The summer holidays have finally arrived...

The summer holidays are now here!! Yes, I'm fortunate enough to have 7 weeks off work over the summer (if it makes you feel any better- I don't get paid for it!) But I really do cherish the time off. 

 Especially this year! Now I really have no excuse to get things looking as good as I can until the winter comes around and I can start my winter project.

Over winter I am going to create raised beds across the plot. 

 While I have actually discovered that yes, clay soil is a bit of a pain because it's quite hard work, but to be honest, everything I've planted so far, flower or vegetable doesn't seem to care! Clay soils retain much more nutrients. Unlike sandy soils where when it rains everything is washed away, the clay soils helps retain that, and retains the water so things don't have to be watered as frequently over the summer. I have realised that despite it being a relatively heavy clay soil on my plot, it fortunately seems to drain really well. However, I think raised beds will help manage things. I have learned already that I don't need to plant a million of one thing! After all, there's just me and my husband (and our bunny) so I'm thinking smaller beds but a fair few- then I will be able to grow a range of things and a sensible amount!

However- for now, I am working on taking advantage of the sunshine and the warmer weather. 

 My shed is getting there! There's now some cute little flowering plants in the pot on the front of the door. I am going to add a few paving slaps in front, then I'm going to plant some things around it and add further plants up the left side.

I am also going to sort the inside out. Here is my little shelving unit at the moment. We currently have cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeños, bell peppers, aubergines and there are some leeks waiting to be planted out which I've grown from seed. 

 I am going to paint the inside of the shed as well (in cream- why not?!) not only will it make it even nicer but it will also help protect the wood. 

 I'm also going to add a few shelves and hooks to spread things about. 

Always scowering for useful free things, my husband came across these windows in our back alley. They're lovely old windows, perfect for making cold frames from! Another project for the winter!

Stanton Hall, Gardens and plant nursery- or my new heaven...

On Sunday my husband and I went to Stanton Hall. I'd never been before, it's a few miles north west of Morpeth in Northumberland. I'd never heard of it to be honest but another lady at the allotment recommended it to me. 

I've got to say- I totally loved it! It's along a stunning country road, and this amazing house is at the end of the drive way. You feel like you're just pulling into someone's drive. Though a big drive. 

And instantly beautiful gardens surround you! It's amazing. Now- I'm one of those people that love wandering around garden centres. Always have been- even as a child. Not that I particularly cared about growing things as a child, I just found them nice relaxing places, where you got to wander around all the plants like in a jungle. And granted- while I do still like garden centres they're not quite as fun as they used to be- But this place totally fixed that!

To start with it sort of feels like you're walking around someone's amazing garden- though not in a creepy way. Then through little arches of brick or trees you find yourself in one of 3 huge polytunnels. As well as huge outside areas with plants lined up. Everything is for sale- and a bargain price at that! We ended up with 3 baskets that we ended up sort of balancing things on. We then had to make a trip to the car and come back for another round. 

They also have this amazing koi pond! There's a lovely waterfall further along and this fantastic pond at the end. We had the benefit of it being lovely and warm and humid- it honestly felt as though I was in a tropical country. 

This was our full car boot at the end of our trip! I bought everything from a well established honey suckle to go around my arch (and attract the bees of course!) to beautiful iris, plenty violas and various things that I don't even know what they are I just thought they were pretty! As well as some veg, from jalapeños, bell peppers, aubergine, corn and cucumber, and I only spent just over £40. Now unfortunately I'm a regular in places like B&Q and I know I would never in a million years be able to get that much there for that price- not even close to it!

 There are plenty things I'd love to go back for as well- so I think it's safe to say I'm going to be a regular!

 My husband and I both hate shopping. Really hate it! But we both thought we left this place feeling relaxed, like we'd gotten a bargain, and wanting to go back! 

 We even took a wander around their amazing garden afterwards to see how they use and grow their plants. Fantastic! 

And of course I had to include this photo of later in the day, and my husband planting his corn (he insisted on them!) so now they're his to look after- not like they'll take much. 

Our first proper harvest...

