Naturally Laws

Edge

2011-03-23T17:12:00.005Z

It occurred to me today, (as I trimmed and shaped my turf wall) that maybe I've got it wrong. The wall idea is kind of fun and quirky - it has a pleasing structure and tactile tuftyness, but perhaps I've not considered fully its more significant function. As the perennial (couch) grass has knitted together throughout the turves's, and a mixture of wild and cultivated seed have blown in and colonised little areas, gradually, from an unpromising barren mound of earth, life has emerged and a whole habitat has been created. And this I ponder as I merrily clip my little wall into a tidy and uniform shape, perhaps better suited to some designer space outside a British backdoor? Before it's too late, my reflection causes me to pause and really observe what's happening on my wall, and sure enough it is teeming with insects - mostly ladybirds, who are easily visible amongst the red dead nettle and chickweed engaged in what can only be described as a bug orgy!

Well good for them and good for me too. What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than bumping uglies. With any luck the result will be my own little army of predators to keep the pests under control and maintain that much needed natural balance. In permacultural terms it is what's known as 'The Edge' - the place where two ecologies meet. Such an environment supports biological activity from either side of this 'boundary' zone (for example - my wall) as well as species particular to it's own conditions, thus making it a highly productive region (certainly for the ladybirds).

I now feel somewhat reluctant to get the strimmer out and lick our shaggier areas into shape - but if not, then surely the entire plot would meet the same fate as our first attempted strawberry patch?

For further info on 'The Edge' or Permaculture in general, check out

http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/ or http://www.permaculture.org.uk/

March/April 2010

2011-03-16T16:50:00.005Z

A few changes from the previous year.............

The comfrey was relocated and the shed is half painted.

Larger beds to accommodate maincrops. More work to be done.

Cut flower border or what will eventually be.........

Snow-tastic!!

2010-03-13T21:11:00.003Z

What a great winter we had!! A real, proper chilly - dare I say 'brass monkeys' affair!

See Andrew enjoying the blizzard! :)

Shed - still standing! Hooray!

The ever hardy leeks - survived a troublesome munching by Leek moth caterpillars and then all

the heavy snow and frost and ice. All eaten now - and very good they were too! Sooooo glad I didn't pull them all up in despair!

A view across the allotment site at almost dusk.

Lightening fast lunch – Albert the ham, emental cheese and black olives sarnie

2009-11-09T13:02:00.000Z

Jim's dutty pizza dogs recipe

2009-11-06T14:01:00.000Z

Andrew’s Spicy Chicken Penne recipe

2009-11-02T11:13:00.005Z

Now it’s sometimes said that I’m lazy, whereas I prefer to think of myself as ergonomic with exertion. I like fast recipes that require a minimum of preparation and take just a few minutes, but I also want these fast creations to be tongue tingly tasty. It’s a side affect of living with a wife who can cook the most marvellous gastronomic marvels with what appears to be just the shake of her wrist and a few wistful sighs as she sprinkles things into a pan. My standards have been raised more times than Tower Bridge.

Occasionally I manage to accidently create a dish that requires neither effort nor a great time investment. I say accidently because I often misread even the most basic of culinary instructions. In my defence it’s a well known fact that a chap can’t create, concentrate or pleasure cook on an empty stomach; and seeing as how eating a full meal just before creating another would be plain greedy then these hasty mistakes will always be a distinguishing feature of my time in the kitchen. And so here’s a little something I cobbled together last night in order to satisfy my lust for Italian cooking and my fascination with having a full belly.

This recipe should feed up to six people, or three fat knackers. When we cook in this house we always cook at least one or two portions for the freezer. So come a nuclear winter while the rest of the world is sitting down to a tin of corned beef and baked beans with a deep sadness in their heart, we’ll be eating gourmet food out of plastic tubs and trying to find the bright side of a world populated by nuclear mutants. It’s amazing how a gut full of greatness can improve one’s outlook on life. So without further ado, and before I somehow manage to bring dancing zombies into this confusing nuclear scenario here’s my recipe for Spicy Chicken Penne.

Ingredients
(You can probably buy cheaper versions of any of these ingredients, but I like indulging in the fine stuff, it’s a relatively cheap way of eating like a king, a king with his own Italian chef).

2 x skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 x tins of Italian chopped tomatoes (400g tins we call them in the UK, gawd bless the metric system)
2 medium red onions or one whopper behemoth of a red onion
1 small fresh chilli or a sprinkling of chilli flakes or something, anything hot that isn’t chilli powder
9 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
A handful of pitted black olives (at least 20, I have no idea how big your hands are, nor what ‘that means’ in relation to any other part of your body)
1 red bell pepper
1 or 2 pinches of sea salt
Penne pasta (it doesn't really matter what sort of pasta I guess, in fact that pasta that comes in the shape of farm animals might be fun, go nuts, live a little)

Instructions

Grill the chicken breasts and then tear them to shreds like a wild beast using a couple of forks. When they look like they’ve been involved in some sort of small explosion put them to one side, and try and resist the urge to nibble on them while carrying out the rest of these instructions.
Sling all the oil into a massive saucepan – I don’t think there’s any scientific reason to use a massive saucepan it’s just more fun – and heat it very gently. While the oil is heating (gently, don’t be hasty little hobbit) finely chop the red onions, it’s okay to have a little cry at this point, just don’t rub your eyes with fingers rich in onion juice.
Pop in a couple of pinches of sea salt, be sparing rather than generous.
Sling the chopped onions into the oil and move them around a bit whilst whistling a merry tune until they soften, we don’t want to let them go brown. When I say ‘we’ I mean ‘you’, I won’t be there to help you cook this meal, although all invitations to eat it will be considered.
Chop the chilli as small as you possibly can and mix it into the oil and onion slop; leave it on the heat for another few minutes then bung in your chopped red pepper.
Stir in the two tins of chopped tomatoes, and (if you like) use then to make a trotting horsey sound effect while you do a few loops of your kitchen.
Drop in the olives and shredded chicken and leave on a low heat for as long as you fancy.
When your ravenous troops are assembled drop some cooked pasta into the pan and mix it thoroughly with the gorgeous sauce you have created.
Serve with a gracious smile and enjoy the compliments of all present.

Tuna and Mozzarella stuffed over ripe tomatoes

2009-09-13T13:23:00.005+01:00

We have a huge glut of tomatoes this year and while we’ve tried to use them all it was inevitable that some were going to get left to go just that little bit too soft. We hate to see waste so I knocked up a little recipe.

You’ll need;

8 or 9 very ripe medium size tomatoes
1 tin/ pack of tuna
1 lump of mozzarella

It might be nice if you have;

Fresh black basil leaves
Some cous cous

Carefully cut the tops off the tomatoes and using a teaspoon scoop out the goo inside, you can chuck this away or do what I did and add it to the compost pot. Put about a teaspoon of tuna in each hollowed out tomato – our tuna was lightly flavoured with lime and pepper, but it’s not essential by any means. You don’t need to mix the tuna with mayonnaise or oil as there’s more than enough juice in this concoction already.

Carelessly rip apart the mozzarella ball and pop roughly hewn chunks in the top of each tomato. With the grill on full bung all your lovely creations on a baking tray and blast them until the mozzarella starts to brown.

Serve with a slight sprinkling of fresh pepper and eat while still warm. I had some left over cous cous so I added that to the plate. I also nicked some fresh black leaf basil from the greenhouse and stuffed a leaf inside each tomato.

Best eaten whole, nom!

Courgette Chutney - just one way to deal with the glut!

2009-09-08T22:24:00.002+01:00

Hi all - by popular request here is a marvel of a recipe for dealing with the continuous spurt of zucchini.

