The porch keeps on moving along...

After a couple of pretty intense days of activity the porch now 'feels like a room'. There still a long way to go but my cold and the rain has driven me inside today.

Next step is the roof... but what with Granddad needing an operation on this week as well as other social issues it now looks like roof time will be next week - weather permitting.

Bringing the porch up to date...

It is that time of year when frosts come.... we all know that but while the mortar in brick and block laying hardens it must not fall below 4 degrees centigrade - up to a couple of days or more - so naturally the walls have waited until the forecast gave us a few good (and reliable)  overnight temperatures. And rather than build all 4 layers of blocks in one go (a practice that would put a lot of pressure on the first layer) I set about building the walls in 2 visits. Those 28 blocks I was given turned out to be 31 and by buying just 4 more I managed to finish both the footings and the walls.

So far so good - now for the expensive bit - the woodwork. We always new this would be pricey abut when freecycle struck again I couldn't believe my luck! Somebody was offering old roofing joists - up to 200 of them. Sadly they were very oversubscribed but I managed to end up with 6 - each between 10 and 14 feet in length. There were six but this photo shows most of them cut into pieces and only the current offcuts left.

But after that has hit this

and you have taken away this

You end up with stuff ready to be cut into usable lengths.

Now I feel like real progress is being made!

A porch for all seasons...

Since Dylan came to stay we have been wanting a porch over the back door... somewhere to kick off muddy boots, hang up wet coats and towel down a muddy dog.  We got quotes from builders and what we found most disappointing was not the the cost but that they wanted to put up something they wanted, not something we wanted. Undaunted we moved with  the idea that we would "do it ourselves".

Hang on, that should be "The Mole" would do it himself. This would certainly work out cheaper but it would put the choice of materials, size and time scale into our own control... no waiting for builders to not turn up to do what they wanted.

Problem is that I have never even helped on a project like this, let alone done one! It was time for the internet.

I set out looking for helpful sites to show the process, methods and pitfalls and found some very excellent ones out there.

So we told Granddad and he suggested he had some windows and a door we could use. That would certainly save money, but starting in the middle of the walls didn't seem like anything I'd read about on the internet!

We looked anyway and started to agree on the actual floor size because of the windows and I suppose that was a logical start after all.

As keen 'freecyclers' we keep an eye out for anything that could really be helpful and were delighted when someone, less than a quarter of a mile away, had 28 concrete blocks going a begging. Not for long though because they were soon stacked neatly on the garden and "the game was afoot"!

Hiring a concrete mixer - for 1 day only - and having purchased the sand and ballast in several car journeys ahead of the day I set about constructing 'the slab' while my helper watched in frustration that I wouldn't allow him to help. However he does seem to approve now.

A season over?

It's the time of year when we lift the beetroot, pull out the tomatoes and beans and start digging the weed out and so it feels like the end of the season. It's a time that invokes a degree on melancholia as we think of another season over.

It's our first season on the allotment and how did it go? I suppose better than it could have but not as good as I would have liked.

So let's talk detail....

Cabbage - We've had some good ones, and more good ones are coming but they need protection from birds until they are quite large.

Cauliflower - some quite good ones but these suffered quite a set back because of birds. As did..
Kohl Rabi - we have had a small one which is one small one better than we ever had before the allotment.
Cucumbers - (Those yellow things in the picture are Crystal Lemon) Loads of Crystal Lemon and about 6-10 traditional green ones
Runner beans/Climbing beans - did very well but early wind damage set them back going away in August let them get out of control.
Tomatoes - we did very well and blight was not too much of an issue.
Peas - quite well but birds and wind damage caused set backs.
Potatoes - planted in the wrong place and the ground wasn't well prepared enough.
Radish - some very good ones but not enough succession planting.
Parsnips - some lovely ones but some places where germination just didn't happen.
Carrots - some quite nice ones, but a lot of damage and I need to find out why.
Broad Beans - Quite a lot but maybe we didn't pick fast enough. We plan on eating them (having dried many) over winter in soups etc.

