A google earth image of the allotments, mine is highlighted in yellow. A good job the photo is taken from
a distance beause mine is a mess. LoL!!
I was on the waiting list for about a year, then one became available,(usually because the plot holder hasn't got anything growing but weeds).
It costs £18.00 per year.It is lovely and peaceful there, like I'm in not in London somehow.
So when I go there my kids call me 'lottie lady' LoL!
I found a better picture!
Lottie lady, I used a currency converter. That's 37 US dollars a year?!?!?!? That sounds like a great deal. I've never been to London, but imagined it to be very nice there. Guess I've read too many regency novels?
Sorry to spoil your illusions about London, but being from Liverpool I sometimes get 'homesick'!
no allotment news for you, it's raining again! If we don't get some warm sunshine soon, my tomatoes will never ripen. At least I haven't had to go and water,thats a job in itself, no hoses
allowed on the site so it's loads of watering cans to fill up from the water troughs.
This message was edited Aug 5, 2007 1:59 AM
Harvesting my Parsnips!!!!!!!!!
I'm proud of my first ever Arty parsnips! but I don't mind telling you I laughed my head off when I dug them up. hahaha!!!
Parsnip critter!
Maybe next year, they will be straight and boring!
Dear Terriculture:
How big is that allotment? (in yards--I don't understand metric) What did you plant (besides parsnips). Will you have it again this year?
NisiNJ
Hi NisiNJ,
I forgot about this thread!
My allotments is for keeps as long as I keep it in good shape and actually grow vegetables.
It is about 60ft by 20ft, with a little shed.
I haven't ventured down there yet this year, it is far too wet and soggy the soil is not workable.
Last year I grew from seeds in my greenhouse at home, then brought them as young plants to the allotment.
carrots, leeks, parsnip, turnip,tomatoes,onions,lettuce, cougettes, lots more and flowers.
This year I'm going to sow some seeds directly on the allotment. I have so much clearing still to do from the previous plot holder. I am going to do a big area with flowers!
Do you have an allotment, or grow veggies?
These are some of the seeds I used.
Eddited to say, I got the measurements wrong, it is more like 100ft by 20ft
This message was edited Feb 6, 2008 2:36 AM
the lettuce grew really well, our rabbit loved it!
The turnips were delicious
more seeds
The potatoes were easy, I've heard they are good to improve the soil so I'm going to plant more this year.
The pot marigolds looked great amongst the tomatoes.
Sunflowers are a must for late summer colour!
The last one!
more sunflowers, the kong hybrid grew to 14ft!
Dear Terriculture:
As karmaplace said earlier, that is a wonderful deal!
I am not familiar with parsnips. How do you prepare them for eating?
Thank you for inquiring about my garden. It could be that you were being polite, but you're going to get the extensive answer anyway...
My "allotment" is in my back yard. My husband always said that back yards are for playing whiffleball with the children (that's baseball with a plastic ball and bat), and that I must not interfere with the "playing field." So I was allowed a 3 foot wide strip along the very back fence. Then two things happened: 1) The children grew up (they're college age) and 2) we got a dog who digs holes EVERYWHERE. So to keep the dog out of the garden we put up a rustic looking split rail fence. It looks like the edge of a country field running right through the middle of the yard. And behind it I can put in garden beds to my heart's content.
So far the budget has allowed for the purchase of raised bed kits making two 3 ft x 6 ft beds. I have the sides for two more sitting in their boxes; they will go up this year. I also dug up the ground underneath the now-abandoned swing set, which is going to become a monster A-frame.
New Jersey residents are very proud of our sweet corn and tomatoes. I have to leave the corn for the farmers, but there have been many tomato plants in my yard. I don't have a greenhouse, but my beloved late father was an electrician, and he put up fluorescent lights in our basement, where seedlings are started. I have also grown onions, zucchini (courgettes?), bush and pole beans, carrots and peppers. Cucumbers develop disease in our soil, so they grow in pots. There are strawberry plants, but the voles (field mice) ate all the blossoms last year. I put in six Caroline and Heritage raspberry plants, and was surprised and delighted with the small first-year harvest.