You will need the following:

Pickling spices (coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds, dried chillies, allspice, ginger, black peppercorns and a couple of bayleaves) * rather unhelpfully the recipe is unclear on the quantities of these - I'm guessing around a t-spoon of each unless you can buy little mixed sachets?? I have since discovered Sainsbugs do a jar of pickling spice, so maybe 2 tbsp??
700g courgettes
250g raisins
250g dried apricots
1 small green apple
250g sugar
3/4 tablespoon salt
500ml white wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar cos thats what I had in the cupboard!)

Tie spices in a muslin bag

Cut courgettes into cubes (small)

In a large preserving pan combine with all other ingredients - chuck in the spice bag (recipe states tie to the handle and dangle in ingredients, but sounds like unnecessary faff to me!) and leave for 24 hours

After said 24 hours - stir over a low heat to dissolve sugar

Cover and simmer gently for at least an hour, pressing the juices out of the spice bag from time to time until the pieces of courgette are translucent and the liquid golden and sryupy

Pour into warm sterilised jars and cover.

Credit must go to Sarah Raven for the recipe, though I did tamper with it a little!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy

One man went to mow...

2009-08-03T19:46:00.002+01:00

The lilac bush

2009-07-22T20:38:00.004+01:00

Rescued by my neighbour from her place of graft then kindly donated to the 'plot' effort.

Very handsome she be that 'Beauty of Moscow'
May she flourish and bloom
and attract all who see - the insects, the birds and even me!

Please don't comment on the sad attempt at poetry (or grammar) .......... I felt inspired by Mr Phil!

How doth the pumkins grow!!

2009-07-22T20:33:00.009+01:00

From humble beginnings.......

.......the monster pumpkins swell!!

Jess and I are hoping to weigh in the heaviest pumpkins in all of Ipswich in aid of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). You can help us raise a bit of cash for the cause by sponsoring our efforts.

Please find the link for 'EACH' in our 'Great links' list for more information about the charity.

The life cycle of a ladybird

2009-07-22T20:31:00.004+01:00

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of gardening is observing what is happening right under your very nose.
This photo shows a ladybird at the larvae stage - something I had the foresight to look up in a book rather than assume it was a pest to be squidged! They can move pretty quick and are fascinating to watch - gleefully munching their way through a colony of sap sucking aphids!

Later - after much munching and growing the larvae pupate and look like this before they emerge into the little red beetles we all recognise as ladybirds.

I'm glad to see natural balance at work on our humble allotment garden!

Onion harvest

2009-07-13T07:22:00.001+01:00

The first onions - sown from sets autumn 2008

A successful garlic crop

Andrew's meadow - this will be developing over the next few years

Hyssop - the bee's love it!

Allotment update video, now with added NOM

2009-07-02T17:35:00.001+01:00

Nettle Beer part two - the tasting!

2009-07-02T16:14:00.001+01:00

The very first spuds!!

2009-06-17T20:25:00.005+01:00

When I suddenly realised this week that our early potatoes may be ready to harvest after just 7 weeks, I could hardly wait to have a wee poke about in the soil to catch a glimpse of those golden orbs. I had been worrying about this variety called 'Swift' (described in the catalogues as the earliest potato yet) as I missed the flowers and recently the foliage has looked less than healthy. And what with the ants I disturbed when weeding I had pretty much resigned myself to a failure. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The first couple of tubers were like little and large - one the size of a grape, the other a large egg. Not put off I groped around in the soil a bit more and sure enough more tubers tumbled forth.
Now, the yield isn't great, most likely due to slack watering (poor things had to make do with mother natures will which - to be honest - has been less than giving since early April), but on returning home the first spuds weighed in at just under 1kg. Not bad for two haulms - I expected less. Other indications of thirsty spuds are split tubers (had a couple of those) and common scab - a bacterial disease common on light sandy soils and encouraged by hot dry weather ( had a lot of that!). There was also a bit of wire worm damage (those orangey yellow critters that hatch into click beetles) but really, none of these conditions will render them inedible. In fact, I scoffed some tonight, lightly dressed in a vinegarette made with a glug of oil, a splash of lemon juice and a dollop of whole grain mustard. Deliciously decadent - so tender and creamy! Highly recommended! Potatoes may be dull and back breaking to plant, but oh so rewarding to harvest and consume!

Other pics I took today include the pumpkins and nasturtiums Jess planted and I have to tell ya that mulching is the way to go people! So - there may be a problem with the perennial weeds continuing to poke their way through but I've not really had to water as the mulch has stored the moisture for me under it's dense blanket. Excellent news!

The early onions are almost ready to harvest - I think. Not huge but reasonably successful.

Beautiful borage - soon the plot will be full of the shameless self seeder!

And the geraniums. I recently added a few new ones to the collection - an indulgence of mine. A gorgeous magenta flowered psilostemen called 'Dragon heart' ; a maculatum called 'Expresso' and my personal favourite 'Else Lacy' a pretense type, first spotted in a fabby little nursery near Saffron Waldon maybe five years ago. At the time, their only stock plant would have set me back around £300!! I'm glad I waited.

Our first allotment tea party

2009-06-01T13:00:00.003+01:00

The sun was out, we had a ton of camping gear with us just to make a single cup of tea, mum brought some lemon meringue pie and dad and I spent the afternoon watching the women work, all in all it was a very successful first allotment tea party!

The very first strawberry!!!

2009-05-12T21:46:00.003+01:00

Ha ha yes indeed. On a brief mission to ensure the pesky wind we've experienced for the last few days had not undone the patchwork puzzle of landscape fabric that I laid at the weekend (for compost and mulch deliveries - perhaps I'll elaborate on this sometime), I almost passed this little beauty.

It was a proud and exciting moment. I picked it and took it home for the husband's tea.....(I think he was expecting something a little more substantial). He did, however accept this humble offering and chomped his way into the succulent flesh. Clearly he liked it as his eye went all squinty, and he smiled (grimaced?) and made nom noises (protests?)...........hmmmmm maybe it wasn't quite ripe yet - oooopsie!!

Experimental compost trench

2009-05-12T20:46:00.004+01:00

After much potting on Sunday afternoon, I decided to take a quick trip down to the plot and empty our little brown bin. The council usually empties this for us every two weeks, processing it into lovely compost which is available to Ipswich residents..........however - you have to buy it back!! Well - nuts to that, I thought - after an inspiring conversation with another friend who is also an allotmenteer and regularly wheels his bin to his plot, I thought I too would by-pass the 'buy back' procedure of the municipal composting scheme and have the benefits for free. I am also reassured in the knowledge that I know exactly what waste has gone into my special brand of compost and am saved the suspicion of any nasty perennial weeds that may have survived the super heated treatment - forever the sceptic that I am.
Have I mentioned there has been no rain for some time??? Well surprisingly the trench was easier to dig than I expected - all that remained to do was tip the already decomposing matter into the trench, spread it about a bit and cover with soil.

I should point out a few flaws to my version of the plan - the bin was surprising heavy though it was only a third full, and some creative thinking had to be applied to get bin from van to ground - thus done with the use of a pallette. It was also kind of awkward to turn the bin upside down by oneself (the ol' back has been grumbling ever since), and dear God the smell!! I only hope the intended plants appreciate the foul rottenness that had me ever so slightly gagging whilst frantically throwing soil back over the putrid goop! All in all - it was a much shorter process than I figured and I look forward to planting some dwarf french beans (if they ever germinate - grrrr) along the trench - the theory being that - as the green waste decomposes it will feed the hungry plants and also help to conserve moisture.

My only thought is that the waste is fresh (was it ever!) so may be more harmful than useful, much like fresh manure can be, potentially burning the roots and robbing the soil of nitrogen as it breaks down and preventing the said beans from gettin' any, which they will not like and will probably show their displeasure by dying.

