belindasallotment

Devastation

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:51:00 +0000

Well my plot has been taken apart by the people in my own community. They have moved on site with no tenancy agreement. Ripped out all of our hard work by removing all the raised beds which were dug in levelled and manured all by hand. Ripped out the fence which was erected by my husband. Lifted out the entire shed and all its contents. Taken the compost bins, hose pipes, ground covering and plants.
My tears were met by foul language and abuse from the men and women who sat around my shed on their plot drinking lager and cider and smoking cigarettes.
One woman screaming in my face dont call me a thief while she had my shed that my husband bought for me on my Birthday.
Its not the value of the items or money, its the hard work and the toil. Its also the little bit of escape that I had, gone taken away.
Not that I could go there now along side that intimidating group with their dogs and their drunken behaviour.
My children cant believe it as theft normally means your things are gone. They are all there to see with new owners justifying what they have done by saying I havent been there!
I am more saddened by the fact that my community is riddled with this drinking, work shy skiving, low life who believe they can just take what they want. As if paying their benefits as a tax payer is not enough.
I dont want my children to grow up around this mentality. I fear for my community and I am going to fight back.
I will prosecute and persue this, the police have already been and so has the council.
The newspapers are next and my local MP.
I am not going to take this and let them get away with it.

This is my shed on another plot

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Vandalism, theft, this is my allotment

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:50:00 +0000

This is my plot, This picture has my wood stacked by another plot holder. Today he has erected my fence on his plot.

My allotment has been ransacked. The shed taken and put on another plot. The waste land is actually my plot as all the raised beds have been lifted the floor covering gone. The fence taken and the other pictures are of the plots with my things on them close by.

This is my ripped out gate, that my husband made for me.
And on the left this is my rolled up fence ready to be used on this plot.

Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:22:00 +0000

OH Britsh weather!!

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:51:00 +0000

Just when I was ready to burst into it all the weather stopped me in my tracks. I had planned for manure to be delivered late I know but it was meant well, I had planned to make new paths and my big tub of seeds are waiting. The weather has just turned arctic the ground is frozen solid and it is face numbing. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to the cold. It is also thick with fog. I intend to move abroad to join my dear best friend when I am older and I will grow outdoor melons. For now I will sit and wait, hopefully I wont get de motivated at least I know the weeds cant grow

My Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:04:00 +0000

I understand why people give up their plot!

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Anyway I packed up a picnic took the kids and my sisters kid and the sun was shining, Hallelujia the weather was glorious....
The plot looked Ok better than I expected, strawberries still alive, asparagus dead and someone had broken into my shed AAAAARRRGGGH my lovely shed. Funniest thing they stole nothing and as they has bust the lock closed the door back up and put a brick there to stop the door flapping in the wind HA not so bad then just a broken lock.
I moved the strawberries into a permanent bed and low and behold the compost bin that has been eating my veg peelings all year had turned the sloppy smelly mess into brown crumbly compost with no smell. It was like a miracle I never believed that it would be like brown and dry and crumbly. I put it on two small beds and tidied up a bit.
The kids were really good and enjoyed it up there. I have got all my seeds together and feel ready to make a real go of it.
I have new neighbours with heavy machinery which is welcomed as the weeds surrounding me have halved now. I need a seat and a table to lunch on but I am very positive about the allotment again. Im so glad that I didnt give it up.
I feel fresh and exhausted from the digging although I nearly broke my wrist and bent my spade Ha. How hard was I working Eh. Anyway Im going to be a success this year and have some actual produce as 2007 was a disaster. Bring on the sunny nights as its been dark at 4pm here, I feel like today is the first day out of my hibernation

I have been so bad this year

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:36:00 +0000

I am totally awful and I planted all sorts of squash and salads and stuff and then the rains and the floods came. My potatoes and tomatoes got blight I became overwhelmed and now it is a jungle. I have even stored up my compost and haven't taken it up. There is a wasp nest next to my compost bin anyway and I darent tackle it.
This is about to change and next week I have set a target to go and do something about it.
I have been setting up a Fame academy to teach children how to sing in a workshop and it has been gruelling but so wonderful.
Thank you to the people who have commented I had no idea the comments were there as I have had to block so much with all the nasty sites that attack us innocent veg growers.
I will update with pictures soon but be warned they wont be pretty

