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James here…
The days are getting longer, the weather is warmer, and you’ll be pleased to know work on the land has been progressing well, despite Kate being out of action for the last few weeks. She spectacularly managed to break her hand on a bouncy castle. No, we’re not sure how she managed to do it either!
So, it’s over to me to give you the lowdown on our progress. The spuds are in, the onions are sprouting and after an expensive trip to a large DIY outlet last weekend, it feels like things are finally coming together.
The war declared between the three allotmenteers and the deadly Switch Grass hangs in the balance. After weeks of painfully digging out several hundred tonnes of the weed (no, I’m not exaggerating) and it’s winding roots, it is now a waiting game to see if the roots we left behind are going to fight back, or accept defeat. Knowing the sheer strength of this weed from my farming days, I’m not predicting an early victory. In fact I fear it will try to fight on, and reclaim the land as its own once again. We’re ready, armed with yet more weed-killing juice and 60 yards of weed-proof matting.
So, the pesky weed aside, last week we reached our first milestone. Yes we’re planting - our first carrots, peas, parsnips, onions, potatoes and beetroot are all in. Katy has been busy in fruit corner, which she’s extended to include gooseberries, redcurrants, rhubarb (is that a fruit?), a plum tree and raspberries.
The newly created herb garden looks the part and appears to be doing well, its also being looked after by our first allotment gnome, who goes by the name of Tacky.
Since taking on the land, we’ve met many characters down at the allotments. This must be the friendliest places around. Everyone around us seems know who we are already: ‘You’re the ones who have taken on plot 162, are you then? Good to see someone sorting that out”, they say. It truly feels like we have been welcomed and accepted under the wing of some of the more experienced allotment residents.
Inevitably, with all these over the hedge chats, everyone has got tips for us, which we promise to share with you. Here’s the disclaimer: we’re not saying they will work, because we haven’t tested them out ourselves yet, so please be gentle with us if they don’t!
Tip One: soak your peas in paraffin to stop mice and other rodenty-types from eating them (surely they are joking about that?).
Tip Two: buy mid to late fruiting raspberries to help stop them getting mildew on the fruits.
Tip Three: plant carrots in bath tubs and cover the lot in net curtains to protect them from being chewed up by carrot fly. Luckily the previous residents of plot 162 left us 3 baths, so we are suitably bathed up to try this one out.
The land is a haven for wildlife. Frogs, field mice and the occasional lost chicken have all paid us a visit since we started. The tall hedges and many trees that surround us are home to hundreds of birds, all of whom we regard with the deepest suspicion. Surely they have an eye on the land for a quick snack?
With this in mind we have decided to build our very own lady scarecrow. She’s going to be a retro sort and will prevent any air invasions from our feathered friends by dazzling them with her sartorial choice of vintage psychedelic prints.
If that doesn’t scare them off, nothing will.
The days are getting longer, the weather is warmer, and you’ll be pleased to know work on the land has been progressing well, despite Kate being out of action for the last few weeks. She spectacularly managed to break her hand on a bouncy castle. No, we’re not sure how she managed to do it either!
So, it’s over to me to give you the lowdown on our progress. The spuds are in, the onions are sprouting and after an expensive trip to a large DIY outlet last weekend, it feels like things are finally coming together.
The war declared between the three allotmenteers and the deadly Switch Grass hangs in the balance. After weeks of painfully digging out several hundred tonnes of the weed (no, I’m not exaggerating) and it’s winding roots, it is now a waiting game to see if the roots we left behind are going to fight back, or accept defeat. Knowing the sheer strength of this weed from my farming days, I’m not predicting an early victory. In fact I fear it will try to fight on, and reclaim the land as its own once again. We’re ready, armed with yet more weed-killing juice and 60 yards of weed-proof matting.
So, the pesky weed aside, last week we reached our first milestone. Yes we’re planting - our first carrots, peas, parsnips, onions, potatoes and beetroot are all in. Katy has been busy in fruit corner, which she’s extended to include gooseberries, redcurrants, rhubarb (is that a fruit?), a plum tree and raspberries.
The newly created herb garden looks the part and appears to be doing well, its also being looked after by our first allotment gnome, who goes by the name of Tacky.
Since taking on the land, we’ve met many characters down at the allotments. This must be the friendliest places around. Everyone around us seems know who we are already: ‘You’re the ones who have taken on plot 162, are you then? Good to see someone sorting that out”, they say. It truly feels like we have been welcomed and accepted under the wing of some of the more experienced allotment residents.
Inevitably, with all these over the hedge chats, everyone has got tips for us, which we promise to share with you. Here’s the disclaimer: we’re not saying they will work, because we haven’t tested them out ourselves yet, so please be gentle with us if they don’t!
Tip One: soak your peas in paraffin to stop mice and other rodenty-types from eating them (surely they are joking about that?).
Tip Two: buy mid to late fruiting raspberries to help stop them getting mildew on the fruits.
Tip Three: plant carrots in bath tubs and cover the lot in net curtains to protect them from being chewed up by carrot fly. Luckily the previous residents of plot 162 left us 3 baths, so we are suitably bathed up to try this one out.
The land is a haven for wildlife. Frogs, field mice and the occasional lost chicken have all paid us a visit since we started. The tall hedges and many trees that surround us are home to hundreds of birds, all of whom we regard with the deepest suspicion. Surely they have an eye on the land for a quick snack?
With this in mind we have decided to build our very own lady scarecrow. She’s going to be a retro sort and will prevent any air invasions from our feathered friends by dazzling them with her sartorial choice of vintage psychedelic prints.
If that doesn’t scare them off, nothing will.
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