Update......

Managed to get down the plot for a short time this morning. What with one thing or another going on at home and with the wet weather we have been having, its been over a week since the my last visit. The ground was too wet to do any digging so I checked around the plot and greenhouses to make sure everything was still o.k. I am pleased to say that my broad beans are finally coming through, I was worried about them as they have seemed to have taken forever to come up.

The Savoy cabbages are looking great, looks like I will be having one for Christmas Day dinner, mind you half of one would be plenty the size of the bloody things. I had to remove a few of the outer leaves which were yellowing . These were disposed to the compost bin.

I harvested the remainder of my Brussels Sprouts. The stems are now hanging upside down in my shed at home drying. Although I am reasonably pleased with the sprouts I have grown this year, they do seem to have matured a bit on the early side. Whether it`s the variety or the fact I may of started them off to early I don't know, but I have been picking these for the last 5 weeks or so. Ideally I would have preferred to have them maturing around Christmas time so as to be able to continue picking through the winter.

First Sweet Peas..........

My sweet peas have started to come through, once they have produced two sets of true leaves I will transfer them into the cold frame to over winter.

A bit on the fresh side!

It was bloody cold this morning, even with the extra layers,the wind seemed to cut through me with ease. Got a bit of digging done on the new plot, but as it was with my first plot it`s such a slow job with all the perennial and deep rooted weeds that need to be got out. This added to the fact the ground was very wet and heavy, it didn't look as if I made much headway in comparison to the amount of hard work I put into it.

I have lifted my chrysanthemums and potted the spools up individual pots ready to over winter in the cold frame. I have three varieties, Molly Anderson, Daisy May and Billy Bell. Hopefully I will be able to take cuttings of these in the spring.

Shed full of rubbish

I was down the allotment nice and early on Saturday morning with every intention of getting a bit of digging done on plot 29b, but as I finished the mandatory cup of coffee it started to pour down with rain.

As I stood sheltering from the deluge my attention were drawn to the state of the shed. "What a bloody mess". A major clean up of the shed took precedence over the digging, and anyway I wasn't too keen on getting soaked.

An hour and a half and two black bin liners of rubbish later the job was done. Nice and tidy, everything where it should be, I just cant believe how much room I have in there now.

Dahlia Tubers

Back down the plot again this morning for a couple of hours to check everything in the greenhouses. The Dahlia tubers which I lifted about 1o days ago are drying off nicely. I have them inverted in wooden boxes so as to let any moisture which may still be in the tuber evaporate.

Once I am happy they are bone dry, I will turn them back up the right way and place them into sturdy boxes and cover them with peat. As long as I keep them frost free over the winter they should start to send up new growth in the spring for me to take cuttings.

At the moment I am attempting to propagate 4 different varieties, they are "Don Hill" which is a collorette, "Weston Spanish Dancer"a cactus, "Ryecroft Jan" a decorative and a variety call "Marys Jomanda"a miniature ball.

This will be the first time I have ever attempted to do anything like this, so I don't know how successful I will be. But "Hey Ho" lets give it a go, who knows if they turn out to be any good, I might even be tempted to enter a Novice flower show next year.

Update

Due to the wet weather we have been experiencing and with me coming down with an illness, I have been laid up at home for the last week or so, but I managed to get down the plot for a couple of hours today.
It was great to get out in the fresh air again even through it was a bit on the cold side.
I was still not up to doing any digging or anything too strenuous, but spent the time tinkering around and tidying up. I enjoyed that couple of hours that much I think I might tinker some more tomorrow.

And the next one...............

One morning while looking over my plot full of produce, it came to me that all that was needed to be done was to keep the plot weed free and harvest the crops when they were ready. How boring!!!!!!! I had just spent the last 18 months digging and preparing my plot and that was all that was left for me. "That's It!, I need another plot."

The couple who had the plot opposite me were not making much headway and seemed to be loosing interest, so I asked the secretary to give me first refusal on the plot if they decided to give the thing up.

A few weeks had past when he came and told me that they were willing to give up half of it and if wanted I could take on the other. I agreed and now plot 29b is mine.

Of course my half of the plot had not been worked for a good number of years and had weeds 4 foot high. If that was not bad enough, it turns out that the previous plot holder had gathered all the rubbish and assembled in one area so now the plot was split into two, I inherited the crap. The first few days were spent strimming down the weeds and clearing the rubbish.