Now that the shed is up and things are starting to feel more together, I am desperate to have more flowers around the allotment. I love having loads of lovely colour that just shouts out when you walk in. So I was very excited the other day when I walked into the allotment and noticed some gorgeous poppies around the outside! They're huge, and the bees were already sitting inside doing their job! I think poppies are one of my favourite flowers. I love how delicate their petals look, yet they manage to cling to the most ugly of road sides. So it's safe to say I definitely won't be up-rooting these! 

A few days ago I also realised how crazy the area around the pond has become! But, it's what I intended- and while it may be looking a bit messy and wild for some, this part of the allotment is for wildlife (and for me to admire) so I don't want to be disturbing it too much. Scattered amongst the grass is various wildflowers, and of course plenty weeds. But that's ok! In fact- it was baby frog day!! We suddenly realised their were baby frogs hiding everywhere under the grass and plants- so it's definitely doing it's job! 

I love how the pond is looking at the moment. Especially amazing since I got the solar powered oxygenator! And the froglets seem quite happy too- a fair few were hiding under the plants and lily pads. 

(Though I think this photo looks a little like a froglet being chased by Pacman!) 

Watching the pond and how things life in and around it, there's a few things I want to add. I want a few more larger rocks around the edges for frogs to use to climb in and out- mainly on the side opposite the pebble beach. I also planted my first purple iris to the left of the pond as well yesterday- I think I may try and build a bit of an iris collection. I think they're stunning!! 

I was also able to enjoy my first proper harvest the other day! My husband and I enjoyed tipping a bag of potatoes out! They look amazing and we're all perfectly formed in the pot even with super solid clay soil! So I look forward to eating these later this week!! 

Making a shed from scratch for £100

So, I've been saying for what feels like an age now, that I need a shed! Of course an allotment needs a shed. My car has basically become my shed! There's just my husband and I, so we just have a little old Toyota (she's 20 next year- so she's getting on a bit!) but we have just had the backseats down for months now, as all the tools and things just live in the back. It does mean however that I can't cycle down to the allotment, I always need the car! We tried cycling down a little while back with forks and things in tow and it was just annoying! So the time finally arrived! 

 My husband is handy with a saw and things, and so is our friend (who worked as a carpenters apprentice for a while so we had to get him on side!) 

I wanted to use as much as I could from reclaimed wood/materials. And I would say the majority- if not 90-95% of the shed is made from exactly that. 

We had acquired some 150 year old roof timbers from the flat above ours a few months back, as well as some old double glazed windows from someone else on the street. Then another friend was replacing his fence so we used all those old panels as well. We also had a lovely old solid wood door from another friends new (old) house. Our handy friend is also friends with some people who own a reclaimed timber place- so that's where the rest came from!

 So- they spent hours (literally like 12 hours one day 2 weeks ago) in our friends work shop creating the shell of the shed. They then transported it to the allotment and began putting it all together. 

So the allotment became a building site for a while! 

They were able to get the main part done. Then the next day my husband and I went back, and we finished it off! It was about 25 degrees outside and we were seriously sweating by the end of that day! But by the end we definitely had a shed! So the only new thing that went on it really was the roof! Because it was important for me to have both shed and greenhouse, I needed it to be as light as possible, so we decided to use clear plastic corrugate for the roof. It's super cheap- about £6 for a length- although, it's pretty flimsy so that's why it's only £6.  The sun continued to cook us, but I also wanted to get a coat of paint on. We used a specific outdoor shed/fence paint. One tin pretty much did one (and a bit) coats of the whole shed. So here it is!

And here it is sitting at the top of my allotment! 

Overall, it's not very big. One metre wide by 3 metres long, but that's enough for me. I don't plan on moving in. 

 It's solid as well. The floor is made from 3 inch thick solid wood- it's actually the roof beams I mentioned earlier (I know- I feel quite guilty using them for a shed floor- but the shed floor now looks amazing!!) 

 The old wooden door was reused- as the door! There are 2 large double glazed windows on the front and side (both open which really helps!) the left side and part of the front is clad in the old fencing and the back is reclaimed thick chipboard. Even the frame is all reclaimed and recycled wood. 

 Altogether, the timber cost us £20. 

