Anyone with an allotment?

Nice work! What's the thinking behind raising them up, slug avoidance? I know nothing about soft fruit.

I'm also curious about this as I'm just about to re-home some on our plot

It’s more laziness and space saving. I could potentially plant something under the strawberries but it’s primarily to have them at a decent height to pick them from

Asparagus nudging through... lots of horse-tail/mares tail too, suspecting last years manure delivery was full of it too.

P.s. is anyone else hoping for a bit of rain yet?

2 Attachments

2 x beds next to rhubarb cleared of strawberries and lots of weeds. 1 x bed replanted with strawberries the other with beetroot. Spare strawberries now at home in old wheelbarrow now planter.

Only one significant clearance to go to meet this years progress plan, also pictured.

3 Attachments

First 4 asparagus spikes harvested. Pan fried with garlic, delicious.

1 Attachment

Looking good, is that your first ever harvest? The time it takes put me off bothering.

Excellent. Shame about the fucking horsetail in the background. Bastard stuff.

Exciting times... after nearly three months of clearing and weeding our newly adopted plot (RIP Ted), we've planted stuff! Covered more than half the plot to worry about another year, and cleared half of what's left, plus some new bordering, which as of Saturday now has kale, purple sprouting broccoli, dwarf beans, spring onions, rocket, and various herbs ready to sprout into glory (fingers crossed). Here I am still weeding what's left to make room for spuds, carrots, parsnips and butternut squash. Gooseberry bush, courgettes and tayberries to follow.

2 Attachments

Making good progress, if you do it methodically as it looks like you are you'll be amazed how sorted you'll have it in a year

We've cleared about a quarter of our extra half plot, and got our second earlies in the ground. This weekend we are planning to attack another quarter.

The previous owners who moved to the well kept plot across the way kindly left us all the rubbish, I said to the Chair I'd rather just get on with it than wait until they got them to shift it, so we have a pile of carpet to add to the junk we cleared from our other half - they've promised a skip at the earliest opportunity!

It was there in 2018 but I found it too late. We got some spikes in 2019 but this year it isn't shaded by a huge Artichoke and has been fed over winter so we have higher hopes for it.

fucking horsetail

I picked it all today. Yet tomorrow it will all be there again. #fml

Nice work.

@mustardbeak need more pics of extra half plot progress please.

That's a bit of a gift then, hope it goes well.

Similar to our rhubarb that was burried under rubbish and now has its own bed, and the vine that was sun blocked by all the raspberry bushes that have now been relocated!

FWIW, asparagus is very low maintenance once it's established and, for two months a year, you get beautiful, fresh, delicious asparagus.

This is a new bed we planted in fruit corner. It’s so far 2 x tayberry and 2 x raspberry.

We’re also going to prepare a permanent bed for asparagus. I planted some about a year ago and now we’ve got 2 years to go they need a place to live.

I’m also going to buy some crowns on pay day just to ease the pain of the process.

Also going to plant some artichokes

1 Attachment

They take so long to become edible

1 Attachment

^ tiny!
Just over 2yrs on plot

2 Attachments

My 10 year old is seriously impressed, she can't believe it's the same allotment.

Full style. Hard work pays off :)

Worth the wait though

1 Attachment

Picking regularly now - this was this evenings cut.

1 Attachment

Planted some peas about 10 days ago, got 4 heads popping out! Little human is very excited.

Need to keep the grass under control... “best” strimmer, must be cordless, ideally electric so I can charge from renewable source

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7589892 I ended up with one of these because it came with two batteries, can't fault it in the year we've had it