Topic: Making excuses not to go to the lottie...

[LauraB]

... because I really can't face the sheer amount of work to be done  :-\

It's a beautiful day, but I'm so sick of digging and there's nothing else to be done. Someone give me a kick please

[norfolklass]

gentle nudge rather than kick as I'm in the same boat :)

my plot neighbour said he got his plot dug by digging four rows a day, every day, no more and no less until it was done... needless to say he has the best plot on the site ::)

so, why not say you're only going to dig X number of rows, then you're going to do something else/better/more enjoyable as a reward?

[spaf69]

is there no one you could go with, that always make it more fun for me and with an extra pair of hands the area would get dug faster.

I take a flask of tea and some bickies as a reward and this always manages to get a volunteer.

[LauraB]

Not unless you count my small daughter  :)

I'm going, anyway. I'll do 5ft and then come home, if I'm fed up by that point. At least the house won't get any more untidy while we're out  ;)

[spaf69]

I take my 7 year old son who has a fasination with digging holes, big holes and then planting sprouts so when I dig that area over all i find is sprouts. have you got a radio to take up with you, you could then say you will dig for 3 songs and have a break (used to do this when exercising, or housework as I suffer from depression I now have short attention span and find it very easy to walk away from jobs half done, have done this while cooking and oh has had to remind me of what I was doing!)

good luck with digging and try to amke it fun, not a chore. ;D

[emmy1978]

It's too cold! That's my excuse today. Although got loads of housework to do now I'm in so drew short straw there! Maybe you could try doing the ironing and see how much more attractive digging seems!
Definately got to have tea and biccies, helps you keep going, or get started.  ::)
Think of sowing seeds in your lovely soil and watching all the lovely plants grow..nice isn't it?
Well, it won't happen if you don't get down there, now go, go on, go!  ;D

[louise stella]

I take my 7 year old son who has a fasination with digging holes, big holes and then planting sprouts so when I dig that area over all i find is sprouts. have you got a radio to take up with you, you could then say you will dig for 3 songs and have a break (used to do this when exercising, or housework as I suffer from depression I now have short attention span and find it very easy to walk away from jobs half done, have done this while cooking and oh has had to remind me of what I was doing!)

good luck with digging and try to amke it fun, not a chore. ;D

That made me chuckle - I too have a 7 year old with a love of digging holes!  Place is like a flipping deathtrap!

Louise

[louise stella]

... because I really can't face the sheer amount of work to be done  :-\

It's a beautiful day, but I'm so sick of digging and there's nothing else to be done. Someone give me a kick please

Awww... I do feel for you! as I have been there too!

Try setting limits, that way you can see what you have achieved!  Then plant something - anything - as long as something is growing it somehoe doesn't seem too bad!  Remember that it's not a race and you will get there in the end!

Louise

[cambourne7]

i have a couple of excuses

... soils to wet to dig
... no top soil to back fill the raised beds
.... 2 tired
..... mother in law is down

my solutiuon

go to plot sunday when it might be dry enough to dig beds and back fill with a little horse manure which might get dug in by the worms until the following weekend when the top soil can be dug in after work friday.

Start seedlings at home in mean time.

but of course if it rains  8)

[spaf69]

That made me chuckle - I too have a 7 year old with a love of digging holes!  Place is like a flipping deathtrap!

Louise

[/quote]

true the problem I have is that sometimes he will dig 2 holes near each other and then burrow out a tunnel between the two, when he has finished he will fill in the 2 holes but not the tunnel so when you stand on the area another hole appears and you fall over :)

[spaf69]

i have a couple of excuses

... soils to wet to dig
... no top soil to back fill the raised beds
.... 2 tired
..... mother in law is down

my solutiuon

go to plot sunday when it might be dry enough to dig beds and back fill with a little horse manure which might get dug in by the worms until the following weekend when the top soil can be dug in after work friday.

Start seedlings at home in mean time.

but of course if it rains  8)

the MIL being down would be my excuse to go!!!

[cambourne7]

no i like my MIL

[spaf69]

don't get me wrong I like my MIL as well, it just means when she comes round, she will be too interested in the kids so I can escape to the allotment to have some peace and quiet.

 :D

[dawn34]

here's a kick my hubby same as you, where as i can't wait to get started. got my 7 year old to motavate hubby by getting her to ask him to start planting things in pots to get them started before they go into lotty.
this seems to of work every night this week they had been planting seeds in pots and trays, well done daughter. this weekend all going over to lotty even hubby to get started and lots of digging. i have been doing it on my own but we have two lottys and one is weed city thats why he's lost interest, the longer you leave it the harder it will be. go on go for it, think of peace and quiet

[KevTetley]

It could be worse, ive got 150 square yards of clumpy grass to clear! 

[Tee Gee]

A little often is the answer I think!

I tend to go down for no more than two hours at a time and do what is required if anything.

[sally_cinnamon]

I've just taken on a really weedy and dirty plot and have lots of work to do also, so know how you feel!  My neighbours keep telling me to just do "enough" so that you have made a bit of progress but not too much that you ache or are bored.  So far it's worked for me and I've also done what norfolklass suggests - I say I'll dig a strip then do something else or have my brew and biccies, and before I realise I've done about three strips!  My iPod helps too...  (not with the digging, with the boredom!)

 :)

[SMP1704]

This is not a long term solution - but might help this year.

Get a big ball of brightly coloured string and some short lengths of cane/wood to act as corner markers.  Measure out each bed, lets say 8x4 and mark this area with the string.

Just dig out the area you plan to plant and then plant in it (althought wait for the forecast cold snap to pass) Then mark, dig and plant another bed and so on.

Now I know that will leave you with weedy paths, but that will give you an alternate job - sharpen hoe and chop of weeds head (V satisfying ;D)

Then next year, your dug beds will be much easier to turn over, leaving you to concentrate on the weedy paths, which will be much smaller areas requiring intensive digging.

HTH - its all about setting yourself achievable goals and not beating yourself up if things don't quite go to plan.

[bennettsleg]

All sage advice.

As previously mentioned, mark your bed out first. Have a think if you want permanent plants (globe artichokes, fruit trees etc) and allocate beds for them too.

I've found that it helps enormously to mentally prepare yourself before you go.  Decide on what you are going to achieve (ie: half a bed) and when you get to the plot focus on only what you have decided to work on.

So what if another area that worries you catches your eye, ignore it. That area goes on the list for another time.

Always be sure to turn around and look at what you have done in previous trips as well as the current trip. Congratulate yourself for achieving such good work - even if it's just clearing 1ft of land from weeds and rocks.  It all adds up.

Invest in some weed suppressing fabric so that as soon as you have cleared a strip (particularly a whole bed) it gets covered over (& weighed down).  This is to ensure that come the real growing season, weed seeds don't germinate, cover all your hard work and batter your confidence.

Some spring cabbages are ok to sow now (or so my packet says) and some garden centres may have some vegetable plug plants and fruit trees to buy for immediate planting - just provide some protection for the plug plants.

The sooner you get something in, the sooner it will start to feel like an allotment.

I can empathise utterly with your feelings having been there in the past and can recommend a book called "The Half Hour Allotment" which helped me develop a working (coping!) method.

[Larkspur]

Like Tee Gee I think the answer is little and often. I noramally go at least five times a week, rarely for more than an hour and I never dig for more than half an hour. I've only been up once this week (to turn a compost heap) because apart from the seeds I have going at home I have absolutely nothing to do on the lotty at the moment. Sorry ;)