Things are looking a lot better I have managed to get some digging done and have planted out my Japanese winter onions, Garlic, some winter cauliflower.

How The Others Do It...............

During our day out at the "Gardner's Weekend" we picked up a flyer advertising an open day at The Uplands Allotment in Handsworth celebrating its 60th anniversary and we thought it would be an idea to go and have a look around. We went with our friends Vic & Alison but it wasn't until we got there we realised that the place was so enormous, with over 400 plots. We strolled around the site and was amazed at the amount of crops being grown which we could not recognise, this being due to the diversity of cultures of the people attending the plots but they were only to willing to talk to us and let us know what the different crops were.



The plots were larger than the ones we tended back at Brownfied Road many of which were being used to grow maybe one or two crops, It was strange to see an entire plot growing say Mehti or just Coriander and nothing else, each to their own I suppose.



Then there were the Sheds! Oh the Sheds! the were brilliant. Some big, some small, some new, some old and some very very very old! and some down right dangerous. It was very amusing to see some of these sheds. You wondered how some of these things were still standing. One particular shed was leaning to one side at such an angle it seemed to be waiting for that final gust of wind to send it crashing to the floor, one even seemed to be held up with a row of 8' canes inserted into the ground 45 degrees the other ends wedged at the back of the shed to hold it upright. Amazing. All our attentions were now fixed on the sheds as apposed to the crops. Alison was in her element, it turns out that she is really into sheds, their quirkiness and the way they express the personality of the owner. Or so she says ! Her only regret is that she never took a camera with her to record them.

I took the opportunity while we were there to talk to a couple of West Indian plot holders about growing Sweet Potato. I have seen the Slips/roots advertised in the Thomson & Morgan catalogue and fancied having a go at growing them, but according to the chaps I spoke to, they informed me that the season is not long enough to grow them successfully and as the slips are around £12 to buy, I don't think I'm going to bother.

Open Days......

The allotment held a couple of events in the summer, our very first "Open Day" and a "McMillan Coffee" morning. Both were well attended by the public who had a chance to buy flowers, fruit and vegetables all of which were donated by a number of plot holders, sort through the bric-a-brac and bag themselves a bargain, or chance their arm on the tombola and raffle. Having relieved them of their hard earned cash , they had the opportunity to sit and relax with a cuppa and a cake, before having a wonder around the allotment to look at the different plots. It was surprising how many local people who attended had never been on the allotment before, and one chap saying that he never knew the allotment even existed until he saw the poster in the local supermarket advertising the event.

Best Newcomer?, Well nearly! .......................

While having a coffee and a chat with the allotment secretary one morning in June, he told me of a number of competitions organised by the "Birmingham & District Allotment Council"and of his intentions to enter me into the Best Newcomer Class. It turned out that my plot was due to be judged while me and the family were on holiday in Turkey,so the last few days prior to our departure the wife and I went over the plot picking up every weed and making sure everything was spic and span. I also new that our neighbours, Alison & Vic had offered to keep an eye on things ready for the judging.

We returned home and a few weeks passed before the results came out, and bugger me! I only went and got 4th place. I was well chuffed! especially when I found out that there were 31 plots entered, yep well chuffed indeed.

Brownfield Road allotment also received recognition and was awarded 3rd place in the "Most Improved Site Competition "& 3rd place for the "Best Managed Site Competition".

The winners presentation was held at the "Gardeners Weekend" at Kings Heath Park in August , both Dave the secretary and myself were well supported by fellow plot holders and friends when we went and collect out certificates .
This was the first time Brownfield Road Allotments has ever entered into any of these competitions and we have come away with 3 awards which is great .

Its Been A Long Time................

I cant believe that the whole summer has been and gone since my last entry, How time fly when your having fun, but as we now have the short days and long dark nights, I have the opportunity to get to grips with this blog.


Its been a good year so far on the plot with plenty of produce to harvest, copious amounts of tea and coffee drunk as well as the odd can of cider.


There are a few things I will do differently next year for example, sow more peas, even though at the time I thought I had over done the amount I`d sown , they soon ran out. Only grow a couple of courgettes as opposed to the eight different varieties I grew this year. You can only eat so many courgettes before you become sick of them. I had that many I had trouble giving them away. I reduced the amount of Runner Beans by 50% this year and still had too many, I don't think I am going to bother at all next year, but grow the French Bean type instead as the family seemed to enjoy them more. I wont be growing "Swiss Chard" next year due to the fact no one liked it. But I must say the "Bright lights" variety I grew looked impressive and added a splash of colour to the plot.


