She Who Digs

A sad farewell....but new beginnings!

2010-09-29T13:16:00.025+01:00

Four years ago I took on this plot:

and I am very sad to have to now say goodbye; to it and the lovely gardeners on Choice Allotments, especially my fellow Association committee members.

And after 9 years working in my beloved garden, transforming it from this:

to this

with such a HUGE amount of work AND enjoyment, it's heartbreaking to have to walk away, but I now have a new project in a new location and lots of happy memories.

In May, HWDD landed himself his dream job, so we put our house on the market and were lucky enough to sell it the same day!

On July 16th (our wedding anniversary) we moved into our new house, 200 miles north west in the lovely market town of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire.

September saw me return to Hastings to say one final farewell to my friends, my plot and collect my harvest and fruit bushes. I was very sad for lots of reasons, but it will be a good move for us and I am already begining to make new friends.

We still have boxes to empty and lots to get organised indoors, but I have sorted my priorities and started a vegetable plot in the back garden. More convenient than an allotment, smaller, but just as much fun!

Winter wonderland....

2010-01-19T13:35:00.009Z

Happy New Year to everyone!

Snow is such a novelty in the south of England that everything grinds to a halt. Not that we minded and it was such fun while it lasted. Now that it has gone (except for the remains of giant snowmen) Little Digger (LD) couldn't understand why I wouldn't let him stand on the thawed water!

The broad beans, garlic, onions & parsnips have not come to any harm during the 'Big Freeze'

and I've managed to sort out the shed guttering, water butts, shelving and also a separate compost for perennial weeds.

It didn't stay this empty for long!

Underneath the snow in the garden, there are actually some plants beginning to flower....

Keep warm and all the best for 2010!

She Who Digs, He Who Doesn't Dig and Little Digger

Who said that size doesn't matter?

2009-11-23T20:11:00.005Z

53cm / 21 inches of organically grown Tender & True parsnip!

It weighed in at 1.8kg / 4lb!

and tasted horrible, even when roasted with honey.
:-(

2009-11-09T12:22:00.003Z

In case you thought we’d dropped off the edge of the earth, I'm happy to reassure you all that we’re still here and have had a very busy and productive summer:

In no particular order: My Alisa Craig onions sown from seed were a resounding success, as where the raspberries planted in April .

BD & I are still picking the Autumn Bliss, although I’ve yet to get him to eat a single one!

We took a weeks holiday on the Isle of Wight and visited Osborne House; Queen Victoria’s summer palace.

My ‘Chelsea Cabbage’ survived the caterpillar attack and was shared with my sister Carol.

The Mayan Gold spuds did pretty well and we’ve now sussed out how to cook them. They don’t need par-boiling before you roast them and also make excellent ‘wedgies’ although are rather on the small side for baking.

The carrots were a disaster and this is the entire crop from three packets of seeds!The Brussels sprouts are doing well and taste wonderful (only if you like sprouts of course)

We had fun shelling peas

but saving the best until last...................

I now have my own shed :-)

Just need to felt the roof to stop the rain coming in, paint the exterior and sort out the inside.

A productive day out of the office.

2009-06-02T21:06:00.008+01:00

Today I treated myself to a day on the allotment by myself, instead of going to work. I wasn’t skiving and definitely didn’t take it easy! I actually worked SO HARD today that I wore out my boots.

This was my day....

By 9am I had hung out the wet washing, mown the lawn and shaded the greenhouse.
By 10am the plot perimeter was strimmed and looking very neat. By 11am I’d filled 3 water butts, watered the plants and planted out the big broccoli & remaining sprouts 2 courgette, 12 sweetcorn, (6 ‘Incredible’ the rest an unknown £1 bargain from a roadside stall.)

By then it was getting seriously hot so I refuelled with a cold beverage and quick sit down under the parasol.

After lunch I soldiered on and planted 12 climbing French beans, sowed dwarf ones & mange tout peas (A bit late, but never mind) Next to be planted were 9 Gardeners Delight & 3 Beefsteak tomatoes, 2 pumpkins, 7 small broccoli & 2 small Brussels sprouts (Bedford)

Keeping to my New Years resolution I’ve finally emptied the 6 sacks of 2 year old oak leaf mould from my sister Wendy. They have been slowly turning into wonderfully crumbly compost, as the sacks degraded in the sun and split at the slightest touch!

While mulching, I discovered these hungry munchers:

This cabbage wasn’t grown by me, but I lovingly transported to my plot from the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show where I bought it for £1 in the 4pm sell off on the final Saturday. I thought I’d squashed all the eggs I’d spotted last week, but had obviously missed a few.

My trip to Chelsea, (my first and not my last!) was hugely enjoyable and was topped off with a full 48 hours of ‘child-free’ indulgence, a trip around IKEA, shopping in Croydon and two nights away on my own. My in-laws kindly let me stay in their house, even though they were out of the country on holiday at the time.

My other purchases from Chelsea were:

An Allium shubertii and a lettuce Lollo rosso, both of which are in the back garden.

A pink Hawes metal watering can- a free gift with 3 months subscription to Amateur Gardener magazine. (1/2 the price of buying a can in the garden centre – I’d done my research just have to remember to cancel the direct debit in 3 months!!)
And finally 2 shallow tub trugs which BD has had fun playing with in the garden. I came home inspired, happy, tired, with aching arms and an empty purse!!

Here my favourite pictures from the many I took that day.

No, it's not real but made from Plasticine and won a RHS plasticine gold meadal.

The very expensive bronze snail was big enough to sit on!

Its been too long....

2009-04-20T12:30:00.005+01:00

since I last posted, but I have not been idle I promise.

Spring is such a busy time in the garden and the pressure was really on to get the plot dug and weeded, the potatoes and raspberries into the ground and seeds sown in the greenhouse.

Baby digger started at nursery this month and I have returned to work part time, so my time at home has been reduced by 2 & half days each week.

When I took on plot 26A last year my dreams of growing masses more were (with hindsight) widely unrealistic. Althought I managed to clear a lot, the sight of the bind weed poking through and growing at 2cm a day made me finally decide to give up the extra plot and concentrate on my original one.

In consolation I’ve put in a request to the council for permission to erect a shed on my plot- bigger than the one I’ve just given up! I paid a (willing!) fellow plot holder to weed & dig over three beds for me, which made the spud planting much easier. (1 bed Mayan Gold, 1 bed Sarpo Mira and a few Charlottes)

The raspberries (12x Autumn Bliss and 12x Tulameen) are in, as are the shallots, Broad Bean seedlings & seeds. The garlic planted last year finally seems to be growing and there are flowers on the blueberries and currant bushes!

Last Wednesday afternoon I took Baby Digger to Merriments Garden to see the tulips and generally run around! We had tea alfresco in the sunshine and I only bought 2 plants for the garden. (Dicentra spectabilis and a pink Astilbe)

The next thing will be to get the carrots & parsnips sown, prick out the tomatoes and pot on and harden off the Brussel spouts & broccoli and plan where to put my new shed……

Tag

2009-02-18T12:12:00.009Z

I've been tagged by Greenmantle to "go into your photo archive, pick the 4th folder in the archive, select the 4th picture in the folder, and write about it. A person then needs to tag 4 other people to do the same".

This is my sister Carol, holding me in the doorway of my dad's greenhouse. It's a scanned image of the original that I used to make posters when she had a 'milestone' birthday!

Here she is in a similar pose recently- this time holding Baby Digger, but not fashing her knickers!

