After a one year wait I have finally managed to get an allotment (albeit only a half-plot) in Crosby. I took up occupancy of this plot on the Queensway Site at the end of June in what has been probably one of the worst and wettest summers on record! Fortunately it slopes away towards an offsite drainage ditch so, unlike over 60% of the other plots, it isn’t a complete mud bath. However, after a year or two of neglect, it is sporting a wonderful jungle of grass and weeds.

The Start

This is the view, on a fine summer’s day, looking toward the bottom of the plot and the boundary fence which separates it from a high bank at the edge of public recreation space. Overgrown, thick with weeds and grasses but a fine challenge to get stuck in to.

As you cast your gaze around, this is the view looking over to the other half of the plot. This is being “worked” by someone else; I am only the tenant of a half-plot. Inspiring to realise that it won’t take much effort to catch up with their level of progress, daunting to think that I’m going to have a permanent, on-site, weed re-seeding source!

Mid-July

After weeks of torrential rain I have finally managed to make a start. After numerous car journeys the plot now boasts a few tools, a makeshift fence at the path side and the start of a base for the shed. The picture above shows the view looking into the plot from the pathway by the gate.

And, moving further along the pathway, we can see various pallets stacked against the fence. (Like allotment owners the world over, it is impossible to pass a skip without looking in to see if there is anything “useful”.) In the corner are two compost bins, the obvious black one complete with lid and what appears to be a pile of junk next to it! This is actually a compost bin covered with old plastic sacking and broken slate and brick - found the bin but no lid.

Next we have the masterpiece which is the start of the shed base. All neatly laid out on a nice plastic sheeting but, maybe not quite level! With an application of builder’s sand followed by a bit of concrete, it will be. All I need is some decent weather to finish it off.

It’s awe inspiring, already I’m making more progress than next-door’s half! There is even a small patch of soil adjacent to the shed base which has been turned over.

Storage is a problem until the shed is in place. Currently it consists of two wheelbarrows upturned over the tools.

But, before I get carried away with my own sense of progress, it is worth remembering that this is only a very small beginning. Standing by the barrows and surveying the rest of the plot starts to put it into context.

And just to get really deflated - here is a view looking back up the plot from the far end. Daunting, isn’t it.

Borage, the only current crop on the plot but even it needs relocating. Great for composting but I don’t want to deprive the bees whilst it is in flower, they are all over it almost all day long.

Just to put it all into perspective, here is a view of the whole plot in its current state. Most of what you can see is my half, there is still a long way to go.

But at least you don’t get lonely working down here. Beside the bees and the masses of frogs there is always the odd visitor dropping by.

James, one of the allotment cats.

Watching intently as I fill the compost bin.

Early August

Progress is being made! The bricks have been concreted in to make the shed base. They are still not level but they are level enough. The shed has finally made it down to the allotment. Still in pieces but at least it is in the right place now.

I made a start on the shed floor a couple of days ago, giving it a really good going over with creosote.

I’ve also got a new neighbour on the other half of the plot. She was washed out of her old plot with the recent monsoon so she took on the only available half plot going. I’m being put to shame - I’m not next door to a wilderness anymore.

The previous tenant appears to have decided to go to Australia but my new neighbour has already moved some plants in (those she saved from her old plot) and made tremendous progress in clearing the site. Her husband got the job of ground clearance at the back of the plot.

My half of the plot has not progressed in any horticultural sense - it is still a wilderness!

But to return to the construction project - the base is laid, the floor is creosoted, the shed is going up.....

On an overcast Saturday morning the bits start to be knocked together.

Various bits of wood were needed to patch up the door-end of the shed and anchor it to the floor. Once it was in place I realised that it was of questionable stability and needed at least one side piece to support it in place - the wind was also starting to get up and make my one-man venture into shed building shaky to say the least.

Having managed to get this far I decided that I must push on.

The rickety structure was ready for the back to go on. Once that was in place the front side followed on fairly easily. As rain was forecast for the Sunday, it made sense to throw the roof on as well.

Suddenly its a shed! The quick application of various bits of plastic sheeting (and one builders sack) to the roof effectively patched it up until I get round to re-felting it properly.

Various little jobs still need to be done. A bit of glass in the windows wouldn’t go amiss.

And actually fitting the door with hinges rather than wedging it in place with a pallet wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

But, at the end of the day, the allotment is ready to move on. I’ve got my new compost bin, ready to receive the jungle as it is cleared (suitably supplemented by the compostable waste from Mojoe’s Juice Bar).

And, most importantly, I’ve got my shed.

