Ok, been to the plot a few times, in fact last week the whole family went for a day and got lots done. The better half weeded the alum patch, I dug another patch for the potatoes (did another yesterday, only 4 more to do!). The children fetched and carried and got rid of stones as requested, very hot day.
Spent most of the day at the allotment yesterday, my kind neighbour gave me some corrugated sheeting he had spare so I can now try and rabbit proof the front of the plot. Also got some more pallets from him. Gonna need these. Let me explain.
I have a plot that hasn't been touched for years, so after strimming the weeds down and covering as much of the surface for a few months I am down to sorting the soil patch by patch. I started chopping up the surface and trying to rake the weeds out (lots and lots of couch grass), but I always seemed to miss allot. So I decided to get serious and have been systematically de-turfing each patch as I do it, removing 10" x 10" by 6" deep turfs as I go. The good point to this is that it takes 90% of the weeds and roots with it, the bad side is it also removes alot of the fertile part of soil, as another 10" down and I hit subsoil. I am also producing a large turf mountain behind my compost heap which is creaping towards the shed!!!!. I have decided to use the said pallets to make a fenced of area right at the front of the plot and fill this with further turfs up to a height of about 3'. These i will then cover over the summer and next winter to hopefully rot down to provide good top soil next year, but I have a suspicion that I will have to remove the couch grass roots and burn them first.
Alot of seeds in the greenhouse and now coming through, including sweetcorn, red cabbage, more tomatoes, chilli's, cauliflower, broccoli and some mixed flowers for the bee's and bugs.
Right my cable ties arrived today so my task for this week is to dig the rest of my spud patches and put up my new netting around half of the veg patches.

Spent a couple of hours at the 'lotti today. Managed to get my second early Potatoes in (Kestral). Also managed to sow some Red cabbage, cauliflower, sweet corn, Broccoli and some Marigold and Nasturtiums for some companion planting. Was raining and wind was blowing a gale so left it at that for today. Noticed a skip in the communal carpark so did a bit of skip diving and got some timber, several large unused seed trays, oh and an old steel rubbish burning thing which will be ideal for burning the heap of couch grass roots that are piling up!!!!!!Now I've got to convince the kids to help me over the Easter holidays!

Well bit of a break since my last post, work and family stuff getting in the way plus the terrible wet weather. No further with the spuds I'm afraid. 2nd early's should be going in now, and mains in the next week or 2 but weather forecast is looking pretty wet for the next 10 days. Went up to the plot to water the seadlings and have a general check over. Seadlings coming through nicely, going to have to pot on all my Toms and Chilli's ASAP. Squash abd Pumpkin coming through now as well. Bad news is the cloche I made with old greenhouse glass has been blown over in the wind and smashed 3 panes of glass. And worst of all I have a rabbit eating through the net fencing around my onions and digging holes in the middle of my onions!!!!! but he doesn't seem to be eating the leeks, onions or Garlic?. Have bought some new strong debris netting which i will need to go up to protect anything else I plant.
Anyway here's one of the first Daffs of the year.

Ok, spent a bit more time at the lotti!, have been spending most of my time clearing and preparing new beds for my potatoes that have been quitely chitting in the utility room. It is only now that I have realised after actually counting how many I have to plant that my potatoe patch will need to nearly double. So that will be 10 plots (4' x 10'). Two for my first early's, two for my second early's and 6 for my mains. Will be starting my fifth one tomorrow and planting my second earlys tomorrow as well.

Arrived at the plot today to find a rabbit had made a small burrow in the middle of my onion patch!!!!! Nothing had been eaten and it took me ages to find the small hole it had made in the fencing. I dug the burrow out but no rabbits. I have ordered some new net fencing which should be better for the job.

Also planted out some pea's under cloches and set up some glass closhes using some spare greenhouse glass and clothes pegs to form a triangular tunnel to warm the soil for my first lot of carrots.

Things in the greenhouse are starting to grow at long last. The first sunflower seeds have come through, as are the courgettes and cucumber. Toms and peppers are still slow but getting there, and I saw my first spring onions come through.

The first two spud plots.

A few more pics of the plot.

The master control centre of the whole operation, the shed!

The maternity ward, the greenhouse.

Soooooooooooo 2010 happens and its cold, with lots of snow. The potatoes I planted ready for christmas came to nothing. But I read, I went to the library and read about 8 books on veg growing and allotments. I also bought and recieved about 5 books on the same. Also, as a Christmas present I got a year subscription to 'Grow your Own' magazine, which so far has been very usefull.
On the plot I have managed to dig 4 more plots, planted my first early potatoes (Rocket), Parsnips and Beetroot. I have had tomatoes, chilli's and peppers in pots in the greenhouse for about a month but its been too cold and nothing has come through. I am going to leave them for another week in this nice warming weather to see what happens before I bin them and start again.
I also have some salad leaves, leeks, beetroot and tomatoes planted at home, lets see if they fair any better.
Have to dig 5 more plots for the rest of my spuds (Kestral, Picasso and King Edward) and some more onion sets to plant. Hopefully will try to get up there tomorrow afternoon and maybe Sunday afternoon as well. Must take some pics.

OK, my adventure starts a couple of years ago. I had no job, money was tight and home life was a bit grim. So in an effort to get my arse into gear, get some excercise and make something good happen I started a home veg plot, this worked well but I soon realised that there would not be enough room to grow enough veg to feed a family of 4. So what did I do, I went and put my name down for an allotment!!!.
But no ordinary allotment, this was a secret allotment that know one knew about. this was my space. But then I saw it, and it was massive and wild!!!!!
So I ran........................................... then called for reenforcements, contacted the council to strim and then rotivate the plot for me. 2 months later they ploughed it!!!! it was like the surface of the moon!!!!!!
Then I realized it was too big for me to conquer in secret and the Mrs would know I was upto something. So as things were still dodgy on the home front I put it to the back of my mind. Then 4 months later I braved it and spilled my secret, the response was positive. Brownie points for me.
I then went backed to the plot and the weeds presented me with a monster. I grabbed the plot by the horns, marked out the basic area's (shed,greenhouse compost area, path and veg plots). Then I bought a heavy duty strimmer and got to work. After a couple of days the weeds where down to about 2" high, but i couldn't cut any smaller and the ground surface was too lumpy for a lawn mower.
I then thought of a plan, money was still tight so I decided to build a shed from pallets. I managed to source about 10 to get my shed under way when I had a stroke of luck (about time). Another allotment holder was packing it in after not touching his plot for over a year, shed and green house for sale. After 24 hours deal was done and shed and greenhouse purchased along with paving slabs, garden tools, timber and the remains of what was a wooden swinging garden bench for £100!!
A week later, shed was dismatled, as was the greenhouse and everything moved. after a few weeks of laying foundations and replacing broken glass I now had a shed and greenhouse up and ready. I then used some large timber beams and the pallets I had, to create a large decking area in front of my shed with the seat of the wooden swing bench on top as a place of rest and relaxation.
It was now the summer and 8 months after I had got the plot, and I still had nothing planted. I went to dig my first plot and it was like concrete (we in Norfolk had some very sunny weeks that year and it baked everything). I decided it was too late in the year to start much so shifted my attention to my veg patch back home (which supplied us with spuds, carrots, beans, courgettes and salad crops).
The year moved on (2009) and I could eventually dig 3 plots, planted winter potatoes in one and overwinter garlic and onions in the other two. I also bought some weed suppresent and tarp, and covered 2/3'ds of the rest of the plot.