Allotments 4 All

What an absolutely amazing day, we got to the allotment at 11.00 and got home at about 16.30.
  It was such a joy being up there today glorious sunshine , not windy and we got our onions and potatoes in.
  Spoke to one of the other allotment holders and she had mentioned that her neighbour had been doing some building work and had loads of pallets to get rid of so hey ho we now have 6 pallets to make our compost bins with.  ;D
  I can safely say I am knackered how has everyone else got on today?

Well not very happy at the moment, they have changed all my husbands shifts at work so he is on perm nights for the next three weeks, so I can't get my raised beds down till his next days off which is next week.  I don't have a driving licence so can't even get down there with my tools, plus we have just had easter which means my boys have had tons of chocolate ( they are not allowed it due to reaction (hypo) ) so I can't take them down with me till its out of their system.  So I spent the day in my garden at home, I finished my strawberry bed ( used one of the raised beds meant for the lottie) which my youngest loves and he has about 12 plants in there.  I then used to other of my raised beds and put compost and newspaper in them to plant my home salad garden.  I couldd'nt plant the lettuce in there today as compost is in oh car which he has at work ( one day shift in 3 weeks yeah miricles) so that will be done tomorrow.  My oh did manage bless hime to get mt second greenhouse up in my garden.  We got it off freecycle, and though it was a basic 4 by 6.  When we got it there to take it down it was a 6 by 6 with all the metal shelving, bags and bags of pots, soil sorters, parrifin heater, growbag water things, and it was a posh one with louve windows and a windo on the roof which opens when it gets to hot.  It reached 30 degrees in there today and it opended nicely so I was very chuffed.  I also manged to plant up a few veg cause I know have space, and clean my first greenhouse out and sort through things that have not grown.  So I guess I got alot done, just needed a good old moan as the oh is not here to take the brunt of it lol.

It sounds like you got a lot of jobs done that needed doing, and I don't mind you having a moan, you moan all you like :)

spent this afternoon down at the lottie to paint the shed with a creosote substitute solution. found out that my polytunnel had been blown over a neighbours garden and was standing on plot 6 when I'd left it on plot 5.....compost bin was on plot 8 and compost spread over plots 6-8!! Lottie swimming in inches of water :(. It's got to be raised beds or nothing...planted pear tree coz I really needed to but reckon it will die with drowned roots :( heeled in my blackcurrent, gooseberry and raspberry canes until I can decide on where to plant them permanently.

OH wants me to only keep non expensive stuff in shed incase it get's trashed or pinched. He seems to think the shed may be torched at some point :(

Anyway, still feel like I have got something done even though botrytis (sp?) has killed off my peas n beans at home and looks like it is going to get my lettuce. Really MUST ring for compost and manure this weekso I can set up my beds ready for potatoes and seedling that survive :(

OMG! Just got my allotment tenancy papers through in the post this morning and it appears they made a 'mistake' allocating the plots and I have now been given plots 6 and 7 instead of 5 & 6 as they say plot 5 had already been allocated :( I just put my shed up on plot 5 and OH nailed the blinking thing to the pallots it's standing on :( How on earth do I move it? and even worse still is I now have to start again :( GRRRR lol Is there some where that displays the exact outline of the different plots on each allotment site where I can go look at exactly where my plots are located?

popped along to the allottment earlier to put padlock on shed and someone has already been in and taken a pack of asda tool hooks. glad I didn't leave anything else in there worth taking  ::) as it is the padlock is too thick so I'll have to fit the new heavy duty fastener on first before i can use it. Won't be leaving anything of worth in it though

Thats just awful, have you explained to the council that you have already set up the shed and done work on the plot. Surely if its their mistake they should sort it out with the other tenant especially if the other tenant hasn't been down there yet.

left a message for the allotment officer on her ansaphone thing but will go in tomorrow I think as I don't think it's fair. None of the plots are marked out and I was told the day I signed up for the two plots (5&6) that I could dig that day. The woman even phoned someone and told them to take plots 5 & 6 off her list as they'd just been signed up for. Will know more tomorrow I guess.

I agree with gardening-gal that is not fair that they can swap your plots now, you have already marked them out and the shed is not going to be easy to move, and why should you.  I have never seen anyone at site no 5 since I have been there.   I have 3 and 4, but have never seen anyone but yourself there.  I would be fuming at this, stand your ground.  I am still waiting for my tendancy agreement to come through but I have phone numerous times and confirmed that 3 and 4 are mine so I hop it doesn't happen to me.  On a more plesant note, I spoke to emma yesterday and complained about the fencing around our plot and the fact that it is not safe and protected like it should be, Emma was suppossed to go doen there yesterday with a surveyer to confirm this and see if new fencing around the whole plot could be done. I have also requested a delivery of bark chip to the site, I have told her that I want plenty of it as lots of us are after it.  I will phone her back tomorrow to see whats happenign with this.  Good luck fluff stand your ground

Have either of you seen the evening advertiser today, on the front cover they have a big thing about allotments in swindon and the fact that the council are not spending the money that had been promised for fencing, sheds etc

oo that's interesting...not seen the advertiser as we are saving pennies for new kitchen after july floods of last year...hope Oh's mum has kept it for me.

I did it says that the council were suppossed to be giving all allotment holders a shed and also dealing with fencing issues, we will all be waiting a long time for that to happen

if they insist on my moving plots they'll have to give me much more than secure fencing around the site and a shed that's for sure ;)

I don't blame you fluff let us know what happens, I am also going to try and get hold of her today to find out what happening with the fencing, as I bet thats how they are getting over the fence to geton the lotti, by my lotti they can just lift their legs up walk over help themselves and walk back, not very fair

last Sunday whilst my OH and myself were painting the new shed a young boy who lives in house behind your lottie threw his ball over onto your lottie and then just walked straight through the bushes onto your plot. He'd been playing in the garden with his dad who, spotting me n OH, told him to get his ball and come straight back as, someone has that allotment now so you can't use it any more... >:( Obviously been using it as a football feild.

That wouldn't surprise me, there is no fence there and kids will be kids, they have to do something about the fencing cause its not fair if we all do the hard graft and people can just help themselves

I agree. Wonder what they will do about the guy with the gate straight onto the lotties at the far end of site? I've tried ringing emma and got answer phone again so I'm going to drive into town and try to speak to her personally

shes never in the office trust me I tried, i have also only got answerphone, but if you do get to see her ask her about the fencing and all of on the site are now requesting this

will do. This weather is so depressing....one minute it's sunny and has me thinking woopee not long now and the soil on lottie will be dried out enough to dig it all over and get something planted, then next day it's grey with scudding black clouds and tips it down everytime I think about leaving the house or it freezes over and snows (forecast for freeze up and snow over weekend and into next week for here) :(

I know the feeling, today I am determined to get down there and do somehting, my poor oh has just come off nights so he is sleeping a few hours then he is going to start taking raised beds to the lottie for me.  I am then going to spend at least 4 hours there filling them with the horse manure, covering it with newspaper, and soil and they can be left to rott down till courgettes and pumpkins and things can go in there.  Then at least I feel like I am getting some where.  I have so much stuff in my greenhouse ready for planting out and the soil is so muddy now I can't do it, but i have put three raised beds up at hom and got my luttuce in it and a few onions so I feel I have started