Allotmenting - The Early Years

19th November 2006 was the date I became the proud owner of Plot 144. The sun was shining, the site was green and my 2 young kids were exploring a tangle of overgrown shrubbery, weeds and grasses while trying not to become entangled on thorns, prickles or lumps of old metal.

Plots were at a premium when I took this over and beggars couldn't be choosers. Nowadays you have to join a long waiting list to get even half a plot, so I guess I was lucky. 100 feet x 30 feet of prime growing land, cunningly concealed beneath 5 years worth of neglect, rubbish and 'weeds'.

2007 was a year of learning. The main fact learnt being that despite cutting it all level and starting to create piles of concrete, piles of metal and piles of other assorted junk the weeds grew back very, very quickly. Grass, brambles and bindweed being the main culprits. A few areas were cleared, about 20 feet square in total and crops grown, but that was it. Dreams of clearing the site and digging it all over in the first season were just that, dreams. Maybe if I'd been retired then I could have spent more time there, but the reality was starting a new business and having a young family. That said the stuff we did grow was great!

2008 saw me have the measure of the site. I knew what to expect, how much time I had available and that I was in it for the long haul. By the end of the year I had dug up most of the offending metal, wire and bricks, swapped one of my 4 inherited baths for a wheelbarrow, dumped loads of rubbish, cultivated about 40% of the plot and grown some great stuff. Spuds, onions, garlic, courgettes, squashes, beans, cucumbers (normal and exploding), chard, turnips etc etc etc. A composting system was put in place and I used a lot of the stuff found on the site to build beds, pathways and an al-fresco dining area for one.

The idea of clearing the site in 1 year was totally unrealistic bearing in mind that I average only 4-6 hours per week down there. 4 years is the new target. I intend to not worry about laying the plot out to any specific design until I've dug it over and cleared it completely. I've also decided to use as much of the 'rubbish' found on the site and give it a second chance. When I do complete the initial dig in about 2010 I will then put in place the 'master plan'. In the meantime it looks untidy but the soil is good, I'm doing everything organically and I'm hoping to extend the cropping season to a good 10 months of the year.