Your Allotment

Next batch of catalogues and first order placed

2007-09-28T09:22:00.000Z

Well the next two catalogues have arrived;
The Real Seed Catalogue is a 28 page A5 tome. No pictures, but excellent descriptions enable you to create your own picture of what the seeds will grow into. Also lots of other information is provided. Most of their seeds are 'heirlooms' and none are hybrid (F1) so plenty of seeds to collect at the end of the growing season.
Thomson & Morgans catalogue is a full colour A5 volume, plenty of pictures so you can pick just what you are after. Unfortunately this did not arrive as a result of my request, but was sent to my old address as I had ordered previously. I've never been impressed with T&M's customer service, and it's not getting any better.

So I have now placed my first order for next year from The Real Seed Catalogue. I've really got into Chillis over the past few years so i've ordered a few different varieties (Iranian Round, Alberto's Locoto, Rote Keile and Yellow Aji) along with a few tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper and other varieties (Dedo de Mocha sweet Aji Pepper, Sunnybrook sweet pepper, Latah Tomato, Lettuce Leaf Tomato, Bleu de Solaise leek, Exploding Cucumber, Miniature White Cucumber, Tondo di Piacenza Courgette, Seven Hills Brussels Sprout and Double Standard Sweetcorn). That lot will keep me busy for a while.

Dig for Britain!

2007-09-24T09:37:00.000Z

Or something like that anyway. I have roped a friend in to spend a couple of days here in sunny (at the moment) Oxford and help me dig over the plot. Fortunately the planned weekend is also that of the Camra Oxford Beer Festival, so the evenings will be spent there attempting to drink the place dry.

I'm not entirely sure how much of the plot we will be able to sort out, but it should give me a good head start for next year.

First catalogues have arrived

2007-09-15T07:50:00.000Z

A little over a week has passed since I sent off my requests and the first two catalogues have arrived. So congratulations are due to Deacon's Nursery on the Isle of Wight and Heritage Bulbs in Ireland.

Green manure

2007-09-06T21:53:00.000Z

As almost half of the plot has been covered in either cardboard or weeb supressing fabric this year I have decided it's tme to plant green maure. So tomorrow (friday) it's off to the plot to get on with it!

Catalogue Requests

2007-09-06T21:50:00.000Z

I've carried out a bit of an experiment tonight. Whilst sitting in the pub (Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford) I have sent e-mail requests for catalogues to several companies, both mainstream and a bit more obscure. I wait with baited breath to see which arrive and how long they take.

Plot disaster

2007-09-03T09:35:00.001Z

You might have noticed that there haven't been any updates recently. This is for 2 reasons; firstly this is my busiest time of the year and my paying job has to take priority and secondly because the plot was completely wiped out in the recent floods.

When the water started to rise in Oxford one of the first places to be submerged was our site in the southwest of the city. At one stage the plot was under a couple of feet of contaminated brown water. A few days ago I made my first trip down since the waters had receded to see what was left and if anything could be saved.

Anything which had ripened but not been picked before the water came has had to be cut down and either dug in or composted. It is certainly not safe to consume any of it as we have no way of know what was in the water. The shed floated away, but at least stayed in one piece this time. The asparagus looks like it may have survived and the 'forget me nots' which were growing around it have been killed off along with most of the remaining weeds on the plot.

So there is one good thing which has come of this - I have an almost clear plot to start work on for next year. The whole site has been covered in weed suppressing fabric and cardboard boxes. The boxes can be dug in later in the autumn along with some well rotted manure. I think this may be a good time to build some raised beds to try to stop this happening again. At the moment the plot is almost 12 inches below the site access tracks and it needs building up.

plot update

2007-07-05T22:14:00.000Z

Quite a lot has been happening over the past few weeks, so it's time for an update.

1. A shed has been acquired and assembled on the plot. Good move as it gives me somewhere to store the cheaper tools and bags of compost and the like.
2.The bindweed has gone absolutely mad.
3. The sterlised manure/topsoil mix the asparagus was planted in has turned into a 2m square of forgetme nots. So much for sterilised! The whole lot will have to be dug up and disposed of. Thanks J.Arthur Bowers.
4. Theshed has been rescued from 2 plots over after the wind picked it up 2 nights ago. That will teach me for not securing it properly.
5. The brambles which were originally covering the plot have made a reappearance. Measures have been implemented to remove them properly this time.

