Allotment update – Year 2
It’s been nearly a year since my first allotment post on here, at that stage we’d had our plot for 6 months and were still in the process of clearing the plot. Well, it was quite a good year to be honest, and as well as giving us a steady supply of fresh veg and fruit, it got us and the kids a lots of fresh air and saved us a bloody fortune!
Probably the biggest success stories were the sweetcorn, the onions (which we hung in shed 2), mange-tout and the potatoes. So much so, that we’ve planted even more this year. We’ve also taken on a new plot! The people next door didn’t really make a go of it last year, and in turn didn’t renew their interest, which has made it really easy for us to expand. It’s about half an acre now!
Sounds good yeah? Well, not strictly true. We’ve actually found that the rubble that had supposedly been buried 7 feet down into the ground, was only about 2 feet down, so we’ve spent the last few weeks digging up massive concrete slabs, bits of walls, glass, metal fencing…you name it…even a fully working retractable dog lead! Get in! Still, we’re getting there, and have nearly two good size patches sorted already.
Last year we also experimented with a bit of homemade booze, making elderberry wine, blackcurrant wine, and even some marrow rum (surprisingly drinkable). This year however we’ve gone up a notch and planted some proper grapevines, Cabernet Sauvignon ones, and they’re looking healthy at the mo!
Anyway, a year and a half has passed since we took on the massive task of getting it fully sorted and, well…we’re getting there. It’s a retreat from the stress of work for me, and it’s great that the kids can learn where food comes from whilst having a great time with their friends on the lawn/slide/sandpit etc! Check out the latest pics on my Flickr photostream, the latest of which are below:
