After five and a half years of waiting...

We have an allotment! Time to get back to that old blog eh!

Literally at the top of our street is an allotment with only 9 plots and we have one. It was a long time to wait, but it is of course worth it when you actually get one. Plot 6 can be seen here and includes a shed, greenhouse, pond, cold frames and potentially more. We managed to get in for a sneaky peak. Once we have the keys and put the wellies on I will post some pictures.

So in my excitement I found http://www.allotment.org.uk/ and purchased "Vegetable Growing Month By Month". You can buy it signed direct from the publisher for on £5.99 and I promise you it is amazing (You can get it cheaper from Amazon but buying from the publisher means he should get more profit). It is exactly what a beginner needs. It is simply all the things you would have been told by your dad/granddad if they was into growing their own. As I need to start the growing bug in my lineage I am thirsty for the knowledge to pass down to my son.

Grand Plans

Today I woke up again dreaming of grand plans - we are getting some quotes for raised beds in the garden this week - blowing the holiday fund on something more long term.

But meanwhile the sun is out - and the garden is teaming with life. The wild strawberries (from Otterburn) are spreading around the pond and starting to flower.

Every time we walk by the pond, frogs dip back under the surface. It is so true that a pond is a major help for wildlife in the garden. We ordered pond snails from eBay last year, and they have multiplied and are doing a grand job of clearing some of the green. I didn't know you could send snails in the post, but they arrived safely.

...and the 'proper' strawberries in pots are also looking good


The beginnings of a lovely salad (planted just a fortnight ago)...


These tomatoes are coming on well on the kitchen windowsill - growing purple (Black Cherry), yellow (Balconi Yellow) and red (100's and 1000's) so that Tomas learns about the variety of life!

And finally - a shot of the inside of our compost bin - we are proud to turn veg peelings, tea bags, apple cores and toilet roll tubes into lovely, sweet earth. I can't believe it works! It's a little miracle!

Oh, and we are no longer 8th on the waiting list for an allotment. We are now 7th. The allotment officer sounded interested in the fact that there were 2 plots being uncultivated and that there is scope for extending the site.