Building it back up again.

Last year we had to take down the Marquee. There was no way it would have withstood the winter. But we need it. So today was the day that we took it out of storage, dusted it off, and got busy rebuilding it.

We have a spare plot that we use that is all wood mulch. So first thing we have to do is get it all laid out correctly.

The the willing victi... err. volunteers have to get the frame work ready.

Throw a roof on it and lift it up.

And finally put the sides on.

Et viola.

Meanwhile on the plot 30 itself, the Rhubarb is going strong.

And the artichoke is putting forth some seriously vigorous growth.

Seedlings are raising their heads abover the pot side and peering out. Looks like I may get some veggies this year after all.

Rescuing the tree (again)

Last year I wrote about a similar instance where I saved the tree from bindweed. Seems the now the decent weather has started the whole process all over again. This time I decided to do something a little more permanent about it.

I got in and cut all the grass and then used the secateurs on the brambles to flatten everything. Then it's time to put all the cardboard to good use. The amount of left over cardboard from making the greenhouse has been filling up the shed somewhat. So I cut it to size and placed it all around the tree. Then it was time for a few barrow trips to the wood chips. And now, the tree has it's own little cleared piece of ground.

Hopefully that'll keep the weeds out. For now...

Questions about the grapevine

Working from home two days a week means I don't have to spend the 2.5 hours in the commute home. So come end of day I can nip down the allotment for a bit more quality time.

Today I went down there just to tidy up a bit. Water the seedlings (which are going great guns at the moment) and start looking at getting the grape vine lifted into position.

Since I trimmed off all the leaves and end stems late last year, I haven't touched the grapevine. So when I looked at it I was a little surprised to see how dry and brittle it was. I am worried that it might have died. This would be a major set back as the vine is a huge big thing that looks like it has been there for ages. They are normally quite tough (my father had several) and would withstand drastic pruning in the autumn. But in this case, the ends are dry, brittle and break easily. i cannot see any signs of new life in it. But it may just be a little too early.

Does anybody know when vines should be springing into life?

2nd Bed and bark chips

I had problems trying to park this morning. Seems a little bit of sun and then everybody and their Grandma come crawling out of the woodwork down to the allotments.

The recent rain has made the ground claggy. Which is a shame as it's digging that I really need to get done. It will take an age to shift the big mound, so instead I decided to put in a second bed along side the greenhouse. The other half is certainly not up for digging duty, so the back breaking work is left to me and she is relegated to wood chip dispersal.

We get a lot of wood chips delivered. Not sure exactly where it comes from since that was put in place from the Council. But we still have tons of the stuff left. Fortunately it's really good as ground cover and mulch. So a whole load has gone underneath the shed to keep weeds down (and for foxes to sleep on!). Yet more is being used as paths and weed suppressant around the greenhouse.

About that greenhouse... the other half was super excited to see little shoots from the seeds we planted last week. Yeah, you can barely see them. But they are there.

Bits and pieces

It's raining. Not heavily, but enough to be annoying. So I decided that today would be light work and nothing to to with digging. So first thing I went off to B&Q to get some bits. First on the list was a wheel barrow. Last year I borrowed my neighbours barrow (from plot 31). But they have given up and handed back their plot and we have new tenants. So I am barrowless. Not good. I only need a cheap one. So the cheapest they have comes in bits.

How hard can it be? I've put up a shed and a greenhouse which are harder. The "instructions" are not very clear and a more of an exploded parts list. So I started putting the main pieces onto the barrow frame, leaving the wheel till last. Bad move. Tip for the future, if ever you are going to build one... make sure you do the wheel first before you get anywhere near the actual barrow part itself. The frame can be pushed and pulled as necessary, but the wheel axle needs to be correctly fitted to make the whole thing work.

Any how, after a bit of juggling with bolts and a couple of scuffed knuckles, I now have a barrow.

I also bought a lock for the shed. Have to deter the would be thieves somehow.

And finally some cheap hose. When I bought the greenhouse, I opted to pay the extra £9 to have downspouts for the gutters. Waste of money. The downspouts are way to short and useless being all of about 1ft long a stiff plastic, albeit with a few clips and clamps to hold it in place. Cutting a short piece off a hose pipe is a much better option.

At least now I can collect the annoying rain from the roof.