Ah well - there's always next year, when I will be the tiniest bit wiser.....perhaps.

A word of thanks...

2009-05-08T12:38:00.014+01:00

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find time to regularly update the blog with whatever gentle progress we seem to be making - every week would be nice but - well - most time is spent outdoors whenever possible and for as long as possible to make the most of the longer days up to summer solstice (June 21st) - and then there's the other stuff you find yourself doing like eating and sleeping and that thing we call work! Most likely there will be far more time for telling our entertaining tales during the dark winter months when we tend to curl up in our snug (hopefully with a wood burner this year) and hibernate. But now it's late spring, so I need to be in this moment for now and not think about gloomy winter....though.......woodburner - very exciting!!

Despite months of absence we seem to be having some precipitation today - good news for the dried up ground - not so good news if you've decided to do all your laundry today. Sigh. But yay - time to update the blog!

Anyways - the blog is coming up for it's anniversary soon so I thought I would say thanks to all you people who follow our haphazard happenings. Many of you have said the most encouraging things which makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside and helps us carry on in our rambling sort of way. We've even received the odd bit of advice too, such as - 'avoid rhubarb wine it's blerk - make rhubarb crumble ice-cream instead' (sounds yummy). I would like to add that rhubarb fool is also excellent, and if I get my act together or rain stops play (yeah right - have you heard the estimated weather predictions for the summer months??- this is why mulching is good!) then I plan to make some rhubarb and almond muffins and rhubarb chutney. Perhaps some recipe suggestions may follow......if I give up eating or sleeping! (ha ha - if you know me, you'd realise how farcical that statement was!) A friend of ours in Kent who also has the 'growing bug' (see our blog links) has been very complimentary of my 'so far' crops (recently we all tried making nettle beer - see earlier post - yeah well - the verdicts not out on that yet) - so big thanks to him (such a sweetie) and yes it is a shame we don't live nearer to you to do swappsies - but if you find your way up here soon - let us know.
Another tip we received was about borage and how it can become as invasive as mint. I'm not sure I agree really. Borage is generally used as an annual (not frost hardy in the UK) but does self seed freely so new plants will pop up year after year - at least - that's been my experience. However, it seems unfair to liken borage to the veritable thug - mint, as it does not have spreading rhizomes so can easily be controlled by a quick hoe when you start to see the seedlings or transplanted to a more appropriate site or potted and given away. Mint, on the other hand is more time consuming to remove - if you don't use nasty chemicals the only option is to dig it out and burn it or again put it into pots and give it away to friends. Whatever you do - DON'T PUT IT ON THE COMPOST HEAP! That will lead to badness....but very happy mint I'm sure!
Any other thoughts from you followers on any subject would make interesting reading. After all - we all live with slightly different conditions so every experience is different too and for even more fun - it will vary from year to year. There's a world of community and generosity amongst green fingered types. I'm so glad to be a part of it.

Here's some current pics for your perusal. It's stopped raining now so I'm off to sow more seeds. Yipppeeee.

My birthday plants. They sure have come on since last August!

The woodland wall -
here is an example of nature doing it's thing. It stays reasonably damp being easterly facing so the fern and pretty little purple flower (not sure of the name) have found the perfect habitat. I planted a Clematis near the steps with the hope it will scale the wall (thanks to the wires a bearded friend helped me with) onto the trellis fence - and up and over Andrew's expertly constructed arch. If it flourishes, I'm sure it will make an appearence on the blog again.

Broad beans -
these were supposed to be planted on the plot but with nowhere to put them, I am trialling them here. The construction around them is not so much protection from the weather, but from the regular defecating of our furry beasts. Cat poo and vegetable growing should really not mix!

An explosion of green stuff!

Pak Choi bolting (going to seed).

A forest of tomato plants.

Behind the greenhouse......wherever I can, I will be cramming plants!

Rinny the guard cat. Protecting my precciousss plants....though not really. She merely seized a photo opportunity!

Oh - and the very first pic - the sweet peas of course. Another couple of weeks and they will be in flower!

What's growing on the home patch?

2009-04-22T07:34:00.015+01:00

As well as having the space at the allotment to probably feed a football team, we also have our own little back yard with it's view over the Orwell estuary.......and the plebs on Ashley Street! After many years of dithering over what to create in this terraced space, with many a false start and the removal of many a patio I finally decided it would be more useful as a production area - hence the greenhouse we built this year. That said it's easy to get carried away - there are currently seedlings crammed on every sunny windowsill in the house too.

I think I have about 60 tomato plants growing away quite happily - Gardener's delight (cherry type, good yield, very productive - eat them straight off the vine when warm in the sun and yum!), Tigerella (unusual stripy skin, seem to remember has a good flavour), Matina (performed well when I grew it last year at the place I worked, good skins not easily split) and Marmande (think this is a beefsteak type and again performed well for me last year - how it will perform in my garden remains to be seen).

I don't expect to harvest from 60 plants - that would be crazy - but I'll have lots to give away, which is another great pleasure of gardening and one that tends to be reciprocated! Gardener's are commonly, generous people - well the ones I've met are! Whenever I get chatting to a fellow plot holder ('the wall' seems to be a common talking point), invariably I get offered a little something - a few beetroot, some cabbage seedlings, the use of a hose, a few sticks of rhubarb.
It seems we all grow too much of one crop or another or experience gluts but would rather happily give it away than have stuff going to waste - though waste, in theory, does not exist on the allotment as it can all be composted and re-used.

Other seeds bursting into life include -

Borage and Ipomea or 'Morning Glory' -
both being grown to attract pollinators but the borage has additional benefits of being used for culinary and medicinal purposes - both of which I am yet to experiment with!

Pak Choi -
just planted some out in the greenhouse, and have some to give away. I've found them very useful in stir-fry's, and particularly tasty with fish. You never know - I might let you in on a few recipes!

Chives and tarragon (french type - said to have a better flavour, though not hardy. However - has survived several winters on our patio) -
I divided these up and re potted them, so now I have even more plants!

Parsley and coriander -
this is how they are grown for supermarkets. Lots of seedlings in one pot. Quite wasteful really when you consider that one seed will develop into a whole plant that can have leaves removed as and when you need them rather than the short life span of the pot on your windowsill. It may be possible, though I've not tried it myself, to take one of those supermarket pots and gently tease apart the roots to make lots of individual plants - you will get more for your money and are saved the agonising wait for them to germinate (parsley being particularly slow!). I may give that a go so watch this space......

Broad beans -
somewhat late but what the hell - let's see what happens. Just planted some in the back garden and I'll try the rest at the plot. Always sown them direct before and too thickly which encourages fungal disease and can make them difficult to harvest if there is a small forest of them. They are spaced roughly a foot apart in a double row - more pics to follow if they get going!

Remember these? The first salad leaf crops. Well - they are a bit bigger than this now and with more holes in the leaves (grrrr), but reasonably successful. Not as successful as they would be in a polytunnel, I think. The ambient temperature in a polytunnel seems to be a lot warmer and is also moist so salad leaves tend to grow really quickly - which is good for cutting. An indoor environment also tends to keep flea beetles at bay which can damage the leaves of brassicas - rocket, mizuna and chinese leaves being of this group - radish too! There was a row of salad onions but they seem to have failed - the seed may have been too old. Ah well - you can't win every time!

Rhubarb!
Yet to find a spot for them on the plot. Speaking of rhubarb though - we plan to have a go at rhubarb wine soon so watch out for the trial and tribulations of that!

My small potted herb garden -
the sage and rosemary are due to be planted at the plot, when there is a place for them but the mint is much better contained in a pot and divided up every now and again as it will take over in open ground!

Echinacea -
really excited about this. Never had any success germinating the seed before. I'll soon be dishing out cold remedies before you know it!!