Asparagus

2007-05-06T18:20:00.000Z

Spent the day today finally planting the Asparagus crowns which have been sitting under the table for a couple of weeks. I ended up planting 18 crowns on 3 rows ina 2m by 2m bed. Just to make sure I had completely eliminated all traces of the weed forest which previously inhabited the plot I dug out the whole bed to 2 spade depths, sieved the whole lot and then added 50kg of sharp sand to aid drainage. The whole lot was then put back on the bed and the 3 rows planted and watered in. The stalks had already started to grow in the box so they will be left to grow and flower for this year before I hopefully get a few spears next season. In the meanime i'm off to the local Asparagus farm to get some for my tea.

Recycling the propper way

2007-05-03T14:19:00.000Z

Here in Oxford we have been converted to the fortnightly rubbish collection which has been in the newspapers so mach recently. Personally I think it works well. The only issue comes about when you have a sudden increase in rubbish or recycling. The main reason why the plot has been neglected for the past few weeks is because we moved houe. This move has generated enormous amounts of paper and cardboard for recycling. The paper has now all gone to the recycling center (some 3 car loads), but the boxes are now going to the plot. I am planning on covering the whole of the plot which is not currently being worked with the cardboard.

So today I took the first car load down to the allotment site and having carefully removed all of the sticky tape from the boxes I spread them over the earth. Despite the large number and size of boxes they actually haven't ended up covering much area. This is probably due to my larger than necessary overlaps, but then again I don't want to let any light through to the soil. I think I also need to get hold of a load of compost and cover the cardboard and let the whole thing rot down into the soil.

Digger heaven

2007-05-01T17:11:00.000Z

They always say that man is happiest when playing with toys, and the bigger the toy the happier he is. Well today I finally got back down to the plot for the first time in a few weeks and I went via the local HSS (equipment hire shop) where I picked up an industrial sized digger/rotovator. This beast which took two of us to lift it out of the car made short shrift of turning the plot over. I know there are arguments which say that it just cuts up the roots of the weeds and makes everything ten times worse, but it does break up the soil down to about 12 inches which will make pulling the weeds out a whole lot easier when they do grow back.

Anyway it took just under three hours to turn the whole plot and as a very useful side effect it has also levelled out some of the strange lumps in the middle of the site.

Bloody nettles

2007-04-02T10:13:00.000Z

Well i'm back from Australia and having missed the snow whilst I was away i've managed to get down to the plot a couple of times over the weekend. I have carried on with the clearance and have decided that I really hate nettles, and not because they sting. On the surface you may have a small six inch (15cm) high nettle, but as soon as you start digging to get the root out you realise that it's a bit like an iceberg with only 10% of it above ground. The root systems attached to the nettles are huge. So i've now started to dig down a good two foot (60cm) to make sure I get it all out. I do however think I need to make a quick trip to the garden center and buy a large metal sieve so that i can put all the earth through it and get rid of every tiny piece of root, otherwise I can see it coming back pretty quickly.

Work commences

2007-03-12T14:46:00.000Z

I was down on the site nice and early this morning to start work on the plot. It took me about 40 minutes to mark out with stakes and string where the raised beds and paths are going and i've ended up with six 3m by 3m beds plus enough space for a large double compost bin, a good sized shed with a small 'patio' and a few small fruit trees.

Ove the weekend I was offered the use of a rotavator to help clearing the rest of the plot and break up the soil a bit, but luckily I thought I had better have a bit of a dig to see exactly what was there first. I dug to 2 spade depths a 1m by 1m area and found enough rubber backed carpet to start an Oxford branch of Carpetright and almost a wheelbarrow full of bindweed, but at least it's now clear. If the rest of the plot is like this small area then i've got about 150 hours work, but it will be worth it as the soil looks good.

