In August 2018, I had my nine-year plot holder anniversary.
I’ve had lots of times where I just wanted to chuck in the spade and give it
all up. I’ve had lots of times where I’ve loved every second and thought ‘I
never want to give this up!’, and I’ve also had lots of times where I’ve done
my best to ignore it for a good six months.
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| Glorious lush & green - looks like spring, not October |
My plot in Birmingham is on the downward slope to a
watercourse, and being Birmingham, is atop clay. My plot floods. A lot. Badly.
Often. Dig 6” down and you hit clay. Over the years I have started to build
raised beds, and every year I attempt to raise one or two up to about 8” above
ground level. Every year it never seems to work as well as I hope – allotments it
turns out eat a lot of money – so it is a never ending battle to raise my
growing beds and improve the space.
Part of my Turning Thirty Pledges included spending more
time at my allotment. It is a lot of work and it does eat money and sometimes it
feels like more effort than it is worth, however, I love it. It is good for me,
mentally and physically. It is my little haven – I saw the first painted lady butterfly
I’ve seen at the plot site this summer – and pottering around doing little
things is satisfying. Growing my own food and eating an allotment dinner makes
me proud, and sharing advice and tips with other plotholders is also good fun. So
with all that in mind, I am trying to spend two hours a week at the allotment.
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| Painted Lady on the right. This year has also been amazingly good for Common Blue butterflies. |
Last week Momma P and I spent a few hours in the sunshine,
sorting out the sprout patch to protect against pigeon damage, cutting down a
rampant raspberry, and building up the soil level of a flower bed.
Next on my to do list is to dig out & turn over my
pumpkin patch, weed & turn over this seasons fallow bed, and turn &
cover the leek bed.
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| Sprouts with anti-pigeon cage |
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| Flower bed; now with fresh daff & tulip bulbs |