For this year I ordered some flower seeds and bulbs and will try to grow them for cut flowers. Each year I put out a little table in the front yard by the street (I live in a suburb) where I sell the extra tomato and pepper seedlings in 4" pots. When people come by to walk their dogs, etc., they put 75 cents in the "honesty jar" and take plants. Maybe this year they will take some cut flowers, too. I have never grown flowers for cutting before and am a novice.
Sorry about the long post; will keep it shorter in the future. Love your pictures; I have to find out how to upload pictures.
NisiNJ
NisiNJ, I love the idea of selling seedlings to your neighbors. That would be even lovelier to have cut flowers available to them as well.
Terri, most of my seeds for the sweet peas came up in their wintersowing containers. What do I do now? We should still be getting cold weather for the next month. I also have snapdragons, bells of ireland, and chinese lanterns coming up. I just don't know what to do with them. My bed is not ready yet, and it may be too early to transplant. What do you have growing in your greenhouse Terri?
Hi NisiNJ,
I usually peel , cut into wedges and roast parsnips in the oven with a little oil and rosemary. Delicious.
I wasn't just being polite! I am interested in what other people grow. Last year was the first time I have grown veggies, so I'm just learning! I love sweetcorn, I don't think we have sunshine for long enough for it to get very big.
I have seem other plot holders and their sweetcorns are tiny! Good luck getting your beds made! Great idea having the basement with your lights, for the seedlings. What flowers are you growing?
Hi Karma,
I haven't got anything growing in the greenhouse yet. Last year I started too early with everything and it was all a bit leggy before it was warm enough to go in the ground.
The sweetpeas will be fine, have you taken off the growing tips? after 3/4 leaves. That will help your plants grow much bushier. If everything else gets too big, you may have to repot, it's not worth the risk putting your seedlings out!
I went shopping yesterday, bought some seeds and other nice stuff! will show you later, got work now, bye!
Bought my onion sets, hope to plant them at the end of the month!
Allotment nightmare, Weeds galore!
more weeds
they go on and on.........
next doors plot is looking good!!!!!!!
I need weed woman over here!
Starting to see some progress!
Parsnips!
Amost dark, but gettting there .....slowly, I'm aching all over!!!!
Would it help to do something similar to your neighbors next year and cover the area with black plastic to keep the weeds down? Or perhaps some roundup weed killer earlier in the year?
Hi Candee,
My neighbour spends nearly everyday there for hours and hours! I don't think he even covered it over winter.
We are not allowed to use weedkillers or anything like that on the allotments.
I am going to mulch the pathways, which will give me more time for working on the beds, instead of repeating jobs all the time.
I got another bed cleared today........
another view
Saw a frog......... gave me a fright when it jumped out!
While I was digging, someone walked by and offered me some spare strawberry plants from their plot. I planted them in straight away. The people are really friendly there.
Another long bed emptied of weeds......... almost dark, time to go!
Thanks for your suggestion Candee, I will definately be doing a better job of covering it this winter!
So are you having froglegs for dinner LOL! We do have them at the cabin and we fix them deep fried with burgers and call it the "poor mans surf n turf"!
You are really making progress, how nice to have strawberry plants to put in, nice to have kind neighbors. I have never done strawberries so will be watching yours progress.
Is that your shed in the "another view" photo? If so, what do you have hiding behind the skid, plants ready to go in?
I think I prefer to see them hopping!
Another hard day at the office, I mean allotment!
Yes that is my shed...... look what they gave me.. it looks like a portable loo! Lol.
It keeps my tools dry and it's somewhere to sit and rest in the shade.
There is nice Ivy growing along the back fence next to the shed. It will come in handy for arrangements.
Looking at the plot from the main central path for all the allotments.
I've filled one compost bin, need to get some more wooden pallets to make another one.
