Allotment News - Spring 2014

I haven't posted much about the allotment this year. Well, it's all doing fine. The spring weather has been much kinder this year than in 2013, with milder temperatures, less rain and no strong winds. This has made earlier planting possible, and all the seeds have been in for a week or two now. Unfortunately, my photos will show very little growth, as only tiny shoots are showing above the ground at the moment. (Click on a picture to view full-size). Oh yes, and I know the strawberries need weeding... maybe today....

What can be seen though, is that I have replaced most of the timber edging to the beds. When I first took on the allotment (it was pretty much wild then) I discovered that the beds had been edged with timber, though most of it was very rotten. Keeping the grass paths neat is certainly easier with an edge, and it also allows me to plant closer to the edge of the bed. I have use some reclaimed timber, and bought a few lengths of decking, which seems to do the job quite well.

The other difference from previous years, is that the 'wild' area on the river side of the plot is now somewhat under control. I removed a fence during the winter, and am hoping I can keep the weeds under control a bit better by managing the wild area, and only allowing what I want there to flourish. There are a lot of bluebells in flower over there at the moment.