Update

I was very fortunate to have a whole 4 hours down by the allotment ALONE...yes no kids. I do love taking them to the allotment and truth be told they are one of the major reasons why i chose to have an allotment in the first place - but and its a big BUT...they seriously limit the amount of time i can spend there. To be honest its really Z who does that as he constantly needs a spade or a fork or wants a drink etc etc. So 4 hours was great! My aim was simply two fold - spend half the time clearing, that is, picking up rubbish and the other half actually planting something in the soil. I contacted the council and they have said they will pick up the rubbish for me if its in one pile/location so this is what i have done so far... As is my usual style i have covered the area with sheeting until i am ready to start planting there... it might not look all that great BUT it really was a lot of work and i feel sooooo relieved that its been done. So next on to planting ! yey! POTATOES After watching Alys Folwer (whom i absolutely LOVE) i have totally changed my original plan of raised beds, neat rows etc. I'm going for a more 'organic' approach which to me means curvy lines, rough borders, companion planting, flowers in any gaps, reclaimed objects and so on. At home my seedling babes are doing ok. Courgettes are looking great and so are dahlias but aubergine are growing very slowly and my chillis are yet to be an entrance. fingers crossed X

How to make a water butt out of a wheelie bin

I love this video!

I need to get a power drill and a bin....

Shopping List

I think its about time I make a list of the things I need to buy to get this allotment lark moving 1) ermmm blank - my mind has gone blank!! hang on - wild flower seeds 2) String 3) nails 4) Obviously spade, fork etc etc 5) water butt (my friend said she has a large bin i can use - have to research if i can use that) 6) pallets (not buy but get free to make compost bin number 2) that's all i can think of for now. As a side note i am trying not to spend ANY money- i want to see how far i can go with making this into an expensive hobby (i spend money buying yarn!!) salam

OK so lets ignore those original pictures.....(ahem)

Well my excuse is that I have 2 young BOYS to look after hence......I got the wrong plot!! I have ended up taking pictures of someone else's plot (ermmm....remember i said 2 BOYS) and i felt like a real prat for doing that... Anyway, lets move on to the real plot number 40 shall we? here it is: drum roll please... That's me and my boys working the land... I have no tools of my own, i tried freecycle but no luck. I tried the local car boot, no luck so have ended up buying a hand trowel and hand fork. I bought good quality ones as this is what everyone in cyberspace recommends. I'm borrowing my mums tools till a) I find tools to buy at the car boot b) my DH notices my wishlist hung on kitchen wall and buys me wish number one (a spade!) I have been back to the allotment with borrowed tools and was advised to cover the plot to prevent weeds from re-surfacing. Luckily i already had this black plastic sheet on the allotment, which i straightened out and have covered the areas i have already worked on. And it hasnt all been about the allotment. At home I started the first batch of seeds. Last year I made newspaper pots, this year i just bought them for a pound from the pound shop. Something I remembered from last year was to cover the pots....i used carrier bags... They seem to be doing fine. I have planted: aubergine (first time). tomatoes, pepper (indian style very chilli), spring onions, Dahlias, spinach and courgette. Finally, I was back down the allotment today and have been trying to think about what I want to grow and where. I STILL havent cleared it up - now I'm thinking just started planting where the soil is ready...hmmm...anyway take a look: And just look at the rubbish!! Ok over and out...till next time