My Allotment-the first visit

I didn’t think the day would ever come, but here it is. The allotment is mine and what a sorry site it is! I got talking to our neighbouring plot holder (also new), who said that my plot   has been empty for a good few years. So, imagine a green space, all yours, and all you have to do is clear it of a few weeds and get planting. Well, think again. The plot is not for the faint of heart. Many others have been known to turn it down in  fear of  the back breaking amount of effort required to get it to anything that vaguely resembles a piece of workable land that is my own for ever more. But myself and Mr. Scott will not be defeated. We are rising to the challenge. This is just the beginning of a journey into the unknown. So, if you see yourself as becoming an allotment holder in the future, this may or may not encourage you to join the gang. The progress reoprt begins here and will continue for many years to come……..

First visit mainly involved not getting completely overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead. Our main priority at this stage is to clear the brambles, couch grass, bindweed and nettles all of which form a mass of tangled chaos. This is being done with a fork . No fancy machinery. Hands then have to pick out every single piece of weed root. Tedious, but necessary. I decided not to use any products to kill the weeds off as there would always be a residue left in the soil, which could taint the vegetables. This is my personal choice and surely the hard work will be worth it in the flavour of what we grow.  It better be!

What we are doing is tackling half of our plot now and covering the other half with a tarpaulin to suppress all the weeds. This summer the aim is to get half the plot workable and the other half we can  sort out in the autumn. I am pleasantly surprised by how well the children have taken to it all. They have been out there digging for worms, looking for butterflies, moving wood and pulling the odd weed. They are beginning to identify the odd vegetable too!  What is so special about this place is the amount of bird song you can hear whilst you work as well as the amount of insect activity that just happens around you. I t does feel like  you have been transported back to a different era, where time has stood still. I do feel ridiculously attached to our own piece of land. I know that if I ever need a moment to escape from the day to day stresses of life, this is the place I will come to. It has won my heart, in fact all the family’s heart.

Here’s to a new adventure of growing our own…………….!