8 years ago, when I first got my allotment, there were plenty of untaken, overgrown plots, and I used to like walking round the site and getting goodies. Raspberries, gooseberries were growing well without any attention and surrounded by brambles and other weeds but as they were hidden the birds had left them alone. Now most of the allotments are taken so my walks and discoveries of hidden fruit have stopped, apart from one where the marestail is so high but the strawberries growing amongst it are better than mine. It got me thinking that sometimes I weed and prod things about too much. My gooseberry bush hidden among the redcurrants is full of fruit, but the next allotment where the bush is lonely and isolated has had all the fruit taken off it. Perhaps my unorganised allotment with things just bunged it, and then they decide whether to grow or not seems to work. The marestail is growing up with the peas, but I am not going to weed until the peas have finished. I have borlotti beans growing with the peas and marigolds which have decided that they like growing there. My hidden secret garden/allotment has become very busy (I blame Joe Swift and the TV programme), but it is good really that more people are growing. The Council has even cut down the blackberries whilst putting up the new fences, but they will soon come back. Anyone els
I encourage people to "forage" for Damsons on my plot as there are three big trees and after the first 30lbs of fruit it can go to waste.. :-X