Allotments 4 All
General => News => Topic started by: markp2511 on February 16, 2010, 22:57:06
-
Hi all,
the missus (mpdjulie on here) and I have just aquired the plot next door, making our 'double plot' 25m x 20m. It's the one in the background to the right in the photo - currently completely covered in brambles, and with several mature apple and plum trees.
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_16_02_10_10_43_32.jpg)
The brambles seem to put alot of people off, but I'd rather clear brambles with lovely clear soil underneath than dig out grass. There's a couple of tumble down sheds and a fair bit of rubbish dumped around them behind the trees, but once the brambles are down it shouldn't take much more than a clear weekend to move the rubbish, and one of the sheds looks repairable.
The plan is to clear the front half or so in front of the trees and use it for spuds this year, then once the planned other 10 raised beds are in on the existing plot (along with a cold frame, compost bin and patio area) we'll, or should I say 'I', will start to extend the raised bed area over the new plot.
Another bonus is that the next plot on has also been taken, and is now cut down and looking pretty tidy. Add to that the fact that we move house in 3 weeks time to a place just 200 yards from the allotment, and things are looking good for this year. :)
-
Welcome to A4A Markp2511. Sounds like you have your work cut out. ;D
-
Go for it! :)
-
Woohoo...another bramble clearer! Lovely second plot-better than an upgrade to business class. :-\ ;D
-
Congratulations on the extra plot, and the house move. What a great start to a new year. Looking forward to seeing some progress pics ;D
-
Another blank canvas (apart from the fruit trees that is). Nowt like a new challenge ;D
-
Sounds brilliant. Good luck with it! ;D
-
Keep us updated as you do it.
-
I'll get some photos up when I start work on it - hopefully in a week or so. The plot in the pic was grass and brambles this time last year, and now has twenty 8' x 4' raised beds, with bark chipped paths and a home made 3m x 2m greenhouse - all that took me until about mid May.
With moving closer, just nipping over little and often will be easier. Most of the work last year was done between 7 - 8:30am before work - nice and quiet and a great start to the day. :)
-
Looks really good and what a bonus with fruit trees too!
Good luck - will be interested to see the before & after piccies.
good luck with the house move too!
Old Bird
;D
-
How fabulous!
good luck and take care of your back!
x sunloving
-
Nice one Mark and don't forget the house warming. ;D ;D ;D
-
Woohoo FREE apple & plum trees whos a lucky allotmenteer. 8)
looking forward to see how you get on,
-
what lovely news,im very pleased for you,and more than a tad jealous ;)
great start to the year
-
Started on the new plot on Sunday. Had to replace the (stoopid idea of a) wooden water butt stand first before it rotted away to nothing with 240 litres of water in it, but then got to play with the brambles.
I've put some photos up in the gallery, but for those too idle to go look :P:
Contemplating a start:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_01_03_10_4_48_29.jpg)
The half of the plot that needs clearing first:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_01_03_10_4_45_46.jpg)
A tiny bit of the rubbish stashed by one of the sheds:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_01_03_10_4_42_00.jpg)
Made a dent in it:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_01_03_10_4_49_20.jpg)
I noticed the bloody stuff is starting to grow again, so I recon if it's not cleared within the month, it'll overtake my efforts and win. So it's 7am starts weather permitting and a goal of clear by the end of March! ::)
-
Another couple of hours this morning, and I've hit the motherload - otherwise known as the other side of the plot!! The pathway through narrowed down to about 6' wide in the end from more than double that, but I just wanted to see the daylight at the end of the tunnel.
From our other plot:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_02_03_10_10_47_13.jpg)
From the other side:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_02_03_10_10_48_33.jpg)
-
Nice one you've made a great start - what with the light at the end of the tunnel anorl :)
-
Well worth the effort
-
A bit more done this morning. :)
I realised that the brambles grow towards our existing plot, so attacking it from the other side now I'm through means I can chop off clumps at a time from the ground and yank out lots at a time, instead of just snipping off what's in front of me. Combine that with making a pile on the bit I've already cleared to save on the walking and fitting it into a barrow, and it's going at a fair old rate.
I widened the cut through all the way through this morning...now I just need a dry day and a match....
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_03_03_10_10_56_51.jpg)
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_03_03_10_10_58_14.jpg)
-
Well done. But it has a nasty habit of sprouting back from a point a few inches below the soil. But at least it will be easier once all those nasty thorns have gone.
Are you allowed a fire to burn off all that prickly stuff?
Keep up the good work.
I must say I am impressed by all those raised beds I must get and build some this year.
-
We're allowed to burn off - I've a fire planned for the weekend, weather permitting. The pile in the last pic is about a third of the total, and I expect to have at least doubled that by the weekend. The thought did cross my mind to just put some newspaper underneath one corner, strike a match and step back.... ;D
-
Only got an hour in yestaerday and today, but still progressing. I'm aiming for 75% clear (of the bit on the right of the trees) by the end of the weekend, weather permitting.
It looks less that what it is now, as the pile on the right is growing
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_05_03_10_10_53_24.jpg)
But the view accross the plot is getting a little clearer:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_05_03_10_10_53_56.jpg)
Just have to dig all the roots out and dig it over once it's all cut down.... :-\
-
when you've finished on your plot could you pop round to mine ;)
You are going great guns ;D
-
Didn't get as much done as I'd hoped the weekend, but progressed a little bit. Took an hour to burn the mountain of what I'd cut down in the week, and this is the view we have now - just a few more days and we'll be clear:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_08_03_10_11_07_18.jpg)
-
Looking tons better already, great work ! ;)
-
It's great to take progress photos, you really can see the difference you make and what you have achieved ;D
-
Cleared the far corner this morning, including a big pile of glass and tat. 16 good panes of glass though - that'll come in useful sometime. I opened the shed yesterday, and instead of the angry badger I was expecting to confront me, I was greeted by a 6" pile of vintage porn mags. :o 8) Now I know why the previous plot holder let the brambles grow....
Another corner:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_09_03_10_10_48_46.jpg)
Good glass :) :
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_09_03_10_10_49_41.jpg)
Bad glass >:( :
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_09_03_10_10_50_30.jpg)
-
Six feet of porn! I wonder what the archaeologists would have made of that if it had been left for a couple of thousand years? Maybe it would have been a shrine to the local fertility goddess?
-
Six feet of porn! I wonder what the archaeologists would have made of that if it had been left for a couple of thousand years? Maybe it would have been a shrine to the local fertility goddess?
6", not 6'....I've never been THAT lucky!
It did raise a smile though. :D I'm going to see if I can date them by the volume numbers to see just how long they've been there. They're in colour, so probably post war.
-
Lol
-
After a week moving house, finally got back on the plot the last two mornings and finished 'phase one' - clearing the brambles from the 2/3 of the plot infront of the trees. Now the hard part: digging out the roots. :-\
Here's the view down the path now - you can see where it's wound around the bramble for years:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_19_03_10_11_19_38.jpg)
and here's the view corner to corner of the two plots:
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_19_03_10_11_18_59.jpg)
and the 'Pyre of Doom' that will scorch the sky this weekend :)
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10422_19_03_10_11_18_13.jpg)
-
I mentioned this morning to my wife (mpdjulie) that I thought the covering of small dry twigs on the ground under the bramble might be worth raking up and keeping to use like bark chippings for the paths. There's a good inch of it all over, and a fork should take most of the big twigs out.
She didn't seem too keen. Any thoughts?
-
Good idea as long as it's not thorny. Sounds as though it's going to be your job though!