To keep the momentum going I tag:

Sue from the Balcony Garden, Louise from This is my Patch, Primrozie and Lilymarlene from At Last I've got my plot!

Brrrrr!

2009-02-02T20:21:00.007Z

We didn't venture far today, just into the garden and of course- over to the allotment!

It continued to snow all afternoon and as HWDD had stayed at home to work, we busied ourselves rolling snowmen.

I'd moved the beans & onions sowings indoors yesterday but the camellia doesn't have the luxury of warmth
Special wishes go to our friends Darrrol & Raylene in Macclesfield, South Australia. I hope that these pictures cool you down! See you in the summer- for some British rain!

First sowing of 2009...

2009-01-25T14:32:00.007Z

In the greenhouse:
15x Broad Bean Bunyards Exhibition
15x Broad Bean Aguadulce
1 tray Onion Ailsa Craig.

On Friday Baby Digger and I visited my sister Wendy in Tunbridge Wells and called in to her plot after going to the park swings. She's only had it a year but has put a lot of time & effort into getting it productive. We dined on my home grown leek & potato soup (can't take credit for the bacon in it though!) and Wendy's home baked bread.

In the past week I've had a bonfire to try and get rid of the dead grass & buddleia I've hacked down, and put some of my 'inherited' cloches over the soil to start warming it.

HWDD made a rude comment relating to what he thought the cloches looked like, but I won't repeat it here!

Last Sunday was clear & sunny, so we had a family walk in Hastings Counrty Park. The photo is of the 'Fire Hills'. When I first moved to Hastings I joined the Volunteer Rangers in the park and that's how I came to meet HWDD.

Today its cold and wet (again) so we're staying in after having a swim this morning at the local pool. (equally cold & wet!)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T15:37:00.008Z

Best Wishes for 2009!

I'm not one for big New Year Resolutions as such, but this year I will "try my best" to be tidier on the plot. No more tossing the nasty weeds into sacks and letting them sit for months as slug & snail shelters!

Now that I have more space on my second plot, I plan to build a second compost heap to put all the ‘nasties’ into so they don’t contaminate the good compost. By keeping the plot generally tidier, the slugs & snails will go else where to breed & munch!

Baby Digger had a very exciting first Christmas being spoilt by Grandparents and cousins!

He officially took his first un-aided steps on Christmas Day and has been practicing with his little wooden truck ever since. (Not bad for 9 & 1/2 months old!)

New Years Day we explored Ham Fen with our Ranger friend & his family and were very impressed by the lodge the European beavers had made and what easy work they make of felling a tree.

My New Allotment!

2008-10-23T14:32:00.009+01:00

Yes I know I probably need my head tested but this allotment business is addictive!

Plot 26A, below mine, was originally worked for many years by the man I took mine over from. It was let in 2007 to a man I saw only twice. He didn’t return and the weeds went to seed.

I put my name on the waiting list for it, and it was offered to me last autumn when I was heavily pregnant and in no shape to dig, so it was let to a friendly woman with 4 children. She did a sterling job at tackling the weeds and planting crops, but sadly she didn’t return for her beans, garlic or onions and the bindweed took over once more. With 4 children I can understand the demands on her time- and I’ve just got one!

So, here I am the new tenant of 5 rods of plot 26A, a homemade glasshouse (of such) and a SHED! It may only be the size of a WC cubicle but it’s still my own shed.

It was very exciting to cut off the rusting padlock and discover what was inside. It was just as well I don’t mind spiders & cobwebs, as the contents were a little disappointing. Most of it is junk and will go to the tip but I can use the bubble wrap on the green house at home, the dustbin incinerator and the long handled weed scratchers that look like two large chicken’s feet!

(Mary, if you want any of this back, just leave me a message below)

I have great enthusiasm for my new land, but my time is limited and my energy low, but I won’t let that stop me. I can drift peacefully off to sleep at night imagining it without a weed in sight, with rich crumbly soil and rows of healthy crops, bountiful with harvest and a rosy cheeked toddler caked in mud, grinning from ear to ear!

A girl can dream can’t she?

Plot 26- Not much growing except Brussels spouts, celeriac & red cabbage. I'm still catching up on the weeding and trying to get my late spuds up before the slugs eat them all. The leeks seem to be doing well

And for all the Baby Digger followers across the globe, some recent photos of our Cheeky Chappy on holiday in Slovenia last week with his cousins.

Timeless day.

2008-08-10T18:58:00.005+01:00

By this I mean that time didn't matter today as I was completely free of parental responsibility and had no need to clockwatch.

With HWDD and BD out visiting grandparents, I escaped to the plot for four and a half hours straight! I will probably suffer for it tomorrow, but am pleased with how much I managed to do.

The brassica bed has 7x sprouts, 3x red cabbage, 3x celeriac and 2 broccoli, mulched and netted.

There are 20 broad beans (The Sutton) next to the rhubarb which were buzzing with bees.

And 130 leeks! 70x Mussleburgh (sown 01.08) and 50 Pandora (sown 4.08) I hope that DB has no ill effects from eating leaks, once we start weaning!

My men arrived home safely laden with runner beans from Grandad's garden- which are are definite hit with BD! (22 weeks)

Yesterday we had a very damp trip to Wakehurst Place and the Millennium Seed Bank before celebrating auntie Sharon’s xx birthday with the rest of the family.

Important stuff....

2008-08-04T14:36:00.008+01:00

Does it really matter if the weeds take over or the slugs eat the beans? Sometimes you just have to sit back and say- never mind, it can wait. The most important things in my life don’t need weeding, but do need lots of loving tender care and regular feeding!

I’m proud to say that HWDD harvested the garlic last week and the 15 bulbs are drying in the greenhouse.
There are about 6 cranberries ripening for the first time this year. Probably not enough to go with our Christmas turkey though.

Another shot of the garden a few days ago.

And another of Baby Digger, who’s now transplanted from his crib to a cot in his own room and is starting to explore the garden.

Time Management...

2008-06-04T20:53:00.003+01:00

What little spare time I have has to be used very wisely and divvied up between what needs to be done and what I’d like to do; in the house, in the garden and on the plot, while making sure I get enough sleep!

The weeds have not made any allowances for the fact that I’ve just had a baby. One fellow plot holder actually complemented on how lush they were, asking what crop it was that I was growing!

This prompted me to start pulling them out and have so far cleared 2 beds ready for the leeks and brasicas. I can’t bear to look at the other 6 that also need clearing, but at least I managed to clear and cover some last year in order to grow:

Spuds: Valour & Sarpo Mira planted by HWDD while back- but I can’t remember the exact date (never mind- he calls it ‘Mum-neisia’)

Onions: Red Barron & white- can’t remember & can’t be bothered to go & unlock the shed to find out! (started in trays) Garlic: Red & white from Kings
A rainbow of soft fruit: Strawberries, Black & Red Currants, Blackberries, Blue berries and some promising flowers on the cranberries for the first time.

My mum & Dad visited today and we took a stroll over to the plot, picked some strawberries & rhubarb. The pram is a great help in carrying the produce home. (underneath- Baby Digger is not sharing with produce (yet!))

The parting shot is of the garden last week, in rough comparison to what it was like 6 years ago when we moved in.

PS: One last photo of Baby Digger at 10 weeks old - sorry I couldn't resist!

Our Precious Seedling.....

2008-03-21T10:39:00.004Z

Our precious seedling was ‘re-potted’ on Saturday 8th March at 2.11pm and weighed in at a respectable 7lb 2oz.