But then there's things like Swedes which we have had no success with. And of course we planted many other things, some with success and some not so successful.

Lessons to learn, studying to do but... The season isn't over.  It never is because it's a full circle and we are starting again with spring cabbage, broad beans, onions and other things.

But one thing is for certain... I have enjoyed the allotment this year and next year promises to be even better.

First Runners

Today's pickings...

Too busy to list on twitter!!

The shopping bag is runner beans - freezer bound for most of them. Lots more to pick.

The Peas include some of the first Alderman peas, which are looking very good this year.

The blackberries are an incidental and while we have to keep clipping them back off the allotment, they do border two sides so there's lots to come - and they are OURS!

Our first cucumber of the season and a couple more courgettes - one is a little big and was hiding. Probably the courgettes are for the freezer as they are coming thick and fast - too fast.

And our first runner beans from the allotment - Painted Ladies.

Also another good cabbage with about 5 more to come and a couple of lettuce.

We are getting a good crop in our first year.

A satisfactory week

For a little while I seem to have paused on the manic digging, planting and sowing front although I have been planting and sowing this week.

I have planted out French and climbing beans and some broccoli and sown peas, iceberg lettuce and carrots. We have a MAJOR pigeon problem and although there is a fox who lives next door we do have to net everything. I am finding the netting takes a lot of time. Setting it up, checking it every visit with more to check each visit, and weeding underneath it.

We did today lift our second cabbage which within a week of planting was nearly destroyed by pigeons but as you see the netting saved it. Also lifted the garlic and picked a few broad beans from the first row. And a couple of solitary peas.. getting towards the end of our second pea row.

Just one corner left to dig and tidy, but it has a cast iron bath on it which is something we don't want so we have offered it generally for collection - hope to find it gone soon!

The more you sow and plant, the more there is to water as well although the "polytunnel" is self watering. Need to set the last peas, get another water butt and set up a "pepper house" which will also be self watering and get more swedes set. Also need to do some TLC on the shed which was put up in a rush to be able to crack on with digging.

With every fork full the plot gets smaller

It's a juggling act at the moment between digging and planting and trying to keep the weeds at bay and under control. We seem to be about on target with planting so today I took the opportunity to get some tidying done. When I was given the shed I also got 5 fencing panels at the same time. The panels are six feet square and a bit worse for wear so I decided that they needed taking to pieces to make them go further.

Our plot edges onto the area known by the association as "The Wild" - it's the only plot that does. The Wild is a collection of various plants but the most wild is the bramble which is constantly trying to get across the plot. This makes it very difficult to get a proper edge to the plot. Having taken one of the panels to pieces I have erected a small fence to define the edge of the plot - Nothing May Cross The Line!

This section is made of four sections each of six feet wide (about) and it was made from one panel. I have taken a second one to pieces ready to do the next section and this will finish this run. I now have to dream up a way to use the other 3 panels!

The poly tunnel/lean to is about complete, although as its a prototype it will keep having little changes made, and is now the home of courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and aubergines. I have also set up a self watering mechanism. Rain falls on the shed roof and is collected in a water butt with it's tap turned on and is delivered by a hose system, drop by drop, to the plants. It is nice and warm and humid and the plants seem to be doing well enough. But space on the plot is at a premium so on the other side of the shed, by the path, we have planted a few tomatoes.

 Of the trees the trees that were planted on the plot before we took it over there are only a couple that show any serious attempts at fruit this year although it was a very bad winter. There is one apple with a few set apples and this pear tree which has quite a lot of fruit and I am looking forward to it being ready to pick.

We have spent time this week planting peas, beetroot, lettuce radish, tomatoes, broccoli and more and have ambitions to plant a lot more and soon, including cabbage, peas, various types of beans and are starting to worry where it will all go!