OMG that's an allotment?

[Newbie]

I've only just seen this too, you've done an amazing job! Keep the updates coming!

[tricky]

keep it up Graham ,youre doing well and in a year or so youll be able to say ,I did that.

[Graham K]

More pic's more questions.

Well things have sort of improved. I eventually got rid of all the brambles and found the shed, only for the weather to go crazy and every weed that had been hiding for the past 20 years to appear overnight. The lawn mower was brought into action to regain some control and to shred the bramble cut offs.

The promised rotovator is still a little way off (see "don't do this at home") I'm still waiting for spare parts from the US but hopefully not too long now, one more go with the mower and I should be ready to turn soil.

On a positive note. The pictures of trees at the beginning of the thread turned out to be plums, very, very juicy large plums. I still think there may be apples but I'll have to wait 'til spring for them to show.

On to another question, the pictures show (I hope) some of the "bushes" to the side of my plot. We think they may be Damsons, buy again aren't sure. They look like mini plums (about the size of a big marble) and taste a bit like them, but there are lots more than any plum tree I've seen. Anyone seen anything like these before or know what I should do with them?

Ok machinery to fix, and forgot to mention I got a greenhouse off free cycle, currently in bits in the garden waiting for a dry day to put it back together.

Much to do, more soon.

Graham.

[binley100]

Damsons can be used for jams, chutneys , gin .......if the bushes have big prickles then they are sloes (sloes also taste very bitter)..don't know what bullaces look like ..
You've done a lot of work , if you can get large sheets of cardboard to cover areas it'll keep the weeds down ....

[SarrissUK]

Wow Graham - great progress! My only advice is to cover as much as you can, and get started with a few beds. Ignore the rest until you're ready to deal with it. My plot was a nightmare, and still is, but I was determined to get a few beds going and I have six or seven now, but the rest of the plot is a jungle.

Keep it up and post more pics when you get a chance

[Graham K]

And now to grow "stuff"!

After what has felt like forever I have finished clearing the plot and a fair size it has turned out to be.

Along the way I have uncovered at least five plum trees, very delicious they were to, a damson tree now in several pots of jam, and a couple of apples the varieties will remain unknown until next spring.

The old shed is long gone, it literaly fell over when I gave it a bit of a push, and has been replaced with the "summer house" off e-bay costing me the unimaginable sum of £25.00. The green house is still the bargain of the year so far, costing absolutelly nothing, welcome to the world of Freecycle. The stuff people give away is unreal.

I now have the task of planting and growing.
I have fifty strawberries waiting in the cold frame , freecycle again.
Raspberry canes in a bucket of water (lots) these are the prunings from the autumn raspberries in the garden, a bit of an experiment but worth a try.
Onions and garlic poised to do there thing, as soon as I can get over again.

Over all it's been hard work but so far a good laugh as well, I'm looking forward to the spring to realy turn it into an allotment and try out a few "new" ideas. Hopps are top of the list and a few pints of home brew sitting in the summer house/shed at the end of a busy day is no longer a dream.

And now for the irrigation and the guttering and the water tank/s and.........

[Two_Sheds]

Am I being a terrible prude if I say I don't think your avatar's suitable for a family forum?

Great plot, well done on the free/ nearly free stuff

[Currysniffa]

It's the first time I've spotted this thread and I've enjoyed looking at all your hard work Graham you deserve to have a couple of beers sat in your summer house come summer, I've got two lotties and neither of them were any where near as overgrown as yours when I took them on, well done.

[snohare]

A greenhouse ! And a summer house for £25...I've lived in a place that was smaller ! You have riches indeed !
It's (almost) enough to make a man gnash his teeth and wish he had a car...
That must have been a power of work went into that. One more job - have you bagged up the ashes from the bonfire ? Full of potash, will do for liming your brassicas or feeding your root crops, if you don't grab it quick the potassium will leach into the soil and be gone.
Are you planning on manuring for next year ? Cardboard and worms ?
A blank slate awaits you - I can't wait for the next episode in your soap(wort) opera. The only thing nearly as exciting as starting afresh yourself is watching someone else do it.

So that avatar - is it because you are always a little bit behind...?

[northepaul]

I have to say I have only just spotted this thread too - and what a fantastic effort you have made Graham!! You put us all to shame, and it looks SO amazing!!
Thank you for sharing, you are definately an inspiration to us all!!

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Graham, thanks for the update, looks like your hard work has paid off and glad you can say you had some fun along the way. Happy growing!

[morverngirl]

Hope you are not paying fees this year until you get it round

[Graham K]

No fees as yet, and this years invoices went out in September.

So far I've not even got a contract to say it's mine although the "lady" who does the paperwork insists that everything is OK and the paper work will be sent "soon". I have phoned a few times and get the same or similar answers each time, at the mo' I'm not too worried and do believe the "paperwork" will turn up sometime soon and it really is "my" allotment.

And yet another result from free-cycle, about 200 tulip bulbs for absolutely nothing, I'm going to have colour and veggies. If you haven't done so already check out "free-cycle", probably best to google the name as they have had a few name changes in the last 12/18 months. Basically people give away stuff that's too good to throw away, some stuff you give some stuff you take, but it must be FREE (check out my greenhouse).

[veggiechicken]

I love Freecycle too. I've had an olive tree (because it was too big for its pot) a couple of huge phormium, a coil of really heavy rope (handrail), a wooden ladder (cut into 3 to make 3 mini ladders to negotiate the cliffs in the garden), the base of a trampoline (fruit cage supports), flower pots and netting, lots of seeds, not to mention household stuff. I've got rid of lots of things too - much easier than taking them to the tip.