Well I really lost it with the allotment in the autumn. The mix of insomnia and two bouts of (minor) illness put paid to all my plans to have it in tip top condition ready for spring planting.
No autumn planting happened. No muck spreading happened. No planning of fruit cage and other crop protection happened.
But now it’s now, I’m well again, I’m sleeping (much!) better (hurrah!!), and it’s time to get on and just go from where I am.
Do what you can with what you have.
And as ever, I’m an optimist when it comes to what I can manage to achieve on my allotment. Never more so than in January and February, when everything seems possible. Already I’ve managed to make a start on the left-over jobs. I’ve cut down all the autumn fruiting raspberry canes (see below for what they looked like back in April), and removed those that had spread to where I didn’t want them. I’ve moved my fruit bushes closer together ready for the cage I’m planning to protect them from the birds. I’ve cleaned out the hens’ pen. I’ve made a start on the big tidy up.
Last weekend I collected my seeds ordered from our local allotment society. This is a great buy, as we get a significant discount and it also means I have all the seeds I need right at the start of the season. I also buy my seed potatoes and onion sets through them. The onion sets have arrived, and the potatoes will follow shortly.
Next thing is to plan, buy and construct a proper fruit cage, to provide protection for the fruit bushes from the birds. This will be my Christmas present from us. My woodwork skills are limited (that’s a generous exaggeration – actually nil apart from being able to accurately use a saw) – but I’m open to learning. I’m also open to buying something, if that would be longer lasting and effective (and not outrageously expensive). And I’d also like to buy/make some kind of structure to protect my brassica plants from pests (aka lovely creatures but not where I want them).
If you have any suggestions / cautionary tales / ideas to share, do please let me know. I’d love to hear them, and it will be really useful in helping me make some decisions.
the magic jug 
Love the double meaning in the title, Deborah 🙂 . I’m so glad to hear you’ve finally kicked the flu bug and have also managed to figure out what works for your insomnia.
No advice, just encouragement and good wishes from someone who is (more than) slightly happy to have a few more months to wait before beginning work in her own garden!
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Thank you so much Marian. Will pop over soon – I see you’ve written another long post, and I want to read it. Currently have very flaky wifi….
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You sound very organised and realistic with what you can do in the time you have 😊 We must crack on with our plot. Last year we made a frame from metal poles (the kind used in those plastic covered ‘tent’ greenhouses) and put net over. I’ve seen frames also constructed from wood and mains water pipe too. Good luck! 😊
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That sounds like an interesting idea, and by coincidence last week when I was out there someone seemed to be doing exactly that. When no rain coincides with free time and them being out there, I shall ask them all about it….
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well done for getting back on the allotment – I bet it felt good to be working on the plot. Glad to hear your insomnia is getting better xx
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