 The roof and screws/nails cost £40.

 The paint (3 tins, 2 blue and 1 cream which I'm going to use to paint the inside) was £40.

 So total shed-come-greenhouse cost was £100. And you definitely can't buy something like that at the same price in the shop!

I totally love it!! And over the last 2 weeks we've taken everything along- and it's all a perfect fit. I plan on attaching hooks and shelves and things inside for bits and bobs. I've also got a shelving unit in there for my greenhouse plants. 

There's now tomatoes, jalapeños, peppers, cucumber and aubergines all sitting quite happily inside.

Today I've also added a zinc pot to the front door under the window with plants in, and I plan on adding a few other things to the front to jazz it up!

Photos will follow soon!  

Attracting insects and a pond emergency!

As things started to take shape during June, I started to realise the things I wanted, the things that were going to be important really. 

 Wildlife is a key thing for me. I love nothing more than seeing bees busy at work, butterflies fluttering past and other insects and creatures doing what they do best. 

 I've discovered a few things about my allotment and how despite it not being a very large plot, there's still a lot going on. 

 The lavender was a good buy- it's growing really well in the pot & the bees are always on it. So I'm definitely going to get more for growing in the ground as well. I have been doing my research as well, and have read that bees can see purple/dark blue a lot easier so are attracted to flowers of that colour- so I'm going to bare that in mind! 

I had to put some of the onions in with the Brussel sprouts. This seems to be making no difference to any one- in fact, the onions that have gone in with the sprouts are looking even stronger and healthier than the ones in the onion bed on their own. (Though there are now young carrots in the onion bed as well- companion gardening at it's shabbiest!!) 

 Though I've also discovered a fair few ants nests on the allotment as well. One under the onion patch. 

 Some lovely quote large spiders seem to live over the back part of the allotment as well, in the celery bed and next to the pond. Not sure what kind they are. I keep meaning to research them, but they live in little holes in the ground and seem to be doing no harm. I quite like watching them scuttle across the soil!

Earl June I started to discover a pond problem! Can you see the murkiness of the photo below? It had started to really warm up, and while I know oxygenator plants put oxygen into the water during the day (I have some oxygenator plants in there) I also know that at night they use back up all that oxygen and emit carbon dioxide instead. I also noticed however that the oxygenator plants under the surface didn't seem to happy- they looked as though some sort of algae was growing on them, and the lily leaves started to die and turn into skeleton leaves. 

 I was pretty gutted, and wasn't sure what to do. So my husband and I started searching the Internet and eventually came across a solar powered oxygenator. It was £25 on Amazon (inc delivery) it came with a little solar panel, a little motor connected to that, then 2 tubes that have little porous pebble like things at the end, you pop them in the water, the motor then sucks on air and sends it down the tube into the pond. Sounded ideal! Reviews were mostly good, and I really needed a fix!

Turns out it was the best £25 I've spent in a long time! Within 2 days (thankfully sunny days) the pond looked amazing! The water totally cleared, the oxygenator plant totally cleaned up, the lily stopped dying & all sorts of creatures started to appear again. (If you look closely you can see a nice frog in this one). 

 I was hugely impressed! And it's still working away now on sunny days. So I definitely recommend if you're having the same problems!

Things have been happening- early to mid June...

Well, it's been a while- but things haven't stopped. In fact, I haven't been busier! 

 I have been taking photos every step of the way and life has started to take over on the allotment. 

The first job back at the beginning of June was to get plenty of herbs in pots. B&Q had an offer where it was something like 3 herbs for £7. So I bought parsley, rosemary and thyme. I also had to buy a lavender- for the bees! And they smell delicious! 

 I also had some chives sitting at home in my dingy back yard- but they come back every year so I thought it was about time I let them see the sun. 

I then started getting plenty in the ground. A few beds have been dug since, and I now have white and red onions, Brussel sprouts, strawberries (from a neighbour allotmenter) and I've just recently put celery in the ground that I have been growing from seed in my little conservatory at home. 

 I also discovered these polytunnel type things from Wilko's. I put them down initially to help warm the ground up, and since I have moved them around a few different places on the allotment. They've been pretty versatile and were only £10 each- when standing they're about 1 metres across by 3 metres long, so not bad really. 

