Considering how wet this summer has been, any day when the British weather isn't trying to emulate the height of the monsoon means it's time to get down the allotment. Even rarer are the days where the sun is actually visible and the sky changes from drizzle grey to blue. Days like today can't be wasted and should be spent outdoors - especially if the allotment needs work. Leaving the Topknot Gang to explore in the garden under my husband's supervision, I headed down to the plot.
After opening up the shed, I decided to put up the sail. I designed it as a sunshade as the plot has very little shading. Most of this summer, the sail has been used as a glorified umbrella so it was great to have it up and out in the weather it was designed for! I checked on all the chickens and spent a little time checking on the girls in the main coop. Geoff's black rock is still being picked on but she's beginning to hold her own a bit more.
Sometimes it is hard to know where to start as there are so many things that need doing. But I find that if I start on a little job, you get on a roll and before you know it, you've done lots of jobs! The pallets that separate the fruit section from the rest of the plot have been leaning rather drunkenly against the blackberry bushes. I dragged the roofing panel away and had a look at the pallets. The green one has begun to break down but it's still mainly in one piece. I rummaged around for some wood to make some posts to keep the pallets upright. Armed with the hammer and only hitting my hand once, I hammered in the posts. It was great to see the pallets upright and back to how it was. Seeing them upright, it reminded me that I had intended to make the pallets into a vertical garden. Knowing I have my little gang of helpers who wanted to come back to spend more time at the allotment, this seemed like a good opportunity!
Next, I decided to tackle the small wildflower bed. The buddleia has completely overtaken the bed so I hacked it back with the secateurs. Realising I was squashing the weeds around the courgettes, I went to find the weed bucket and my gloves. Clearing the bed took some time as I had to weed around the crops without ripping them up.
Once it was done, I checked my phone and was surprised to see it was well past lunchtime! Rather than start on the next bed, I headed home for lunch, planning to pop back later.
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