It was either come here today or sit at home having a coffee and read the Guardian, so
it was a quite difficult decision, but then some of the other people said they were coming
so we thought we'd come out and have a go and it's great once you're here doing it.
So they say.
We try and have working parties to help newcomers clear plots that are overgrown and this is
the first time we've tried this to tackle this plot.
As you can see it's pretty well overgrown and a bit of a challenge, but you know, we'll
have a couple of hours at it or a little while at it today.
Normally we'd have a few more people but you can see the weather a bit awful today and
you wouldn't believe this is the first day of spring.
There are 120 plots and a lot of effort has been put in the last few years to clear plots
to enable people on the way to list their numbers.
There are four parallel paths that run through the allotment.
We're looking at the moment at the history of the allotments to find out when they actually became allotments
and recording the histories and stories that the allotment holders and owners have.
When I first came out we were just at a forest here, this was all grown wild.
You just couldn't hardly walk up this.
I had to cut that all back and clear all the laneway and that.
This here was full of Bromleys.
Big as a double-decker busload of Bromleys.
How long ago?
About 12 years ago.
So when did it all change?
Well it started, it didn't change a lot until recently and then some people took these here
and these here have just been cleared now down to the shed down there.
And it seems to, it's opening the place up again and I will let you know.
It's a lot of hard work when they let it go so long and just got grown like a forest.
Everything was overgrown, just a mess, that was what it was.
And the allotment as you come in, in the gate, the first allotment that you arrive at,
there was double garages there and they've all gone now.
It was different.
It was totally different, it's changed.
The only person who was doing some work, it was Joe and Mr Cox on the corner.
Oh and yes, an old Tom.
Because now he's died.
Old Tom, he used to be there, this old guy, he had a lovely armchair in his shed.
And when I used to come and the kids were the small to do the allotment,
he was there to advise me.
Tell her what to do.
And this poor old chap, Tom, he died in his garden shed, in his chair.
He used to arrive on his old-fashioned bicycle.
You know one of those with the round hand doors like that?
Yeah.
Oh, it was a big tall chap he was, it was really, really nice.
Tom, his name was.
Do you remember when Holly, when we were, when we used to walk here a lot,
used to play here as a tile.
I know you did.
In and out of all the sheds.
I know.
Half the allotments were all abandoned, weren't they?
They were all scruffy.
Yeah, they were.
Covered in thorns and brambles.
I think it's really.
Used to make dens.
Yes.
It wasn't really as potty as it is now.
Because I was frightened of being caught by anybody.
So I used to hide in the dens every time somebody came.
That's right.
And do you remember the day when the dog bought you, playing truant from school?
Yes.
Hid in a shed with a load of people.
That's right.
The one and only time I did it, I promise, didn't do it before.
I didn't, didn't do it again.
The dog was barking at the top of the lake for some reason.
And I let him out and he went straight to you with a group of kids in a shed.
That's just collapsed now, hasn't it?
The one down on the corner.
Do you remember this hole that you all made?
Yes, to do, yes.
With pen knives.
I think John and my brother, John, didn't he made it?
Yes.
With his pen knife he got for Christmas.
And it's been there ever since.
Oh yes.
And dad put a gate on.
Well, we had to see it because of the dogs, didn't we?
Yes, that's right.
We used to hide in there as well if people came behind the shed.
That's right.
And then Taffy caught me because there's a hole there, that fence, Taffy.
There's a little hole that you can get to the back of his and he caught me once.
He went mental and that's why he put that fence there.
I mean, I never did anything wrong.
I was just hiding in dens and apart from bunking off school, obviously.
It was about where that shed was there.
Definitely by that tree.
That's right.
These might be just a little bit over-chitted.
Wow, lovely.
This is the latest I've known spring for years and years and years.
In fact, I dreamed of a spring.
And I'll tell you what, the spring I dreamed of was a bit like this.
But this has come about a month too late.
I've been trying to catch up because nothing, there's just no point for it
actually growing anything in the ground because it was so cold and wet.
And so I've been bringing things on at home and now I'm going to plant them out
and just hope that they take.
And we have a better year than last year, which I'm sure we will have.
I can't have a worse year than last year.
My father always said, just wait until the soil warms up, nature will catch up.
The idea is you don't rush ahead.
Some people make the big mistake of getting there and actually just going onto the soil
when it's too heavy, it's not right, you know, and you just need to leave it
a week or two just to warm up.
So it's about two weeks since it started to dry out.
So now it's actually perfect for planting.
So it just needs turning over.
I'm going to rotate it next week and so it will be just the right time now.
Even though it's a month late, everything will catch up.
And this is what nature does.
And last, some decent gardening weather.
We've been waiting for this without such a cold march
and I've been waiting to get potatoes in.
But I've been really working hard these last couple of days.
I got my first earlies in last week, got my second earlies in today.
A little bit late, but never mind.
With this weather, everything will soon catch up.
A few parsnips in and some carrots.
So yeah, it's looking great at the moment.
And with a day like this, what a better place to be than out on the allotments.
So
So
So
So
So
So
So
So
So
So
You
You
Beautiful May morning, and I'm absolutely delighted today because I brought my new allotment dog down with me
His name is scraps. He's a Westie cross Jack Russell
He's 13 weeks old and he is to replace the whole left when my last allotment dog died at Easter
Just a few weeks ago
I used to come down here every day with my dog Hagrid
She had a lot of friends down here
Unfortunately, we lost her over Christmas. So scraps is my new allotment dog
I've come down every morning to let the chickens out every evening to put the chickens away
even if I'm not working on the allotment and
It was sickening to try and come down to the allotment. It just didn't feel right
And it felt just so lonely down here without without one of my best friends with me
You
You
So, you know, it's been a late spring
Very late spring. Yeah. So do you think that's going to be a problem for for the rest of your garden?
Getting things going depends depends on the sun after the sun started coming up nicely
Everything will go all right, but the moment is very very very slow
At the moment even the trees didn't know what to do yet
just started coming up flowers ring and
Open everything was all right should be okay
well
This has been dug over but since the spring arrived the horse tail, which doesn't need any encouragement
They're just shot up to the surface. So I'm going through it again
to remove it because
It's this prehistoric plant
Can't see any no any piece of which could turn into a whole new plant. There it is
Gotta get it all out
It's gonna take over the world
After that I'm gonna put the potatoes in and hopefully this year
We'll actually get some
Because most years we fail for one reason or another light
Sogginess slugs
drought
Anything you care to mention
I was just saying to Paul I reckon this year
We're going to have lovely warm summer and every evening it's gonna rain
So we'll have perfect growing conditions
It's gonna happen one year hasn't it because if every other year you've got
Extremes
One year out of ten or twenty you're gonna have perfect weather
It stands to reason