I must make a decision to whether I grow outdoor tomato's again next year as I lost all of mine to Blight as I did the previous year. Its a good job I like "Green Tomato Chutney" as I have jars of the stuff.


I did make few mistakes the main one being that I planted out things too close together. The distance between the rows of "Purple Sprouting Broccoli" "Leeks" and "Swiss Chard" seemed ample at first but it wasn't long before the leeks were engulfed by the foliage of the other two. This resulted in the majority of the leeks sending up a seed pods and some rotting, I presume due to not getting enough light. A lesson learnt!

I've done It, open the wine !.................

Half past three in the afternoon of Sunday 3rd May was the time to sit down, open a bottle of wine and have a drink. A drink to celebrate the fact I had finally finished digging my plot. There had been times when I thought that this day would never come, session after session of digging and then more digging, miles after miles of Cooch grass roots, and Docks as long as your arm which seem to go down to the earths core. Then there was all the trips to the council dump to dispose of the dam things along with all the other crap which was dug up. You name it, I have dug it up. Slabs, house bricks, wire fencing, steel pipes, glass, plastic sheeting, carpet, animal bones, well I hope they were animal bones, and even an old shoe.

Anyway, It had taken me 13 months to complete, 13 ball breaking months, but I have loved every minute of it and the wine was bloody good as well.

Allotment Poem..................

I came across this poem the other day while searching the world wide web, its by a fellow allotmenteer from Dartford called Mick Suter. I found it very apt.



A Gardener's Dream

Rain every night, a good steady fall,
Warm sun all day, and no wind at all.
Earth light and soft, easy to seed,
No couch at all, not even a weed.
All seeds germinate, the carrots no gaps,
Just simple thinning, I was a happy chap.


Broad beans grew well, no sign of black fly,
Runners went mad reaching for the sky.
Pigeons found other brassicas to munch,
Sparrows did not want my peas for lunch.
No slugs seen, there was not a snail,
Across the ground, no silvery trail.

Molluscs and birds left strawberries alone,
Red and ripe but firm they had grown.
With currents and gooseberries the bushes were bowed,
The size of rasps made me really proud.
Salad crops, in abundance grew,
Parsnips and carrots were long straight and true.

Potatoes were large, the best I have seen,
No scab or holes, soil fell away clean.
Harvesting produce, the weather just right,
Not one insect wanted to bite.
Suddenly the sound of wind and of rain,
I had fallen asleep in the shed again!

© Mick Suter 1998

Getting Things Done!............................

With the weather being great all week, it gave me the opportunity to get stuck in and get things done on the plot.
At the start of the week I planted out 3 different variety's of main crop potatoes," Carra," "Dessiree "and "Pink Fur Apple". With these and the "Pentland Javellin" and "Kestral" that were already planted hopefully that should give me enough potatoes to last me many months.
In the first bed at the front of the plot I have planted "All Year Round" Cauliflowers and "Primo" Cabbages. To save them from being eaten by the pigeons, I have protected them with debris netting.
In another bed I planted out a dozen of each of "Evesham" Sprouts and a variety of Red Cabbage the name of which I cant seem to remember at the moment. Again, these are protected by debris netting.
I have built two bean frames, one for Runner Beans and the other for a variety of French Climbing Bean both of which are coming on well in the greenhouse.
I also sowed Petis Poir Peas, Mooli, Spring Onions, Breakfast Radish and Beetroot directly into various beds.
I was given a Sunberry plant this week by a fellow plot holder. To be honest, I have never heard of them before. By all accounts its a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, the fruit of which is supposed to be very sweet. This has been planted with the rest of the soft fruits.

I managed to get a fair bit of digging done but because of the large amount of "cooch" grass roots that need to come out, it seems to be taking forever to finish the last bed.

In the greenhouse everything is doing well, all but 3 of my sweetcorn have come through, not bad considering I have about 50 plants.
The down side of the week is that a number of sheds have been broken into and tools stolen. Because of this I have fitted an additional lock to my shed hopefully to deter the B******ds.

Busy Busy Busy...........