There has been further activity since taking these photos - just not enough time to document it. I'll do my best to keep up between my hubby's entertaining video diaries.
So far he has managed to avoid getting his hands dirty!!

Pigeon theft!

2009-04-16T12:17:00.002+01:00

Well not theft of a pigeon, but a pigeon stealing! For as long as I've had bird feeders outside my study window (here at home) there have been pigeons and doves sat above them trying to figure out how they might benefit from our generosity. After I built a flimsy arbour in the garden a few days ago one pigeon has been sitting on it for what seems like hours trying to figure out how to get the seed...

How to make nettle beer

2009-04-14T14:04:00.002+01:00

Here's our first instructional video, how to make nettle beer! There's also some coverage of the bottling of our blackberry wine, enjoy!

Blackberry wine is ready, fancy a drop?

2009-04-13T20:32:00.002+01:00

Started when we picked the blackberrys up at the allotment 6th September 2008, and finished when we bottled it 13th April 2009. Note we reuse screw top bottles now, cork might be fancy but it's a right pain in the bum!

Our first allotment video update

2009-04-13T19:54:00.001+01:00

Actually it's not much of an update at all, just a bunch of random clips from today, but I figured most viewers of this blog haven't seen any moving images of our plot. So here's a brief look at our plot and wander around the other plots at Maidenhall Allotments in Ipswich;

What's growing?

2009-04-09T20:31:00.010+01:00

With the Spring sunshine rapidly encouraging growth, I thought I'd give a quick run down of all the happenings currently flourishing on the plot.

The daffodils we didn't know we had -
almost lost their lives to the lawnmower! When they have finished flowering I will dig them up and move them somewhere more suitable.

All four apple trees survived the winter and have lovely healthy new growth. I suspect the stable muck and top mulch may have helped them through the current dry spell we are experiencing.

Comfrey -
one day this will be a lush patch of leaves that can be cut and covered in water to make a liquid feed. So far they too have survived the winter and the heavy foot of Mr Laws! Bees love the flowers too!

The redcurrant -
a birthday present from Nick and David. It lives - which makes me happy. And look - the strawbs can be seen in the distance and are starting to look better from a weeding and a top mulch of spent mushroom compost.

Hyssop -
another great favourite of bees - and butterflies too! Medicinally can be used to soothe coughs and catarrh which is great news for me and even better news for Andrew! I've been watching 'Grow your own drugs' - I reckon I could turn my hand to to a bit of herbal alchemy!
These plants may will be moved somewhere else eventually and replaced with the taller Anise hyssop, which I have yet to raise and is on my mental list of plants to grow.

The geranium collection (relatives of the wild meadow crane's-bill) -
with all the change occurring on the home patch these have been re-homed here so I can still enjoy them as my most favourite garden plant. The space at home I can then use to grow the tender high maintenance or regular use stuff such as salad leaves, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines etc.

Garlic -
we use a lot of this so I'm pleased it's looking this good. There is some yellowing of the leaf tips which generally means the soil is lacking in nitrogen - (hardly surprising with a previous crop of grass) but over time, adding lots of soil improver's - compost, muck and mulch I'm sure it will get better. However, the onion family are not huge fans of a freshly fed patch. All the books tell you they prefer poorer soil but well drained - great on our sandy loam - not so great on clay.

Ah yes - and the wall. This is growing well too. Soon, I will have a fortRESS - but it will be pretty and green and not look like the trenches of the first world war .
More on the wall another time.......

Other stuff in the ground that should be growing are the spuds - except the Maris Piper's - (still frantically preparing a patch for them), onion sets - (there is some life here), shallots and the raspberries. I'm a little worried about those. I wonder if I buried them too deep or whether the mulch is too thick - I may have to prod around to see what I can find - sigh.

Mostly, it's all good though - I have many an idea spewing forth from my tiny noggin and splattering all over our little piece of land in a free styling, organic kind of way.

What is developing - is something quite unique.......

Getting organised

2009-03-30T07:38:00.007+01:00

Yesterday was an organising day - not exactly intended, and with the weather being so gloriously sunny would have been better spent on the plot BUT - sometimes you just have to do what's in your mind to do. With summer arriving (though hard to believe with yet another frost on the ground this morning) and activity becoming more frantic and haphazard; a look at the shed situation seemed justified - though to call it a 'situation' is perhaps a little over dramatic!

Andrew would say this ritual is an annual pleasure for me and is dreading the words "its no good - the shed will have to be moved!". Well not this time - but the hoard of garden paraphernalia had to be shifted around and humanely culled or relocated to accommodate the huffing lawnmower that is currently residing in a friends shed due to us not being organised! A seemingly simple task but as these things go became a right faff! Anywho - I managed in the end and feel better for it so rewarded my order and efficiency by planting the sweet peas I sowed back in November(?).

I sow sweet peas in square pots (9cm) with four seeds to each pot. In most cases, they all germinate and I have a lovely full pot of well established peas to plant out. I never bother separating them as most sources say they dislike root disturbance and this way I have much quicker coverage of my chosen supports. This year I have some stems from a coppiced Cornus perhaps 5 1/2 ft tall which I wombled from a pruning job I was doing. It's great when you can think of practical uses for garden waste products and it's fast becoming my mantra for the allotment!
Although reasonably sheltered in our back yard and the peas have been well hardened, I am perhaps a bit premature in planting them out (last night's frost proves it). Rather than risk failure after such loving attention, I cobbled together a makeshift 'rocket' cloche, with some corrugated plastic sheet (re-using again) and the help of an oddly impressed husband!

And here are some pics of the completed greenhouse.....

....the first salad crops sown ....

....the beginnings of my plant minions!

A spring in the step.......

2009-03-13T08:45:00.001Z

It seems my progress has continued undocumented for the last few months which is hardly surprising as I contracted the mother of all cold viruses (the like of which I’ve not experienced in years) and motivation has been slack to say the least. Then there was the snow and the rain and the general feeling of hopeless despair of - would we ever transform our grassy field into the beautiful and productive, creative playground that is my vision.

Gladly, the cloud of doom has passed taking with it plague and pestilence and with spring approaching there is much to be cheerful about. What better flower to lift the spirits of a winter ravaged soul than the humble daffodil? For me, this is the beginning of spring - that tangible waft in the air of warmer weather, longer days and growth. So back on track dedicating two days during the week and as much time that can be spared at weekends - we graft on. I don’t doubt there will be impatience, frustration and maybe the odd tantrum throughout the year when our efforts fail to go to plan - but the plan is flexible. I estimate it will be three years before the land is fully cultivated and should accept it is a process of gentle evolution – that way the journey can be enjoyed and cherished in all its wonderful education and perhaps I avoid punishing myself for inadequacies.

The first cut is the deepest..

2009-03-08T16:44:00.005Z

Well technically speaking the first grass cut of the year was the highest (setting) not the deepest, but that just didn't roll off the tongue as well! According to Emma today was the first time I've been to the allotment this year! She's been beavering away down there though, I was impressed to see some wire defences she has built around the fruit trees, as well as a low defensive wall you can see in the photo below. I'm expecting a moat next.
On closer inspection you can see that set inside the defensive wall are logs with holes drilled in them, and canes. Apparently this is to encourage insects to nest there, presumably Emma is hoping for some sort of stinging or deadly insects that can be trained into an unwieldy army or something.
This final photo may look a bit odd, and that's because it is. I took this in the kind of pouring rain that would discourage even the hardiest of photographers from exposing their equipment to the elements. Fortunately for you (the reader) I'm more foolish than hardy, so I took some photos anyway!

Hopefully Emma will post soon and explain in proper gardening terms what she's been up to. Until then...

We have glass!