He arrived through the ‘emergency escape hatch’ so I won’t be planting my own spuds this year! We plan to introduce ‘Baby Digger’ to the allotment later on today.

Blooming....

2008-03-05T14:30:00.004Z

I may be blooming (and waiting!) but my garden and plot are also 'Springing' into life with all this sunny weather.

We're still eating the Brussels Sprouts (do they count as 'flowers'?) and the white sprouting broccoli, but will leave the garden blooms alone, as they won't be as palatable!

The Clematis armandi will need some attentionto tie in the new growth before the next high wind.

I was quite impressed with the 3 headed narcissus!

Froggie Luvin!

2008-02-21T12:39:00.004Z

As I went to hang out the washing today, I disturbed, what looked like, a considerable number of frogs in the pond! The water was bubbling with ‘activity’ although these two hadn’t yet made it into the water!

The first of the spawn was laid a week a go on Valentines Day (same time as in 2007), so it’s looking hopeful for lots of tadpoles again this year!

Winter Garden

2008-02-05T19:49:00.000Z

We've had a weekend break away, the last before 'Baby Digger' arrives, with a friend in Bedfordshire. Knowing how much I like gardening and being rather 'physically challenged' with a huge bump, the National Trust Anglesea Abbey was a great choice for somewhere to visit on a cold, crisp, sunny winters day.

It featured on a gardening programme recently, where they were washing the algae from the silver birch trees! It did look stunning!

Only four weeks to go until our precious seedling is due. HWDD is rather apprehensive that it will be born under the gooseberry bush on the allotment!

Red sky in morning....

2008-01-17T20:45:00.000Z

Red sky in morning: Shepherd’s warning, as the old saying goes, which turned out to be true today.
The scarlet streaked sunrise (captured here at about 8am!) was the only thing to brighten the day’s grey sky and wind stirred waves. (Taken from the window at work)

To combat the winter blues (other wise known as Seasonal Defective Disorder or SAD) every morning I use my Go-lite to trick my brain into thinking it’s summer, and into producing serotonin to keep me happy! This is my third winter of light therapy and I wouldn’t be without it!

Something else that banished the winter blues is the sight of the first blooms on the camelia in the garden.

Santa Who Digs…

2007-12-23T13:37:00.000Z

Well more ‘Pump’ than digs really! As the plot is wet & cold, Santa Who Digs has been catching up with exercise with Debbie, the best Body Pump instructor around! Debs returned on Thursday night for a special Christmas Pump class before jetting off to warmer climes for some well deserved R&R. Baby Digger loved the music and was dancing along to the tracks.

Santa will be harvesting sprouts, cabbage, parsnips & leeks for Christmas dinner on Tuesday. After a week of frosts the parsnips will hopefully be really sweet.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all!

Santa Who Digs x

Vitamin Boost Box (plus chocolate)

2007-12-10T13:20:00.000Z

Desree spuds, onions, garlic, sprouts, parsnip, red cabbage & leeks

Yesterday, in a rare break in the dreary wet weather of late, I ventured over to the plot to harvest some veg for our friend Debbie.

Any remaining wrigglies I missed while washing them will add to Debbie’s protein intake and I hope speed her road to recovery. (I can’t however take credit for the Lindt chocolate reindeers!)

Precious seedling: due for delivery March 2008

2007-11-27T11:13:00.000Z

I do have a good reason for my apparent lack of activity on the plot- we are expecting ‘Baby Digger’ in early March, which has somewhat taken priority and most of my energy over the last 6 months.

I hope that all the fresh, homegrown fruit & veggies I’ve been eating have started baby off on the right path and I certainly plan to introduce him/her to the plot early on, but am trying to be realistic in what I think I can do next year!

In between decorating the nursery and preparing for Christmas I did get chance to photograph the brighter highlights in the garden:

This Acer has not been 'Photoshopped' I promise!

Competition winner?

2007-11-04T18:59:00.000Z

I dug up some leeks & parsnips today just to check on progress and was very pleased!

The biggest parsnip was 36cm / 14 inches long and the only one so far not to have bifurcated.

Must admit I am quite proud!

Creative cooking...

2007-10-23T12:55:00.000+01:00

HWDD had a birthday in October, so I decided to also get creative with his cake, after he created Barbapapa for me. He was also chuffed with our day out to the Historical Dockyard at Chatham to see all things nautical.

I decided to have a quick lay down while on the Cold War submarine, but couldn't begin to imagine the discomfort the sub-mariners lived in for months on end. While I snoozed HWDD was busy being impressed with the torpedo tubes.....

Back after a break (or not!)

2007-09-28T12:31:00.000+01:00

We were so insanely busy through September, that neither the garden nor plot had much attention. We had three weekend trips away- Croydon, (to visit in-laws) Richmond to see The Police play Twickenham and visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

Then it was back to London for the day on my birthday, to the Museum of Gardening History and lunch at Konstam at The Prince Albert in Kings Cross.

The next weekend we hosted a family BBQ for 15 and spent the next day clearing up and recovering! I took my sisters, mum and nieces over to my plot to see where the sweetcorn they’d just eaten was grown.

The builder started on levelling the patio last week. (pictures of the transformation will follow) We left him to it and headed to Swanage in Dorset for 4 days for a well derserved break!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-09-16T20:34:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 11th September was my XXth birthday.
He Who Doesn't Dig made me a wicked Barbapapa cake!

Its a very good likeness of the one he bought me in Brussels on our 1st anniversary back in July.

He may not dig, but he sure does fish!

2007-08-31T13:17:00.000+01:00

Last weekend He Who Doesn’t Dig & I went fishing for mackerel from our local beach.
You didn’t really need a rod & line, as you could have waded in with a net, there were so many of them. The water looked like it was boiling as the mackerel fed manically on the smaller whitebait fish.
I was so excited that I took loads of photos, the one above being the best and below is my first attempt at posting a video clip (of the ‘boiling sea’!)

We stopped when we caught 15, gave 2 away,

ate 2 each, there and then and the rest are in the freezer for a forthcoming party & bbq in September, weather permitting!

Food! (Fantastically fresh and free- except for the hard graft & seeds!)

2007-08-24T11:31:00.000+01:00

I’m enjoying this time of year the most, as we are now eating produce from the plot. This is how it looked in August last year- just to spur on all you 'newbies' out there!

Venison Wellington stuffed with garlic & shallot duxelle, served with roast potatoes, climbing beans, peas and braised red cabbage. The veg for this meal was all home produced, but can’t take the credit for the carrots, venison or the pastry that made the ‘Wellington’.

All very much enjoyed & appreciated by HWDD and me!

Sadly the beans loose their pretty pink markings when steamed.

The slugs are still attacking most things including the beetroots-Urggggh!

The peas have picked up after a shaky start and a battering by the wind & rain.

These are spuds from just one plant and don’t seem to have been affected by blight. I’ve still got 45 plants still to dig up!

I spotted these little beasts on the sprouts so took off the netting and ‘dispatched’ all I found. Please don’t tell me they are some rare species- I just want sprouts for Christmas dinner!

Whilst on my knees, I noticed that the stems on the curly kale looked so pretty and velvety!

Although I said I wouldn’t grow any sweet peas this year- after last years mammoth effort for our wedding, I relented and sowed seed saved from last years plants. We gave away seed with our ‘thank you’ letters and everyone who has grown them has reported a distinct lack of pink & lilac blooms!