Went to the allotment this morning to find the place packed, the car park was full and there were fellow plot holders everywhere. Its amazing how a bit of good weather brings them out.
After spending some time chatting and drinking coffee, which seems to be the norm, i finally got around to doing some work.
Started off some sweetcorn in pots, hopefully these will be ready for the end of May, and then I pricked out some celery seedling, which have been given to me. There are two types, one is a self blanching variety, and the other is called "Giant Pascal", which I am lead to believe will require blanching manually. This is done by rapping the celery in newspaper or corrugated cardboard once it reaches a certain size. I will need to find out when exactly at a latter date. Other plot holders I have spoken to seem to have had trouble growing celery in the past, but hey! I'm willing to have a go, as the old saying goes "Nothing ventured, Nothing Gained". I'm really grateful for the free seedlings because the celery seeds I sowed, all failed to germinate.
I managed to sow a couple of rows of Parsnips directly into my root bed before I went home. These are in addition to the ones started off in toilet roll tubes which I have already planted.

Plot Update..........

A few photos of the plot and the things that are growing at the moment







A section of the potato bed

Broad Beans, Winter Onions & Garlic

My early peas are starting to flower

Red Currant

One of three gooseberries that was moved from another plot in the Autumn seems to be coming on well

The coldframes are full with yound plants hardening off

Sweet Peas, Cauliflower Cabbage & Sprouts

Shallot Seedlings

Blackcurrent cuttings taken the end of the summer and over wintered in the cold frame

On Saturday I spent a few hours in the greenhouse potting on some of my Tomatoes and Brassicas. I also started off some extra tomatoes (Moneymaker), 6 different variety's of courgettes and some watermelons.
Over the last few weeks I have been starting off parsnips in toilet roll tubes as apposed to sowing them directly in the ground. A number of them had germinated and the tap root had reached the bottom of the tube so I planted them out in the root bed. I also sowed a couple of rows beetroot and four rows of carrots while I was at it.

Update.....

Things are really starting to move now, the cauliflowers, Primo cabbage and some of the sprouts have been moved to the cold frames along with the onion seedlings so as to make room in the greenhouse.
Also in the cold frames are my sweet peas. They are starting to look a wee bit on the leggy side, I will need to make a decision on when to plant these out shortly and take a chance that we don't get any frosts.
Last week I planted out my main crop onions and shallots , but a couple of days later, I realised that I hadn't got any Red Onions so it was a trip out to go and buy some, so they are also in now.
I finished digging my new salad bed during the week, so hopefully it wont be long before I get something planted in it .
Lynn came to the allotment this after noon and hand weeded my winter onion beds for me while I planted out my second early potatoes ( Kestrel ). That's another job done , but there is still so much to do.

Pentland Javelin In..................

Unable to do much today due to the bad weather, but I did manage to plant my first row of early potatoes (Pentland Javelin) before the rain started.

Pea Up The Fence !..................

I finally took the plunge and planted out my Early Onward peas. They have been in the cold frame for a few weeks now and I just hope we don't have any bad frosts or I might regret doing so. I was unsure what method I was going to use to support the peas, but in the end I decided to use plastic fencing which seems to be working quite well.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme !............and Mint & Oregarno

I planted some herbs in one of the small beds at the front of the plot over the weekend.

1 x Flat Leaf Parsley

1 x Purple Sage

1 x Green Sage

1 x Yellow Thyme

1 x Green Thyme

1 x Rosemary

1 x Oregano

1 x Mint

I have Basil and Coriander growing in the greenhouse and hope to add them to the herb bed later on.

My First Aubergines

At last ! the Aubergines are starting to show,It seems such a long time since I sowed them, I was begining to think they never would.

Raspberries

I planted six Autumn fruiting raspberry canes today (3x Heritage & 3x Autumn Bliss varieties ) along side a row of existing summer fruiting ones. I don't know what variety they are as they were given to me by another plot holder. The double row of canes are now supported by T-frames and wire.

War !.........

I have been considering my strategy for the forthcoming battle against the enemy known as the Gastropod Mollusk or the SLUG to you and me. I have looked into the organic method of dealing with these retched things and according to the literature I have read a barrier of sand, grit, or egg shells around your produce is enough to deter them, but a feature on TV recently proved otherwise. I could go around my plot and physically remove them, but I have better things to do with my time. Then there is the trap method where you fill the traps with beer, the smell attracts the slug who then enters the trap and drowns in the beer. Thinking about it, this method is a NO NO, due to the fact that I have recently stopped drinking so there is no way I am going to buy beer for some slimy mollusks to enjoy.



