2008... oooh, it's cold

Greetings, people! Welcome to our ten-pole-sized blog, featuring all the fun and frolics from an allotment in Bedford! Not much experience, but bags of enthusiasm, lots of dirt just a-waitin' to be cultivated... and his-and-her's sheds!!! What more do you need?!


So, new year, new resolutions. Mine is to no longer be a lazy layabout and actually Spend Time At The Allotment Even If It’s Cold And Windy. It’s a bit like going to the gym – once you get there it’s good fun and you get loads done and feel all self satisfied afterwards, with a warm glow. It’s even better because we know that in a few months (or maybe even weeks!) the plot’ll be just bursting with produce all fresh and shiny and just waiting to be plucked of the branch or plant or whatever, and rushed home and eaten. Or better yet, eaten right then and there. Yum yum yum.

Anyway, I'm sure some of you will be thinking 'what on earth is she doing writing a blog about the allotment? She can’t even get on Facebook more than once a month!' But that’s the plan… an at-least-once-a-monthly update which may not interest anyone particularly, but gives me a chance to get all rambley and excitable about The Things That Are Growing. As I tend to do. (Especially when you have put that self same thing in the ground as a tiny weeny seed and (poof!) as if by magic a few weeks later it’s an actual carrot, crunchy and peppery and a proper carrotty colour, not that slightly luminous orange you get at the supermarket.)

Last weekend was a busy one, as Saturday was probably the first really lovely weekend day of 2008. So, we set off for the allotment with bags, tools, camera and soup in thermos flasks... more like an expedition really. I’d also got my fancy new gardening gloves - two pairs, for all seasons and weather conditions (I am struggling to actually get them anywhere near some mud, however) as well as my fancy hand-fork and trowel (thanks Mum!). A note here, my blog-reading friends. Don’t bother buying cheapo £1.99 tools. They look all nice and shiny in the bargain shops, but as soon as they go anywhere near an obstinate root or a bit of clayey soil they just bend at the neck, a la Mr Soft from those Softmint adverts. And then eventually they snap in half and are Good For Nothing. I now have nice tools, nice gloves. And hot ribena for its warming properties. And all is right with the world.

We spent most of Saturday setting out where the paths are going to go in the plot (see the before and after pics above), so it looks all tidy and organised and like we know exactly what we’re doing (hah!). We’re attempting not so much the ‘No Dig’ method as a ‘Dig Less’ method, so by having lots of paths we can walk on the soil less and it won’t get so compressed. This, apparently, is what plant roots like. And worms, which come under my list of Good Beasts, along with ladybirds.

Spent a good four hours pottering about. And I also managed to aquire some raspberry canes (above) from the deserted, overgrown and sadly abandoned plot next door. I have convinced myself it was a mercy mission as they were about to be throttled by the evil blackberry bushes (Grr, get ye hence). I think we now have 5 wee raspberry canes planted, which I am just willing to survive in their new spot.

Then came Sunday, blustery and blowy with a freezing wind, but we went to the allotment anyway! But heard some bad news from one of our allotment chums. Apparently some time over the past two weeks his shed has been burnt down. I guess some people don't have anything better to do. He was gutted (ooh, bad choice of words), and it made us think a bit more about what we leave in the sheds.



Adam did lots more digging and fence-post-sticking-in (check out his crookedy fence which he built in the Autumn!) while I planted some more garlic (next to the row which is coming up below) and some baby globe artichoke plants. So all in all we're feeling pleased with ourselves.. but roll on spring eh? It's bloody cold...