Stormy weather

We got a few jobs done at the allotment last week before storm Ciara arrived. I finished cleaning out the two greenhouses and then started on the shed.  This is a job which I hate doing and had been putting it off for weeks, but it needed doing. I decided to put everything from the shed into the
greenhouse. This was a good idea as it took me two days to clean it out completely. There were lots of cobwebs and massive spiders. I managed to evict about four of them, but I know they will return, I think they sneak back in when I'm not looking. Now its all clean, tidy and smelling fresh and I feel much better for having done that big job.

Another job I have been doing is digging up clumps of poached egg plant ( Limnanthes douglasii) which have been taking over the fruit beds.   This is a very pretty yellow and white annual flower which the bees and hoverflies love. I sowed the seeds several years ago, it self seeds and then takes over. Every year I try to get rid of it but it just keeps coming back.

We went back to the plot yesterday to see if there was any storm damage and were pleased to see that the greenhouses and shed were still standing upright with no broken windows.

There's a conifer hedge down one side of our allotment which was planted by a previous tenant many years ago. We cut a lot of it back when we took the plot on, this reduced the width, but not the height. The height takes a lot of light off the beds so Richard has decided to try to reduce it. Its  difficult as the branches are quite thick, so it will be a long job.

You can just see the conifer hedge at the top left of this photo and right and left below

My next job is to clean out the pond.  Some of the plants are getting too big and there is a lot of mud to get rid of. I want to get this done before the frogs start spawning.  They always arrive earlier than I expect, usually on a nice sunny day in March. But with Storm Dennis expected this weekend and a lot of rain predicted for next week I don't think it will get done for a while yet.  It's going to be a race between me and the frogs.

Spring cleaning the allotment

The fine weather we have been having in February has been a great chance to catch up with all our winter jobs on the allotment. It's given us time to get straight before the rush of spring jobs gets under way.  I have had to keep reminding myself that it is still early in the year for planting and sowing outside.The beds are now cleared, manured and covered ready for growing again, the fruit beds have been weeded and manured.

There have been lots of bark chippings delivered to the allotment site and everyone has been  to and fro with their wheelbarrows using the chippings to mulch their paths. We have found these chippings really useful to cover different areas of our plot, hopefully this will help to keep down the weeds.

One important job to do was to clean out the greenhouses. They were still full of the old tomato plants so those needed clearing out first. Then they needed a good sweeping out before I gave them a scrub down with disinfectant to get rid of the moss and algae. Whilst I was doing the inside Richard went round the outside cleaning the windows. I'm always so glad when this job is done, the greenhouses feel really fresh and clean now. The staging is back in and its all ready to start sowing seeds.

The next job was cleaning out the shed. Now this is a job I really hate doing. It involves brushing down cobwebs and chasing massive spiders out of the shed. But once that was done the shed was all tidy and organised again. Once I had the bottle of disinfectant in my hand I was well away, cleaning the cold frames, pots and seed trays too.

It won't be long now before the frogs arrive in the pond. I'm always surprised when we arrive on the plot to find the pond full of frog spawn. So I decided to get the pond ready for them by getting rid of the dead leaves and pond weed and generally tidying up the bog garden around the pond. The bog garden is one area which had a layer of bark chippings spread over it.

Now at the end of February it looks like we are in for a spell of rainy weather, but at least the plot is  looking much better and we are all ready to start sowing and growing again.

Our new garden project 8--a shed and a gate

During the summer we had the back wall of the house rendered so put our garden plans on hold until it was finished. I couldn't wait to get the next stage of the garden sorted as it involved a shed! I just love a garden shed.

The shed was to go at the top of the garden near the house wall.

 Once it was in place the inside needed organising--shelves, a bench to work on and hooks to hang the tools up. I really enjoyed getting the shed organised.

Now it is done it is lovely place to spend time. I can work at the bench looking down at the view of the garden. Everything is where I can find it, instead of being all over the garage in different places as before. It is my own little space.

The other job was to put up a fence across the back of the drive with a gate leading in to the garden. Rather than buying fence panels, Richard built the fence and gate himself. This has really made a difference to the garden now providing us with some privacy and also makes the patio area into a little secluded space.

That was all done last autumn, so we have had a break from gardening work during the winter. Now the weather is improving and we are able to get out into the garden we will be starting work again soon.

A sunny start to the new year

January is a rather dreary, dark, and depressive month and I often feel that way myself. We hadn't been to the allotment since November and I hadn't felt inclined to do so, but motivated by a few sunny days, we got down to the plot to start work.