Having taken all this into account it looks like it will have to be slug pellets.

Rhubarb Showing.......

The Rhubarb ( Timperely Early ) I planted out a few weeks ago is starting to show, I have been told not to harvest any the first year which is a pity as I just love Rhubarb crumble. I will have to scrounge some off other plot holders.

Potatoes

Checked on my potatoes today, I have my Early's and second Early's on egg trays chitting but due to lack of space I haven't got enough room to lay out the main crop spuds so they are still in sacks in the shed. Hopefully I will be able to get them out when the first lot get planted in a week or so.

How to chit
Chitting simply means encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout before planting. Start chitting from late January in warmer parts of the country or in February in cooler areas, about six weeks before you intend to plant out the potatoes. Each seed potato has a more rounded, blunt end that has a number of 'eyes'. Stand the tubers with the blunt end uppermost in trays or old egg boxes, with plenty of natural light. The potatoes are ready to be planted out when the shoots are 1.5-2.5cm (0.5-1in) long.

Although unsprouted tubers can be planted, the chitted ones benefit from their flying start. Early cultivars will crop earlier and more heavily if chitted. You can help the process by rubbing off all but the four strongest sprouts so that the tuber's energy is diverted into a few really strong shoots that form new potatoes as early as possible. Second early and maincrop potatoes also benefit from chitting but they don't need thinning of sprouts. Chitting later cultivars results in earlier foliage before blight or drought strike and they mature earlier and can be gathered before slugs damage the tubers.

Good Intensions.....

When the wife and I got to the allotment this morning the sun was shinning, the birds were singing and we were both in the mood to get stuck in and get some digging done. Well that's what we intended, within about 15 minuets the sky went black and the heavens opened. We retreated to the shed made a cup of coffee and waited for the rain to stop, and waited and waited and waited, had another cup of coffee before giving up and coming home.

Cold Start................

I went down to my plot early this morning as I wanted to get a few things done. There had been a frost overnight and this was still evident when I got there. I had a look around, the Cabbage, Cauliflower. Leeks and Garlic all looked cold but seemed OK, more than I could say for the Broad Beans, the frost had got to them and they looked limp and very worse for ware. But to my surprise after a couple of hours in the sunshine they had all picked up again and stood bold and upright.


















I spent some time in the greenhouse this morning checking the seedlings and watering. I also started off some Parsnips in toilet roll tubes. I only did a few just to see how they get on.

The other stuff is coming on well...............












Leeks














Primo Cabbage




















All Year Round Cauliflower






I placed out my new Raspberry canes to roughly were I want them and hopefully I will get them planted tomorrow.

No More Seeds!..............

I took a few minuets last night to sort out my seeds, because to be honest I wasn't sure what I had, and as I am not one to pass up a bargain, whenever Ive come across special offers on seeds in supermarkets and garden centers Ive been buying couple of packets, and this has resulted in me having a container full of seeds, far too many for what I need.

Spring Is Just Around The Corner

It's the 1st of March, spring is on its was, the weather is changing for the better, the sun is shinning, temperatures are rising so you would think its a perfect day to be working down the allotment, Wrong!...... I have come down with "Man Flu", and feel C**P! and didn't feel like doing much . I did manage to drag myself down to my plot and checked the seedling in the greenhouse. The leeks, cauliflower, primo cabbage and lettuce are all starting to show which is good news. I transfered the early peas into the coldframe which has made some room, so now I can sow something else next week.

The Spuds Have Arrived...........

Its been a busy week down the allotment, and after filling six rubble bags full of cooch grass roots and Docks I finally finished digging the bed I started last week. There is still a lot of virgin ground at the rear of the plot to be dug but that can wait for a bit.
Took delivery of my seed potatoes and onion sets during the week, Pentland Javelin, Kestral, Carra, Desiree, and Pink Fir Apple. I have started to chit the Pentland Javelin as they will be the first to be planted. As well as the main crop onions and golden shallots. I also have a few Banana Shallots to try out as well.
Picked up a pack of three Raspberry canes from Lidle on Wednesday for £2.49 or there abouts, not sure if they will be any good, but for that money they are worth a go.