The leeks & parsnips are doing well. Note to self to grow more of these next year!

I’ve now finally got round to hanging up the onions & garlic in the shed in some old (clean) tights kindly sent by mum.

We are now eating the first of the tomatoes from the garden greenhouse- 2x red variety and 2x yellow from friend Karen. Can’t remember the names but they taste much better than shop bought ones!

I’ll finish with some shots of the garden:

This Echinacea plant was bought with 8 others from B&Q as bare roots in spring. The slugs just love them- this is now the only survivor of the nine!

View from my new office.... and catch up.

2007-08-03T12:58:00.000+01:00

Things have been rather busy recently, so apologies for not blogging much. I’ve started a new job- an internal secondment for a year and now that I’m based in the town centre I tend to leave my desk for fresh air (a beach walk or retail therapy!) at lunchtime instead of staying at my desk and blogging.

We've also celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary with a trip to Brussels on the Eurostar:
I have to cut myself a bit of slack, as it is only my first full year with an allotment. Will next year be easier?? At least I know what grows well (onions, leeks & garlic) and what doesn’t or is too labour intensive. (Peas & beans)

I have had very encouraging comments from fellow plot holders, who have admired my raised wooden beds and weed controlling pathways. It was worth all the effort last year, but I still find it a chore to strim round the edges!

Here are a few photos of how it’s all looking:

The onions have now all been lifted and are drying up side down on the slats of the staging in the greenhouse at home. They were being devoured by slugs & snails and beginning to get waterlogged stems, but are all a good size and I haven't lost many.

This snail had managed to get right inside the onion leaf!!

The leeks are in and covered with netting to stop the birds pulling them out. I used a broom handle to make holes 8 inches deep to plant them in- both tips suggested by my experienced plot neighbour.
The sprouts have little buds forming, we've started eating the tender leaves of the curly kale, but the peas have struggled against bird & slug attack.

Sadly the lettuces were devoured completely during 5 days of rain when I wasn't able to get to the plot. I think I'll stick to growing them in the garden next year, where they will be closer to hand and easier to keep an eye on.

At least it's looking like the sweetcorn have benefitted from all the rain we've had and have grown massively in a month!

My favourite flowers in bloom in the garden at the moment are:

Calla Lilly (Zantedeschia)

Lilly unknown (from B&Q which has overcome relentless slug attack!)

A special hello to Martin & Marion, fellow plot holders, who stumbled across my blog while searching the web for ladybird houses. (see my post from Sept 2006)

2007-06-19T13:21:00.001+01:00

Things seem to be growing really well at the moment. The sweet corn is really putting on height and I’ve not lost any to slugs.

Same goes for the Brussels Sprouts and Curly Kale- netted from cabbage whites and pigeons.

The spuds are doing their best to shade out the weeds, but I think I could have planted them closer together. Earthing them up is quite hard in the raised beds, so note to self for next year – rake all the soil to the middle of the bed before planting two rows then use this to earth them up. One bed of lates didn’t get done or weeded (top right) and they don’t seem to be doing as well as the others. Too late to worry now though and I guess we’ll be over run with spuds at the end of the season anyway!

Productive weekend!

2007-06-06T13:04:00.000+01:00

I managed to get my 42 sweet corn seedlings planted out

Pea, pink climbing bean and mange tout seedlings transplanted and fresh seeds sown,

Beetroot sown

Peas planted and new seed sown. (garlic to the left is amost finished)

I went back at about 9pm Sunday evening on slug watch- to pick off the offenders into the bucket and re-locate them to a ‘wild’ part of the site. (Can’t bear to dispatch them!) I lost count after 50, the majority of whom were happily devouring my onions!

Meet the neighbours...

2007-05-29T13:47:00.000+01:00

I thought I’d show you what the plots around mine (number 26) look like.
To my left is:

The one to my right has been worked by the same person for over 30 years:

A guy took up plot 26A below me at the same time as I started plot 26, as they used to be worked as one by the previous tenant.

I’ve got my name first on the waiting list should he wish to give it up, and wished now that I’d taken both last year. Realistically though, it would have been too much to cope with all at once, but now I’m established, I’ve a hankering for more space for fruit trees, and permanent fruit bus beds- not to mention HWDD’s favourite- Rhubarb!

Visitors.....

2007-05-29T13:15:00.000+01:00

A fairly typically wet Bank Holiday weekend just gone, but I do have some photos to update you with. HWDD’s parents visited (MIL & FIL!) and requested a visit to my plot. We managed to get there and back on foot before it rained, then packed up ‘The Boys’ and went off for lunch.

‘The Boys’ are HWDD’s family tortoises ‘Speedy’ and ‘Wally’, who had been staying with us while MIL & FIL were on holiday. At home they have the run of the garden and obviously didn’t like being penned in with our makeshift chicken-wire enclosure, as Speedy escaped TWICE and Wally once. It’s just the worst feeling to come home, find them missing, dredge the pond fearing the worst- but a HUGE relief to find them happily asleep under a plant! They certainly enjoyed a visit from my two eldest nieces last week.

I needed to work of the delicious lunch, so spent a couple of hours on the plot Saturday afternoon. I finished weeding & digging bed three (above) ready for the peas & beans and strimmed the pathway and edges. There just 2 more beds to weed, but I really don't have much enthusiasm for it! I don't want to dig them, as it's where the brassicas will go, (keep the soil fitm) but will have to do something soon as by greenhouse is bursting at the seams with broccoli & cabbages!

We’ve been eating some of the broad beans that were sown in October, and strangely just one of the 15 or so plants is being attached by black fly!

Happy (not so old) woman!

2007-05-17T17:32:00.000+01:00

The 2nd free Bosch battery for the strimmer has arrived! I just need it to stop raining long enough to get out to the plot and try it out!

Grumpy old woman?

2007-05-09T12:42:00.000+01:00

Grrrrrrrrrrr I'm beginning to feel like one of the above as I'm now having a run-in with B&Q. I bought a cordless strimmer for the Lottie & garden which they are marketing as having a "Second free battery for longer cutting time".

Open the box- only one battery- ring store- ring Bosch- ring another Bosch number- office closed grrr!
Next day- ring B&Q- make complaint- ring Bosch again- ring a third Bosch number- finally told to send in a letter with receipt- draft letter- go to post office- send recorded as receipt is proof of 2 yr guarantee.

What's next- things always happen in threes?

Reply to complaint to T & M

2007-05-08T12:27:00.000+01:00

"Thank you for your recent e-mail.

The plants are cuttings from the parent plant and these will have the appearance of being wilted due to the time lapse of the plants leaving our warehouse and being delivered.

We would advise customers to plant them up immediately following the cultural instructions and we are confident these will produce a good root system in the next 3 to 4 weeks and go on to become healthy plants."

I've already done what they suggested, as per instructions that came with the plants- so will have to just wait & see!

Fruit, carrots & parsnips

2007-05-07T18:04:00.000+01:00

I took Friday off work to make an extra long weekend and spend time on the allotment while HWDD was at work (Sunday too, as he also had to work)

I dug and raked the bed for the carrots & parsnips in 30 minute bursts, interspersed with 'rests' to plant the fruit bushes and enjoy the sunshine!

Sunday the weather was much colder and greyer, but I didn't mind as I still had bed 2 (peas & beans) to dig. I had soaked both the beds the day before and covered with carpet, to soften the clay crust, so it was pretty easy going.