Long time no see

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:38:00 +0000

I feel like it was two minutes since last spring and I have been away from my plot except to deliver fresh vegetable peelings to the compost bin. The Asparagus I planted looks like it is in a bed of cement and I feel doubtful that it will grow. My husband has taken enough nagging and finally started to build me some raised beds and levelled the soil. I have bought loads of seeds and feel that this year will be more organised and productive.
The kids are a year older and hopefully I wont be picking up a screaming toddler out of the manure by the ankle.
The shopping bills have been massive due to the large orders of vegetables and I cant wait to be taking my food home again in a bucket. There is something really magical about it all.
I am going to plant some flowers this year to brighten the plot up a bit and make it a bit girly.

Asparagus

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:14:00 +0000

I have just planted the asparagus. I read that it is better to plant in the autumn rather than spring. I have a few kinds planted and will patiently wait for two years. They were one yr old crowns. My plot is a mess at the moment so I havent taken any pics. Having two jobs is tough and I get down sometimes as I feel I dont spend enough time on my plot. I then pull myself back up with the thought that this is for life and whats the hurry?
I know plot holders that have a farmer come in and plough the land and most use rotavators. I am just me and the more land I prepare the more physical it gets.
My main priority is to prepare the outer edges properly .
I have nothing left to harvest really and feel jelous when I see all the cabbages and sprouts growing everywhere. Why didnt I plant them?
HOW SAD AM I
Anyway here is a pic of me at work, plot pics later when I can sort it out a bit.

Busy Busy Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:26:00 +0000

I have been neglecting my blog due to being overworked. My plot is amazing and I have enjoyed a mixture of salad leaves, a couple of cucumbers a week, tomatoes and some scrummy broccoli.
I have planted some butternut squash and cant wait to see if they fruit. They are growing nicely.
I have bought my biggest bargain on the car boot this week. Enough black plastic to cover my whole plot, not that I will. All for eight pounds! I cant wait to get the paths and edges tidied up.
I have given up growing raspberries as I have found bushes full of them growing wild and no one picks them! I have been picking blackberries all month with my boys and making smoothies with them. The boys love them with ice cream. Free fruit tastes so much better.
My potatoes have stored well and we still have a box full which will last to early autumn.
In a first season this has exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to years of this. Each year growing something new.
Mentally I feel focused and rich with an understanding that nature is a cure.

My July pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:53:00 +0000

Now I can arrive at my plot with a cool box and my kids. I am over the moon, we can shelter from the rain and shade from the sun. My kids think its theirs and Ive told them it is too so I can get some work done. We have also put up a swing this week which will get exhausted (by me, no Im kidding, no time for that unless Im on the wine)

Raspberries & Strawberries

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:12:00 +0000

I am delighted with the progress of the fruit, it is so expensive at the supermarket and quite frankly it's tasteless. Yes Im getting a bit cocky I know but the raspberries are so tasty.

I can do this!

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:03:00 +0000

I waited a bit for the lettuce as it wasnt really big enough before. Here it is on my plate tasting better than any supermarket produce. I had it with a lovely organic roast chicken with creamy pasta. I have now draped my veg patch with net curtains as the cabbage is getting eaten. I wanted to start looking into planting some flowers next as I want a really pretty plot with big lanky swishy colourful flowers. No formality and no colour scheme. Im excited about the new project but will read up on flowers which will benefit the plot to get the best of both worlds.

Food glorious food

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 22:00:00 +0000

I will have to stay off the wine when updating my blog. My last post was a perfect example. Not violent or aggressive when tipsy just down right flower power how wonderful is the universe.
Anyway .... I actually have something that I can eat and I am going to eat my own grown lettuce this week in a right regal salad! I am so pleased with the lettuce. I didnt even have a slug trap! The cabbage, I thought was going to shrivel and disappear like my spinach did but no, its fighting through like a trooper! The potatoes are amazing and I am a bit embarrassed about the weeds but I am on a mission this week to sort a few of them out with renewed vigour.
I was losing faith a bit because it all seemed so exhausting and without results it can be very disheartening. A simple growth spurt and the enthusiasm is right back.
One lettuce deleted from my shopping list this week and a very special lettuce on my table.
Oops I am on the wine, one before bed... Im such a sad cow I might even dream about lettuce, just wait till the raspberries grow, I will be beside myself.........