2009-02-02T11:58:00.003Z

Last night we drove back from Peterborough with the glass for the greenhouse in the back of the van. We had blizzards though, and it was a bit scary when the wind blew and nearly caused us to change lanes on the motorway!
So now we have the glass, but as you can see in the photo below, conditions in the garden are far from favourable!

A New Year and a re-cycled greenhouse

2009-01-17T10:05:00.008Z

It's only recently I've realised just how much pleasure I procure from pottering in glasshouses. I'm sure I've always known, (yet not acknowledged) that I'm not just happy but in a state of bliss! And yet, I've never had my own....until now. Lucky for me then that my folks agreed to give me theirs as they plan to move house this year and it seemed (I think) a good reason to get rid of the junk (their words, not mine) which had accumulated over the years.

Well that was back in November that father and I dismantled the frame and we drove it back to Ipswich. Once unloaded, it has remained in pieces every since. Not that I was completely idle, mind - I took some time considering exactly where to build it, carefully measuring and levelling the area, (observed and photographed by my paparazzi husband) and eventually had a base I was happy with. Now winter is turning it's cold and miserable corner I was keen to get on with the project knowing it would have to be done in two stages, seeing as the glass is still in Peterborough.
Surprisingly, it took my Dad and I only 5 hours, give or take, to rebuild the frame - and despite my limited building skills, my base was 'near as damnit' level!! Scoooooore!

I think it has to be said - the little achievements you make every day are the reason it's worth living. Thanks Dad!

Grow progress!

2009-01-01T15:33:00.011Z

Wow, what a rubbish pun! I've just got back from my first trip down to the allotment in a few weeks, and Emma has been really busy digging squares for the fruit stick things she got for her birthday.

I decided to reassert my manliness on the shed by fixing a new hasp that can't be broken off with a child's toothbrush like the crappy old one.

I also attached a wee storage thing that I found in the loft to the back of the door and fitted some lovely blinds that I also found in the loft.

The real work of art this time though was the guttering, I need to 'womble' a bendy bit of pipe from somewhere so it's not quite done yet, but that seems to fit the general theme of having an allotment, there's a lot of things that aren't quite ever finished. Emma wants me to trim the guttering so that it actually fits the back of the shed, seems like a bit of shame to me!

The black thing that looks like a squarial on the side of the shed is the solar panel for the free light that came with the shed. It's gloriously useless as we're never down at the allotment at night, besides it's about as powerful as a child's toy!

Only four more sleeps till Christmas!

2008-12-21T16:42:00.004Z

And Emma has been in full production mode again, these mince pies are made from homemade mincemeat, and the mincemeat muffins smell remarkable!

We live in an Victorian house that is nearly 130 years old and has a very grand fireplace for such a small terrace house. Unfortunately the hearth has been boarded up for many years and the grate behind it is smashed beyond use, maybe for next Christmas we'll renovate the fireplace and have a roaring log fire to keep us warm and romantised!

Hmmm, chutney, just don't breath it in!

2008-12-13T13:16:00.005Z

This is a very special time of year, with a gallon of posh 'cyder' vinegar, a kilo each of currants, mixed dried fruit, six kilos of a couple of types of sugar and more cinnamon sticks than I've even seen in one place before Emma sets about making vast amounts of Christmas Chutney for all our friends and family.

It's amazing how well these gifts go down with everyone we know, although there is one caveat to recieving a jar of this special chutney; if you have any left by Easter we get to claim it back as our own personal stash is well and truely gone by then! The cashew nuts and coffee are for my own gorging enjoyment. We buy bulk from organic wholesale folks Suma, each time a new delivery arrives it's like Christmas, if Christmas was a traditional time to try and find somewhere to store a month's supply of bog roll!

Despite the fact Em has been making Christmas chutney for few years now I still manage to forget that if you take a deep breath while it's all in the preserve pan your nose will disolve and your brain will shivel a little like a pickled walnut, wow it's strong stuff! I'll also be smelling of chutney for the next few days, which I think is kinda homely, but all the local dogs may disagree!

I know Christmas is coming because...

2008-12-05T16:31:00.004Z

Christmas is definitely on it's way, Emma has brought loads of the outside inside and I keep getting yelled at for 'helping'.

Em at Ken

2008-12-02T19:19:00.004Z

And here's a lovely photo of Em stuffing her cake hole at Ken Muir!

A planting we will go........

2008-12-02T18:37:00.003Z

With the shortest day of the year (winter solstice) fast approaching, I figured it was time to order some fruit. In October we fully researched this exciting addition to our plot by attending the 'Apple day' event at Ken Muir in Essex.

There was much apple nom which helped us decide on the following - Egremont Russet, Bardsey, Red Devil and Ellisons Orange. I am also considering the creation of a raspberry hedge and have begun by ordering 10 canes of Autumn Bliss. Yum - can hardly wait til they join the strawberries and lonely redcurrant bush!

Thanks to all those who bought me gift vouchers for my birthday - you will be rewarded (hopefully) by our abundant crops and many a jar of chutney to accompany your cheeseboard!

Winter is the perfect time of year for planting trees and as such is celebrated by National tree week (26th Nov - 7th Dec) so take a peek at the Tree councils website for more info - http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/?q=node/41

In other news - over wintering onions and garlic are in the ground. Yippeeee! Just hope they don't rot in all the nasty rain we keep getting!

Alas, poor pumpkin..........

2008-11-18T20:15:00.004Z

Woe to the pumpkin who succumbed to evil!.....

Only lasted a week before oozing off that pot..........a grim fate.
I think it was a bad un' before I carved out it's flesh - Mwahahahahaha!

Anyway, I now have a lovely teasel tree in it's place and am currently attempting to convince my hubster it will be fun to add little hand made decorations as a sort of advent creation.

He not yet convinced................

A Greenhouse, A Mission, Some Photos

2008-11-18T15:35:00.010Z

As you can see in the photo above we haven't had a lawn at the bottom of our garden for many years. Emma decided she didn't wan't a lawn but formulating a plan for the end of our garden appeared to be so low I assumed she was leaving it all up to the fairies that live down there. Sadly I think the high volume of cat crap may have driven the fairies away long ago, I just haven't the heard to tell Emma that.

At the weekend we took our new tiny little van up to Peterborough to pick up the greenhouse that Emma's parents no longer want. This is not a task I was looking forward to, as you may be able to tell in the above photo!

As traditional on these occasions I helped Emma and her dad the best way I could, by staying well out of their way!

It was my task while Emma and her dad were playing reverse Mechano to fit a stereo in the van, a task at which I roundly failed! In the photo above Emma has noticed that the rear panel in the tailgate of the van is held on by gaffa tape!

A less than perfect autumn day

2008-11-03T20:12:00.003Z

An ever growing list of tasks sees me dutifully facing what can only be described as a 'dank' day down at the plot (the atmosphere is more akin to a Susan Hill novel than the- 'ever so jolly hockey sticks' -Enid Blyton!)
I once thought it was only the wind that could blow me into a bad mood but I now realise the oppressive shroud of persistent mizzle* is enough to stir the darkest and blackest malevolence.

My achievements today can be measured mostly in wetness and mud.

Today, I do not like my 'jolly' vegetable growing lark. I seek the comfort of trifle!

*indistinctly a mist or a drizzle.

Pumpkin carving - yay!

2008-11-02T15:04:00.009Z

Ever more wet and grim this weekend - me and my lovely sister-in-law joined the kids at our local pub to take part in a pumpkin carving workshop.
Both very excited but had to concentrate very hard as we realised we had never done this before (clearly deprived in our youth)! Also didn't want to lose fingers when handling slippery pumpkins and using sharp knives!

Aww - don't she look happy carving a face in 'Frank' (the pumpkin).

