Vinny's Allotment Plot

Sorry to read that, Vinny. Thieving scumbags. They won't make much money from the scrappies for your metal pins -  but you have a whole lot of hassle now to replace them. The other plotholders must be really annoyed.

I have a fancy they probably used the pins to twist the locks off on other peoples sheds? I can't thnk of another reason why they would nick them. They apparently pulled down one of the extrior mesh fences and dragged/carried the swag through there? They must have had a pickup or somthing to take away the amount they got. No idea how they got into the shipping container as they are pretty much impregnable?

I had to go to the Doc's today to hand something in and the Doc'sis closeto the allotments so I thought I would call in.

As usual I wasn't intending to do anything but finished up having  quite a productive time.

First thing I did was take the glass off a bed, make a seedbed and plant up the last of my japanese autumn planing onion sets. As I was on a roll I thought I may as well pull up the spring cabbage plants which had been shredded by caterpillars once I took the netting off them! The tree cabbage in a different bed has shook off its predation and started to grow leaves again after being in the ground for four years!

Once the bed was cleared I planted it up with elephant garlic which already had quite big root systems!

Ist piccie shows Austurian tree cabbage making it's comeback
2nd piccie is Elephant garlic layed out prior to planting in bed that had cabbages
3rd piccie is showing state of cabbage before removal,and planting bed with Elephant garlic
4th Piccie is the front bed with glass removed and onion sets planted

I called at plot a few days ago when ground was still frozen and picked up some of my onion sets which the birds had pulled out! I couldn't replace them at the time so put them to one side.
As plot is on my way home from a shopping trip I did today (was snowed in yesterday) I decided to call at plot and replace the sets in their previous position.
I had a bit of a 'furtle and found the correct positions for them and replaced them.I also shifted some of the soil around the other rooted sets so I could see whee they were.
Plot is looking reasonably tidy for this time of year. The broadies appear to have taken a bit of a battering with the snow but I am hoping they will perk up again.I brought home a couple of onions out of the rows left in the soil.I am finding they keep better in situ with there roots intact and just take a few as I need them?

A lot of the onion sets I planted are starting to green up a little bit now that they have put down a decent root system.

Nowt woth photographing,so I didnt bother!

A brief visit to plot this morning. I stuck four cuttings from my Austurian Tree Cabbage in a pot in greenhouse and waterd them in (Thanks for reminding me Veggie) I also put the onion set that hd been pulled out by the birds (Again!!!!) back into position.

I have loads of onion sets planted at various times and at various stages of growth (Took a few piccies) Also my onions I am using and leeks are sitting pretty.

Not as many weeds as I expected but the last lot I hoed off have sproutd again!

As it was the first of January 2025 I called at the plot today, not to do anything just to see how it was doing. I have onion sets planted all over the place but one small bed is doing particularily well for some reason? I dont know which variety they are or when they were planted on the grand scheme of things (All my onion sets were staggerd, planted over a couple of months?) One reason I CAN think of is that the soil in this bed was in good heart?  The frost got my Mooli last year so I used it as a green manure and just dug it in.Maybe the organic matter created has paid off? The bed was the only healthy looking bed of onions,so I took a piccie.

Called at plot on my way home from morning excercise routine. I only called to see how plants were faring and didn't intend to do anything.

Unfortunately my front fence was lying flat on the ground!  I had my excercise shorts, white socks and pumps on so wasn't really dressded for work, but I couldn't leave it the way it was! 
I managed to prop it up and tied it to the end post with some washing line I had in the greenhouse. I then hammered a spike into the bottom soil next to post to hold it in position. I did the same at the other end but the middle was still bowing! I have a post ready to support it but wanted to dig a propr hole and concrete it in. As a make shift measure I partly dug a hole and battered the post in a short way with a shovel!  I then propped the other end up with my spade at an angle and lashed it al ltogether with the remaining washing line!
Hopefully it will stay up until I can come dressd and tooled up appropriatley to do the job properly!

Back at plot today for a couple of hours. Tidied some diagonal beds up by hoe-ing, raking and hand weeding. Weeds were mainly groundsel which come out easily thank goodness!
Also planted the last of the elephant garlic corms. I already have a bed planted which are just showing (see piccie) I think the taste is a bit 'Wishy washy' so the stuff I have just planted will be grown for the decorative seed heads.

Back at plot this afternoon. Once again I wasn't intending doing anything but because it was nice and sunny and I was in shorts and tee shirt, I thought I may as well get a bit of sun on my body, as it will probably be snowing tomorrow!
I got a bit carried away and finished up hoe-ing and raking all of the paths each side of plot.

Took a few piccies before I left, but for some reason I cannot upload them? If I can be bothered to play about later on, I'll try again!

Because it's Mothers Day I always put flowers on my Mams and my wifes grave. My children live miles away so at least Helen gets a few flowers.

The allotments are very close to the graveyard so I always visit  both each time I go.

I was dismayed to find my fence had blown over again with the wind. On closer inspection all of the posts are rotten and the fence itself is rotten along the bottom. I think the fence itself was originally pallet wood so would be prone to rot.
Do I need a fence there I ask myself? I would prefer to just take the fence out completely as it serves no discernable purpose and leave it open. Whether the Council would be happy with that, I don't know? It would cost a fortune for me to replace the fence and the Council have been replacing some internal fences before letting plots. They are welcome to replace the fence if they so wish, but I won't replace it!

The weather will need to warm up and bit and the wind decrease before I set about it though. In the mean time I will contact the Council with my plan!

Just a follow up from my earlier post. After contacting the Council, they have said they are happy for me to take down the fence, and to burn it on site if I want to as fires with dry wood are permitted.(probably take it home as woodburner fodder though/) Their policy is to only replace interior fences when plots are vacated but they are quite happy for me to leave it 'fenceless' until I vacate! Fine by me as I am happy with an open aspect!