What a wonderful dicovery

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 22:02:00 +0000

When I go to my allotment I always feel anxious that I might fail and that my efforts will be in vain. The day is on my shoulders and my work has filled my mind.
After half an hour of sweet escapism on my plot everything becomes simple and clear. Nothing feels as bad and the world seems so incredibly beautiful. I didnt expect this from my plot and only hoped for good organic food. The feeling and peace of mind I get from being so involved with nature is actually more valuable. Whether I fail or succeed is not even the point now as this patch of earth gives me the peace which I didnt realise I craved.

The weeds are rampant

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:54:00 +0000

I realised with a sense of real fear that the weeds are going to challenge me. Because the size of my plot I will have to cover some areas rather than to try to tackle it all. Each square will become a veg bed which is so encouraging.
I have taken a brilliant tip from a magazine that I read to grow the things that a really expensive to buy organically.
For example Asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, leafy greens and cabbage and brocolli.
Organic carrots are 70p a bag so I wont grow them on my plot. This will be my thought process thanks to the writer in the mag.

Not the best veg bed in the world

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:44:00 +0000

I think I am running before I can walk. re phrase I am running why walk?
I have prepared a bed by hand digging and weeding. I then ordered a load of horse manure as the horses at the side of me have departed and laid this all over the soil.
I then planted onions, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, brocolli and cucumbers from little plants I had grown on my windowsill. Except the onion sets of course.
The spinach just vanished?
The onions are looking happy and doing well.
The cabbage is being eaten but fighting back and growing.
The lettuce is growing splendidly.
The brocolli has also vanished?
On a positive note it seems that I will definately be eating potatoes, onions and lettuce this year. Hooray! More than I hoped for.
Next year I will have learned from all of my mistakes and will produce more varieties of fruit and veg.

Raspberries I hope

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:41:00 +0000

Please post any comments about whether they look like raspberries to you. I wont be upset if they are not, they were free after all.

My potatoes and raspberries

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:31:00 +0000

I am so impressed with the progress of the potatoes. I cant wait to eat one as Im sure it will taste different to a supermarket potatoe. It just has to.
The raspberries were wild from the space at the side of my lottie and I have absolutely no idea when they will fruit. At £1.99 a punnet which I pay weekly I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a good supply for six weeks when they do.
To be honest I hope they are actually raspberries and not blackberries I could have planted bramble for all I know. I am optimistic and the world wont end if I am wrong. I didnt expect to be able to produce anything this year so everything is a bonus.

Im in a planting frenzy

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 14 May 2006 21:53:00 +0000

Originally I was going to plant seed directly into the ground but the ground looked so rugged that I chickened out and planted rows of plugs on my windowsill. The seeds quickly germinated to my glee as this is all a first for me, I then transferred them out to a plastic covered shelf in the garden and finally into the ground. Phew I am exhausted next year they are going straight in!
My plot is under attack from every weed in the book and the nettles are from hell, they sting through your gloves.
I have planted outdoor cucumber, spinach, cabbage, lettuce and onions. My potatoes are in and I found a large rhubarb patch on the empty plot beside me which I dug up and transplanted into my growing heaven.
My potatoes are growing which is very exciting as I had serious doubts they would and my raspberries are getting flowers.
I still have loads to plant and I am realising how hard this is as if I want to grow more I have to dig more. The surrounding areas are springing up into a jungle which I will tackle with some kind of covering for now.
I cant wait to eat something from my own plot.

I have planted

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:17:00 +0000

Last week I planted my first earlies and they used up half of the plot that I have dug over. I hoped to plant both earlies and main crop but they would not fit. I will need to plant the main crop in the other half and get quickly digging to prepare a new veg plot.
I have planted raspberries and they are shooting nicely, I still need to make a good support for the canes.
I havent got anything indoors ready sowing and hope to sow direct when it is warm enough. I may need to buy a plastic greenhouse.
My dream would be to eat organic potatoes,spinach,tomatoes,lettuce, herbs,squash,onions,garlic,raspberries,strawberries and blueberries all from my own plot. I want to prepare an asparagus bed and when the hail and frost lets up I will be working hard to start one.
I just love excellent food!

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:31:00 +0000

This is my brand new allotment which looked like a jungle a couple of months ago.
What a spectacular view though. I picked it for the view but it is not very sheltered.
Lets hope something will grow....