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yrieithyddSo when I put an offer in on my flat in March, I also investigated local allotments and found some just over the main road. I enquired then (it might have been April) but there were no vacancies at that point, but I was put on a list. Flat buying then took forever, finally completing on the day of the mini-budget (leaving me a bit smug as my 5 year fix is looking rather nice now). Just as I was wondering about a follow up email about allotments the secretary got in touch to say there were now some available and so I arranged to see a man about an allotment after work one Tuesday in October and signed up for a very nice south facing sloping plot with a shed and some fruit trees.
It's not massively overgrown but obviously hadn't had much done on it last year (previous holder's health declined). So there's digging to be done.
I got one metre ish wide strip dug and weeded in November early December, despite short days. Then on Christmas Eve I was stressed and just dug a second metre ish wide strip lower down without trying to take out anything.
Mum came back with me last Sunday and on Monday we went over with her long handled loppers and attacked the fruit trees (which hadn't been pruned for a while and had overlapping branches that were rubbing etc) and then found a garden centre and I bought more stuff (including bird feeders and food, and small secateurs).
On Friday (6th December), I forked back over the first plot and took out more roots that I'd missed and then sowed some broad beans and stuck some twigs in by them (1 and a bit rows as I decided having done 2 in the second that some succession might be sensible) and then broadcast some green compost stuff over the rest which can then grow for the next couple of months before being dug in which will hopefully stop grass and dandelions recolonising it.
I hoped to sort out the 4 cell propagator and coir growing matter but realised I didn't have a bucket/trug etc in which to soak it so paused on that.
Today I went back up and forked over the second strip (not quite finishing it because I'm a wimp and stopped when it started to rain).
It's not massively overgrown but obviously hadn't had much done on it last year (previous holder's health declined). So there's digging to be done.
I got one metre ish wide strip dug and weeded in November early December, despite short days. Then on Christmas Eve I was stressed and just dug a second metre ish wide strip lower down without trying to take out anything.
Mum came back with me last Sunday and on Monday we went over with her long handled loppers and attacked the fruit trees (which hadn't been pruned for a while and had overlapping branches that were rubbing etc) and then found a garden centre and I bought more stuff (including bird feeders and food, and small secateurs).
On Friday (6th December), I forked back over the first plot and took out more roots that I'd missed and then sowed some broad beans and stuck some twigs in by them (1 and a bit rows as I decided having done 2 in the second that some succession might be sensible) and then broadcast some green compost stuff over the rest which can then grow for the next couple of months before being dug in which will hopefully stop grass and dandelions recolonising it.
I hoped to sort out the 4 cell propagator and coir growing matter but realised I didn't have a bucket/trug etc in which to soak it so paused on that.
Today I went back up and forked over the second strip (not quite finishing it because I'm a wimp and stopped when it started to rain).
no subject
Date: 2023-01-08 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-08 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-09 06:16 am (UTC)At my allotment wind and being in a massive frost pocket are bigger limiting factors than sunlight -- though being away from the shade of buildings certainly helps, in high summer the sun is far enough overhead that it matters less. I get a very different growing season at the allotment than in the back garden or the Soup Garden (which is even more protected but does lack light).