allotmentgirls

Two girls and an allotment… get mucky at the weekend!

 18 Jul 10

Lazy Girls Make an Effort

PotatoesYes, we’re lazy, we know it! But today we went up to the plot to clear LOADS of weeds…

We had breakfast – lots of raspberries, straight from the canes – delicious! Shop-bought berries really pale in comparison.

Potatoes are looking healthy, plenty of time to go before we dig them up though.

And we planted a row of beans (Cobra) – the seed packet was very scruffy and out of date, but you never know!

Then it started to rain, so we legged it!


 31 May 10

Dodging the Rain

The weather wasn’t so kind today, but we managed to dodge the rain to get two rows of potatoes in (King Edwards) and a lot more weeding done.

We also harvested three sticks of rhubarb and a test onion! Oh, and some sage… it is going mad so need to find a good way to dry it or freeze it – any tips?

Hopping around us for much of the morning was the friendly robin, loving the fact that we were unearthing a lot of worms for him… greedy little thing!


 23 May 10

Heatwave!

We had a great time on the allotment today, basking in the sunshine! Of course we still had our wellies on :-)

Lots of weeding to be done, the dreaded dandelions are in full irritation mode.

Raspberries are looking great, buds on all of them and the herbs are going mad – woohoo!!

Siobhan weeds around the raspberries Lisa weeds around the onions


 24 Apr 10

We’re getting there…

It does seem like all we do on our visits to the plot is dig… but we’re making really good progress and we can see proper soil!!

Today we almost cleared the area where Marjory used to live, levelling out and digging out the blasted dandelions…

New canes for the raspberries has tidied up that section very well and they’re looking very healthy, so here’s hoping for a good crop :-)

The herbs are coming back strong, they always look a bit pathetic after the winter months, but the sage, thyme and chives are looking fabulous. The lavender isn’t looking quite so good and we have lost one of them – we shall replace it as we found it great for attracting bees.
 
A break from digging! Sage


 24 Apr 10

The Third Allotment Girl!

SallieSome of our newest followers may not know about the third allotment girl, so we thought we’d re-introduce her!

This is Sallie… the crazy collie with the waggiest tail in town!

We wondered how many allotment owners take their dogs to the plot and whether dogs are even allowed on some allotments? We’ve heard some allotment associations don’t allow them… we think that’s a real shame – Sal loves to sit and just watch anyone and anything, ok so she sits on our thyme on occasions, but overall she’s very well-behaved and loves to be sat with us.

Love to all allotment dogs!!


 17 Apr 10

Marjory’s New Home

Marjory's new home with Marjory in the backgroundWith Marjory threatening to take over the entire plot, we thought we should move her to a new home…

An enjoyable lunch and wander round Gates Nurseries prompted us to buy a ‘flat-pack’ composter. It was hard work slimming down Marjory and getting her moved in, but it has made such a difference to the plot. It looks so much tidier and the Marjory’s bottom had turned into the most lovely compost so we were about to use it where the ground had sunk a little.


 15 Apr 10

Asparagus Planted

Our cheapo asparagus crowns from Wilko have been planted… followed the instructions, a little odd, but hey-ho!

We’ve planted them in a ‘ditch’ which we have to top up as they grow (if they grow!)… the roots didn’t spread out terribly well as they seemed to snap when we did that, so hopefully we’ll still get something – we have to wait til next season for a proper crop anyway.


 15 Apr 10

Digging in Designer Jeans

On our way back from the plot we got stuck at the traffic lights and, rather childishly(!), made fun of the highly-styled, hair-perfected ladies waiting to go in to a special event at the town’s poshest clothes shop…

We were dressed in our paint-splattered, mud-covered allotment clothes, and when we were spotted smirking and chortling, hung our heads in shame, gazing into our laps….

“Oh!” said Siobhan, “these are my fancy jeans!”
Hysterical laughter ensued… Lisa was also wearing her Paul Smith jeans.
Both pairs having been purchased from said posh clothes shop!

So there we were, all evening, oblivious to our designer digging… you CAN be stylish on the allotment after all! Ahem……