More free stuff, "tick V.G."

I thought it was time for a quick Free Stuff update, as it is the allotmentalists favourite type of stuff.

The autumn planting garlic and onions that I received from a work colleague are all doing well. I was given quite a few leftover sets and bulbs, which I bolstered with some more that I had to pay for, so enough about those for now.

Moog and I have recently had a couple of offers of free compost from family members, which is great because I need loads. I have already used up nearly all my compost from last year so any extra is very welcome.

First stop was Wise Mike's, who had too much to use in his own garden and was happy to reclaim some free space in his enormous compost heap. I bought some sturdy bags, which I carefully left at home, but luckily Wise Mike lived up to his name and had some bags ready for me to fill. The compost is lovely stuff, well, lovely once the old socks, bits of wood etc. were sifted out. It has already been used up and I hope to be off to get some more soon. Next stop will be free compost from Moog's favorite auntie, otherwise known as my big sis. So much to do, so little time.

Finally this weekend I have planted the first of my free seeds from Youfarm.org, I decided to get a few lettuces underway. Just a few this time, as I was a bit over-run with lettuce last summer. Also planted, for free, were some marigold seeds harvested from last year's flowers, all planted in free paper pots made at home from free newspapers.

All this talk of free stuff reminds me of The Good Life, they repeated the whole series on UKTV Gold last year and The Moog insisted we watch every episode. Well worth watching, I thought,(1) for jokes surrounding growing your own food, and (2) for the delightful Felicity Kendal.

Tick, V.G.! as Tom Good would say.

Allotments in the news

The National Trust have announced that they're going to turn some of their land over to alloments, which is good news all round now allotments are trendy again. There's lots in the news, this article from The Telegraph is a good example.

Quote:

"Digging the first new potato is better for body and soul than turning into one on a couch."

I couldn't agree more. I've been developing a couch-shaped arse and it's got to stop!

Free seeds

I have been introduced to a character called Phil, who, just likeThe Moog and me, started growing his own vegetables last year. Like me, he enjoyed it, and in fact, was so taken with it, he decided to set up his own venture to get everyone doing the same. What can I say? Respect! Have a look now:
http://www.youfarm.org/

I put my name down for Phil's free seed pack, and here it is, some things I've grown before, some I haven't. Looking forward to getting them started. My favourites are the Swede (because they are such small seeds) and the spinach (because they are green).

Insert snow-based pun here.

Well there's nothing I can do outside this week, with Broken Britain in the grip of Arctic snows.
I popped down after the first dusting of white stuff on Monday to take some photos of plot 29, but it's not really very picturesque at Stacey Hill. I thought the old farm machinery in the museum yard next door looked quite forlorn, so I took pictures of that instead.

Mouse in the House

In the excitement of a visit to the plot, it's remarkably easy to forget things that you wanted to take with you. For me, this applies even to such things as the actual packet of seeds I was going there to plant in the first place. I have now invested in a camo bodywarmer, which as well as making me feel manly, has numerous pockets for me to keep things I always need, like my penknife and bits of string.

To further combat forgetfulness and to reduce the weight of things to carry on my bike, I leave my old walking boots and a waterproof coat in the shed. Unfortunately the coat got taken over by all sorts of creepy crawlies in the autumn and was chucked out. The boots are still there, but I favour wellies at this time of year as the clay sticks like the proverbial sh*t to a blanket. However, as you can no doubt guess, I forgot my wellies last week.

The boots always receive a careful pre-use inspection, especially since I was scared out of my skin by a mouse hiding under a hessian sack. Thankfully, I did not find a mouse. No, during last week's check I found 4 peanuts, carefully stored for future use by some small allotment resident! I tipped them out and left them in a little pile, which was gone by the time I returned. It is a strange feeling to be sharing my shed with invisible guests.

Keeping busy

My friend Tom thought it would be all quiet on the allotment front at this time of year, but allotmentalism is an all-year round sport. He was surprised to find me planting leek and sweet pea seeds on the kitchen table last Sunday. We used a paper potter, which seems to be a good way of using up some of the many free newspapers people keep pushing through our door (much to the annoyance of the Moog). It was a Christmas present from Maria and Cameron, thanks guys. The seeds are already starting to show their little green heads.

Meanwhile, down on plot 29, work continues apace whenever the weather allows. I've started digging over beds and straightening up the paths - my plan is to narrow my paths to gain more growing space and use the woodchips supplied by the local council to cut down on the amount of lawnmowing I have to do in the summer. I wasted considerable effort on mowing and strimming paths in 2008.

The Moog, the Moog's friend and Mrs Moog-Keeper came to the plot yesterday and whilst Moog and his friend played with empty plastic bottles, we broke our backs trying to turn over one of my claggy clay beds. The west side of my plot has quite poor soil, and it really needs improving fast. I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy some horticultural grade grit from the garden centre at some point to break up the clay. Before that, though, I was pleased to use the first of my very own compost. All the stuff I've been chucking on the heap for over a year now has turned into some lovely soft soil conditioner. Let's hope it does the trick.

Christmas has gone, and so have my spuds

I’m pleased to report Christmas dinner back at Moog HQ was a success. My allotment provided three of the vegetables on the table, even though it’s been months since the end of the growing season. The lamb was particularly nice seasoned with my own garlic and rosemary. The butcher kindly sawed the knuckle for Moog to enjoy, too!



Unfortunately this delicious meal also spelled the end for my stored potatoes, but they lasted really well and I didn’t throw any away. I tipped half a tray of scalding vegetable oil all over the floor whilst trying to roast them, but I didn’t lose any spuds! I’m now very impatiently waiting for my order of new tubers to be delivered so I can start chitting them ready for the new season. I hope they arrive soon; it’s a tense time. They took ages to arrive last year, but it’s a gamble; if they don’t arrive I won’t be able to get replacements as all the garden centres will sell out. I’m sure they’ll be here soon; I’ve got Moog looking out for the postman.

I’m also back to buying carrots from the supermarket, boo! It’s only now we’ve gone back to mass-produced varieties that we can really tell the difference in taste. Mine were so much more, err, carroty, than the ones you can buy in the shops.

My own parsnips also taste much better. I cooked a massive pot full of these on Christmas day and there were hardly any leftovers, which I take to be a good sign. I’ve got a few still in the ground which Moog thinks we should lift and roast soon, because the tops have now been virtually killed off by the cold. The roots are storing well in the soil but with no tops, I can’t find them!

We took advantage of one of the less cold days lately to dig up the remainder of the tiny leeks, which had started to attract the attention of some local wildlife (I presume hungry rabbits). This, at least, shows it’s not been a waste of time protecting crops with wire. Although small, they cook up alright and taste better than shop-bought ones too. Next job: plant some more!