Free Seed Arrival

I have received my seeds from http://www.vegetableseeds.net/default.asp today! Very excited as they were all free!

I am looking forward to my purple 'Red Bull' sprouts and my 'Sun Beam' pattypans, mostly because they are colourful!! I think I have enough seeds. For now...

Skip RAIDING...

Well not quite raiding, I found the kind workman and told him I have been eyeing up his skip for a week or so and wondered if I could take some stuff for my allotment. He said of course and that to take whatever I wanted - even the bath! The bath won't fit in my car unfortunately...

So my Dad came to meet me by the skip and we were like a couple of tramps in the dark loading up his car with wood mainly, we did get a few stares, I was going to go and explain myself with the allotment story but was far too excited looking in the skip to be honest. We mainly got planks of wood to use for a base for the shed, to make some more vegetable beds and make some posts to mark off the sections. Chuffed to be saving myself some money and making use of those poor wasted trees! :)

We might return in daylight when perhaps we will see some more gems!

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Dig Dig Dig

Today was time for more digging and planning out the plot ready for the start of planting things in February. I braved the freezing cold weather in my new killer boots ready to have a good old therapeutic dig.

It didn't surprise me that there were not many people out digging today as when I arrived, it was like the arctic up there - well not quite, maybe I wasn't wrapped up enough!

I had a check of my rhubarb and pleased to see it coming through - can't wait to use it for my rhubarb and custard cake!

Then had a check of my garlic which I planted back in October, this should be ready about summer time. This is growing well too.

 

I was prepared with my allotment plan on my Blackberry phone, which is fab as can keep on track with my plan (Bringing modern technology to the outdoors!). I started where I had left off last weekend, marking out little patches for the veg. As I have a whole year this year, I thought it would be easier if I de-weed little sections and mark them out, and then when it comes round to planting something there, giving it another proper dig. This way I will get more done early on and it won't be so disheartening!!

The ground was wet and all the mud sticking to my new boots, not ideal for conditions for digging but I was determined to get rid of the brambles - glad no one was around to hear my foul mouth everytime a bramble went through my glove into my poor fingers! I dug away for about 2 hours and felt I made a bit of progress, only a small section to go until I have dug the whole allotment (since I had it last year that is!). I may have a celebratory coffee when I get to that stage.

I am getting frustrated with my shed as I was very lucky to get it off Freecycle, it has been sitting there unerected for a couple of months now, one panel was warped when we got it so that is on top of the other panels, protecting them from the weather. I can't put it up until we have enough posts or something for the base - my Dad is helping with this job as I can't do this alone! Also, my boyfriend won't join me at the allotment until my shed is up! He wants a hammock too - lazy!

Skip Searching...

This is something that all allotment holders need to master - searching through rubbish. Today I drove into the carpark and it was like seeing money. Planks of wood in a skip (vegetable beds?), a bath (attractive feature??) small bits of wood (marking out patches??) doors (urm, clutching at straws here...) but anyway lots of stuff that I could use at Plot 39- FOR FREE!!

However, I have not YET got to the cheeky stage yet of just taking things without asking so I am waiting to speak to one of the builders with a sweet smile. Fingers crossed!

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To start - Beg of January

I thought I had better start doing something with the allotment after the snow, frost, rain! had stopped me visiting to check she was ok. I went up to check it and everything was ok. A missing compost bin lid which I found on the neighbouring plot and some cloches blown away but other than that, everything safe! I had a rough count of steps to work out metreage etc... ready for planning, dug a few weeds and went home feeling determined.

I decided to used Excel to make a plan. It is very rough and can adapt as I go along. I looked at what I want to grow this year and organised when I need to plant seeds etc... I was pretty impressed with myself! After planning, I went shopping for seeds and spent about £20 (I am sure I will see the savings in the veg!)

Today, I went up to the plot with my Dad and his cordless drill to make a couple of vegetable beds and mark out some patches with sticks and string! It is getting there!! I have 5 little patches ready and am working my way down the plot. So much to do!!

Watch this space...

Hello

Last summer I finally got my allotment at our local plot after being on the waiting list for a year. I got Plot No.39. The plot was a brand new plot so not established. The digging was hard work (and I still haven't finished) digging up old window frames, aspestos roof tiles (the 'safe kind' we are told), massive concrete slabs, a taxi driver's ID pass, marbles, flints flints flints, massive roots, you name it we found it. Unfortunately nothing valuable. Basically, our local council just bulldozed everything in sight (there were previous allotments there years ago but had grown over with brambles etc...) and turned in back into the ground that was really helpful.

In terms of planning and having an organised looking plot, I was unsuccessful, as wasn't expecting to get one so hadn't prepared enough seedlings etc... just enough for the garden and I needed to dig over before planting anything. However, it was a great year for learning - as grew things I hadn't grown before, cabbages, sprouts, runner beans etc..., learnt new techniques (I was very proud of my runner bean wigwam) and have become more resourceful (often looking at rubbish thinking, hmm, could that thing be used in my allotment??!) and had lots of lovely vegetables to eat - even if some of my courgettes were round and my carrots maybe a bit phallic! So looking at those things, a fab success.

SO, I thought I would start fresh this year from January, having a full year to plan what I want to grow and BE ORGANISED! The best way to plan out my time and assist with next years growing was to keep some sort of diary which I can update photos etc... so this seemed the best option for me!


About me  -

I am in my 20s, I enjoy allotmenting and baking and have just started to knit so I may sometimes go off track, i'll apologise in advance! Oh and I called the blog 'Courgettes and Cupcakes' as Courgettes were the first thing I grew so where my love for this started and it was a running joke with my family a couple of years ago - as with all people that grow veg I am sure, "we're having courgette AGAIN?!". And the Cupcake part, because I just love baking cupcakes. As simple as that!

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