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Vic's Allotment Adventures

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  • Yes BM, it looks particularly stunning at the mo imageimage My recycling bin went over during the night but all the paper seemed to have been captured by my sprawling dead twigsimage

    Was a bit wary what I would see at 'lotment today with the high winds, hoping my summer rasps were still in place. All looked fine, but the greenhouse next door has crawled onto my patch like a broken spider.

    Swept and cleaned out most of the shack. I had a spillage previously when the bottom fell out of a box of random metal junk so swept that outside to better pick the bits out for recycling. Picked some of it upimage

    Found some interesting things to keep, a spoon with Jamaica Inn on the handle, a giant wrench I can use for hammering, a photo of 'granda', what I think is a giant dibber and a wooden spoon.

    Got my waterbutts yesterday and they are in the shed as it's not safe for them outside at the mo. Cancelled the online order I had due to unapologetic communications about damages and delays and picked two up from b&q. They have extremely complicated lids.

    Measured up the guttering (I think) I require. Made a right angle to the existing brick path, heading to the entrance path but not quite finished off. I think it might sink a bit so might have to lift some. I put them straight onto the mud as I'm not lugging sand up to the lotment.

     Back at work tomorrow - ?

    Wearside, England.
  • Gardengirl..Gardengirl.. Posts: 4,172

    Good you got the water butt in the shed with this weather, nice to have a tidy shed

    Hampshire Gardener
  • Miserable day at the allotmentimage

    Been trying to rig up the guttering around the shack for the waterbutt. I knew it would be a faff and was justified. Much of the work has to be done from the road behind the impale-yourself security fence as the shack is too close to the fence for access and there is a tree growing in the gap. In addition the road is a private road and as such looks like it has been bombed. There is a crater filled with water where I could have done with putting the ladder. Chopping a gap through the tree tomorrow to try and put another bracket in as at the moment the water runs back from the union it needs to cross and spills out at the tree end.image Helpfully it was raining so I could see which way the water flowed.

    Something much nicer, I've almost decided to get a petrol mower to keep the weeds/grass down in between the beds. Been reading the old threads on here and the consensus was to buy a Honda. Looking at the HRS in a brochure I've been sent. Apparently there's a lawnmower shop near where I work so will go and get some advice.

    Wearside, England.
  • Back in the zone today and have regained some focusimage

    Put a couple of extra brackets along the guttering on the shack. It's not raining today but I tested it with a can of water and I think it should work.

    image

    It's still lower at the union but if it doesn't pour out anywhere I'll live with that.

    image

    When this one has started to fill I'll get an attachment kit, lower the ground slightly and fit the other butt to the right. At the moment the downpipe just goes to the ground, I might make a drainage channel away from the shack or I might not...

    image

    This is on the to do list, but not sure what to do with it. I'm thinking chop down the brambles in order to womble away the rubbish but not sure whether to keep the brambles (probably will) and what to do in front of it. A very heavy potting/work bench would be nice.

    image

    This is happening to the ceiling of my shack. The canvas on the roof is either leaking or the water can get underneath. Any advice? I wonder if I could smash through it underneath and slide something under the canvasimage

    image

    View from the bank above the rat den. Still haven't seen a rat, starting to think there is no such thingimage

    Last edited: 17 January 2017 12:18:07

    Wearside, England.
  • Gardengirl..Gardengirl.. Posts: 4,172

    Great pictures

    You could have a green house for a potting table to be kept dry or one of those polly tunnel could look on Gumtree

    Potting table sounds good could try one from pallets

    Is that bank still part of your plot?

    With the roof maybe have a look at the top see if you can see anything, Homebase do roof sheets black wavey sheets 2 metres long by 90cm for a £10 they are light and flexible you could screw one on the shed other than that a good look and some other plastic tarpaulin put on roof could get a bit of board for inside once found leak

    See you found a swing ball game

    Hampshire Gardener
  • Beaus MumBeaus Mum Posts: 3,554

    Wow Victoria you have been working so hard! How on earth are you doing all this in this weather? Amazing image

    I think Garden Girl is right re your shack roof and to cover it on top.  I think if you try and tackle from underneath you'll end up losing all the roof! Maybe as a temporary measure you could just cover and pin down black bin liners image

    Like your idea re keeping the brambles.  Silly question but are all brambles blackberries?

    Have you scrap wood to make potting table? Or an old door on trestle type legs? 

  • Yes, you guys are probably right, I should mend the shack roof properly...will have a look at those roof sheets and have a think. It would be a shame to let the shack disintegrate as it is pretty cool now it's cleaned out so will have to invest some maintenance.

    I wasn't going to get a greenhouse, I don't think I will be there often enough to look after something that would live inside. There's a counter inside the shack but I thought an outdoor workbench would be fun. It would have to be heavyweight or it would be in the North Sea by the time I got home. I want to make one myself because then it would be unlikely to be coveted/stolen image Hoped there might be some useful scrap in the heap but most of the wood I can crumble in my hands.

    Yes the bank is part of the plot but my part is very steep and has trees and brambles on it whereas on some of the other plots it looks more useable.

    The brambles have really nice blackberries apparently but I thought it wouldn't hurt to chop some back and get the dead bits out.

    A swing ball game, yes, I'm using it as a boundary marker with a generous path to the right as I understand there was a dispute with the previous holder and the plot to the right. 

    Last edited: 18 January 2017 19:19:03

    Wearside, England.
  • Gardengirl..Gardengirl.. Posts: 4,172

    Beaus Mum looked it up bramble refers to blackberry so yes I would say all brambles are blackcurrants

    Victoria Sponge So do you go into the allotment from the side with the bank?

    I guess you can dig the bank area

    Potting table will be good when you made one could coat it in a outside paint, boundary marker use ful find, yep you don't want issues with plot neighbours path looks a good size

    If you look at industrial estates they have things sometimes they don't want - that is where I get my pallets from just ask and most of the time they let you have it

    Hampshire Gardener
  • Gardengirl, the gate is next to the shack, I share access with the plot to the left on the above photo.

    I haven't met the lady who has the plot on the right but I understand she conceded some of her plot due to the dispute but I can see where the centre line is supposed to be. I've left sufficient space so I can also meddle with the berry line from the other side without taking over the path.

    I have a pallet down the side of my house, if the wood is still sound I'll use it for something but I will keep an eye out for other useful bits. I've started to look at junk a bit differently?

    Wearside, England.
  • Gardengirl..Gardengirl.. Posts: 4,172

    Victoria Sponge I look at Junk differently not all is rubbish, you do find me in skips sometimes finding all sorts bits of gutter, wood, bits of paving slabs insulation foam - celotex will be used for shed,bit of trellis, boarding will be used for shed floor, I find quite a bit of things

    Also check gumtree for freebies

    So is there more plots on the other side of bank or is it more of a straight line of plots?

    Hampshire Gardener
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