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[missuscluck]

Well nearly paid up my cash and should be on sometime in February.

 

For a year or so there has been an on going campaign in our village for the council to provide allotment provision and after a lot of negotiation a site has been found.

 

We were offerd a patch where we keep our bees at the end of last season but we have decided that the allotment would be a better option for us. The land where we keep our bees is owned by an elderly chap and I think in the not too distant future the land will have a new owner so we may well have to move off, so the allotment seems a more long term solution for us.

The allotment site is only 2 mins walk away from our house too and there is no restrictions on live stock so we can keep chickens and bees on it too

 

We have given a huge amount of thought to moving somewhere with land or buying some land over the last year, and after careful consideration and mostly bearing in mind the childrens school situation we came to the conclusion that at the moment we are going to press on as we are and perhaps revisit the idea in a few years time. Unfortunatly to afford what we would like it would mean a change of area and thats just not possible at the moment for us.

 

Really happy that we have got the allotment. It fills my need to grow stuff! Really struggling to find enough room in the garden. I keep digging up a bit more and a bit more untill soon there will be none left. Really trimmed by chicken addiction down too and have only got two chooks left as our last batch of hatchlings all turned into boys and are all in the freezer. I wont get any more, honest

 

Also we just found out yesterday that we have lost 3 out of 4 of our bee colonys. We were planning on overwintering and perhaps selling a couple of colonys on before our move up to the allotment site

[chooklady]

What fantastic news, it all sounds great. Sorry to hear about your bees though.

I would love to live somewhere with some land but it's just not practical for us either at the moment. Shame, by the time we can we'll be too old to do what we would like to do!!

Good luck with the allotment. Have fun.

[TheGirlsMum]

Fantastic news about the allotment, sorry about the bees tho.

[chickencam]

Great news on the allotment. A word of caution after our recent experience be careful what you keep in sheds etc, they can be a target for thieves.

 

I hope that we finally get a glorious summer and your remaining bees have a field day

[missuscluck]

Funny you should mention sheds. We have been pondering on getting one, but I had read about stuff getting nicked.

B and q do a little one for £89. I wondered about getting one. We have a bit of christmas money and if we put a bit towords it we could get one.

Im in a bit of a quandry about what to do as Im thinking will I store tools or not being as there is a chance it might get broken into. Would a small shed do for a chair or two and a shelf to put my cuppa on and somewhere to stick my spade if Im too-ing and fro-ing during the day. If I got a larger shed, would it be a waste of space and extra cost if I darent keep anything in it.

 

What do the rest of you allotmenteers keep in yours? Do you store much or tend to take stuff with you?

 

Getting exited now. Just been give some old pallets (for raised beds) and Aldi have seeds on offer this week for 39p a pack so have just bought a big handfull of them.

[chickencam]

We keep a little gas stove, some tea bags and some of those little long life milk things. We must have tea We also keep gardening gloves chicken pellets loads of string and bits and bobs. They didn't take our hand tools but the best ones were in the metal shed.

 

They didn't manage to get into our little metal shed which had thick hasps bolted through it and a bar across the door. It had a lock top middle and bottom unfortunately our strimmer didn't fit in there

[missuscluck]

Rang the allotment big cheese yesterday and it looks like we wont be on till March

They have had to have a site survey done and then it goes to planning next week.

Looks like if it drags on a bit my first earlys will have to go in the vegi patch at home as we will have to do a lot of digging when we get on so it could well be end of April before we can plant.

[Lesley]

What a shame, you'll be able to plant potatoes then though.....and if you have lots of seedlings in trays you should be off to a flying start.

[missuscluck]

Thats exactly what I thought and Im still really upbeat about it.

 

Mrcluck aka 'the voice of doom' said its going to be too late to do anything as its going to take ages to sort it out. Agreed, its going to take a lot of work but I think if we get a bed going to put the urgent plantings in like the spuds we can get on with the rest as we go. I have an empy veg patch at the moment so if its dragging on a bit, Ill put the first earlies in there.

 

Was planning on getting plenty of seedlings going in the greenhouse so we are off to a flying start. Just got my fingers crossed there is no extra hold ups or we will have lots of seedlings up for grabs at my house.

[Lesley]

Don't become despondent Lynda - it will all come right! You can always sell any surplus seedlings at the gate!

 

I'm often quite behind with planting and sowing but Nature has a way of catching up and it mostly turns out right. Sometimes it is better because you don't lose plants to late frosts.

[missuscluck]

I have got the key to the gate!!

Went to a meeting on Sunday and we were allocated a plot. Over the next few weeks we are all helping out with installing rabbit proof fencing and any other jobs that need doing. I have had a look at the field and it looks very fertile. It is going to be ploughed over so it souldnt be to difficult to get some crops in reasonably soon. Should be able to start planting up by the end of May.

 

I have got lots of stuff started off in pots so this should make up for some crops going in a bit late.

 

The other allotment holders all seem very nice (I know some of them anyway, and my friend has the next plot to me )

I have volunteerd to go on the committee (Im nosy ) We are moving our bees onto the site. The committee has applied for some funding to start an apiary so we will be helping out with starting that up too.