Treasure

In the past couple of weeks I have found two interesting pieces of buried treasure on the plot. First was an old penny, heavily worn but still clearly marked 1908 on one side. It could have been in circulation for many years after 1908 of course, and judging by its condition it has had a hard life, but I wonder who dropped it and what they were doing there. I would like to think it was dropped by a soldier during the big military exercise that was held on Stacey Hill farmland before the outbreak of WWI, but it could just as easily have had a more mundane life and been dropped at any time in the last 100 years. At least it makes a change from bits of broken glass and plastic.

My second find was a bit more modern, an aluminium petrol token dating probably from the mid 1970s with a picture of a car on it. This has also seen better days but it's just possible to make out that it was issued by Shell and features a 1950s Mercedes Benz 300SL. I wonder if someone was disappointed to lose it from their collection.

It's taken me a few years of repeatedly digging the same soil to unearth this stuff, so I wonder what else lies beneath the surface. Actually, I don't need to wonder that hard. I'm always unearthing things, since these finds I also dug out three whole house bricks and a couple of broken concrete roof tiles. So although it is is theoretically possible someone buried a whole house, the real answer is probably 'a load more old rubbish'...

Digging in

I wonder if there is anything under my allotment? Apart from my parsnips, I mean, which are patiently awaiting the first frosts.

Moog used to do a bit of enthusiastic digging on the plot in his younger days, but he never found anything much, just soil. However, I came across an interesting local history website which mentions that the area was used for a large military exercise in the months before World War One, beginning on 29 August 1913:


http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/la/DaysofPride/docs/partone.html

Apparently a large division of British soldiers camped in the area very close to my plot and even held a party at Stacey Hill Farm when they left. they were only there for a short time but built quite a bustling camp. The army relied heavily on horse power at that time, and the Royal Engineers built a 200ft platform for unloading horses from trains, as well building a temporary veterinary hospital. No doubt the rural nature of the area (for the military exercises) and the railway (for moving troops) were a factor in choosing the site. Some local residents have reported unearthing things like brass buttons and other fragments of military kit in their gardens, so there may well be something of interest lurking under plot 29.

Give me a break!

When digging at the front of my plot I keep thinking 'if only my whole plot had soil like this.' So, as previously discussed here, I decided to move my compost heap away from the front of my plot, in the hope that there would be good soil underneath.  Early signs are good, the soil looks quite crumbly (gardeners say 'friable', not sure why, when 'crumbly' will do). I started with enthusiasm, but I forgot the joys of unearthing buried treasure such as broken glass, rubbish and bricks on a neglected plot. Here is a picture of the giant lump of concrete which seriously slowed my progress with the new bed. Eventually I levered it out with my long shovel, but I can't lift it, so it may have to stay as a 'feature.'

Work Starts - Buried Treasure Found!

Moog thought we should take advantage of the sunny bank holiday weather to get the work started on the allotment. So it begins.

I started by looking round the site and found a pile of old pallets and timber in the middle, which after stepping on and hurting my foot, I stacked at the side of the site. They could come in useful. I found a small section dug in the middle of the plot about 2ft x 6ft that the last occupant left covered with orange polythene, Moog thinks they were trying to provide a perfect home for slugs, snails and ants. I think they succeeded. Half the plot is bindweed and thistles, the other half is long grass.

There are some small hawthorn saplings, which I know from experience will be harder to uproot than they have any right to be; but I found no evidence of any useful plants growing. I did however find a nice old fashioned metal watering can buried in the undergrowth. Hurrah! Treasure! Unfortunately there's a small split in the bottom, so I took it home to use as a decorative planter in my garden.

After a trip round three different shops I found that Wyevale has the best selection of weedkillers. I chose a glyphosate concentrate (like Roundup, but not as expensive) and a couple of wide sprinkler heads for my watering cans rather than using a spray, because I didn't want it drifting on to anyone elses crops. Most people seem to have had a fairly poor year this year due to all the rain and lack of sun so I don't want to add to their woes with weedkiller!

It took two of us about an hour to cover the whole plot with trips back to the tap; unfortunately I'll have to wait and see if it works, since the stuff takes a couple of weeks to get going. Shame, as we had to leave the plot looking almost the same as when we found it.. I'm used to jobs with more instant results!