I am currently using bricks to mark the edges of the beds. But I've decided in the winter we're going to create smaller raised beds across the whole plot. We only need to grow enough for my husband and I (and our bunny) but it seems a bit silly at the moment that we're growing so much of one thing on such a small plot. 

This was my baby Brussel sprouts in the ground when I first popped them in. Mixed some compost in with the clay soil to break it up a bit, and it seems to have done the trick! 

This is a photo of the Brussel sprouts (and strawberries in the foreground) that was taken about 2 weeks ago. So they definitely settled in and seem really happy- the frogs hide out under the compost heap as well, and seem Togo between there, my pond, next doors pond to the left, and the untouched (super overgrown) allotment to the right. So snails and slugs aren't really proving a problem which is great! 

Mid May on the allotment, enjoying the sunshine...

Around the corner from my house are some beautiful old allotments. They're privately owned, and I would imagine the waiting list is huge as there aren't many. But I have always loved taking a walk around the back of them. So one evening about two weeks ago I did just that. And came across the most beautiful allotment I've ever seen! Mind you, I didn't see a vegetable at all but it didn't matter. I love tulips and as you can see the plot just looked stunning. I stood looking for quite a while before my husband dragged me off, but it inspired me!

I want flowers on my allotment, granted not like this, I don't have the space for this and veg, but I have dedicated the back of my allotment for the pond and a grassy/flower area. So I started looking into various things. I think I am going to start planting flower seeds all around the outside of my vegetable beds as well, it seems like a really good way to attract pollinators, it looks amazing and they can also be cut, and taken home, which would be another wonderful bonus.

In terms of vegetables however, you read of my pumpkin disaster? Well I wasn't disheartened, instead I popped out to get more pumpkin seeds but came across butternut squash seeds instead. I use a lot more butternut squash than pumpkin so it only made sense really. So they have been sown and you can just seem them growing quite tall behind all the Brussel sprouts! They were desperate to be planted out so that was todays job, however like I said I learned from my past mistake!

I live by the sea. Our frosts stop really early in the year, but my allotment is 1 mile inland, and they have frosts a lot later into the year. I didn't think of this, which is why the pumpkins were a disaster. So, to make amends, I purchased the poly tunnel type things you can see below. I found them in Wilko's for £10 each. They're 3 metres long by about 1 metre wide when they're domed over. They are like a pop up tent. They're fab! You get tent pegs with them, but as I had turned the soil over about 3 times and mixed in compost before I put these down the pegs were a little useless. Thankfully I have a fair few spare bricks lying around so they did the job. But I put them down to warm the soil underneath. Today they have been down about two weeks, and the soil felt lovely and warm underneath when I went at 8.30am this morning. 

As you can see behind the poly tunnel things, I have also planted strawberries. Given to me by my allotment neighbour a week or so ago they have taken really quickly and have already started flowering, so will need to think about getting a net for them soon!

All the potted herbs are doing fantastically well too! Which is always good news.

So the photo above is when I left this morning. It's looking a lot better than it was a few months ago but still rather rough around the edges. I planted the Brussel sprouts under the poly tunnels, so will check on them frequently and I'm hoping to take the covers off in around a week or so. The strawberries behind are doing really well, and to the left off the bottom of the photo the potted potatoes are doing really well too.
 The right hand side of the allotment has sort of been left for now. That's my summer holiday project! 

This was my pond today too. We had an explosion of algae the other day, which I read about and was told to expect it. I also read that after a few days to a week or so it would all suddenly disappear and the pond would go really clear, so when I went along this morning that had happened! No algae at all, and instead a super clear pond! I spotted a few tadpoles sitting just under the surface sunning themselves, and a few pond snails dotted around. The pond plants seem to be growing nicely now as well, with new growth on the lily and the oxygenators underneath. The grass around the outside has started to grow nicely now too, and I noticed a few of the wildflowers making an appearance which is really exciting! Can't wait to go back and see it all in bloom! Mind you, we have had a lot of rain lately and that's clearly helped the grass settle!