Turning a new allotment around, from January to the summer solstice.

Not going to lie, in early January 2022 tackling an overgrown plot felt like an uphill struggle. But I soon found that on a crisp, clear winter's day, a wee bit of digging really is just the ticket - bracing, very invigorating, and surprisingly satisfying.

And even the smallest amount of progress adds up....

 

Then, suddenly, you're building compost bins, and getting a gigantic water tank shipped in, and that  early sowing of broad bean seedlings is going into the ground, and why not shove some autumn onion sets in even though by now it's February. Two chances, as my dad used to say.

And THEN not so very long down the line, those broad bean seedlings start to grow with extraordinary speed....

In the meantime, my brother Tim keeps things moving along...come on, you didn't think I did ALL that digging on my own did you? Nothing like a bit of moral support and extra muscle when confronted with an overgrown plot!

So by now it's time to get the seed potatoes in... and THEN your allotment neighbour gives you some leftover seed potatoes, so you plant an extra row and decide to worry about the likely glut of spuds later...

 

Things are coming along, even those late planted onions. Two chances!

Doesn't take long for the spuds to start coming up...

 

...and what the hell, let's make a last chance late sowing of sweetcorn, never know your luck right?

Suddenly, the spuds are in flower...who knew how pretty potato flowers could be? 

Then, after putting in some limp looking squash, a couple of rather straggly beans and a few sad tomatoes...

...you're actually running out of space???!!!

So here we are, at mid-summer (well, almost a week gone by the time I post this!). And, we WILL have sweetcorn (turns out third time is the charm, don't ask), and those onions just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger...

And the squash, after looking very small and very sad are suddenly going great guns. 

In Six months. Just six months. It's a blinking miracle!

AND, last but not least, the first harvest. The one that my allotment neighbour says makes us  'real allotmenteers'. Aren't they beautiful? Bright green and totally organic and delicious. And maybe just a little magical, at least enough to prompt me to start an allotment blog! 

PS: (if you got this far, well done and thank you for reading!)

I signed up for an allotment during the first lockdown, in retrospect a defiant act of optimism at that point, and not just because the waiting list is around two years. 

So: when the offer of a plot came in Dec 2021, I'd pretty much forgotten I'd had the thought. Now I have a feeling it's a pivotal 'never look back' moment for me. So many good things about it, and if nothing else the rent for an allotment is WAY cheaper than a gym membership. Besides which, all that fresh air and physical activity can only be good for you, plus you get gorgeous homegrown organic veg at the end of your efforts! 

But now I must consider how to manage my very late sown leeks, and where to plant them as we've run out of space, because I really want to have some stuff going over winter. And we need to cobble together a brassica cage and find a space for it because the sprouting broccoli do NOT like living in pots in compost (thanks Monty for the tip). And maybe take the 'two chances' route again, see if sowing a few swede seeds will work...all of which assumes we will have been given 'ownership' of the 'other half' of the strip (more digging, hurrah!) as I am not sure where all this extra stuff will go if not...