reminders that it's OK to take our time...
However, we suspect that maybe there's some doubt that we'll actually get the job done...
But at the end of the day we were offered the opportunity to pick several bushes of ripe gooseberries... although we ended up with lots of scratches and nettle prickles, we've now got a bagful of fruit ready for jamming... and all without planting anything yet!!!

So, the end of another week... slow progress, but progress made!

Day 2: 01.07.12

1st July.

July already??!! The difficulty in getting the plot this late in the year is that there's no time to clear the site of weeds and then get things planted at the right times.
We're so wanting to get the plot producing something other than the weeds!

Somewhere under the nettles, couch grass and that sticky stuff are fruit bushes... and under the part-strimmed weeds and nettles is some great soil.

At the beginning of the second day... fruit bushes to the left of the picture, and evidence of the great soil where the shed used to be...

Sean digging...

You can just about see Jane behind the bushes... cutting back the grasses and nettles.
In the background you can see the standard of allotments we are aspiring to...

End of day 2: Sean's little bare patch and Jane's trimmed bushes!!!!









Oh... so much more to do....

Day 1: 30.06.12

Hello and Welcome from Sean and Jane's Allotment.

This is our first post, in our first blog for our first allotment!

We intend to document our attempt to turn a 50'x20' plot of land into a productive fruit and veg provider. 

We intend to post about our trials and tribulations, as well as our successes of maintaining an allotment by two working people.

A little about us, we are both in our 40's, both work in the NHS.  We've been living in Kirk Merrington, a little village in County Durham, since about April 2009, or thereabouts, moving away from the city for a more healthy, quieter life.   I make beer, bake bread and enjoy cooking, Jane enjoys drinking beer, eating my bread and more importantly growing things for me to cook for her to eat! That should do for now.

We put our name down for an allotment about 12 months ago and one became available 4 weeks ago, 4 weeks of phone calls and  wrangling strimmers and we spent our first afternoon on the allotment today. We still haven't paid anything yet, signed any contract or documents, but I have the word of a committee man that everything should be fine so thats OK.

We'll post up some photos of the allotment in it's various states of overgrowth and current nudity just as soon as we've downloaded the pics from our cameras!

Here are the photos:

1: This picture was taken before we knew we would be offered the allotment:

2:  This shows how much the weeds had grown!!

3:  After initial strimming:

4: End of day one (30.06.12):