Digging up the daffodils

This week I have been planting daffodil bulbs on Plot 8.  I dug them up from Plot10b where they were planted in a long, narrow trench in front of the greenhouse.  They did really well there even though the soil was solid clay with some compost added. I hadn't expected them to do well, because of the heavy soil.But each year for the last three years they have provided us with lots of cheerful colour in the spring along with some crocus.

Now we are giving up Plot10b and thinking about what we want to take with us and have room for on Plot8, I decided I really didn't want to leave the daffodils behind.  So earlier in the summer I dug them up.  It wasn't easy getting them out of that sticky, compacted soil, but I ended up with a big tray of bulbs. Many more than I had originally planted. I also found some of the crocus bulbs.

The next step was to find somewhere on Plot 8 to plant them. I finally found a spot under the conifer hedge, which we had cut back drastically when we first took the plot on. It gets some sun for part of the day. I added a mixture of well rotted manure and home made compost to the soil. I planted them in clumps, so that if I wanted to put any other plants in there would be room.

The last time I dug up daffodil bulbs and replanted them, they didn't flower.  I will wait until spring and hope that I will once again have some cheerful colour to brighten up the allotment.

Greedy cat

 Back from our holidays and there is so much to catch up on at the allotment. We went down at the weekend to do a few jobs and check on Ziggy the cat.  It appears that, unknown to us Ziggy has been well looked after by several other allotmenteers as well as Helen. I think she does the rounds of people who she knows will feed her. That cat will not starve, in fact she might burst if she doesn't stop eating.

Ziggy came to us when Helen took on Plot 10b, she had been owned by the previous tenants who asked us if we would feed her.  She has become quite a character. When we first took on the plot, she eyed us up warily from a distance only eating her food after we had left.  She got braver and started to accept us but was a very bad tempered cat, and used to snarl and hiss at us even when we were giving her food. Now she greets us very noisily when we arrive, demanding food and even allows us to stroke her. We only get the occasional hiss or snarl. We have become quite fond of her. She sleeps on a bed of straw under the shed. She's about 15 years old now and struggles with the cold every winter. We always wonder if she will survive, but as soon as the warmer weather arrives she's back to normal.

Now that Helen is giving up Plot 10b at the end of the year we have been wondering what will happen to Ziggy.  Will she follow us to my plot Plot 8 which is only 2 plots down the lane? The lady who is taking on Helen's plot next year, has said she will feed Ziggy if she stays on Plot 10b.  But we would love to keep her.  So I have made another bed of straw for her under the shed on my plot and in the last week we have managed to entice her over for meals.  She knows where we are and sometimes comes yowling, a bit hesitantly.  Sometimes we have found her sitting in the sunshine on one of the beds.

 I am not too worried now, I know that she won't starve and  there will always be someone who will feed her. Plot 10b is her territory and she may be too old to want to change homes, but we would love her to make her home on Plot 8.  Click here to read more of Ziggy's story.