Mash, Chips, Roast, Boiled or Jackets?

After a weekend off last week we headed up to the allotment today in anticipation of a bit of weeding before planting our selection of 'early' spuds.

All was well on the weed front in the beds but our cunning plan not to dig over the paths and put stones over them to suppress the weeds had failed miserably. We spent a few hours lifting the paths and digging out the weedy culprits - mainly buttercups. All done now though so hopefully we are in a better position to manage our weeds through the growing season.

The onions, rhubarb and currant bushes all seem to have settled in well to their new homes with new growth on all. The raspberry canes are still lying dormant but hopefully they will spring into life now the days are getting warmer. By the looks of the rhubarb we'll be eating crumble until it comes out of our ears soon - bonus!

Photo 13: Onions at home on the allotment.

Photo 14: Where's the custard?

So, onto the planting of spuds. After a month or so sat on the windowsill in our downstairs toilet the seed potatoes had chitted well. Today was time for them to go into the ground.

Photo 15: Chitted and ready to go. Seed potatoes of the Orla variety.

Two long trenches and a bag or two of manure later and the ground was ready. Nineteen Orla, 10 Sharpe's Express (they didn't perform last year so they've got to do better this time or they'll be letting the family name down again) and 10 Pentland Javelin are now residing 6 inches below the surface. Fingers crossed that they make a reappearance in the next few weeks.

Photo 16: In the trenches. No going over the top for these tatties.

Photo 17: Bedded in and ready to grow. Pentland Javelin potatoes coming to an allotment near you soon.

Watering in took on a new dimension with the purchase of our wheelbarrow water bag. We can now transport 80 litres at a time from the Churchyard to the allotment. No more lugging watering cans around. The risk of Emily developing arms as long as a monkey have thankfully passed.

Photo 18: The wheelbarrow water bag. Training still required but this will save a lot of hard work.

Spring is here at last!

What a cracking weekend! The weather was superb both Saturday and Sunday. Emily saw the first Yellow Brimstone butterfly of the year, a species often linked with the start of spring.

Up at the allotment we tidied off a few loose ends this weekend. Finishing the paths (Annie and David's quarry wall provided 4 1/2 barrow loads of stone) and attaching the guttering to the water catcher. All construction jobs completed for the time being!

The electric propagator is working a treat with 8 of 8 French beans, 7 of 8 Peas (one was lost to damping off disease and quickly removed) and 6 of 8 tomatoes successfully germinating. All we need now is the soil to warm up a little more and we can start the exciting job of planting out.

A major distraction on Sunday, and one we hope will be a regular was the sight of 5 buzzards soaring overhead. More news and hopefully photos of them through the summer.

An allotment is born!

The allotment has been transformed this weekend! With help from Bob and Pam (Mr and Mrs Sharpe) and Marcus, we have finished digging, built the water catcher and the compost bins, laid some more paths, planted the fruit and sowed onion sets. Here we are hard at work:

Photo 4: Marcus and Bob are digging and I'm sowing onions (the easy job :)

Rob spent most of Friday and Saturday building. First he attached a plastic corrugated roof to the old compost bin by way of a robust wooden frame that slopes backwards (he told me to write the last part!). Then he turned his attention to the new compost bins, pulling apart the wooden pallets and re-purposing them as the sides (and gates!) of the two bins.

Photo 5: Rob in action with his new 14lb fibreglass sledgehammer - doesn't he make it look light?!

Photo 6: The new compost bins under construction.

Meanwhile, Bob and Marcus finished digging over the plot. You might think that Rob looked strong and manly with the sledgehammer, but check this out... a broken spade! Bob must be even stronger as he managed to split the steel blade!!

Photo 7: The broken Yeoman (yes, fortunately it was the 2011 model we complained about last month!)

Pam and I made inroads on the paths, collecting fallen quarry stones from our neighbour's gardens. We were rather over-zealous and somewhat overfilled the wheelbarrow, making the short walk from home to the allotment take twice as long as usual. We must have looked decidedly odd as we staggered across the main road, each holding a handle of the very heavy barrow. Thankfully Marcus stepped in and wheeled the next load for us.

The last job of the day was planting the fruit that arrived last week. Along with some plants we already had in the garden and a couple of rhubarb crowns left by the previous tenant, we now have the following fruit (varieties included so I don't forget):

• Three blackcurrants ('Ben Serak', 'Ben Hope' and 'Ben Connan')
• One redcurrant ('Jonkheer van tets')
• One whitecurrant ('White Versailles')
• One gooseberry ('Invitica')
• Ten summer raspberry canes ('Malling Jewel')
• One large autumn raspberry ('Autumn Bliss')
• Eight rhubarb crowns (assorted)

Photo 8: The fruit end of the allotment, you can just about make out the raspberry canes on the far left and the "mole hills" on the right are the rhubarbs covered in manure.

Photo 9: The sheep pens (aka compost bins).

Photos 10: The finished articles!

Yesterday, we went back to the allotment to plant the rest of the onions (in total 25 red, 70 white and 15 shallots). It looked beautiful in the sunlight and we are feeling very proud.

Photo 11: Me planting shallots.

Photo 12: Our beautiful allotment!