What I've learnt in 5 months...

Brassicas

It seems as if I have had the allotment for way longer than 5 months, but a quick check of the calendar has confirmed that I picked up the key for the allotment almost exactly 5 months ago! This post is a summary of what I've learnt about the Anson Way Allotments in this time.

To Autumn Plant or not...

Apart from Garlic and Onion sets, I have never been one for planting much in the autumn.

At my previous house, the raised beds were always already populated with things to pick nearly up until christmas, and the plot at Fencott regularly flooded in the winter so autumn planting really wasn't an option.

Preparing for Winter

Now that the summer is finally over (booo!) it is time to plan for next year. As in the past I am using the Suttons Garden Planner to get my outline plan. I eventually got around to measuring the allotment accurately and discovered that it is 5.5m wide by 17m long, so I put those dimensions in to the garden planner and came up with my plan for next year:

2016 plan

Paving slabs, garlic and a bumper harvest

I have been scouring the local freecycle and freegle groups for weeks now on the lookout for anything that I could use at the allotment, and recently I put up a wanted ad for paving slabs. I had just about given up waiting for a response when out of the blue I had an email with a phone number saying 'I have paving slabs - give me a call.' So I did, and I am now the happy recipient of 12.5 60cmx60cmx5cm paving slabs.

Glut instinct: Allotment chutney

It seems that July and August are famous in gardening circles for the regular gluts of vegetables - one year I had more runner beans than I could give away. This year I have had a glut of courgettes, in two varieties - the more common green ones and the less familiar yellow variety.

Allotment chutney ready to be stored

We have potatoes!

This is just a very quick blog to update you on progress at Plot 6.

One of the first things I planted was a couple of packs of potatoes - in fact the last two packs that Poundland in Bicester had in stock... Ever since I have been eager to dig up a couple and see how they've done.

The Harvest Begins (and a raised bed is built)

On the 19th of July a milestone was reached when I harvested the first produce from Plot 6! Or to be more precise, due to the stoney ground, it harvested itself. I was very proud of my first carrot, even if it was quite deformed and greatly derided on facebook when I posted a picture of it. At least I grew it and it tasted great.

Six weeks on and things are progressing nicely

I have now had Plot 6 for almost exactly 6 weeks and a lot has happened in that short time...

Thanks to Ernie I have a shed!

Thanks to my Father-in-Law Ernie I now have a shed to shelter when it rains thanks to Sally a waterbutt to collect rainwater from it's roof. I have lots of guttering ready to install on the shed but I haven't got around to connecting it all together yet.

...and so it begins

For some time now I have been thinking about getting an allotment near to home.

Up until a couple of years ago I used to farm a plot with a friend of mine, and I had a few raised beds and a greenhouse in the garden at home. When I moved in with my fiancée (now my wife!) we got a little westie called Dexter and it looked like my home vegetable gardening days were over. The plot had also proved to be very wet and difficult to get on at the beginning of the year which meant that we were perpetually trying to catch up, plus it was a 20 minute drive from home so was fairly impractical.