As i'm now off to Melbourne for the F1 Grand Prix next weekend I have covered up 2 of the future beds with weed proof membrane to try to make things a bit easier on my return.

and so it begins

2007-03-09T18:24:00.000Z

This morning I took control of my plot down at Cowmead for the first time. Oxford City council have cleared (sortof) the unused part of the site over the past couple of days so I can now move in and start work.
I have quite ambitious plans for the plot which will be revealed over the course of the season, but first thing is to get it all levelled and some paths marked out along the boundary. Hopefully I will get this done over the next couple of weeks. I think that i've found a source for bulk well rotted manure from a local stable so that should arrive when I get back from Australia in a couple of weeks.
I will get some photos of the plot posted to show the work in progress and feel free to pass comment, good, constructive or even bad.

Work finally begins

2007-02-20T11:02:00.000Z

Just not by me! It looks like the public works team in Oxford are starting work at the allotments. Several pallets of metalwork for the new boundary fence have arrived over the past couple of days. Apparently the clearance work is due to take place as part of the fencing contract, but you never know with these things. I will wait with baited breath and a few dozen trays of seedlings for the plot to finally be ready.

First visit to allotment site

2007-01-31T11:32:00.000Z

Have just returned from my first visit to the allotment to meet the site secretary who turned out to be a very nice chap who is passionate about the site. Unfortunately i'm going to have to wait a while for a plot. There is quite a large expanse of land which is currently unused, but it is waiting on Oxford City Council to clear it. Otherwise there would be a localised outbreak of David Bellamy impersonations. This clearance is apparently immenent, but failing that rents are due in March and the feeling is that there will be a few plots given up at that time.

So (or should that be sow) for the time being I will have to continue with my pots on the decking and seedlings in the loft. Time for another quick call to the council I think to see if I can hurry things along a bit.

Snow!

2007-01-24T21:45:00.000Z

Awoke this morning to find there had been about an inch of snow overnight. That will teach me for going out to dinner instead of watching the weather forecast. Fortunately I wrapped the four new apple trees in fleece after potting, so hopefully they will have survived their first night outside.

Emergency potting

2007-01-23T20:23:00.000Z

Well I got back to the house after lunch today to find a delivery of apple trees from Ken Muir which I had ordered in November 2006. So a rapid trip to the local garden centre was carried out in order to pick up some large pots and earth to plant them in until I can get a plot sorted out.

Why can't the mail order companies send out an e-mail when they despatch perishable products so that we can do a bit of planning?

Anyway by 5pm all four trees were safely potted. For the record I ordered: Michelin Cider, Malling Kent, Bardsey and Original Bramley.

What is an allotment

2007-01-22T14:57:00.000Z

The Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary defines an allotment as:

alˈlotment, noun: a small part of a larger piece of public ground rented to a person to grow vegetables etc

Arabic: قِطْعَة أرْض صَغِيرَة تُؤجِّرُها البَلَدِيَّة لِلزِّ�
Chinese (Simplified): 租用的菜地
Chinese (Traditional): 租用的菜地
Czech: přidělený pozemek, parcela
Danish: kolonihave
Dutch: volkstuintje
Estonian: rendipeenramaa
Finnish: vuokraviljelypalsta
French: parcelle
German: der Schrebergarten
Greek: αγροτεμάχιο του δημοσίου ενοικιαζόμενο για την καλλιέ
Hungarian: zártkert
Icelandic: úthlutun, skammtur
Indonesian: kapling, bagian
Italian: lotto di terra*
Japanese: 市民菜園
Korean: 할당, 몫
Latvian: neliels zemes gabals
Lithuanian: sklypelis
Norwegian: parsell, kolonihage
Polish: działka
Portuguese (Brazil): parcela
Portuguese (Portugal): lote
Romanian: teren dat în arendă
Russian: земельный участок
Slovak: pridelený pozemok, parcela
Slovenian: parcela, greda
Spanish: parcela
Swedish: lott, andel
Turkish: kiralanan sebze bahçeciği

So there you have it, this site is all about a small plot of land which I have rented in order to grow vegetables and this is its story.