I sowed 4 rows of Parsnip Javelin and one row each of carrots: Early Nantes, Autumn King & Health master. The other 3 rows of each will follow in succession.

We've started eating the small broad bean pods- steamed whole -yum!

Only managed 1/2 of the bean bed before retiring to the garden after lunch and planting up my previous veggie plot, used for sweet peas last year and left bare since then.

I noticed this fern (type unknown- donated by dad) and was compelled to take a picture. I was taken by it's lovely shape when viewed from directly above!

Sweet potato disappointment

2007-05-03T10:34:00.000+01:00

Copy of complaint to Thompson & Morgan 3rd May 2007

Dear Sir or Madam,
I wish to make a complaint about the produce I have just received: 10 slips of sweet potato Beauregard- photos attached.

As you can see they are very wilted and probably beyond saving.
I am not at all impressed with how they were packaged: just loosely in a plastic bag without any moisture retaining tissue.

Having paid £11.49 for them back in 2006, (more than £1 each) I wish to inform you that I am requesting a full refund (not a credit note) as I will, in future, be taking my custom elsewhere.

RSVP
Regards,

Construction completed!

2007-04-23T13:06:00.000+01:00

Boy, am I feeling knackered today. No one would seriously contemplate doing 7 hours of hard slog in the gym, so why do us gardeners do it on the allotment or in the garden?? (Because it is more enjoyable of course!)

One final push yesterday, saw the completion of the last two wooden raised beds. The last four at the southern end of the site (beds 6, 7, 11 & 12) have been made with bought pressure treated timber, as Freecycle did not have anything to offer.

The area was rotivated a week ago (2 hours) and 2 beds constructed. (2hours) I hired the allotment association’s rotivator for the bargain sum of £2 per hour and spent 2 hours wrestling with it as I tried to force it through the solid crust of clay. Although a cheap loan, there was no reverse facility and I had to keep the throttle full open to stop it stalling, so the peace of the Sunday morning (from 10am) was shattered for the allotment’s neighbours- sorry!

Yesterday I worked from 9.45 until 17.30 with only an hour off for lunch built the last 2 beds, laid the pathway fabric and planted 70 organic seed potatoes, leaving a gap for the sweet potatoes which have yet to arrive from T&M.
10x each of varieties as follows:
Charlotte, Orla, Valor, Desiree, Sante, Sarpo Mira, Pink Fir Apple.

I now have to stand up from sitting very slowly, as my muscles creak and cry out in protest!

83 Onions – started in modules- have gone into bed 9; 51 Red Baron and 32 Centurion. (30 spare Centurion to be fitted in else where)

The permanent fruit bed is made but not dug and my 2x redcurrant, 2x blackcurrant and 2x gooseberries are waiting to go in. The raspberry bed has been neglected and I might just see whether they crop this year. If not I will cut my losses and start again in the autumn with fresh new canes and re-conditioned soil

Bed 2, with over wintered garlic, shallots and broad beans is doing well, but has cracks in the clay that I can fit my finger into! It’s strangely exciting to see the pods forming on the beans, so I will have to start watering, if it doesn’t rain soon.

All we need now is some rain- whatever has happened to the ‘April Showers’? We’ve had no rain here in the south of England for the whole of April!

I’ve also been pretty busy in the garden at home, dividing perennials and filling in the gaps where last year I grew my wedding sweep peas. I’m aiming for a low maintenance garden with no pots which require watering daily.

We are planning on having the patio levelled, but can’t agree on exactly what to do! We can agree on the type & colour of the paving, but not on whether to keep the patio ‘L’ shaped or turn the far most bit in front of the camellia, into a raised bed.

Happy 1st Anniversary to Plot 26 and SWD

2007-04-10T12:45:00.000+01:00

I’ve now been an allotment tenant for one whole year! I’ve yet to harvest anything except weeds, weeds and more weeds, but the construction of the wooden raised beds is almost finished and the over wintered broad beans, garlic and shallots are all doing well.

Just as a personal reminder to me more than anything- here is a picture of what it looked like this time last year and after a full day’s hard graft last Thursday.

Athough taken from different angles, it reminds me on how far I've come clearing the soil of weeds and building what I hope will be an imensely productive and not too time consuming plot in the future. My crops are all planned in a four year rotation with the spuds chitting on the north facing window sills at home- waiting to go in.
I plan to do 45 minutes of digging on my way home from work every day this week as the weekends just aren't long enough to fit everything in!

Sunshine & fishes

2007-03-27T13:39:00.000+01:00

We’ve swapped Egyptian sun for English sun, but it’s not as warm here as it was in the Red Sea. We both needed a well-deserved break and both did some diving in Zarbagad- easy house reef diving for me as a novice, but enough to keep HWDD (a Rescuer) interested.

I’ve only managed to get over to the plot once, last Sunday. I built the 7th bed and started to dig over the bed where the onions will go. It’s still pretty wet but the heavy clay has already crusted over and cracked on the surface in the sun, so I’ll have my work cut out improving the soil quality. Forgot to take the camera, so sorry no photos.

Sunday morning in the garden....

2007-02-18T17:49:00.000Z

SHD: “Honey, I’m off to the shops- will be about an hour. I’ll leave you in peace to trim the hedge”
#

#
One hour later……
#

Argggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

Don’t panic, only kidding, this was all planned, although it looks rather harsh. We’re really, really hoping that with some manure and TLC the privet hedge will regenerate a good as new. We are planning on having our mish-mash concrete patio levelled and needed to cut it back before work starts.

Please grow!!

What annoyed me greatly was that the previous owner had left so much rubble behind when he constructed the patio. I dug out 8 (liftable) sacks of broken paving slabs and clusters of bricks. I will offer them on freecycle before recycling them at the tip. ( I know it's a 'he' as I work with his nephew!)

There are now signs in the garden that spring will soon be upon us:

Pussy willow in bud.

A baby newt found hiding in the soil under the (now bare) hedge.

The camelia which has been in flower since late January!

And the frogs must have known that it was Valentines Day last week!

Winter hibernation.

2007-02-09T17:04:00.000Z

I feel a bit like I’m in hibernation with this blog at the moment, but promise to start posting a bit more regularly when things start getting sown in spring.

I have been able to get onto the plot and continue to make the raised beds, even though it is squelchy and very wet. The carpet pathways are slowly being replaced with woven landscape fabric, as the beds are constructed – 6 down, 6 to go!

The rhubarb from the garden has been transplanted into bed 4, along with a bargain £1.99 plant from ESK Warehouse.

The broad beans, garlic and shallots are all growing well and each time I visit, I can’t help but pick a shallot leaf to taste the intense flavour- much to the annoyance of HWDD, who now avoids kissing me hello, when I get home!

Tag!

2007-01-11T21:35:00.000Z

I’ve been tagged by Greenmantle so must share with you 5 things about me that you probably don’t know:

1. I have three sisters and HWDD thinks we look like this. (I’m the youngest, so must be third from the left!)

2. My paternal family tree can be traced back to 1699, but the family name will not continue now that I’ve married HWDD. I have gone from having a unique, frequently annoyingly miss-spelt name to proudly belonging to a new family whose name is blissfully easy to spell and even linked to vegetables, in a roundabout way!

3. The highest point on earth on which I have stood upon is the Kalihari Pass in the Himalayas at 15,000 feet above sea level.

4. The lowest point would be –18m, on the bottom of the Indian Ocean while diving off the coast of South Africa during our honeymoon.