Not having been there since November meant there were quite a lot of jobs to be done. It was quite cold so we took soup and hot drinks to keep us going. I set to work weeding beds whilst Richard followed on topping the beds with manure. It looked much better once we'd finished--all covered up and snug for the winter. The leeks are not looking very big yet, they might need a boost of chicken manure pellets which I usually do at this time of year. I was pleased to see the garlic which I planted in November is coming through now.

My next job was to clear some weeds and cut back the dead comfrey leaves growing under the hedge. Once I'd cleared these I was pleased to see daffodils shoots coming through.

Another job which needed doing was to clean out the shed. This was a job I had been putting off as it had got quite untidy and dusty over the summer and I know that there are some really big spiders which live in the shed. But first I had to sort out the onions which were being stored in there and taking up a lot of space. I decided it would be better and more convenient to store them at home in the garage. There's nothing worse than running out of onions at home just as I'm preparing a meal. So I trimmed the onions and put them in net bags ready to take home.

It was hard work cleaning the shed but it looked much better once I'd finished. It had a lovely fresh disinfectant smell too. I only found a couple of spiders which I swept outside, but they always seem to find their way back in even though there is a step.

I filled up the bird feeders which hang from the conifer hedge. This  hadn't been done for weeks and within minutes of me filling them and putting  them back, the sparrows and blue tits were there pecking away. We sat watching them whilst we warmed up with our soup.

In the last week the weather has turned cold, wet and snowy, so I was glad we managed to get the jobs done. We never know when the next spell of fine weather will be.

Changes on the allotment

Plot 10b

Things are changing at the allotment this year. Helen has decided that with all her work and family commitments she can no longer give enough time to working her plot (Plot 10b) and so will be giving it up at the end of the year. She will still be around though, helping me on my plot (Plot 8) when she can.

As we worked on both plots together and shared everything, we are gradually moving the things over to plot 8 which we want to keep.  Things like tools, pots, pea and bean frames and also plants.  There are quite a lot of fruit bushes on Plot 10b but not so many on plot 8.  Earlier this year I  moved three blackcurrant bushes and planted them in the fruit bed on Plot 8.  In the autumn I want to move the gooseberries and some of the rhubarb. There won't be enough space in the fruit bed on plot 8 to transplant all of the rhubarb, but I will be moving some of it.

Then we need to sort out the shed.  There is quite a bit of useful stuff which we will take with us to Plot 8.  This means we will have to improve the storage space in Plot 8's shed with hooks to hang tools on and shelves for larger items. I like to keep the shed reasonably tidy so that we can work in there on the potting bench and also make a brew (very important!)

   

Plot 8 shed

Behind the shed on Plot 8 is a very untidy area where we have dumped things which might come in useful one day.  We need to tidy this up and get rid of anything we don't need.  Richard has a plan to build a sort of storage shelter where can store large items like wood and growhouse frames, which we seem to have a lot of on both plots.

The mess behind plot 8 shed

    

The big decision was what to do about the greenhouse on plot 10b. It's not a proper greenhouse but a timber framed structure which Richard built and covered with polytunnel material.  Richard felt it wasn't worth trying to dismantle it and move it over to plot 8. It didn't cost much to make as all the wood was recycled. It is also too big for Plot 8.  So as we can't afford to buy a proper greenhouse he is planning to build another of the same type on Plot 8. It will be smaller, but that won't matter, the other one was quite big. He's started work already on building the base for it.  This is in the area where the old pond was.

Because Helen and I had shared both plots, we did consider which plot to give up--Plot 10b or Plot 8.  But we decided to keep Plot 8.  It might seem a bit daft to get sentimental over an allotment plot, but we do like Plot 8.  It's secluded,  has a good feel to it, lots of wildlife, a woodland area where the grandchildren can play and the best shed ever--another of Richard's creations.

This year we're not doing much growing on Plot 10b as we start to wind down. We're using the greenhouse and just keeping up with the weeding. We worked really hard to get Plot10b into a workable allotment and some people have said it's a shame to give it up after doing all that work. But we don't mind that. We've enjoyed the challenge of transforming a piece of derelict land into a good growing space and hope that the new tenants will look after it. It was hard work looking after two plots so we're already starting to feel the benefits of having just one plot to look after.

Tidying up

This time of year is quite an untidy time in the garden. Leaves are all over the place and as fast as you sweep them up there are more to take their place.  The borders are full of the the heads of dead flowers and wilting foliage. It can be really damp and murky too. Clearing the vegetable plots results in boots caked in mud.