Late August

Potatoes are planted for Christmas! I’ve actually dug the ground over and taken out a couple of sacks full of weed roots before I put the plastic sheeting down. The builders’ sacks have three bags of compost in each of them (peat-free) and there is another bag for each one to earth up the potatoes as they grow. The far sack contains 1k of Mimi seed potatoes, the two nearer sacks contain 2k of Maris Peer spread between them.

A collection of glass windows have been acquired for future use. My original intention was to get a few windows for use as cold-frames but there are so many in this lot that I am now thinking of building a greenhouse!

The lack of windows in the shed was easily overcome. It is amazing what can be done with a roll of duct tape and a dozen old heavy duty plastic LP covers!

Weather-proofing the shed. More of the timber proofing has ended up on the ground than on the shed and my extemporised door-handle looks like it is covered in blood! Spraying isn’t a good idea, especially when the sprayer jams, deposits a thick coating of the proofing material on the target and then, just for good measure, the nozzle comes of, the proofing material goes all over me, the ground and my car - it now looks like it’s got measles.

The back of the shed is now suitably treated. All ready for the next stage of construction - putting up a couple of sturdy posts and some mesh to plant out 3 kiwi fruit to grow up this South facing end.

The two plastic compost bins are now, temporarily, buried under a pile of assorted pallets.

Two shelves are now in place at the back end of the shed. This allows the tidying away of various bits and pieces which were just lying around. There are still four more (at least) shelves to go.

Getting there slowly. Another shelf is up, the tools are now stowed properly in the back corner (and the shed has been carpeted!) It is quite incredible what you can do with a bag of carpet bits and a handful of nails.

Early October

The shed is much advanced now - more shelves up and brewing facilities in place!

The most important things are the rocking chair and the mobile gas heater in preparation for the cold weather.

Proper glass windows are now in place, including a pair of double glazed units in the centre. The window at the door-end of the shed is made out of a couple of glass doors from a cabinet but at least the other one is normal glass!

Things are getting quite domesticated now - the exterior has been enhanced with a hanging basket and a fat-ball for the birds.

The South facing end of the shed is being prepared for a frame to support the kiwi fruit which are going to be planted there. Only one support has been erected so far as a nesting box is going to go on top of the other one. (I’m putting the box onto the support whilst its on the ground rather than trying to do it in situ and risking breaking my neck!)

The shed has also been adorned with a fairly garish weather vane. Not that functional really but it is suitably eccentric.

Once the support frame has gone up for the kiwi fruit other planting jobs can be completed. A couple of Eucalyptus trees have been sitting in pots waiting to be planted out in front of the shed for some time now!

The potatoes for Christmas are coming on a treat. It has been getting pretty cold at night recently so they are now adorned with horticultural fleece to help protect them from any sudden cold snap.

The collection of windows has now been sorted into a slightly neater heap. They will have to be measured up soon so that I can work out the pattern of use for a greenhouse (and the appropriate dimensions).

A bit more ground has also been cleared. It just needs to be dug over (the hard bit) and then I can cover it with black plastic sheeting for the winter.

Disaster

The first lot of potatoes (the Mimi) have been wiped out by blight! [No photo for this one - I don’t really want to keep a record of how it looked.] Some blight has shown up in the middle lot but only a little. I’ve removed the infected material and given the rest a really good spraying with Bordeaux Mixture (in both containers). Hopefully I can save at least one lot for Christmas. The blight hadn’t got to the tubers in the Mimi so I salvaged what I could when I cleared the bag out. It was a real sickener - I managed to get 160 small spuds the size of my thumbnail and I threw at least twice that number of tiny tubers away. It would have been a great crop if it had gone to maturity; instead I have ended up with just over a pound of extremely small new potatoes!

Early November

Blight got the lot! It hit the middle bag soon after I had cleared out the Mimi and spread fairly quickly into the end bag. I haven’t cleared the tubers out yet but I reckon they will be pretty minute (if they are not totally knackered.)

Both supports are now in place on the end of the shed and the climbing support has been erected. There are three kiwi fruits planted along the end of the shed and a couple of grapevines along the fence line.

The end of the shed - now completed. Grapevines and kiwi fruit in their beds; a garlic bed, flower bulbs in planters edging the garlic bed and the nesting box in place at the top of the end support.

The garlic bed has been prepared and planted! Five rows, each of twelve cloves - 2 of Solent Wight, 1 of Purple Wight, 1 of German and 1 of Spanish. The wonderful arrangement of netting is more to discourage cats from digging it up than anything else.