5. Earlier this week I took my Mum & Dad to see ‘The Sound of Music’ at the London Palladium theatre, for mum’s birthday. It was a fabulous show and the songs all gave me goose bumps, evoking happy memories from childhood and of a previous trip to see it with Granny, back in 1982!

I shall Tag Lily Marlene, Petunia's Garden and The Balcony Garden

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T19:45:00.000Z

The sun shone all day today- what a wonderful way to welcome in the New Year. I hope to be back on the allotment at the weekend after having some time off while busy with Christmas. WHDD has agreed to help me collect some more wood to edge the beds with, from a local Freecycler but has has chuckled at me for preparing an Excel spreadsheet with all my seed details on it. It will help me plan and make sure I don’t buy any more of what I already have! It’s a quiet time of year for growing, but I’ve got lots of plans for spring and have ordered my spuds and sweet potatoes in readiness.

Smoke without fire?

2006-11-29T13:04:00.000Z

Not exactly smoke, but I had to do a double take when I opened the kitchen blinds this morning and saw the steam rising from the fence and bird table!

The robin on the washing line pole has become very friendly and happily loiters close by when I'm out there digging- hoping for a worm or two.

One month after 1st planting......

2006-11-28T13:03:00.000Z

There is life on my plot- in addition to the worms & weeds!

One month on and the broad beans, garlic and shallots are all doing well.
The plastic cover to my cloche blew away in high winds and although my plot neighbour and I both searched, it has vanished without a trace!

With a little help from Erica from Freecycle, I now have a stack of old floorboards to finish off the raised beds. Four beds done- only eight more to go!!

He Who Does Dig (with machinery only!)

2006-11-07T13:26:00.000Z

As you can see from the photos, HWDD & I were out on the plot early Saturday morning to take delivery of a rotivator for 3 hours. The site looked magical with the sun glinting off the frost & dew!

We moved the carpet off, dug out all the docks that were pushing up underneath and relocated three frogs that had been hiding. I was amazed at how long the dock roots were- some nearly 40cm and as fat as a large parsnip!

HHDD was more than happy to fire up the rotivator and get stuck in. He has, like many men, a fondness for powered tools and much prefers using mechanical things to manual ones!

I have a strange fondness for the look, texture and smell of freshly dug earth. It’s cleanliness (of weeds!) and freshness inspires me to want to sow, nurture and care for all the lovely things I plan to grow to feed us next year!

The weeds will probably grow back with vengeance in spring, but for now I feel very proud of what we have achieved together, and it was lovely to have some help and company from HWDD to achieve it! I couldn't have done it without him!

Once the machinery had been collected, I raked & levelled the plot, measured and marked out the other 12 beds and cut the carpet into strips to cover the paths temporarily. This will allow me to work through the winter building the wooden beds without getting plastered in mud! The carpet will be replaced with weed control matting as they are constructed, as I’ve found it’s best to tuck this under the wood, and secure with homemade metal staples.

Boy did I ache on Sunday!

Finally the seeds are sown

2006-11-02T14:17:00.000Z

It was actually quite exciting and very satisfying to actually plant something in the ground, rather than just weed, weed & weed!

I planted Grovelands Jermor - Long shallot onion (over wintering)
Organic gardening catalogue GARLIC Thermidrome and
Wyvale T&M Broad Bean Aquadulce Claudia

I cobbled together a cloche structure out of canes and old hosepipe, to cover up the broad beans to help them germinate. If it doesn't blow away it should keep the worst of the weather off!
I'm contemplating hiring a rotivator and doing the whole plot and then leveling it out to make the beds- covering back up with carpet where necessary. It is actually on quite a slope, which I didn’t realize at first, but is apparent now I've started the third bed.

Hopefully this clear, cold sunny weather will hold for the weekend and I will be able to do a bit more on both the plot & in the garden.

2006-10-24T13:14:00.000+01:00

I haven’t forgotten that I’ve got an allotment and BLOG, it’s just that we’ve been so busy with friends visiting and family gatherings, I’ve just not been able to keep up with it all! Regrettably I’ve not been able to do any more on the allotment, but have managed to clear some more dead sweet peas from the garden, plant some daffodils and get some bargain perennials for £1 each at a local nursery!

The passion flowers have been fantastic this year and there are lots of ripe fruit on them now. This one was already partly open when I came to photograph it, but I’m not sure whether it had split open, or something had helped it!

The Clematis armandii which I thought I’d killed after flowering back in April is actually in flower this week! (Look closely!)Is this global warming on action I wonder?

2006-10-02T13:46:00.000+01:00

Had rather a domestic day Saturday as I managed to get the washing dry outdoors, the second bed weeded and made 6 pounds of ginger & marrow chutney! Love it when a plan comes together. The weeding took me 90 minutes solid and was rather boring, as I had forgotten to take my new digital wind up radio with me! (birthday present from WWDD as my old one was worn out!)
I think most of the weeds were broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) whose seeds apparently contain a chemical that inhibits microbial decay and are capable of surviving in undisturbed soil for over 50 years! Eeek I’d better not let them establish!

Not so magic carpet....

2006-09-26T19:06:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend, the man who has supplied my used carpet for the plot delivered a load more and I mean LOADS! I only discovered this today when went over there after work, and was confronted by a HUGE stinky pile. Apparently another plot holder let him and his lorry through the double gates so that he could un- load. It took me an hour to sort through it and you can see the surplus on the left of the picture- three big piles.

He had arranged to return and collect it today, but didn’t turn up, so I have a sinking feeling that I may be stuck with it! It’s already been offered on Hastings-Freecycle and I will do a sign so that any other plot holders know they can take it if they wish.

I weeded bed 1 and spread 7 sacks of manure out over the soil. I must remember to return soon and cover it up with the weed control fabric I bought dirt cheap earlier in the summer. The whole plot is now covered with carpet, so that I can just concentrate on getting each bed prepared in turn, without the continual battle against weed growth. Just hope my crops will grow as well as they seem to!

Overnight rain

2006-09-21T21:36:00.000+01:00

Earlier this week we had some rain overnight and I had time before work to take some pictures around the garden. At the moment, when viewed from the house, the garden seems predominately green with little other colour, but the closer you get, the more you see the beauty of the shades of green and the smaller stuff not visible when standing at the kitchen sink looking out!

This is the Clematis armandii I thought had died (I'd killed!) earlier in the year after it flowered. I think I over did it with the chicken manure pellets, but it has sprouted back to life and will hopefully bloom again! (The brown leaves are the immature ones)

This is the rose we were given for our wedding by James & Marie. I'll add the name later as it's too dark to go into the garden now.

I love the vivid green of the new banana leaves as they uncurl. HWDD gave this to me on my birthday last year and it was cosseted in the back bedroom over winter. It's amazing how fast the leaves grow!

Not my favourite garden beastie, but I do admire spiders for their intricate webs. Sadly I inadvertantly destroyed all his hard work, as it was attached to the line I had to hang the washing on. This morning however he has remade it, so all is well!

Magic Carpet!

2006-09-14T17:09:00.000+01:00

My carpet has arrived! What looked like a huge pile has actually only really covered about half the plot, but I’m sure my supplier John will be able to provide some more. He has to pay for it to go to landfill, so I’m doing him and the environment a favour! I hope that when I’ve finished with it, I can pass it on to another plot holder before the spring.
The only drawback is how smelly it is to work next to, having been made wet by the rain!

The compost heap is coming on and I've managed to almost fill the first section with stuff from the garden and unwarnted lawn turfs from Hastings-Freecycle.