Fortunately my obsessive tidiness in the house does not extend to the garden. Here I am happy to see summer flowers fighting for space, tumbling over paths and lawn edges. In the autumn the dead flowers take on another beauty with golden tints to their leaves and interesting shapes with their seed heads.

Untidiness in the garden is also good for the wildlife. Seed heads and hollow stems provide homes for insects which then provide food for the birds. Much as we love to compost our leaves we find it impossible to keep up with the constant sweeping . Around the garden most of the leaves are left, they tend to get blown under hedge bottoms and into corners where they become homes for more wildlife like hedgehogs, frogs and toads. I find that the leaves on the lawn blow away onto the borders. I clear them up gradually through the winter or early spring. But where the paths and drives are covered in leaves we sweep up as they can get slippy.

This week I have been sorting out the cold frame which gets full of all my plant cuttings.  I have a number of echiveria plants in pots around the garden. They grow well outside in the summer but need protection in winter.  I've tried different places to store them over winter like the front porch and the allotment growhouse.  Last year I put them in the cold frame under cover and they survived, so I decided to do that again this year. I have also put some pot geraniums in there to see if they survive. I bought an aeonium this year at a plant sale. This is too tall for the cold frame so I have wrapped it in sacking and bubble wrap and put it in a sheltered corner.

One area I do clean up in the autumn is the shed. As the lawn and hedges get their last cut the mower and hedge trimmer are packed into a corner of the shed. Shelves are sorted and tidied, the jumble of canes put into some sort of order, the plant pots are cleaned and packed into boxes under the bench. The floor and bench  are swept and given a quick mop with Jeyes Fluid. All is neat and tidy, but not for long, a gardener's work is never done!

A bit of digging and a lot of rain

The weather continues to be rainy and windy, so we're not getting as much done on the allotments as we would like. On Friday though, the weather dried up enough for us to go down and do a bit of work in the afternoon.

Last year when we took over plot 8  there were some small raised beds which were a bit rickety.  We managed to grow some beans and salad crops in them, but we decided that we would dismantle them at the end of the summer and start again with the bed.  This has left a huge bed which we will divide up into two or three smaller areas. The picture above shows the plot last summer with the raised beds to the left.

Digging nearly completed

I started digging this bed over, it was full of weeds, but the soil is quite crumbly and easy to dig.  We had dumped some soil improver in that area last year so I think that helped. The weeds came up easily and I managed to get  most of the  bed dug in an afternoon.  We went back on Saturday taking lunch with us.  An hour's work completed the digging of the bed. So that's all ready for planting when the weather is warmer. We will probably be growing, onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips and beetroot there. The bed you can see to the left at the bottom of the picture above is the next one to tackle after we've had a bonfire to get rid of all the wood. We need some dry weather first though!

We had to adjourn to the shed for our soup lunch when it started raining. It's quite cosy in there and the big window gives us a good view of the plot. The rain however continued so we decided to call it a day.

Newly dug bed

Path plans

I think it's going to be the year of the paths on our allotments, plots10b and 8. When we took on plot 8 last year some of our plans for plot 10b got put on hold. These were the remaining paths around the top raised beds and the path up to the polytunnel (see picture below).

During this winter we realised how important it is to get these done as we have all slipped on the mud recently and the various planks which have been thrown down to act as temporary paths have got slimy with moss. Helen and I are reluctant to go anywhere near the polytunnel at the moment during this damp weather, so it's becoming a matter of urgency to get the work done.

Over on plot 8 we want a path from the entrance gate up to the top of the plot ( see above picture), another around the shed and more around the growing areas.

Richard has a plan in mind for the path up to the polytunnel which involves steps as it is on a slight slope. Hopefully he will be able to build all of these with materials we have collected and which are freely available on our plot. The least money spent the better. And the great thing about allotment life is that there is always someone with some spare wood, paving flags or anything else. We all help each other out.

Cheap shed, chic shed

For the past few weeks Richard has been building a shed on plot 8.  There were two sheds when we took the plot on. Both were very ramshackle and the first thing we did was pull them down.  At first we thought we wouldn't need a shed on the plot as we already had two on plot 10b which is only two plots away.  But as time went on we changed our minds. It became a bit tiresome to keep going backwards and forwards to our other plot to get tools or bring brew making stuff over.  I thought we could look out for a cheap secondhand shed, but my husband had other ideas. He said he could build one with some of the good wood remaining from our old shed and other wood we had around on plot 10b. He thought it would be much more substantial than a cheap bought shed.