Sisssstar carved 2 pumpkins in the time I did one. The big pumpkin is mine and the smaller one next to it is called 'Grouch' - after one of the locals! :)

Can you spot our efforts in the line-up??? Spooky!

We had so much fun we have agreed to attend every year and I have promised sisssssstar that we will grow many pumpkins and gourds on the plot next year - maybe enough to fill our houses! Yipppeeeeee!

A perfect autumn day..........

2008-10-29T16:24:00.007Z

Sunday was to be a day down on the plot but inevitably was a complete wash out. Uggg! How easy it would have been to mope about mourning the loss of British summertime but instead I got busy making more chutney with the last of the tomatoes and thought I’d have a go at baking brownies too, though not in the same pan! It was a very productive day and filled the house with lots of lovely smells- it even got the dearly beloved out of bed….though to be fair, that was probably due to me banging and crashing around in the kitchen rather than the temptation of delicious and seductive aromas!

I digress – back the to the perfect Autumn day…..which was cold, clear and bright with the sheerest of breezes - a real pleasure to be out and making the most of the sunshine. Today’s task was to rescue the dozen hyssop plants from certain death which have been festering away in pots for…….well a lot longer than they should have (bad grower!) I only hope they perk up a bit now the roots have room to breathe. I’ve treated them to a thick layer of mulch, and to keep those weeds at bay for a little longer I picked up a nifty trick from GW*.

What to do with all the free newspapers that drop through he door? Well - there is always the blue recycling bin that the council collect once a fortnight but if you can make use of them in the garden then even better. So under the thick layer of SMC** there is a layer of 4 or 5 sheets of newspaper neatly tucked round the struggling hyssop plants.

Mulching achieves many great things – it suppresses weeds, retains moisture, insulates the ground keeping the heat in, looks decorative and most importantly can save work on maintenance. An organic mulch can also help to enrich the soil as it breaks down, and if applied on an annual basis will improve soil structure no end. Lush! It may seem a little time consuming but if it saves labour during the busy growing season then I say it’s worthwhile!

Next to be mulched are the strawbs which I lovingly weeded on my hands and knees today. Maybe I can enlist the help of my hubster………….?

*Gardener’s World **spent mushroom compost

Shed day - hooray!

2008-10-07T20:15:00.006+01:00

Yipeeee! Very excited that we have finally received our shed!
Despite an unpromising start amid wind and rain we began our shed raising trial. Like an Amish barn raising it was not. Tempers were fraught, frowning was deep and swear words were ...well some - so not quite like the scenes in 'Witness'. However, wife and husband did not maim each other til one of us was deaded despite a rather heated debate on supporting the base (turns out we hugely misunderstood each other!)
The instructions said it MUST be built by two people - Pish! I think four would have been conservative as the elements were against us! But triumph we did.
It may not be entirely square or level and the door is a little on the 'huh' and the roof felt looks savaged by a dog.....in places, but it's up! And even though it has not been lovingly hand crafted from wombled materials it begins to acquire character and looks a rather handsome sentry of our grassy field with a strawberry patch!

Oh look - there's a rather handsome fella. A man at one with shed!

Leeeeeeeks!

2008-10-05T15:00:00.004+01:00

I'm grateful to have done some gardening on the home patch yesterday as the weather has been foul today. The leeks are growing away happily, though I realised with horror the cats have been keen to add their contribution by pooing amongst the rows!!
Think I have thought of a way to deter them........

.........husband thinks there may be a flaw in my plan!

We finally have a lawnmower!

2008-10-05T14:33:00.002+01:00

We finally have a lawnmower, no more horrid strimming! Now I can feel all manly as I strut up and down making it look like I'm actually doing some work, but thank god it's self propelled, our allotment is bumpier than a bag of spanners! Oh, and that cartoon sticker, that's me that is! A sticker seemed a more hygenic way of marking my territory than the traditional method!

Now it's wet!

2008-10-05T12:38:00.007+01:00

A complete change from yesterday and has forced us to review our plans for today. Tisk! I was hoping to prepare some ground for a low hedge of hyssop. We have a dozen to plant along the front of the plot and after the under gardener strained his back extending the strawberry patch last Sunday I was hoping to plant those last four plants too. Ah well - when working in the great outdoors it's less frustrating if you can be adaptable. There are other things to get ahead with when the weather becomes challenging, such as documenting last weeks efforts!
With the increasing pressure to keep control of our grassy plot (whilst gently bringing it into cultivation) we decided to invest in a rotary petrol mower. The under gardener was very excited about the prospect of creating a lawn fit for bowling - I fear he may be disappointed!
What is important is maintaining the grass to prevent it becoming wild and ultimately harder work for ourselves. This was so with a strimmer - good for trimming round the edges but far more tedious than strolling up and down with a lawnmower! So while he did that I began our no-dig mulching experiment.
I started by strimming the grass as short as possible, then took a large cardboard box, flattened out (tape and staples removed) and covered it. Next a layer of grass cuttings, followed by a layer of mushroom compost both several inches deep. Finally a bit of treading to consolidate the surface and hey presto looks like a well dug and prepared bit of land. Whether it works, we have yet to see. Hope its not all taken off in the wind!

Andrew, after injury, retired to the car to listen to the radio while I dug out the new site for the shed. Why he asked? It's a design thing I said. He groaned. I shrugged and got on with it.
Illogical or not I decided I didn't want it crammed in the corner like everyone else and besides it's not time wasted as the old site will be the comfrey patch instead.... as long as I hurry up and weed it.Coming soon in the next few weeks - shed building, hyssop, strawberry, comfrey and redcurrant planting, echinacea, foxglove and forget-me-not potting and most inevitably - weeding. Also looking forward to apple tasting days at Ken Muir to decide what we want to grow!

First frost!

2008-10-04T08:50:00.003+01:00

We seem to have skipped Autumn and plunged directly into winter. To think it was warm enough to sit around in a teeshirt last weekend! I wonder if this is portent for a long cold one? Its been a while - guess it's possible. The hedgerows are packed with berries afterall - it's like a drive by larder! Think the wooly hat will be making an apperance very shortly.......and thats just indoors brrrrrrrrrr!

Lazy sunday afternoon..........or not so

2008-09-28T20:15:00.003+01:00

I'm tired and my back hurts and I'm hungry. Boo.

The first planting......

2008-09-08T21:44:00.005+01:00

Whilst 'the man' was gayly picking blackberries I was doing the real work back on our grassy field! As I've mentioned before - we have a current obsession with berries and are keen to establish our own army of productive fruit bushes. The last few trips have been spent carving a suitable bed to transplant our 30 odd stawberry plants into - no easy task with couch grass and bramble roots to weed out (plenty of worms though which can only be good sign that the soil is not a barren wasteland) but finish the task I did!
A great feeling of satisfaction we had this evening (at mos-i happy hour it would appear) as we worked together to put our first little plants in the ground. Some work needs to be done to extend the bed enough to accomodate the last four plants - but essentially we have ourselves a strawberry patch! Very exciting!

It is but a small triumph of an otherwise mammouth task but it is something we can manage - as long as we find a lawnmower soon!

Hey-ho fun picking berri-os!

2008-09-08T20:26:00.005+01:00

Yipeee - it's now September and rather than lament the loss of a so called non-existent summer my thoughts turn to berries or more precisely the harvesting of. For the last few weeks I've been watching greedily for ripening elderberries, obsessed with the idea of turning as much free bounty into wine ( a cost cutting exercise on our grocery bill of course....hmmm). A simple enough ponderment it would seem-or is it? First, I realised I would need to find a suitable copse of elderberries - preferably local or at least accessible on my journey home from work, not too close to busy roads or the cocked leg of a hapless dog and definitely not on the edge of some life threatening precipice (not so likely in Suffolk!). I knew I'd seen many clusters of ripening berries along my route but they proved harder to spot when I was actually looking selectively for potential vintage - even more tricksy when also attempting to avoid ridicule of my already branded 'fun' driving. I then considered that if I were to succeed in my berry collecting task I would need a suitable vessel for the juicy delights, maybe some cutting implement and quite possibly a 'helpful elf' with longer legs and arms. Not too much to ask then - as the boot of the car already looks like a garden shed a few extra bits and bobs are negligible.

