Topic: My new lottie pics - Before and after!

[NeilB]

Well I picked the key up to my new lottie last Friday!. I went down to take a few pics on Sunday morn then this morning I hired and petrol strimmer and mower and got stuck in!. I strimmed first and got through 12 blades and just managed to strim what I wanted before I ran out of blades!. Then I got going with the mower on a tall height adjustment first then went over it again on a lower setting , which was'nt too bad as by the time I got onto the last going over with the mower I had lost all feeling in my arms and back! ;D.
Heres a pic we took on Sunday morn, my girlfriend is the one in the distance!

And this from the other end..

And these are from a day spent strimming and mowing! (I now have found out I have muscles where I never knew a person could have!)

And from the other end again..


The end where my car is is quite overgrown with brambles so next Monday I'm going to hire a strimmer that has one of the star shaped cutting disks as the one I had today would'nt get through it. That is where I intend to put my shed and greenhouse aswell as cut myself a section for my car which I was told I was welcome to do! ;D
I'm now going off to buy some Deep Heat bath soak!! ;D ;D

[agapanthus]

Well done you!!!! I remember all that hard work.....but it's certainly worth it! ;D ;D ;D ;D

[adam04]

just a bit of weed and feed now and you will have a football pitch... ;D

[terrace max]

Great work Neil. One of my plots started as just rough turf and it was a doddle once the grass was under control: sharp spade, cut rectangles, stack turfs under tarpaulin, plant veg in beds...

Even the weeds stayed away (for a while)...

[wardy]

That looks fab!  Shopping trolley too - that will come in handy  :)  Most plots look like that.  Mine still does.  A large piece of mine is just kept mowed and I haven't done anything else with it yet.  It's my "lawn" which we use for socialising - very important if you want to encourage helpers  :)  It looks quite good actually and I've filled the bumps with the humps if you know what I mean.  Get your onions sets ordered  :)

[spacehopper]

What a difference already. Nice work!  :D

[undercarriage plan]

Well done,Neil!! Yup, love a bit of lawn, was going to say a bit of grass..but thought better of it.. ::), nothing like crashing out on it after working on the plot, it's also space for the kids to play and reek havoc on mother nature..... also allows space for the grand old Suffolk tradition of potato hurling....

[redimp]

What's that then, eat some chips, then 25 pints of lager and see how far you can hurl the potatoes - or is that just in Essex?

PS Nice looking lottie.  A good size.  I just have to get a bloke off the other end of mine.

[NeilB]

Thanks for all your kind commets so far guys!. I am going to keep abit of lawn in the area I plan to put my shed, plan on planting quite a few herbs in that area too, as I also love my cooking!!. Girlfriend and I plan to spend many many summer evenings down there next year drinking the homemade wine, and eating our very own veggies! lovely lovely! ;D ;D ;D
Heres what Im hoping to get through:
Beetroot- Bolthardy & Detroit
Ruby Chard- Charlotte
Onions- Red Barron & Setton
Carrots- Autumn King & Early Nantes
Sweet Corn- Honey Bantam F1 & Baby Corn
Celeriac- Alabaster
Pea- Celebration & Sugar Snap
Climbing Beans- Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco
Tomato- Sungold & Gardeners Delight
Cucumber- Masterpiece
Cabbage- Eilsa F1 & Tundra
Celery- lathom Self Blanching Galaxy
Scorzonera
Salsify
Parsnips- Excalibur F1
Courgette- Defender
Bulb Fennel
Swede- Brora
Leek- King Richard
Cavolo Nero
Tomatillos
Potatoes- Arran Victory, Pink Fur Apple & Yukon Gold
Strawberrys- Royal Sovereign & Cambridge Favourite (Already have 10 of each)
Rhubarb- Timperly Early, Victoria & Stocksbridge Arrow (Have 3 crowns of each some will be used for forcing only)
I either already have or ordered all of the above.
There is a few other things I would like to grow and I have'nt even started on what fruit bushes I want!!. If I don't run out of room I'll be very happy! ;D

[wardy]

Some great veg on there!  You'll love your lotty I promise you. If you and your girlfriend are both interested then all the better.  It's great to have food and drink and to relax and enjoy it so don't plough up your lawn til you run out of veg growing space which should be a while off yet.  It will be somewhere to entertain your family and friends, somewhere to park your deck chair etc.  When you get your shed the idyll will be complete.  Find time to grow a few veg anorl  :)  If you love to cook then you should be in your element. We often get food home and eat in straight out of the wok or pan as we can't wait to taste it.  Tip - get some mixed oriental leaf seeds and you'll very quickly have food  :)

[NeilB]

Thanks for the comments Wardy!. Yes me and the girlfriend are both very much looking forward to spending lots of time down the lottie. We are really into the Hugh Fearnly thing, freshness is all and that!.
So we cannot wait to get eating all that homegrown freshness! ;D

[undercarriage plan]

Wonderful list Neil!! And Clanger....will be patient with you, with being end of term and all.. ::).....it's the art of seeing who can hit the stuffed rubber glove, on stick, in the middle of the nettle patch... ....thought it was common knowledge.... ::) ;D ;)

[wardy]

NeilB   My most delish first veg (well all first veg as this my first year) was sweetcorn.  Unbelievable!  You won't be able to stop talking about how gorgeous it but you have to get it home within minutes of picking it, or even better, cook it on the plot!  My husband and I cooked ours up on the lotty and smothered it in butter and sat there scoffing it like pigs.  Delish  ;D  Nothing to beat it  :)  I want to get some asparagus in this year so maybe that WILL beat it  :)  Glad you got your plot today as it has fired up me enthusiasm again

[Derekthefox]

Excellent Neil, you look like you have it sussed now, just go for it !!!

Derekthefox :D

[TULIP-23]

NeilB and Lady B ;D

Lots of Success...after all that hard work...Good Luck and lots of Hours of Pleasure together on your Plot 8)

[ellkebe]

Well done you - that's very impressive :)   Hope we get to see some pictures as planting gets underway.

[amphibian]

I've not been going long, but it is very rewarding -- no matter how hard the work the first meal made entirely of your own produce makes it all worth while.