More Progress

Once the shed was up, it seemed a bit easier to get on. I got the plot properly measured up, and sat down with some squared paper to draw a plan. After several attempts, this was the final draft...

We all set to work, marked out several beds with stakes and string, and covered some of the 'spare' ground with weed-control fabric. Then started the almost soul-destroying job of turf-stripping and soil sieving...! There really is no other way when you have horse-tail in the ground - even if you are predisposed to use weedkilller, this nasty weed can withstand it...

Bed #1 was the first to be ready for planting, this was destined to be my onion bed - the shallot sets had already started sprouting and were desperate to be in the ground, and garlic started in pots at home needed their final home too...

This is Bed #1, the garlic is in the centre, shallots closest to camera. At the far end are HyRed and Hercules onion sets. They were all planted out in the first week of April.

I've read a lot of other people's blog's recently, and finally taken the plunge into writing my own... Wish me luck!

The Wixy Pixies are the Wicks family, me (Sarah), husband Jez, and our 3 kids Sam, Mike and Milly. In February this year (07), we finally came to the top of the waiting list for an allotment - Plot #36. This will be a record of our attempt to bring it under control and grow some lovely food, and then persuade our darling children that they want to eat it...!

Before getting our allotment, this is the space I had been growing veg in for the last 2 years, as well as various pots, and a couple of mini-greenhouses. I had to clear this bed of several overgrown shrubs, couch grass, dandelions and improve the soil. I learnt a lot, and was raring to go with a bigger space...

A shock in store?

When I finally got the call in February to go and look at the plot we'd been allocated, I didn't expect to meet any problems I couldn't tackle... Oh dear, was I heading for a shock?!

I joined the forum of Grow Your Own magazine (www.growfruitandveg.co.uk) and this is a copy of one of my first posts. It says it all...

"26/02/07 Despair?!
This is the plot we've just been given at our local site, having been on the waiting list for over a year. Apparently it's had nothing done to it for over 2 years (why didn't we get it last year then? who knows.....), and it's full of dock and bindweed, not to mention glass, rubble,half buried plastic... There's a large rectangle been dug out, presumably for a greenhouse, which is covered in broken glass and grown over with weeds, and has very little topsoil... I've measured it, and planned where my shed will go, drawn up a plan of where the beds will go, but i just don't know where to start... My OH's enthusiasm waned after the 1st hour of trying to level the site of my shed, and i can't even lift the bags of hardcore out of my boot to finish it myself.. My seed potatoes arrived this morning, it was a real effort of will power not to just throw em all in the bin.I really, truly feel like giving up right now."

Luckily, The Grapevine is full of nice people, who are also very wise, and I got lots of encouragement to carry on. Within a couple of weeks, I got my lovely shed up (thanks to my Dad for a great early birthday present!) so at least I had somewhere to brew up, shelter from the rain, and even wee in a bucket if really necessary!

So, this is what the plot looked like, with shed;