Tasty Toms in Neglect Horror Exclusive!

2006-09-13T13:49:00.000+01:00

These are my self sown, un-fed, un-watered, drought tolerant tomatoes and they taste delicious!
I’ve not tended them in any way and they are still producing a bountiful crop.

I grew toms in the greenhouse last year- which is where they must have seeded from, but considering the extremely high temperatures the greenhouse must have endured this summer- without any shading either- it just proves how adaptable nature can be!

Made my bed...won't lie in it though!

2006-09-13T13:34:00.000+01:00

Saturday, HWDD was working so I was able to spend most of the day on the plot. First I went to collect wood from the industrial estate. There were a few men from the factory still working, who offered to help break up the old pallets, but I proved that I’m stronger than I look! (The Body Pump classes are paying off!)

I had enough to finish the sides of the compost bin and complete one and a half 5m x 1m beds before I ran out of time! I also dispatched the weeds with a freshly sharpened hoe- showing no mercy, with threats of ‘smothering’ given to the larger one’s as I intend to cover them with carpet very soon!
It’s all starting to take shape at last!

Thanks to my neighbours on plot 27 who kindly gave be a bundle of runner beans- they were lovely!

Poo!!

2006-09-08T09:09:00.000+01:00

I’ve found a wonderful free supply of extremely well rotted horse manure. As you can see from the picture it’s a HUGE pile! Rich & crumbly, I was able to cut through it with my spade as if cutting peat sods and filled the car with 15 bags which are now stacked next to the almost finished, compost bin.

:-( Weeds..

2006-09-05T12:59:00.000+01:00

You turn your back for 2 weeks and next thing you know the little blighters have gained a hold! The Hungarian rye grass has failed to germinate, but the weeds don't seem to have had any trouble!!
Any idea what they are? Should I be worried about them being perennial with 1m tap roots?

I'm seriously thinking about following Steve's example and covering the pathways with weed suppressant fabric. He has told me that it allows more time for growing crops and that you can also work on it when the weather is bad- without getting too muddy.

To Let: Ladybird Homes- Brand New, Close to all amenities…..

2006-09-02T18:06:00.000+01:00

If you’re interested here’s how to make a winter hideaway for welcome insects on the allotment.

Take the stems of your allium flowers and cut into 10cm pieces.
Bind together with an elastic band.

Cut an old 2litre plastic drink bottle in half, then cut off the top and bottom.
Slit each ring so that you can roll the plastic around the bundles and secure with staples.

Thread some garden wire through the tube and secure to make a handle to hang somewhere sheltered in the garden plot. Hey presto!

It's been too wet and windy this weekend to get onto the allotment or in the garden, but hopefully some sunshine is on its way!

Three more hours...a lot less weeds

2006-08-22T20:50:00.000+01:00

Three more hours and it’s coming on in leaps and bounds! It’s easy to clear where it’s been rotorvated, but rock solid elsewhere. I prepared the second bed on Saturday morning and cleared the area where the compost bin will go.

All the wood has come from the factory next to where I work, who have said I can help myself to anything off the ‘broken’ pile in front of their skip. Just need the time to finish it …………..

Just got back from ½ an hour on my knees using the hand shears to cut down all the weeds from the rest of the plot. Made sure I disturbed the greenery first, and caught & re-located 3 frogs. Couldn’t bear to chop one up by mistake. The light ran out so had to come home. HWDD has fixed us up to broadband tonight so there is no excuse for infrequent postings now now!

Honeymoon Safari- Wet & Wild (animals)!!

2006-08-14T14:25:00.000+01:00

We booked everything through Divesouth in South Africa and they really looked after us incredibly well. We would highly recommend them if you are planning a diving trip to South Africa. They arranged scuba diving at Aliwal Shoal with Aliwal Dive Charters and thanks to them I sorted out my mask problems and finally got to see some ragged tooth sharks!

The Great White shark diving was probably the best (and the coldest!) but worth every minute. We may be there to watch them, but considering the look in this one’s eye, I’m sure they’re just as curious of us - or maybe they are just thinking of food!

This is me in the cage! Photo credits goes to He Who Doesn't Dig.

From our window at De Kelders B&B we saw plenty of Southern Wright Whales 'spyhopping' as in the picture and also breeching.

On safari at Hluhluwe we saw so many animals it was just amazing, but here are a few:

Pictures continued..

2006-08-14T13:05:00.000+01:00

A lone giraffe blended well into it's surroundings.
Suddenly we rounded a corner and there was a group of over 30 elephants! (Most are grazing in the bush)
Not a zebra crossing- a White Rhino!

My first planting on my plot.

2006-08-13T10:46:00.000+01:00

After two and a half hours of working mainly on my hand and knees, I came away very satisfied, if a little achy and wet after the rain set in. I’ve made my first bed (1m x 5.25m) and planted Hungarian Rye seeds in 6 drills as green manure and winter cover. Should I cover it to deter the birds?
Where the soil had been rotorvated (before it packed up) it was very spongy and crumbly- so the weeds that had grown in the last 5 weeks lifted up really easily. This is also due to the previous plot holder adding organic matter in vast quantities for x number of years! Thank you!
I desperately want to get over there and continue, but the rain today is constant and looks set to last. Instead I will sort out our honeymoon photos for printing, and maybe post a few later.

Gulity of gross neglect...

2006-08-10T09:05:00.000+01:00

I couldn't put if off any longer- last night I visited my allotment and was faced with this!

I managed to pick most of the inherited raspberries (at the back of the picture) before the wedding (over 1Ib in weight) and there were a few late ones that I ate yesterday straight from the bush.
In the first 5m of the foreground you can just make out where my fellow plot holder tried out his new reconditioned rotorvator (before it died) but that is the only bit that's been dug so far.
I now have some serious weeding and digging to do, as the bindweed and some sort of thistly weed seem to have sprouted up everywhere!
I was a little disheartened, but have to remind myself that this year is really only about preparing the plot for planting next spring. (But if I can get some plants in sooner I'll be very pleased!)

Guess where I’ll be this weekend….!

Pretty maids all in a row (plus the Groom!)

2006-08-08T13:22:00.000+01:00

We got married at Swallows Oast and this was taken out in the pasture near the two large oak trees. My beautiful bridesmaids are all nieces, who literally took my breath away when I first saw them together.
He Who Doesn't Dig looks quite short in this photo- but I assure you it's just the way he is sitting!!

Back to reality!

2006-08-07T13:59:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone the new Mrs She Who Digs is back!
Thank you for all your kind words and best wishes re the flowers and our marriage!
I will be posting some pictures of our fabulous day and also some of our honeymoon in South Africa, so please check back soon if you want to see sweet peas, sharks, elephants, white rhino, zebra and more!!

PS the picture of me paddling in the sea in my wedding dress was taken on Hastings beach, just as the sun was setting!

The Perfect End To A Perfect Day

2006-07-17T20:37:00.000+01:00

The Sweet Peas did me proud, though I cheated and bought the Gyp from Morrisons! (Special thanks to Tracy for helping me pick & arrange them )

Losing count...

2006-07-10T16:22:00.000+01:00

I have given up counting how many sweet peas I cut now, as there are thankfully just too many!
They have grown from this…

to this in only 12 weeks!

The hanging baskets to decorate the doorway are also doing well

More photos....

2006-06-30T16:59:00.000+01:00

The B&Q bargain clematis seems to be doing well in it's second year- but the armandii died after I posted a photo of it in flower!

