Sunday 18 November 2012

Water Collection and Shelter


This weekend's project was to construct a rainwater harvesting and dry tool storage structure. We are not allowed sheds on our site, so quite a few people have built something similar. Mine is fairly basic and probably not the most sturdy, but it should do the job. Above is what we got done yesterday afternoon, below is the (almost) finished object.


Apart from the two posts and metposts at the back, all the wood has been salvaged from the allotment site or from our shed at home. I did have to buy the corrugated plastic for the roof, and the guttering.

All it needs now is a bit of downpipe for the gutter, and a couple of pieces of trellis I thought I could attach to the sides, then I can pretty it up a bit with annual climbers in the summer, which will provide a bit of shade, should I ever need it. 

Monday 5 November 2012

A look at my plot

It's been some time since I took my camera to the plot, so as it was a lovely sunny afternoon, (after a number of nasty wet days) and it's also been some time since I posted, I thought I would take the opportunity to update you.


I have cleared the very weedy, overgrown strawberry patch, reducing them to two rows, to make them easier to net in the summer, and to make more room for my flower patch next year.


I have put in some tulip bulbs, and this little Chinese lantern plant which was going cheap at the garden centre. Behind that, the fruit bushes which I have pruned quite drastically.


Here is where my beans were. I decided the easiest thing to do was just to spread them out over their patch, to help smother all the weeds over the winter. I have left the dwarf beans in, as ground cover, for the same reason.

We are still eating tomatoes as they ripen, and I had to bring in all the peppers to ripen on the windowsill. They do ripen, but not without going all wrinkly at the same time. I have been charring the skins under the grill and peeling them, there won't be many going to waste. I brought the chilli plants into the conservatory where they are ripening beautifully.

Other than that we are now very much onto the winter veg... a few carrots are left, and some winter cabbages. I dug up the first couple of parsnips the other day - one huge and one quite respectable, so that is promising. Sprouts are nearly ready, as are leeks. Looking ahead to next spring and summer, there will hopefully be purple sprouting brocolli, cauliflowers and spring cabbages, and I have put in some broad beans, garlic and overwintering onions