To cut a long story short, I found what I thought looked a suitable 'berry-mine' but the opportunity has not yet arisen to gather in earnest. Boo hiss!
It would be easy to flay oneself on the failure to manage this simple task, but you know- there is always next year. We may very well miss the elderberries this time around but we found a great source of blackberries!

(I'm currently watching the hedgerows again, for there will be sloes and rosehips and I should not forget that plums are peaking at present. Maybe then, I should also be voyeur for the little stalls and tables you find at the roadside in rural England - encouraging the honest exchange of a reasonable fee for the abundant windfalls!)

Swat or suck?

2008-09-08T19:42:00.003+01:00

We've just returned from what will probably be the first of many twilight visits to the allotments, I'll leave it up to Em to let you know exactly we got up to. Whilst I was there playing in the soil my mind wandered as it is won’t to do, although to be fair I’m the kind of man whose mind can wander even when it should be perfectly focussed and at it’s most lucid! As we were hounded by a moderately sized army of mosquitoes I pondered on the best way to deal with them. Swatting them and waving your arms around appears to be fairly futile, albeit hilarious to watch!

I wondered if my stomach acid could render innocuous any bugs these horrid things carry? Based on the fact I’ve spent many years (away from Em’s gaze) consuming some very questionable kebabs whilst gigging with my band I decided a mosquito should pose no great threat to my belly. SUCK! Ah, ignorance and problem solving rolled into one, this allotment must be doing me some good!

Mild discomfort by a thousand cuts!

2008-09-08T10:12:00.003+01:00

Last time I spent an afternoon at the allotment it wasn't until the next day that I found out I'd been eaten half alive by horseflies. So I work up this morning following yesterday's adventures thinking that I appeared to have returned from the allotment unscathed, at least that's what I thought until I got in the bath. I guess my jeans were not as tough as I thought, and probably not best suited to leaning into giant brambles to reach far away but tantalisingly juicy blackberries! My legs this morning look like they've been blasted by a blunderbuss full of tiny razors, ouch! I'll spare you the photos on this one!

From thick brambles, wine will come!

2008-09-07T20:14:00.006+01:00

In conversation with my wife a few days ago I went to special efforts to let her know that I’m still very much excited about the allotment project. This show of enthusiasm was made slightly easier (but no less genuine) by watching the first series of ‘The Good Life’ on DVD recently. Something about this 1970’s series that irked me slightly was that seemingly moments after deciding to follow the self sufficiency way of life they had a perfectly cultivated garden and more produce than Covent Garden at 5am on a Monday morning! When we visited the allotment today I glanced over what appears to be the most virulent grass I’ve ever seen in my life and was overwhelmed by the sheer lack of food we had growing. I know we have to put in the ground work, and I am also aware of the fact that being an IT consultant I’m used to things moving a little faster than this. Identify a project, decide on responsibilities then delegate to the most appropriate experts in your contacts list, that’s the way I’m used to doing things. In this case the project is growing food, my wife (Em) is both deciding responsibilities and delegating, although unfortunately for her she has a staff team of one inexperienced pillock to ‘resource allocate’. At times like this and in the light of the lack of edible progress ‘projects’ like ours can take a slight dip in the nose that indicates a (potentially far off) tangible future failure.

Apparently our allotment is the largest in Ipswich, and the only allotment with many spare plots. Potentially the reason for all these spare plots is that they are all utterly covered with brambles. These aren’t just any brambles; these brambles would put Fangorn forest to shame. On the plus side they are a fantastic source of blackberries, and something ‘The Good Life’ taught me many years ago is that you can turn fruit into free booze. With this in mind I spent this afternoon forcing my way through bramble branches the thickness of my own neck and gathered blackberries I deemed worthy of homebrew. I felt a little like Indiana Jones, and not just because I was wearing a cheap leather hat, these brambles rolled like a prickly tide over many former plots. Occasionally I would stumble across archaeological artefacts like old plant pots and compost bags.
There’s a possibility I may have taken the selection (and archaeological) process a little too seriously as after two or three hours I had only amassed enough fruit for a small tart and had to call in my wife for reinforcements. As it turns out she isn’t quite as picky as me, and after four or five hours we had enough to make five bottles of blackberry wine.

One of the many lessons I learned today is that I really must waterproof my old army surplus jacket. As we don’t yet have the luxury of a shed for shelter today’s persistent rainfall left me more than a little soggy. I remember seeing in the play ‘Neville’s Island’ the best way to stay warm is to engage in frantic activity so when we got home I set about turning the free crop of blackberries into delicious wine. However, as I’m fast learning in this self sufficiently lark, nothing is instant. I ‘m really looking forward to drinking this wine, in six months time!

I may have spotted a small flaw

2008-09-02T14:39:00.003+01:00

We have decided to cultivate younger plants that need more attention in our small garden at home. However, just a few minutes ago I wandered out onto the patio to harvest a tomato for my lunch and found a small furry reminder of the particular challenges we face in this project!

I'm tasty meat

2008-09-01T11:20:00.007+01:00

Until yesterday I always thought that camping was the best way to get eaten alive by insects, but turns out doing anything down at the allotment greatly pleases and excites anything blood sucking for miles around! I have some huge lumps from yesterday's work, but being a positive sort I'm oddly pleased, I am tasty meat!

Last night I was also trying to figure out why my legs were do damned itchy. Then I remembered the huge bushes of of stinging nettles I gleefully charged through with the strimmer. What I didn't realise at the time was that the strimmer was not only slaying the nettles but also flinging the bits at high velocity at my bare legs!

I live, I learn, I itch, I love the bite clicker...

Here we go again!

2008-09-01T09:00:00.004+01:00

Ah, my first post on our new blog! The last time we had an allotment (some ten years ago probably) I was mostly in it for sitting in the shed drinking Guinness. The fact the shed I built kept blowing over and could barely house a couple of spades, coupled with the fact that I don’t much care for Guinness possibly was a sign of the way things were going to go and in the end it was burnt down by other plot holders in some sort of wicker man type ritual. I imagine. These days the allotment seems a lot less like an old boys club, and more like a ‘have a go horticulturist’ adventure of discovery and excitement! We took on our last plot before Em turned pro with the gardening and all I really remember from that period is lots of back breaking digging. Digging and horseradish roots to be precise, never mind bindweed I’m sure horseradish is far more virulent a pest! Now that my wife is well experienced in organic/ minimum effort gardening she sold the idea of the new plot to me partly by emphasising the ‘no dig’ approach she now takes to horticulture. So far we have done some digging, but to be fair she tends to do the digging while I amble about making piles of rubbish, although slightly artistically, like I’m creating constellations of crud!

So yesterday I had my first go on the strimmer, which is probably the most unpleasant thing I’ve ever done whilst crushingly hung-over. My hands were throbbing, my ears were throbbing, and I found out pretty fast that I didn’t hold Em’s child-size strimmer correctly it could pretty quickly bring discomfort to parts of my body it would be inappropriate for me to name on a polite blog such as this. As I vibrated my way across the plot I initially aimed for the thickest and tallest patches of grass, this sums up my current ‘quick hit, quick satisfaction’ approach to gardening. Just as I was trying to perfect the ballet/ polka type hip swinging motion that Em told me was the way to strim, and just as I was burrrrrrrrrrrring through a particularly thick bit of bramble I noticed she who must be obeyed waving her arms at me and gesticulating wildly. Admittedly the sunglasses, mesh visor and earplugs were dulling my senses somewhat, but I’m pretty sure she was doing some sort of dance to demonstrate her enormous satisfaction with my work. After what seemed like a brief (but horrid) time my work was done, I was especially proud that I had the forethought to close the boot of the car before strimming that area of the plot, unfortunately I had neglected to move the bag of treats that Em used as the proverbial carrot on a stock. However, I was impressed at just how much grass and other assorted crud that I had managed to fill the bag with, Em was not.

