Allotment dreams
Sunday, April 27, 2014
I can't lie, this is all Chris' doing. He's been beavering away for the past few months (to my general disdain) working on the fence and sorting out the rest of the plot.
The main plan is to get a lot of fruit trees and soft fruit bushes established this year so as to take up an area of the allotment that wont need to be worked year in year out. I'm pretty chuffed as I'm a fruit lover and the trees include several varieties of apple, pear, plum, apricot and cherry trees, soft fruits; strawberry, raspberry (includes yellow ones), blackcurrant, blackberry, tayberry, redcurrants, whitecurrants, red gooseberries and red & white grapes, rhubarb... good grief the list goes on.
Anyway, over Easter I thought I'd play the role of a good wife and help out with the spring chores necessary for a successful allotment so ended up preparing the ground for some growing action. I also planted some potatoes (which were late first earlies apparently) even though I hardly eat potatoes any more
Check out the cute fence Chris erected single handedly. I'm impressed. Maybe I was a little harsh by making him do it alone.
There is still plenty of planting to be done and I'm trying to be more supportive by helping our for a few hours here and there but the nature of the allotment site means that it is always really windy there which makes me feel ill (for some reason if it's on that cusp between warm and cool I feel quite poorly) so wrapping up is always a must. There is a phenomenal amount of stone in the soil as well which only adds to the workload as areas for carrots need to be sifted to be made suitable.
Chris has also put together a raised bed in which we are going to grow salad leaves.
I just need the temperature to notch up ten degrees, a good windbreak and a cool beverage then I'll be there full time. Until then I'll be hunched up in my puffa jacket and blowing my nose every five minutes sowing the seeds and dreaming of summer.
Sophie
13 comments
This is awesome! The list of things you're growing is so long! I can manage some salad leaves and strawberries in my greenhouse but that's about it. Yours is an ambitious plan for the first year - but nothing feels quite like eating something you've grown for yourself! If you have any spare fruit, just let me know - always happy to help eat a glut of strawberries ;o)
ReplyDeleteGosh, you guys are amazing! This will all be worth it. :)
ReplyDeleteTara x
Looks great :) How lovely for you! xx
ReplyDeleteI am loving this! A few weeks ago we took a little stroll through a beautiful suburb of Newcastle and there was a massive allotment! The sun was shining and it was full of people working hard digging and enjoying the sun ... I was pretty jealous! You certainly wouldn't need a gym membership with an allotment! One of my friends back in Norfolk has one and she's always posting photos of it on Facebook she loves it!
ReplyDeleteChloe x
newgirlintoon.co.uk
Ahhh, an allotment!!! I loved our one when I was a child but we grew all sorts of unusual veg rather than lots of fruit, a little envious, I confess!! X
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous all I have is my little herb garden.
ReplyDeleteOh this looks lovely, I will be SO jealous of all of your amazing food when you have grown it :)
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
Good luck with that 10° the fence looks like it's very well built (credit to Chris). Very ambitious, but if you don't make the most of the space it'd be a waste. Well done keep blogging and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
ReplyDeleteRegards Darren. Dayinthelifeofagrower.blogspot.com
I love your blog Sophie! Deb @ www.girlontheplot.blogspot.co.uk
ReplyDeleteI grew up with my parents always having an allotment and all the work pays off when you get to taste everything - always so much better. We're off to dig a veg patch and plant some raspberries and rhubarb when we move into our house, one of the first things we're doing with the garden that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteoh wow, Chris has done a great job with your help. It's going to be so nice tucking into your own produce x
ReplyDeleteOoh all those fruit trees, I'm so jealous! You make my chili and chive window box look like nothing :)
ReplyDeleteGems x
Fashion, Well Done
I must admit that as much as I love seeing the 'fruit' of the labour when gardening, I hate doing the gardening itself. I potted a few things in pots on Thursday, only for our mini greenhouse to blow over in the night and spill them everywhere so I was very grumpy about that! Your allotment is looking great though and it will be amazing when you get all of that fruit and veg, it's such an amazing feeling to be able to eat things you've grown yourself.xo
ReplyDeleteRosie | A Rosie Outlook
I love to hear your comments xx