Autumn Sorting

It’s that time of year when there is a lot of foliage to clear away and sort through. Weeding before winter, grass cutting before it gets to wet to wield a strimmer and lots of previously fruitful veg plants that now need to be dug up and composted.

I have a realistic level of acceptance these days about what I can achieve at the plot. I never have that much time down there. This week for example I am in London 3 days and then teaching 2 other days and so my days of meandering down to the plot while the kids are at school are not going to happen this week at least.

So I have been doing short pockets of plot activity the last few weeks and I have learnt that you can get a lot done in 30 minutes. If you arrive with a clear purpose and mission it will get done or at least get started depending on the size of the mission statement.

So yesterday I went with the mission to clear and weed the patch which I grew garlic on and today in another 30 minute session I did the same for the neighbouring patch where the cucumbers had flourished.

I was rewarded for my toil with 7 more cucumbers – the very last crop of this year plus a plot neighbour gave me a bag of tomatoes which was an unexpected bonus. Not bad for a half hour stint.

 

Previous micro visits have seen me clearing away the sweetcorn that did so well and digging up the last of the spuds although admittedly that was in a longer one hour visit but still I have learnt a lot about going there a with a clear focus, doing one job and then heading home. It works well with a busy life and this colder weather.

 

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the plot-ness monster

It’s summer and the silly season hits the news and making headlines in our household is a rare sighting of the plot-ness monster.

Mainly used as tempting bait to lure my youngest down to the allotment today this inflatable character was actually a gift from a kindly plot neighbour who on hearing that the kids were delighted to see this beast among his beans he then gifted it to us. The plot-ness monster as he is now affectionately called, resides in our shed, has a little lead and is taken for walks around the plot when the weather allows.

Today was one such day. My youngest is now old enough to be helpful while he visits the plot, he watered all plants without soaking himself about two hours before yet another unscripted (as in not predicted by the BBC) monsoon like shower poured fourth over our little corner of the world.

Gifts are part of the joy of having a plot. Only yesterday another plot neighbour gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers which I happily took home along with the veg we harvested.

And inspired by a fellow allotmenteer online who this week dug up the hugest potato I have ever seen I dug up 2 of our potatoes plants. A mix of sizes and quality but no whoopers to be seen, with 16 more potato plants to dig up it’s fair to say potato season is here.

Meanwhile my little plot in my back garden is doing well and giving us a plentiful supply of beans, lettuce and tomatoes.

It had been a week or more since I last went to the plot and it is not a good time of the year to leave it even for that short period of time. With all the rain the grass was high and most of our time today was spent cutting grass and weeding before succumbing to a cuppa and a flapjack.

But at least this unpredictable and rather inclement weather means things aren’t getting frazzled and dying when left alone.

 

 

harvest time

It’s been a busy few weeks with work and family life filling up most of my waking day. Somehow though I have managed to squeeze in at least 4 hours plot time each week.

Partly helped by the fact that even though I am working five days a week, two of these days are at home in my freelance capacity so if I decide to go to the plot to do some watering I can.

I went there today, the grass needs cutting once more but I busied myself with watering and harvesting. Enjoying picking all the fiddly blackcurrants I could reach. Taking my time not to get scratched as I picked the biggest crop of raspberries so far.

Harvesting, like weeding and watering, requires time and energy. Not only do you need to pick what you have grown, you need to pick off leaves, wipe off mud and bugs, carry it home and wash it and then work out exactly what to do with half a carrier bag of broad beans.

It all takes time hence why I try to grow what we frequently use – salad, courgettes, potatoes. Low maintenance no brainers is what I need right now.

Having said that though I am now about to google how to make blackcurrant cordial and also will do some nice but rather high maintenance salad thing with the broad beans which involves blanching and then peeling them.

Addendum: I didn’t make cordial, opting instead to make knicker bocker glories with home made raspberry sauce.

ship shape

I have been going at the plot a bit gungho of late. Mainly as I know I have several weekends when I will not make an appearance. So this means I have been going there as much as I can manage. This has involved bribing the kids with chocolate, crisps and even a pub supper just to ensure my plot desires (strimming, weeding – I am easily pleased) are fully met.

The result is satisfying to say the least. It’s looking really proper again. It won’t last of course. I am away this weekend and then won’t be around for several more after that. Could anything illuminate the fact that everything is impermanent better than an allotment?

Weeds get controlled. Grass gets cut but turn your back, take your foot off the pedal and they all creep back.

