3 December 2006

In lieu of any photos...


A diagram!

Which also explains why I'm not a graphic artist. Anyway, this is a rough layout of how the allotment will look, broken down as follows:

1 - This is where the remains of the old greenhouse are, complete with 3 foot brick base. I started clearing this yesterday and it's not as bad a job as I thought. Yes is is a big area, about 6m x 3m. Not entirely sure what to grow there at the moment, but probably tomatoes to give them some shelter and possibly construct some sort of cold frame structure in there as well. No many weeds to dig out, all the broken glass is acting as a weed surpressant!

2 - Is the play area for the kids, and is finished!

3 - is where the garlic is planted. This was the first bed and was a case of dig here to plant something. This was probably the area where I dug up the asparagus...

4 - Tulips and daffodils. The second bed and a case of putting something in to brighten the place up come spring.

5 - 11 - who knows at the moment! Still digging, probably got about half way through bed 7 at a guess on the left hand side and barely started the fruit bed ont he right. Bed 11 I fancy trying growing the "three sisters" - beans, sweetcorn and winter squash - in the same bed. Apparently a native American technique whereby the corn serves as support for the beans, the beans add nitrogen to the soil needed by the corn and the squash provide ground cover to help moisture retention. To do this will involve moving the teepee I built for the kids though... Bed 10 is probably going to be a bit too close to the tree to put much in so may well become the new home for the teepee!

12 - Fruit. Hopefully salvage the remains of the blackcurrant I didn't destroy (!), plus some raspberries promised from my grandad in the new year. Eventually include strawberries, gooseberries, and possibly blueberries (although they grow quite well in the pots at home).

The grey area will be the paths (non-existent at the moment) and the long thin strip on the left is where the hedge roots will prevent anything growing. And the top end of the allotment (the bottom of the diagram) will be for compost, manure, etc.

Of course this will all probably change by next week!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope you manage to shake the lottie office into some action...We have the same problem at my site,some of the plots, most of the plots at the back are horrendous.I had one of those plots around 10 foot high brambles and trees to start with, i asked the council to help cut it down, no such luck. Then after a couple of weeks one at the front became vacant i snapped it up. They are still trying to get them to clear those plots,the councils excuse is they cant get access without damaging the front plots...rubbish!! there`s a big field at the back theres no problem with access...

Anonymous said...

Me again thought you would like to see what my lottie neighbour has to deal with

http://artist-allotment.blogspot.com/
this one not that bad there are worse...