One
Big excitement – a neighbour has been offered an allotment and asked if I would share it. I’ve never had one so said Yes! Will be seeing it tomorrow so will report back. What a great new project for 2019 as I’ve never grown anything edible at all. I think it was Fate offering me a new challenge.
Two
It’s not too late to plant bulbs, especially tulips for flowering in May. They’re very cheap from online sellers so don’t think you’ve missed it. Try gee-tee bulbs for great bargains.
Ballerina tulips, scented and vibrant
Three
I spent a day emptying the two wooden compost bins, using the composted stuff and putting the rest back in for another few months. Jolly hard work dismantling, emptying, re-stacking and re-filling but extremely satisfying.
Wooden compost bins
lovely crumbly stuff the bins make
You don’t need a bin though. Just chuck garden waste and cardboard in a corner and it will rot down in its own time as well as being a home for useful bugs which are food for wildlife. You win all round.
My corner to throw garden waste and cardboard
Four
My idea to make two bins into one very tall one was clearly a mistake as it’s leaning perilously, so I had to empty it and take it all down again. Looked pretty daft too.
Mistake
Below, what the wonderful crumbly stuff looks like when thrown onto the borders and beds.
Dark and crumbly food for the plants
Five
Paving looking as good as it can be
How it looks today – not too bad for December
News – for the first time the brick paving has stayed quite colourful and not slippery for 8 weeks now.
Could it be my new method? A 50p bottle of bleach in one hand and the hose in the other, I trickled the bleach all over the paved area and soaked it with the hose then left it for half an hour before hosing it all off. The amount of water used would have made the bleach very diluted.
Now if anyone thinks that’s a terrible idea, please tell me. I know bleach is not ideal but black slimy slippery paving is a pest and all other hard work methods don’t last long as it’s so shady. Happy to hear comments.
Six
Oh by the way did I mention I’m going to look at an allotment tomorrow which would be the first one I’ve ever had? And do you think it might be a horrid shock when I see how much work it’s going to be? And will I rue the day I ever said “ooooh what a wonderful idea”? Will I be fighting bindweed to the end of my days?
And yet, and yet, I can see in my mind’s eye a vibrant colourful array of fruits and flowers, a positive cornucopia of abundance with bees buzzing and birds singing and me sitting in an easy chair smiling and drinking G & T. I’m going to hold that thought.
Thank you to the propagator who hosts this theme of Six on Saturday. Over on his blog you can read other people’s garden Sixes. Best wishes to all for 2019. Let’s hope gardening can keep us sane.
Thanks once again for giving us the things that went wrong as well as the successes – very encouraging for the reluctant gardener . Good luck with the allotment I’m sure it will bring new challenges and puzzles – always good xx
Hello! Signed for the allotment this morning. My sharer has a 14 month old baby and a full time job so hopefully she won’t be there much more than me. It’s exciting and mainly cos I’ll meet new people as gardening bonkers as me. Always good, as you say. Love to you pal.
I am sure that mild bleach does little harm, I give mine the same treatment, it’s much better than breaking a limb from falling on a slippery path. Happy New year, good luck with the allotment. June X
That’s great to hear June, thankyou. And for only 50p too! Happy New Year to you too.
Good luck for the allotment. I’m sure you will succeed and we will read in 2019 some blog posts about vegetables that you will grow!
Thanks Fred. Here’s to a new gardening year for us all. Happy New Year
An allotment is a brilliant idea, you will have such fun and it is such a sociable way of gardening. I am interested in you bleach trick, does it kill the weeds as well as the algae?
Thanks Chloris. No I don’t think the bleach kills weeds although it probably makes them feel queasy. Neat bleach might. It certainly has worked well on the paving. Happy New Year to you.
How exciting! An allotment to call your own. It is so much fun to plan out – even if those plans change or fail -best when they even succeed. I have spare seeds for experimenting if you would like.
Thanks Fiona, it is exciting isn’t it. I’m going to get reading first before I do anything. Happy New Year.
Oh …Go for it. Just think of all the fresh food coming your way.
ps. the bricks look great. I need to do the same.
Thanks Beverly. Just signed for it today. Going to read up a bit first.
Well done on taking on a shared allotment. Happy plotting.
That’s good looking compost, I’ll be emptying my heap out in a couple of months time. If there isn’t one on your plot then get one started. xx
There’s just a horrid heap of logs and rubbish in a wire square thing. I plan to get good heaps going BUT question – can I just pile up all green waste however grotty and wait and wait? And as I’ll need tons to start with won’t any heap only produce a tiny proportion of what I’ll need so is it really worth the space. I’d appreciate your view.
We will all look forward to photos of the bounty you grow in your new allotment. I also use diluted bleach on some brick pathways with good success.
Don’t hold your breath for the bounty!! I reckon it’ll be 9 months before I have much to show. Glad to hear you use bleach too – I wish I’d done it years ago. Do you think it’s just as good as the moss killers like Algon?
Hi Julie, how fabulous that you will have an allotment! I write a little blog about getting started, hope you find it useful 🙂 https://greenfingeredblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/getting-a-veg-plot-or-allotment-started.html
Thanks so much. I will read your blog straight away and make some notes. All advice gratefully received as others have gone before and will know what to do.