I went to an old fashioned garden centre on Friday. When I say old fashioned I mean a family run garden centre that just sells plants, seeds, compost, loose fertilizers etc at a good price as apposed to ones you get around the country that stocks every thing from clothing, furniture, hot tubs, sun houses and sheds large enough to home a family of refugees, has a restaurant selling over priced teas and coffees, home made cakes, the "Daily Roast Dinner" with a vegetarian option of course, but that's only if you can get a table because they are normally full with the couple of coach party's that came for a day out. Anyway I got a real bargain, a large Red Currant bush which is full of buds and three Autumn Fruiting Raspberry canes for less than nine pounds. Quids In !!!!!!
I managed to dig over and lime two of the front beds today, and hope to get the third one done next week.

The Big Dig Continues....................

Popped down the plot this afternoon for an hour to do some more digging. My progress is so slow as I am hampered by the amount of perennial weed that needs to come out. While digging out a very large dock and trying desperately not to leave any root in, I had dug down about two foot and came across a bed of clay, this is the reason the ground is so wet and is obviously not allowing the rain water to seep away.

I was told that next autunm I will need to double dig down to the clay loosen it as much as possible then add lime , this should start to break it down. By all accounts this is a big job and may well need to be done over a couple of years due to the size of area involved. Great!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before And After

My back is killing me !

I started to dig the rear of the plot today, "blimey"! its been hard work. The ground has been covered with plastic sheeting for a few months and although the grass has died on the surface, when you dig down the cooch grass roots tell a different story. There is loads of the stuff as well as hundreds of docks. This ground has never been dug before so I will have to spend extra time and effort and try and get as much of the stuff out as I can. If my back is up to it tomorrow I will have another go.

Rhubarb Rhubarb Rhurbarb !

Had a good go today, started off by planting a couple of rhubarb crowns, I think the variety is called "Timperley Early". These were given to me not long ago by someone from another allotment who had surplus . They fitted in nicely along the fruit bed.

The Broad beans that I had started off in pots were ready, so they were planted out in the small bed I had prepared. I covered them with a cloche just in case we were to get a frost.

Things a starting to happen in the greenhouse, the Early Peas and the Sweet Peas are both doing well.

Early Peas

Sweet Peas

Managed to get a few other seeds going today Chili Peppers,

Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Webbs Lettuce, Aubergine.

One side of the greenhouse is full already, will have to look at putting up some shelves or something because when the season really starts I'm going to be pushed for space especially if her indoors wants to start off some flowers for home.

Finally finished wood chipping all the paths this morning, the plot looks a lot better now. Its been a bit of a ball breaker, back and forth with the wheelbarrow to the wood chip pile, I lost count how many barrow loads it took.

Steve from the next plot was putting the final touches to the chicken coop he's been building, so hopefully it wont be long before I am having fresh eggs for breakfast .

Wood Chippings

The local tree felling company dropped off a lorry load of wood chip on the allotment yesterday and as my paths were a bit worse for wear after all the wet weather we have had recently I thought I would grab some before it all disappeared. I talked the wife into helping me with this task, so with the help of an additional loaned wheelbarrow we managed to re chip the rear area around the shed and greenhouse and the main path. We hope to complete the remaining paths tomorrow.
Again time was lost by standing chatting with fellow plot holders and drinking coffee, but Hey! at least I got more done today than I did yesterday.

Wasted morning!

Went up to the plot this morning with the intentions to get a few jobs done, but instead spent most of the morning chatting and drinking coffee with some fellow plot holders. I must get my act together and get my finger out.... Wasted morning!

What have I been up to ?

Here are a few pics of my plot, showing the progress made up to the present day.

The first 4 beds dug and edged

Wood chip was laid for the paths

The smaller beds intended for floral display

Things are really moving now, Cabbage, Cauliflower growing well.

Runner Bean bed complete, canes ready, just need the Beans!

Welcome to my abode, This Chalet , I mean shed was given to me by another plot holder, originally it was a kids Wendy house, but after a few alterations and repairs it serves its purpose, and it cost nowt!

Next came the Greenhouse, It was advertised on the Internet only £10 BARGAIN!

Think me over done it with the Tomatoes.

Spuds coming on well, but made a mistake by planting a few onions in the same bed. Oh well will know better next time.

The first cabbage I have ever grown, not bad for my first attempt, even if I say so myself.