Friday 12 November 2010

Ramblings of a plotholder

Hi there ! it's been a few weeks since I last did a post, doesn't time fly ?? the weather has been dreadful here as I expect it has been in your area as well. I don't mind the rain, but when you get the windy days as well and especially together, well what are we gardeners supposed to do ?  well there's always next years planting to plan and maybe a new layout for the beds on the allotment, then there's planning the rotation of crops. Hmmm  So maybe it's just as well we get some days like this so we can take stock and plan.

Yesterday I took delivery of a HUGE mountain of shredded farmyard manure. There are four of us (girls !)plot-holders sharing the £50 load, so that's great value at £12.50 each and you would only get 3 bags of compost at the garden centre for that money, which wouldn't go very far on an allotment. We had some from the same supplier last year and it is great stuff, and from the last load we all got more than enough for our whole plots and even some to stash in a corner.

If someone had told me 3 years ago that not only would I be paying out good money for a load of S**te but be wheeling it about in the early morning !! well I would have laughed my head off at such a foolish remark !!!  I have done things I never dreamed I would do since becoming an allotmenteer, such as crawling into a water butt complete with snails and creepy crawlies in there ! to unscrew the tap so I could replace it with a new one.  Another No No a few years back would have been using the chemical loo we have on the allotment, I'm even grateful for that now , I don't know how people get on with no loo on site.

I did take some photo's in the garden the other morning, but it was so windy that they were blurred as the plants I was taking pics of were whizzing about in the wind. The plants in question are a a very defiant delphinium that refuses to believe it's  autumn and has produced  a tall flowering stem and some rudbeckias that are sending forth blooms as if it were still summer, amazing, but very welcome.

There's not much else to tell really as I have been manuring and covering the beds ready for spring.  I have to cut the raspberries back yet and manure them and the rhubarb.  I still have lots of baby beetroots to pull up, also parsnips.  I planted some cabbages which seem to be growing slowly and I also have purple sprouting broccoli and purple brussel sprouts 'Rubine' which have both grown very tall and leafy.

I have to say I am looking forward to the break from gardening and veg growing for a few months and look forward to getting on and catching up with other hobbies such as crafts and reading. These other things take back seat during the busy planting and growing seasons.

Christmas will soon be upon us once again and I have decided to get the present shopping done early. I have also volunteered to work on Christmas day in a shelter for the homeless in London and again on the 27th Dec ( you have to do 2 shifts) I am looking forward to doing this as it's something I have wanted to do for a long time. The family have been fine about it and in fact my younger son and his girlfriend are volunteering with me. So it will be a very different kind of Christmas this year. I can't bear to think of all the lonely homeless people at Christmas, in fact not just the homeless, even just lonely people with no family or friends, so hopefully my little bit will help others. I think I will gain a lot by it too.

Well this has turned into a long rambling post and not even a photo YET, so here we go I will leave you with these three very different images to make up for rambling on.




I don't much care for the occupant , but I love his house

Remembering Summer

Longing for summer

9 comments:

Kath said...

You can't beat a pile of poo! I love your spider web photo. Very autumnal.

Mark Willis said...

I'll be interested to hear how your volunteering thing goes. It's something I have been thinking of doing too. A very worthy cause. This year it's not an option because both my daughters and their husbands will be with us for Christmas, so we're having a family gathering. (Love the spider's web picture, by the way)

Damo said...

The weather has been wretched hasn't it? It's funny most people wouldn't go near a pile of manure and we gardeners are always shovelling it around normally on a wet, cold Autumn day! And good on you for volunteering on Christmas Day, I'm sure that you will get a tremendous satisfaction out of it.

Linda said...

You're right, it is good to take a break and then come back to gardening with enthusiasm.

Good for your with your Christmas plans.

Maureen said...

Thank you VEGATABLE HEAVEN for the comment.

MARK thank you for the comment and I will do a post on how Christmas Volunteering goes. I'm sure it's going to be a real eye opener and hopefully very worth while.

DAMO,wretched weather indeed and I only hope the pile of Poo is still covered when we finally get to shovel it around the plot. Thanks for the comment.
LINDA, thanks for the comment.

Pam said...

The weather has turned so very, very cold here these past couple of weeks; I'm ashamed to say I haven't been to the allotment in a long time. Hey ho. Next Spring it will be lovely to get back there.
Enjoy your time for crafting.
P x

Maureen said...

Hi Pam, it's been cold here too today. I'm sure you will get back to your allotment next spring, and you have had good reason not to have gone there for a while. Enjoy your crafting too.

The Boy Ollerton said...

£50 for muck, you wouldn't catch me paying for something which comes out the backside of a horse (laughs). I'll try not rub it in too much, but wood bark, horse manure and even the frequent delivery of miscellaneous timber comes completely free. We must be the lucky ones I guess! Nice blog by the way!!!

All the best, Craig over at Dykesedge.blogspot.com

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Look at all the things you would miss out on if you weren't gardening. I know someone who has offered my free horse manure, but my husband doesn't want it in his truck. I need to find some containers he'd be willing to put some in.