So after a couple of hours this Sunday afternoon we had laid a shed base (well Em had really), we had cut out a plot for the Strawberries (we that was Em too actually). Well at least I had strimmed a lot, although it was pretty clear which side of the plot I had attacked, it was clearly the side that looked like it had been grazed by a toothless dinosaur, compared to Em’s side, which looked like it had been daintily and accurately nibbled by the sort of sheep that would live on a holy mountain.

Well at least I had got out and done something even, although spending the previous day at a punk festival had left me feeling less than effervescent! By late evening I had even got the feeling back in my hands!

A Strimming we will go......

2008-08-31T17:11:00.006+01:00

We have bricks - kindly donated by the allotment in-laws! As they have been weighing the back of the car down for the last two days - we thought we'd best do something with them before we start to wheelie. They were intended for a raised bed on the home patch but we decided a shed base at the plot was a bigger priority as already it's a little weakening carting tools backwards and forwards, and I don't always remember everything.

To solve this little frustration I've made a checklist in my notebook of things always needed (water, gloves, snacks, camera, phone etc) and also a list of likely tools to consider. Seems to be doing the trick so far.

Once we - (yes we! Despite a tricky hangover the dearly beloved was a brave and determined little soldier not to let me down on the arrangement) had moved all the bricks (which took minutes) we scratched our heads a bit and decided to make a start on the strawberry patch. Andrew cut the turf into rough squares and i began forking them out.

With some gentle persuasion he then tooled up with the strimmer, safety visor and ear plugs and started slashing about in the long grass.

An impressive vision of manliness - I'm sure you agree!

We are now agreed that a mower is the way to make lighter work of this situation - so far 'freecycle' has not yet come up with a neglected machine that could use a new home, but we also have our network of friends and family keeping an ear to the ground for such an opportunity. If we are no nearer to acquiring said item before mid September, we may have to consider purchasing one - nothing fancy just a pretty basic machine that does the job. Mr Culture has volunteered himself (with some enthusiasm) as chief mower - a happy arrangement for me and good exercise for him. We just need to watch out for all the forgotten debris of plot owners past.....such as this!

Ou est la shed??

2008-08-25T14:23:00.003+01:00

After feeling considerably guilty for not getting to the allotment this week - today I went in earnest determined to finish clearing, levelling and measuring for the shed. And this I did.

Whilst there, it gave me the opportunity to survey the area that will blossom into our allotment garden. Since the initial scalping, and subsequent rain it is now very clear what 'undesirables' have had a fresh flush of growth. I see we have a number of bramble patches, nettles, docks, brier not to mention the bindweed and a clump of horseradish, oh and did I mention the dreaded couch grass. All these will have to be removed by hand on a regular basis, as we clear and cultivate along with the various rubbish that has been buried under this neglected plot for many years.

We aim to make life as easy as possible for ourselves by keeping the grass cut and only clearing areas we intend to use immediately - ie the planting of fruit, herbs and over wintering onion sets and garlic.

As a bit of an aside - look at this huge potato I grew at work. It's a monster!

It was enough to feed two people!!

Birthday plants

2008-08-18T20:44:00.008+01:00

With renewed enthusiasm for 'green-fingers' on the home patch, I'm again considering what to do with our little terraced garden. Hubby and I seem to agree that it would be a good idea to use as a mini nursery to raise the kind of plants that require a little more attention and tender loving care. We have begun talks on the possibility of installing an 8x6 glasshouse for this purpose.
For now (with ideas in embryo form), I'm indulging a desire to see some colour in the garden after randomly choosing five alpines (my birthday plants) at Katie's garden (independent local nursery near Ipswich). With any luck these will fill the gap at the base of the fence we had boshed up last year and soften the edges of our boundary.

Plant List - Dianthus deltoides Artic Fire (delicate and yet striking), Geranium incanum (again with the geraniums - these are my fav genus), Potentilla x tonguei (pretty flowers - bright apricot yellow), Aubretia ( I like purple), Sedum Voodoo (looked kinda sexy).

Lawn gone! Lawn gone! (Most likely location for glasshouse).

Yay - wheelbarrow! And I rebuilt the poly-shelf thingy.
All this I did on Saturday morning before 'the man' was out of bed!!! Yay for me. Boo hiss to him.

Very little progress

2008-08-10T18:36:00.003+01:00

Sadly, the earth is no longer scorched as there has been much rainfall over the last week (fabalous sound and light shows too) and the grass is back - lush and green. Think we will be needing to purchase a reconditioned mower or borrow one to keep on top of things. Ho hum. Have also noticed today there are a number of fresh bramble shoots making an appearance through the grass.

For the coming week we have a bit of a plan -
- purchase/borrow mower or get to work with a strimmer
- clear area for shed base
- purchase or acquire paving slabs
- begin clearing an area to plant Comfrey and maybe transplant some leeks from my workplace
- support open day on the 16th
With a job application to submit this week also, looks like we are set for a busy time.

In other news - contributions to our cause are as follows:
- £15 towards fruit at Ken Muir (a gift from lovely sister in law)
- a redcurrant bush 'Jonkheer Van Tets' (a gift from lovely friends)
- 40 strawberry plants - origin possibly 'Rosie' or 'Cambridge Favourite' or a mixture
- as many Comfrey cuttings as I can get get my hands on
- a wheelbarrow
- a mini cloche/greenhouse/shelf thing

I am now 32 having had a birthday (08-08-08) on one of the luckiest days ever according to the Chinese people. Am I wiser.......who knows - but there is still so much to learn!!

Scorched earth!

2008-08-04T19:33:00.008+01:00

It was something of a surprise when we tripped down to the plot to do a bit of measuring, only to find that around half the area was black and charred!
At first we considered it might be intentional as, for the most part, the scorching appeared to be tidily restricted to the recently mown areas. On further investigation, however, we discovered we'd missed quite a drama involving 3 fire engines to extinguish a bonfire that had leapt a little out of control. Fortunately for us we have not yet built (or even ordered) the said shed - the location of which would have been engulfed in flames! Gasp!

I guess many a lesson can be learnt by other folks 'oopsies' -

A bonfire:
adjacent to mown grass that has not seen rain in weeks fueled with an unpredictable wind = lots of firemen with hoses, some embarrassment and grumbling plot holders.
Think I could bear the embarrassment and grumbling plot holders to admire the fire service at work.....sigh.

New Land:New Hope....

2008-07-23T20:32:00.004+01:00

It was over eight years ago I first stepped through the gate and entered the world of allotment gardening. One gardening career, an NVQ and two years experience in organic growing later and I'm back and it's large!
Here begins the challenge to apply a little self-sufficiency in our Suffolk lives, to simplify the complexities of our busy existence and aim towards a more creative life in our consumer society.

So far - the grass has been cut and I didn't do it so minimal effort on my part - yipeeeee!

Soon to follow - a no-dig gardening philosophy (experimental) and a pink shed for useful things (and improved visibility from the train-yay!)

For now - lovely photos taken by lovely husband who has signed up as the under-gardener and wants to be given 'little jobs'. How little, I am unsure but his company and interest make me warm inside and if he promises to take flattering photos of yours truly, then quite honestly he can sit around drinking beer and I won't even mind him leering at me!