The challenge was to spend as little money as possible on materials. It was amazing really how once he started working on the new shed we seemed to acquire things to help build it. Like the wood and exterior door from a local building company's skip--who gave him permission to take anything he wanted. Then there was the double glazed window which was just the right size, it's quite big so gives us plenty of light and a lovely view of the plot.  The interior doors which one of our allotment neighbours gave him became the sides of the shed  The front  is covered in cladding to hide these doors using wood from the old shed.

Some money still had to be spent on a small amount of wood and nails--about £50.  Other expenses were guttering for the water butts and paint for the exterior cladding, but these would have been extras if we had bought a shed.  So we consider our shed to have cost in the region of £50 and is probably a lot sturdier than any other cheap shed. How many other sheds have a double glazed window and a fire door?

The inside of the shed is a dream.  Richard built a bench along one side, again using free wood. Our hairdresser gave us an old desk which Richard adapted and made into another bench. It looks a bit strange inside with the walls made from those interior doors--doors which lead to nowhere.  But when I walk inside I am in shed heaven. It is so lovely and I have already started to arrange tools, seed trays and of course somewhere to make a brew.

Ziggy the allotment cat

When we took over our allotment last June we didn't just take on a plot of land we took on a cat too. The previous tenants asked us if we would feed her as they hadn't been able to catch her to take away with them.  Ziggy had been eating and sleeping in one of the sheds. Fortunately for her we decided to keep this shed as it was a good size and in quite good condition.  The shed smelt awful and Ziggy's area was in a terrible state, littered with empty cat food tins full of flies and maggots.Ugh!  We cleared the shed out completely of rubbish, gave it a good hose down and cleaned it with disinfectant. It is now known as 'the cat shed', even though it is used for other things too.

We didn't see much of Ziggy at first, but we put food in the shed where she could get at it. We put out dried food which was cleaner as we didn't go there every day, and gave her a new bed--a box with some clean bedding. She could get into the shed easily through a little entrance, like a cat flap but with no door. We saw her occasionally in the next door allotment, watching us, but she wouldn't came near us. The cat food  was being eaten, either by her or other cats in the vicinity, so we replenished the supply every few days.

As time passed  she got braver and came on to the plot, but kept her distance.  When we were leaving she would appear near to the shed ready to go in to get her food as soon as we had left.

Ziggy is getting to know us and seems to have worked out our comings and goings at the allotment. When we arrive at the allotment she is there waiting for us. She is still wary of us, but will come closer and will eat her food whilst we are there.   We have started to put out  proper cat food for her when we are working on the plot. She loves this and will gobble a bowl of food down in no time at all and quite often sit staring at us wanting more. I think she likes to top up her tummy with the better cat food because she knows we are not there every day! She seems to know what time we will be going home because she returns before we leave looking at us expectantly, waiting for some more food. There is also a lot of wildlife around the allotments so I'm sure she gets her share of mice and birds. 

We  worried about her in the winter as she was limping and looked quite weary, but she seemed to recover and looks clean and happy now. My daughter who is a physiotherapist cast an experienced eye over her and thought she might be a bit arthritic.  

Ziggy is still a bit timid and we can't get too close to her. She seems to have taken over our lives and I think she has now accepted that we are part of hers.

Spring clean at the allotment

Now my plaster is off I can start to exercise my wrist. I have been told to start using it, but it is still painful and sometimes just won't move. But I have been longing to get out in the garden. When the sun shines it's difficult to stay indoors and sometimes I want to do more than go out for a walk.

This week we have had some lovely weather, it was half term and my daughter Helen was off work to look after the children, so we decided to spend some time at the allotment. It's still early for planting or sowing seed here in east Lancashire, so we decided to do some tidying up on the plot.

There was plenty of rubbish still to clear from when we had first taken on the plot last June. We filled bags of glass, wood, plastic, metal and rubble. My husband loaded the car up and took the rubbish to the tip. Next job was the storage shed which gets very dirty and untidy.  It needed a spring clean, we made a start but there's still much to be done there. This is my husband's shed  where he stores his tools  and other stuff, he's very untidy. The potting shed  is mine and Helen's area and is always fairly clean and tidy, no one is allowed to mess it up!

Another job was to fill up the bed alongside the front fence with compost. Here we will plant the blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes which are at the moment in a temporary bed.  Meanwhile my husband was sorting out rubble which is to form the base of the paths between the raised beds.

As we worked the grandchildren  played on the plot and along the lane. They got very muddy but really enjoyed themselves. I couldn't do very much with a poorly hand so I just supervised and provided drinks and biscuits. It was good to be out there in the sun making a start for the new growing year even if it was just cleaning up.