The black spot rose (special unique variety!) is happy to share with the sweet peas.

These are beautiful white lillies to be- another end of season bargain planted next to the pond!

I've no idea what this is, but it's very pretty when in bloom. The flowers start of as pink buds and open into white blossom. Please let me know it you know what it is.

Photo update!

2006-06-28T14:08:00.000+01:00

I managed to borrow the camera from work so am now able to update you on the progress of wedding sweet peas!

These are some of the 255 stems I cut Monday night. I put them into bunches and delivered them to our local Hospice on Tuesday morning- which went down a treat.

The plants have now reached the top of their 7 foot canes and I’ve had to stretch up to nip out their growing tips! We've not been picking the rhubarb- after forcing it so hard this year and the puny gypsophila can just be see in amongst seedling Sweet Williams. I will be buying mine from Morrisons!

The lilac ones are really shooting up too!

Below are some of the other things blooming in the garden at the moment:

That seems to be my limit for one posting- but I've got lots more to show you!

Watery Grave...

2006-06-19T13:29:00.000+01:00

It seems that the waterproof housing for the camera wasn't that waterproof after all!
Disaster struck of Friday when the casing failed and flooded the camera- it went to it's watery grave off the coast of Cornwall. It's been used underwater many times before so he doesn't know why it failed (better here than on Honeymoon I suppose) Replacing it can go on the list for He How Doesn't Dig to sort before the wedding! So sorry, no photos for a while.

I spent another hour or so tying in the sweet peas and snipping off the tendrils. (so that they don't bend the flower stems) The longest stem so far was 55cm to the first flower bud- beat that!

I cut about 30 on Friday and a massive 145 Sunday night! Fed them all after dark and mulched their roots with bark with encouraging words pleading "please keep flowering”!

Wedding flower update...

2006-06-15T13:37:00.001+01:00

No photos this week I'm afraid, as He Who Doesn't Dig has taken the camera scuba diving in Cornwall (with a waterproof housing I hasten to add!)

So far here is my log of how many sweet peas I'm picking daily.
Sunday 11th 11 stems
Monday 12th 12
Tuesday 13th 10
Wednesday 14th 30! (got soaked in the process!)

Long may it continue (4 weeks and counting!)
When the camera comes back I will post a picture.

The wonder of nature......

2006-06-08T13:17:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd share with you the arrival of some of our Broad Bodied Chaser dragonflies. Aren’t they fantastic!

Only 6 weeks to go.....!

2006-06-06T17:43:00.000+01:00

The sweet peas are doing really well and are hopefully on track for masses of blooms for my big day!
I've stopped picking the buds off now- thank you to Lillie Marline for the tip!

The ponds is also very lush and we are keeping our eye out for more dragonfly larvae. (broad bodied chasers) Two have already crept out and emerged, so hopefully I'll be able to capture the event on camera. (our record is over 30!)

No action on the plot yet, but I am hoping to rotorvate very soon.

Get rotting....

2006-05-18T19:21:00.000+01:00

I’ve made a start on the compost bin. You can see that where I had a bonfire and didn’t spray the leaves with glyphosate, they have regenerated even having been burnt!
The big sack contains bark chippings to go round the raspberries.

Where did April go?

2006-05-04T13:58:00.000+01:00

There is only have 10 weeks until our wedding and still so much to do, and flowers to grow- let alone start up an allotment!
Panic over, during my two-week break from work and the computer, I have been able to make some headway:
I planted up these trailing sweet peas to use at the wedding, but all the plants have now died! Lucky I have more pouches and spare plants

In the garden I’ve planted out a total of 52 climbing sweet pea plants for my bouquet and the bridesmaids, along with about 20 gypsophila plants that are already in bud! (Too early!)

We’ve eaten all the rhubarb

Down on the plot I’ve weeded & mulched the raspberries and started to build a compost bin from free pallets.

Not enough hours in the day...

2006-04-10T13:38:00.000+01:00

Managed to get 7 sweet peas planted out into the garden over the weekend- then realised I hadn’t transferred their labels with them –Doh!

The gypsophila are being hardened off next to the greenhouse.

The rest of the sweet peas are tucked up every night between the kitchen & the shed in bubble wrap.

My Clematis armandii is flowering for the first time this year and

The Marsh Marigold(?)in the pond is about to burst open!

The tadpoles are growing fast too!

WOW- What a difference a day makes!

2006-04-09T08:36:00.000+01:00

After 6 hours of noisy work with the petrol strimmer it’s amazing how different plot 26 looks. (Mind you I feel like I’ve run a marathon this morning!)

See below for before

Here’s me in action (He Who Doesn’t Dig called in for his first visit- just as I was finishing- great timing!)

I met Richard, the owner of the plot I aspire to (all very neat and orderly) and Colin my immediate neighbour to the east. Everyone passing was very friendly and seemed pleased that the plot was now in use again. I learnt that the previous owner worked for the local parks department and always kept it pristine- No Pressure!!

I would just like to thank.....

2006-04-07T13:00:00.000+01:00

A big "Thank You" must go out to Greenmantle from Dig For victory for helping me get my front page links sorted!

He Who Doesn't Dig is borrowing a petrol strimmer from his work for me to use on my plot tomorrow, so I can start tackling the weeds! Will the sun shine?

Promise to post photos; much more attractive than too much text!

Home grown rhubarb delight!

2006-04-02T19:18:00.001+01:00

Woo-hoo I’ve discovered I’ve got raspberries! On my first day (yesterday) I spent my first hour on my new plot uncovering the raspberries from underneath the couch grass, dandelion and creeping buttercup. Lots of old canes broke off in my hands, but there were a few new green shoots poking though, which was heartening to know they haven’t been choked. Should have remembered the camera, but in an hour all I cleared was about 1.5m square. (The whole plot is 117m sq, so at the rate it will take me 78 hours- Gulp!)
Met 3 other plot holders and have already got an contact for a local famer who would deliver a trailer load of horse poo for a very reasonable rate. Didn't have long as I had to be cleaned up and ready for dining out on curry (Bay Spice) on the seafront, then the hilarious film "Kinky Boots" at the Electric Palace .
Today I've not been to the plot, but haven't been idle! We now have a new 210 litre water butt rigged up to collect from the kitchen roof and I've put up the 8ft bamboo canes for the wedding sweet pea cordons. I really need to get them out of the greenhouse as some are over a foot tall! Would they survive any frost we may get? Would fleece protect them?
Have to go, He Who Doesn't Dig has made dinner and I know there is home grown rhubarb crumble for pudding- yum!
Sarah

In the beginning....Oh my gosh!

2006-03-31T13:26:00.000+01:00

Oh gosh what have I taken on! This is plot 26- my new allotment (as of tomorrow) and I'm now wondering what I've got myself into! I've been told that it has been cultivated in the last couple of years and that docks are a sign of good soil- but were they pulling my leg??

Room with a view...

2006-03-24T13:47:00.000Z

The sun was shining yesterday so I walked the scenic route home from work, through the allotments. Although I don't 'officially' become a tenant until next Saturday the Council have let me keep the key, from when I viewed the plots! I'm very lucky that my plot is so close to home and work- as you can see from the photo. As I sit here (in my lunch break I hasten to add!) the view from my desk looks out over the plots! The moist frustrating time is when the sun is blazing, birds singing and I'm stuck in the office while everyone is beavering away tending their plants! I'm making the most of it though, as they are moving the office layout around and I'm going to be moved to look out over the car park soon :-(