The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

I’m hoping the start of this year has put me in good stead for the rest of the year, and although my hard work has led the place looks neat and tidy in places it didn’t used to before, I have this niggling feeling that I haven’t achieve much so far, even though I have, and this is what I’ve managed to do!

Shed clear out

Clearing out the shed is such a winter job, and I wanted to tackle both of the sheds and shift just ever so slightly how I use them. The first shed is more of a wendyhouse style looking shed, and the other is a big square shed.

Because sometimes I’m looking for shade, or looking for place to hide when it’s raining, I wanted to make the first shed more of a place to sit in, and the second shed I wanted to keep for storage and tools, but it just needed sorting out.

I tackled this little project in two parts – first, I needed to mouse-proof the first shed by boarding the edges from the outside, and boarding the inside of the shed.

Originally, I only planned on boarding the first shed, but that soon turned into clearing the other shed and embraced the opportunity. Once one was done, it was a case of clearing out the other, putting everything back together and going down to the dump.

Patio area / bit behind the shed clear out

But of course… Once the shed was cleared out, I then needed to clear out the patio area, and the area behind the shed.

Now, this area resides under two massive oak trees, and so are subject to years of sediment falling from the trees. This is of course is great because it’s free leaf mould, but also, it does create thick layers of earth and soil and things over time.

Unbeknown to me, buried underneath area was carpet tiles, membranes and hardcore, which I pulled out, excavated and took the dump. I then dug over the bed and piled up this years leaf mould onto the bed to break down, which should hopefully breath new life into the soil.

I think I might also add grass cuttings to this also, when I next cut the grass.

Big Garden Birdwatch

This year, I took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, for the first time!

For years, I had a hankering to take part, but never did get around to doing it, as usual, because of one thing or another, it seemed to just pass me by.

There were a hundreds of birds, and the place was teaming with life, which is so good to see because it shows that the allotment is a hive of wildlife, which is great news for the area.

In the end, other than enjoying the sounds, this is what I spotted 3 robins, 7 pigeons, 1 hawk, 2 crows, 3 blue tits, 3 sparrows, 2 magpies, 3 parakeets and 1 or 2 woodpeckers.

New water stations

A nice little quick win, a byproduct of the big clear outs if you will, is the formation of 3 (perhaps 4 with the large bin…) sources of water, which should help keep things hydrated during the summer months.

One thing that I’ve become paranoid over after the last few years is water and the collecting and storage of water at an allotment.

You never know when a hose pipe ban might come into force, and if you’re unable to access a water point, a water butt or two will get you out of trouble.

The job tally so far

1. New posts for new numbers.
2. Raised pot for carrot growing.
3. Burn unwanted, rotten wood.
4. Repair the shed bottom on the outside, make mouse proof.
5. Board shed inside, add more shelves possibly, create a sitting area.
6. Chop open new barrels, remove lids, place in positions on plot.
7. Dig out compost bins.
8. Rebuild compost bins.
9. Clear out the bit behind the shed, create seed sowing area perhaps, or plant shrubs.
10. Order seeds/bulbs…etc.
11. Clean out pond, create sediment catcher (I think that’s what it’s called?).
12. Weed rhubarb strawberries and gooseberries and currants.
13. Dig out raspberries, replant.
14. Repair steel water butt.
15. Prune blackberries.
16. Sow seeds/plant bulbs.
17. Paint sheds, paint bench.
18. Go to the tip, remove unwanted stuff.
19. Repair wheelbarrow.
20. Build a new bug hotel with scrap logs and wood at the front of the plot.

Ok, that’s the scores so far, I wonder what I’ll be able to tackle over the next couple of weeks and what quick wins I am able to achieve!