November jobs

As the growing  slows down in the garden, there's still plenty of work to be done. One job which I love to do at this time of year is to clean out the shed. (Yes really!)   That's what I did at the weekend when it was too damp to do much else in the garden or allotment.

I moved out all the big tools, like the mower, shredder and hedge trimmer and gave the floor a good sweep.  I tidied and swept the dust from the shelves and the workbench.  Everything got shuffled around and reorganised. There are always a lot of cobwebs and big spiders, that's the scary bit, but I managed to evict one or two.  I know they will return though.  I'm always a bit wary of what I might find under the workbench. I once found some gardening gloves and knee pads which had been chewed at by mice. Finally I cleaned the floor and bench with Jeyes Fluid. It now smells really clean and looks much tidier

Another job I did was to sweep up the fallen leaves. There are lots and I quite enjoy the clearing up.  It's a job which continues throughout the winter.   They are all over the drive and paths and this is the main area for clearing as they can get very slippy.  I don't worry too much about them collecting on the borders, they can act as a mulch if I don't have time to clear them up. They are all put into the leaf mould bin to make lovely compost.


Other jobs I will be doing this month are:

In the garden

• Cut back in the flower borders as foliage gets untidy. I leave attractive seedheads for winter interest and wildlife
• Trim the lavender. I think I should have done this some time ago
• Lift and store the dahlias
• Bring pots of tender perennials into the front porch or cover with fleece to protect. I often forget to do this and then lose plants
• Sow winter salad leaves in the cold frame and micro leaves on the kitchen windowsill
• Half prune the roses so they don't get blown about too much by strong winds
• Clear up all the summer bedding containers and plant up with autumn and winter arrangements

At the allotment

• Move the fruit bushes from our old allotment to the new one (blackcurrants, gooseberries and raspberries)
• Spread manure on the raised beds to rot down over the winter
• Sweep up leaves and bag up.  (We haven't made a leaf mould bin yet, or even decided where we will put one)
• Harvest cabbages from the old allotment and tidy the beds ready for the new tenants 
• Plant daffodil bulbs in the wildlife area

I'll be amazed if I get all those jobs done!

Shed love

I have to admit to being a bit of a shed lover.  There's nothing I like better than to visit a garden and peer into the shed to see how it's all set out. I love to see how other people use their sheds. Sheds have all sorts of uses these days, for offices, studies, hobbies rooms, places to write, rest, retreat to etc.

One of our local bishops when he was first appointed and moved into his Bishop's house had a shed put in the garden to use as a chapel. He needed a quiet space away from the distractions of the telephone which he could use for his regular morning and evening prayer.  I had the privilege of seeing his shed once. Fitted out with a small altar and a few chairs, icons and christian symbols, the shed had a quiet, prayerful atmosphere, it was a very special place.

At our allotments there are some 'interesting' sheds made out of old doors, windows, fence panels, corrugated sheets. They are really ramshackle looking places, but great examples of recycling.  They are places to store garden stuff, sit and drink tea, shelter from the rain, but they are also well loved places.

At the RHS garden Harlow Carr there is a shed which I drool over whenever we go there. It's a lovely old fashioned Victorian gardener's shed. I'd love a shed like it, but, it's probably a bit too showy, too neat and tidy for me. My shed could never be so tidy.

 

This is a quirky sort of shed we spotted on a walk whilst visiting our daughter in Bedfordshire.

It's often said that men love their sheds and it seems to have started at an early age in our family because our 6 year old grandson, ever since he could walk, has had a thing about our shed.  Whenever we were out in the garden he would (and still does) make a beeline for the shed and would emerge brandishing mine or grandad's tools, much to our horror! Now he has his own tools in there and is a bit safer.

So what about my shed?  It's not very big and we have a lot of stuff to store in there, so it can get untidy.  But it fulfills all my organising dreams with hooks to hang tools on, shelves to store garden stuff and a bench to work on.   It gets an annual clean up in the autumn and then it's ready for winter projects, like making Christmas wreaths. 

I would love to have a big enough shed to be able to sit in and use for other things, like reading gardening magazines and drinking tea.  I think I really need a summer house!

Because it's not so big, outside of my shed is also a very special area.  That's where my potting bench is. It's home made by my husband out of an old kitchen table and it's perfect.  It's where I sow seeds, transplant seedlings, pot things on. But it's also a place where I can escape to. I can sit there in the sunshine with a mug of tea, listening to the birds singing, looking at the garden.

Are you a shed lover? What's your shed like?