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:

Yup, it seems that the recession has turned everyone towards growing their own veg! It costs an arm and a leg to get a decent salad nowadays, so it’s good to see more and more people turning their back on overpriced supermarket veg and returning to good old allotments.

I’ve had mine, which me and the missus share with friends of ours, for about 6 months now and it’s starting to take shape. We took it over after a guy got kicked off for mis-treating chickens, so now all the bones, and glass, and nails have been removed, and after a lot of back breaking work, we’re finally starting to see some results.

I’ve uploaded some pics on flickr for now…but it’s still early days. Watch this space.

Also keep an eye on Landshare, which is a collaboration between River Cottage, Mint Digital and Channel 4. It basically matches up people who have spare land, with aspiring gardeners looking for allotment space. Great idea, and fantastic to see the web having an impact on real life issues.