Allotment--A new year, bad weather, making plans

 

It's quite some time since I blogged about the allotment, but we were kept busy last year. Now a new year lies ahead and I'm thinking of what I'll be doing in the next few months. 

At the moment the weather is too bad to be able to do any sort of work. It's been really cold and wet. We had snow a couple of weeks ago with really hard overnight frosts. It's still quite cold and there is a weather warning for high winds at the weekend. So I have been staying indoors most of the time, but I'm longing to get out and start work on the allotment. 

I am often thinking about how much longer I will be able to do the allotment. Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis  slow me down now and we both get tired more easily. But we managed well last year so another year of growing lies ahead. 

At the moment the things which get me down are not my own physical difficulties, but neighbours who don't look after their plots, fly tipping seems to be happening more too and then there's the rats. On a recent visit to check over the plot we could see evidence of rats again in the shed. No matter how hard Richard tries to seal off any access holes, they will find another way to get in. This time they have been getting in through the floor.

There are changes down at the allotments as a few plots have become vacant and we wonder who we will get as neighbours. So many people take on an allotment full of enthusiasm but don't realise how much commitment is required and how much hard work is involved. Then they give up on it.

For me it's time to start planning what I will be growing this year, sorting through my seed packets and ordering more seeds. And as soon as we get some drier, warmer weather we'll be down there, mending all the holes in the shed and preparing the beds for growing. 

Spring on the allotment

 

April is a busy time on the allotment. It's time to get sowing and planting. The soil is warming up and the weeds are starting to grow. Despite the awful wet weather we've been having over the last few weeks we've managed to keep up with our winter jobs and are fairly well prepared now as once the growing season gets underway it can get to be very busy on the allotment.

I've pruned the fruit bushes, and tidied up the strawberry tubs then gave them a feed and mulch. The fruit cages needed quite a bit of weeding too. 

The shed finally got it's big spring clean out, I'd been putting it off but it's always good to see it clean and tidy again. While we were cleaning we found holes where the rats had been able to get in. And lots of  rat droppings! So Richard blocked the holes up and after cleaning I sprayed round with a peppermint oil spray which is supposed to help deter them. They don't like strong smells apparently.  Camphor, garlic, coffee grounds are other smells they don't like. Putting pots of mint around the plot is supposed to help keep them away. It won't get rid of them completely I know, but if it helps to keep them out of the shed I'll be glad. We've seen them running around outside on our plot and neighbours plots, they seem to be quite active at the moment. 

I've also cleaned the paths of debris, weeds and mud and swilled them with a cleaner. I always think that if your paths are clean and tidy it helps to make the rest of the plot look good too.

The green houses and cold frames are filling up with trays of seedlings. The broad beans and peas look almost ready for planting out. I started planting the onions a few days ago. It's a back breaking job especially for me with my back problems. I did three rows before I had to give up. That was 66 onions. There are still plenty more to plant so it could take me a while to get them all in the ground. 

The first early potatoes (Rocket) were planted in potato bags two weeks ago. I have been transplanting tomato and flower seedlings this week and  have now moved them to the allotment greenhouse because there is no more room at home.  I will be growing the flowers in the cut flower bed on the plot and anywhere else I can find space for them. I wish I had more space to grow  flowers for cutting I always seem to grow more than I have the space for.

I always seem to be going on about the weather, but it's important for gardeners to have the right conditions for sowing, planting and growing. So many people I know have got really soggy allotment plots and are finding it difficult to get started on their new seasons jobs.  So let's hope we get some drier weather soon. How are you getting on with your allotment at the moment?

Wildlife on the allotment

I thought our garden had a lot of wildlife, but our allotments are even better. Plot 8 has hedging all around the boundaries and a big sycamore tree at the top.  All of this provides shelter and food for the birds.  Outside and across the lane is the woods, which must be heaving with wildlife. We often sit with a cup of tea, quietly watching and bird spotting. We have seen, long tailed tits, blue tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, even grouse. The robin follows us around as we work, there are sparrows, blackbirds and chaffinches.  There are frogs and toads which we often come across when weeding, hiding under bricks or sheltering in a clump of big weeds. The pond has tadpoles early on, but our disappointment is always when we get a spell of dry weather and the pond dries up.

Plot 10b doesn't have much  in the way of hedging, although there is a buddleia and a holly, both of which are good shrubs to attract wildlife.  We are planting up a border there with perennial plants which will attract bees and butterflies and have put some climbing shrubs--ivy, honeysuckle, cotoneaster and clematis along the front to climb against the wire fence.  There are nettles and brambles on both plots, I get rid of those which encroach on our space, but like to leave a clump or two up near the fences where we don't grow anything.

The plots are buzzing with bees at the moment, there are ladybirds and we have started to spot butterflies.  At the moment we are seeing the orange tip butterfly which is mostly seen during May.  I often wonder what happens to it after May because we don't see it later on in the year.

Some of our wildlife though is not as welcome.  We have recently been troubled with moles and on arrival at the plots usually have a look around to see where they have dug up overnight. Their latest atrocity has been the seed beds where I have sown flowers for my cut flower patch.

Even more unwelcome visitors are the rats.  There have been lots of them recently. We see them in the communal manure heap on the lane, but also on our own plots around the compost bins. They have got very cheeky and don't seem the least bit frightened of us. It's good to see though that Ziggy our allotment cat is earning her keep--nearly every day last week we found a dead rat on the path.

Another unwelcome bit of  wildlife was spotted this week in the shed on plot 8.  It was a tiny grey ball like structure with a hole in the base, situated up near the ceiling of the shed.  We soon realised it was a wasp's nest after seeing a wasp going in through the hole.  It was carefully removed by my brave husband and placed in the woods across the lane well away from the plot.

After a week of seeing all these 'nasty' creatures, I was finally cheered up firstly by a pretty lacewing which flew gracefully past me into the sycamore tree, looking like a little fairy with its bright, lime green body and delicate, translucent wings. Secondly  I went to look at the pond and was overjoyed to see it was full of water again and there were the tadpoles swimming around happily, having grown much bigger since the last time I saw them.