I’m enjoying the proper-ness while it lasts. All too soon the jungle will reappear of that I have no doubt.

How it was few weeks ago and how it may well look next time I visit!

the Arthur effect: 2017

As mentioned in my last post I have been gifted a whole load of beautiful seedlings from my uncle Arthur. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. I have had little time and not much luck with growing seedlings on my window sill this year – the seeds I got seem to be hit and miss, luckily the one thing Arthur didn’t provide – cucumbers – has thus been the only thing I have managed to successfully grow from seed so far this year.

It was also fortuitous timing because my mum, bless her, delivered them all (how she fitted them into her car I do not know) the week before half term.

I have had a whole week off from the treadmill that is my working life. Time to potter and relax in the garden with the kids. I can’t describe how glorious that has been. During that time both my garden and my allotment have been thoroughly pampered with the arrival of these lovely plants and I can now hold my head up high among the old boys on the plot. One even complimented me today as I arrived with a tray of courgettes and pumpkins to plant out, ‘what beauties!’ he exclaimed. Believe you me there has never been such flattering words about my own spinderly, home grown efforts!

At the plot.

And at home.

low maintenance-ish

When I took on the plot more than four years ago it required huge amounts of work. I knackered my little finger up whilst being on driven doing mode, pulling up knarly weeds with my bare hands. Everything had to be formed, each part took weeks.

But as well as being hard work it was a labour of love and very satisfying as it all came together. There are still unconquered corners of our plot that somehow always slip down the to-do list but nowadays the plot doesn’t need that much work.

My principle tasks always seem to be weeding or strimming, weeding or strimming. Today I did both as well as covering my gooseberry bush with netting, determined this year I will harvest some berries rather than let the birds have them all. I have not planted hardly anything this year and my attempts to grow seedlings on my window sills at home have had mixed results. It was all looking a bit like I would need to make an emergency trip to a garden centre and buy some ready grown tomato plants when along come Uncle Arthur, to the rescue once more. He kindly donated as many plants as my little outside ledge can hold. Tomato plants, courgettes, pumpkins, beans, lettuce and (a new one for my plot) sweetcorn.

I will plant these out at the weekend and over half term, it will make a nice change to do something other than strim and weed.

On arrival today the plot was rather overgrown and under loved looking but by the time I left two hours later it looked like my reliable little corner of peace and tranquility in a crazy world.

spring growth

The year marches on at an alarming rate, as does my life. In a week’s time it will be another birthday that edges me further away from the last significant birthday (the big four oh), bringing me ever closer to the next significant one (half a century, gulp!). But I guess I have a few years yet before I need worry myself with that one. Young or old I have never been a huge celebrator of birthdays. The passing of time doesn’t thrill me that much and yet it should do, given the alternative.

I do love the beginning of spring though, which is of itself a passing of time. And celebrating the arrival of spring has been so much more marked since taking on an allotment.

I managed a brief visit there today, prompted in part by meeting a friend last night who asked how the plot was to which I shrugged and said I rarely have the time these days. Interestingly she asked about my plot before asking about the kids or the hubby.

Bored of rarely having the time I have been there twice this week. I plan to continue doing that for as long as I can. For the next few weeks at least. Even if I only do forty minutes weeding like I did on Monday or forty minutes strimming like I did today, little and often is the way forward.

Yes I run the gauntlet of the old boys down there who make sly comments such as ‘going home already’ and ‘that was quick’ to which I learn to hold my tongue rather than saying grumpily ‘yes some of us have a life and a job to go to,’ because grumpiness doesn’t get you very far at the end of the day. Instead I smile sweetly and bid them goodbye, pleased i have managed to squeeze in even an hour there. An hour can be such a treat on a sunny spring like day, with the trees covered in buds and new growth in abundance.

On Monday I was greeted by the sight of the shed, battered and bruised by Doris – its plastic window had finally broken free of its frame. By some miracle all of my stuff was still exactly where I had left it. A plot neighbour passed by and said he was planning on fixing it for me. I popped it back in its frame and used gaffa tape to hold it place.

Arrival today saw the window just about hanging by a thread so this time I used some stakes to secure it into its frame. Its a short term solution, at the weekend the hubby has promised to sort it out, secure our shed and return it back to its former glory.

When I first took on the plot losing that shed was the thing that worried me most but now I don’t find myself thinking worst case scenarios anymore and adopting an attitude of acceptance for whatever may be.So perhaps there are plenty of good reasons to celebrate the passing of time after all.