The new plot

Back to the allotment today to collect our key and a chance to have another look at the site. It has been a wonderfully sunny day and being back there just made us even more excited about it.

We trampled across the brambles with Secretary Steve so he could show us where the boundaries are, now we just need to clear the way! I'm still recovering from an injury to my shoulder, however it is on the mend. So, we're planning to head back in a couple of weeks time armed with leather gloves, welllie boots, loppers and the bundle of old carpet we've collected so far and get cracking.

The classic 'before' shot!

Freecycled carpet

We've used our local Freecycle group for a good while now. So far we've only used it to give away things we no longer need, however there are just as many 'wanted' posts on there as there are 'offered' posts.

So, spurred on by the fact that people ask for all sorts of things from cardboard boxes to furniture, I thought that it might be worth a shot adding a 'wanted' post for old carpet/rugs for the new allotment.

Well in the 24 hours that have passed since this post on freecycle, I've now had 4 emails from kind local souls who seem only too keen for someone to come and take their old rolls of carpet and tatty old rugs off them! Result. Having cashed in a favour from a friend with a car, a collection round has been arranged and tomorrow we will have the beginnings of an allotment-sized amount of old carpet. Wonderful!

Get your wellies on, we're off down the allotment...

Amidst the crazy world of 10 year waiting lists for a london allotment plot, we seemed to have found ourselves a plot, albeit a rather rustic rough and ready one, in the space of three weeks.

Its actually quite a sorry tale in that the allotment has been reduced by half as the council sold off the land to developers for houses and the rest was shut down for a while. However, what remains of it is being reoffered to budding allotmenteers. Not for the faint hearted mind you. The plot offered to us is the least overgrown having only been vacant for a year, so just a year's worth of rampant bramble growth to sort out.

There are three stalwart plot holders who have stayed on there, the site 'secretary' Steve being one, and we are now the fourth on site. There is space potentially for around twenty plots he thinks so hopefully more brave souls will join us in turning this ramshackle little spot into a productive allotment once again.

So, we'll begin clearing our 6ish rod plot this winter ready for sowing in the spring. Other projects will be to build ourselves a little shed and possibly help with some of the work for the replacement mains water supply planned for the site in spring, which will give us a water point at the corner of our plot.

So a new era dawns and we are very excited to have our very own piece of land. Aspirations of raspberries and rhubarb will no longer be just a dream.

A plot to call our very own?

Today I've had a call from the guy running one of the allotment sites I selected on my application form recently sent to our local council. I honestly expected a fairly long wait, however it seems this particular site has become somewhat overgrown as it has been closed for a while and is now being reopened with plots to spare.

He's asked if we'd like to go and see the site this weekend to see what we think. I'm so excited! Now I just have to convince the other half that taking on an allotment right now is a great idea...

Waiting patiently...

Ok, it has been a looong time since I last posted. Main reason for this is that we have been growing much less in the garden. Well, more ornamental stuff rather than edibles. The main thing grown this year were a pretty decent crop of 'anya' potatoes. These are all in storage now and should keep us in baby new potatoes for a good couple of months at least.

Our crop of Anya potatoes

The garden being so teeny tiny and only getting sun for half the year isn't the best place for substantial veggie growing we have come to accept, however we have had a few successes over the three years we've been here.

The big decision though is that we have put our names down to try and get an allotment plot in our borough. We're likely to be waiting at least a year if not longer but at least our name is on that all important waiting list. So, watch this space.

Infectious veggie growing

My grandma grows a few veggies in her garden and has just got a new greenhouse to grow her tomatoes in. My brother who lives near them has been roped in recently to help grandad with the hefty work to move the shed and put up the greenhouse and even he is catching the growing your own bug!

Talking to him today he was asking me what he could grow on his little south facing balcony. He lived in Thailand for a couple of years and grew used to eating spicy food so often cooks this way now. I mentioned that I'm going to try growing my own chilli plant from seed and put the pot on a windowsill at the front of the house (which faces south) and he is very keen to grow his own too. So, I'm going to post him half my packet of seeds and some instructions and we're both going to have a go! I have a packet of Pepper 'Chilli Shake' which came free with Grow Your Own magazine last year. I'd better get on with sowing my own seeds then!