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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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 Posted: Thu May 12, 16 8:14 pm Post subject: a bit of an anticlimax |
 
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yesterday i got my new plot and after googling what to do with my new 'jungle' i posted on the thread
"this has been an interesting read - got my plot today - 10 rods - VERY overgrown so was looking for advice - and have found a fair bit of info that i will try out
by overgrown I mean waist high grass and weeds - but also some huge rhubarb (made myself a very nice rhubarb crumble tonight ) - there are also some fruit bushes - i think raspberries and was told there was also red currants - and 2 small trees that i haven't been able to identify
other inherited finds so far is a strawberry patch that looks salvagable if i can carefully get rid of weeds - i think spring onions - a concrete slabbed area where i can put a cheap greenhouse - a shed in very good nick with a small chest of drawers, a few shelves - string, canes and a few other bits
some of the rhubarb had gone to seed, so an experienced allotmenteer suggested i rid myself of seed, so we yanked them all off and ended up with loads of usable rhubarb and a load for the compost!! - that reminds me - there are also 3 compost bins made from pallets that are overflowing and coming apart - which i will deal with later (maybe very much later) - we also pulled up some of the ?spring onions? which i have cleaned but not eaten any of yet
tomorrow i am going to go around the plot and remove the weed seed heads that are in abundance before i start hacking the grass down (unless i can find a cordless strimmer to borrow which will be easier than hacking!) we are not allowed to use carpet on our sire - so will probably go for cardboard and black plastic sheeting (which they sell in the allotment shop) to kill off some of the plot weed and grasses
all in all i am really happy with the plot i have been allocated - and hoping to find so more 'goodies' when i start clearing "
after work i went to the allotment and scythed around the strawberry bed and then completely weeded the strawberry patch and it looked great and was bigger than i originally thought agter all tyhe grass was cut down.
and bonus - council man riding on lawnmower asked if i wanted him to have a go with the mower on my plot - and within 5 mins most of the jungle has been cleared - bar the areas that have fruit bushes and trees and near the concreted area
checked email when i got home and had an email from the allotment offficer - the one half of the plot has not been given up, although she thinks it has been abandoned but has to check - and this is the much better side where i did the strawberries and scything and removing flowers and seed heads from rhubarb - although i suppose it isn't 5 hrs wasted - i feel a bit flat! Here's hoping the (previous) tenant has abandoned the plot as I REALLY REALLY want it  |
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 41984
Location: North Devon
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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Fingers crossed for you. Most places will kick you off your allotment if you're not maintaining it. |
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Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34031
Location: Hereford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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| sean wrote: |
| Fingers crossed for you. Most places will kick you off your allotment if you're not maintaining it. |
Yes. But this ones recently been tended, scythed and harvested.  |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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lol yeah something like that - i will go and do 112L tomorrow - maybe get a bed done and some potatoes in now that nice mr council mower man has done such a grand job 
i have taken pics yesterday and today - but i don't know how to put them on the thread  |
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 41984
Location: North Devon
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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Click on Attach File at the bottom of the box you type into.
Use the Browse function to find your image, click 'open', click the Upload File button. |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 16 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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thanks Sean
yesterday
today (think it is from other end of plot
and today scythed and weeded strawberry patch |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 11143
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| Posted: Fri May 13, 16 5:44 am Post subject: |
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Well the mowing helped a lot, as long as it didn't cut anything useful down. Good work with the strawberry patch. Hope you get some good strawberries from that after all your hard work. |
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 16 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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nearly had the plot a week now - two beds done - 1.2m x 4m - but 1.2m is proving a tad wide :/ - have planted potatoes and broad beans
have started 3rd bed - was going to get my brassicas in - but allotmenters have said i need to wait a bit till they a bit bigger (they about 7cm) so maybe parsnips or perhaps carrots and radish
an allotmenter was given a wheelbarrow by a neighbour this week - and having 3 decided to give me his old one it is a very old construction wheelbarrow - but solid and very functional
i have not heard about the adjoining allotment yet, but folk who knew him said he gave away bits from his shed before leaving and dug out some of his gooseberry bushes, and said he didnt have time to tend it any more - so just waiting for the official go-ahead - hopefully by this time next week i will have some positive feedback from the alotment officer |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 11143
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 16 6:09 am Post subject: |
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I would suggest from experience that 1m wide is the maximum you want for a bed. We started our raised beds at something like 1.2m and they are too wide. The only way to dig them is to stand on the undug bit. The 1m wide ones are far better, and as we have light soil I can dig the entire bed from the edge.
Builders wheelbarrows are good and sturdy, so should last well. Always tip up when not in use though as they will go rusty easily.
Sounds as if you are doing well. I am waiting for my cabbage to get big enough to go out too. As we have slugs/snails and pigeons, I will have to organise the bed with copper, beer traps and net first though. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 35920
Location: yes
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 16 6:51 am Post subject: |
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thinking of pests ,sparrows are a mixed blessing(they ate all my lettuce this year) but they do eat loads of aphids and pillars,cage anything with tasty seeds or nice young leaves.mice are monsters for pea seeds but a lot of "cat pepper" puts them off etc etc .
allotment growing needs more pest control than small scale domestic garden style |
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Tavascarow
Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
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colettedeann
Joined: 11 May 2016
Posts: 35
Location: Chelmsford
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 16 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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I was told today the other plot is mine - so i can crack on and get netting over the strawberries
I started my 4th bed today - somehow i have maintained the 1.2m width - but hey ho - will just have to manage this season - i have not managed to plant out my stuff - they are all leggy now being grown in a flat and been told that it would be a waste of time pitting them out - the tomatoes look good tho - think it is warm enough to plant out soon - the brassicas are still quite small and have been advised to wait a tad longer to plant out. It seems the butternut should also be ok o plant out
my third bed ended up being used to plant out early potatoes and onion sets which one of the men brought round to me and said they had a sale at b&q and only wanted a few - and also had a gift from an old allotmenteer of a potted mint plant - which i need to think where to put as i know it can take over if allowed
tavascarow - i hear u and yep agree - but to get anything in this season i need to get rid of quite deep twitch in some sections and i also have sections of thickly knitted what seems like moss |
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