Wednesday 31 October 2007

fencing preparation


I’ve just realised having written this date that it’s hallowe’en.

I’ve finished uprooting a pernicious rhizome that was dominating the boundary between me and one of the bungalows, it reminded me of a battle I had with bamboo in my last plot.

I’m trying to think of a friendly type of fence and have decided that whatever I use will have sweet peas growing up it. I’m wondering about 2ply, twisted garden wire threaded through the existing concrete posts’ holes for the horizontals and then raspberry canes or bamboo woven into the wire twists to create verticals.

Thursday 25 October 2007

neighbourly interventions

Wednesday 24th October

It was an outwardly eventful day yesterday. The bungalow man presented me with a bottle of wine, “It’s not much, would of cost me more if I’d ‘ad to pay someone. You’ll do it again next year won’t you?” I dug his bean patch on Saturday afternoon. He came out to chat to me a couple of times that day and to show me his new jacket, still bearing its label, that he was going to be wearing to a formal dinner that night. The next day he told me, “I had my photo took w’i’t dicky-bow, I’ll show you when it comes back.” And also how he’d had a disturbed night through indigestion. Over the next few days I’ve heard several recitations of this story to passing neighbours, hard not to since his hearing difficulties cause him to shout. I’m really enjoying this friendship developing.

Also yesterday, the woman who used to have my allotment made her way in to tell me her neighbour, up the lane, has thrown out a carpet and underlay, she’d have a word for me if I’m interested. She also pointed to a gooseberry bush I’ve liberated from weeds and says it has lovely sweet fruit if you can keep the birds off it. I told her I have a whole row of its babies (self-rooted). It’s just occurred to me that I could have a table in my gateway of surplus fruit bushes for path-users to help themselves to.

Not long after this the owner of the carpet (it turns out) and her little boys, stopped to talk about the no-bonfire rule and offered use of her bonfire site up the top of the lane as an alternative way of disposing of burnable waste. She took me up to see it.

Wednesday 17 October 2007

goodwill beyond price




I think my plan to consistently clear and dig a section per week is building up my stamina. I seem to be achieving more than I expect each time and I’m realising I must have had some anxiety about how I could ever cultivate the whole plot which now seems at least possible. I’ve just thought that if I get on with tree-pruning I could dispose of the debris in a local bonfire night ritual.

I still have 18x12 feet and 6x4 feet to dig this week, plus the bungalow man has asked me to winter-dig his bean patch, when I’ve time – ha! I’ve decided it will probably take me an hour and will create countless hours of goodwill and will therefore be time well spent.

Monday 8 October 2007

not-so-poor housekeeping


Friday 5th October

I’m uncovering the pile of roots that I dug out prior to planting artichokes in the Spring, this seemingly poor house-keeping has actually meant that I can now easily shake off the earth and they have begun the composting process.

I love this time of year – golden, warm not hot and crisp bright mornings, mostly.

Just noticed two cock pheasants skulking away between my pumpkins, I wonder what there is here to interest them.

rediscovered fragments


Thursday 4th October

I’ve resolved to dig 12foot strips at a time in the lower area, gradually working my way to the entrance. Tightened up the scythe and it works well on Golden Rod which it turns out is the rhizome who’s identity I was unsure of in the Spring.

I’ve cleared the lean-to at home this week and re-discovered a box of fragments that I dug out of the last plot I cultivated (in Cornwall), I’ve brought them here to sort out and possibly integrate into this current plot. I’ve just found the discarded empty tube of oil paint that I like to believe contained some of the pigment in Harold Harvey’s ‘Blue Door’. I found it close to where he must have painted from, in front of his house. Perhaps I’ll send it to the Penlee House Museum which is home to the Newlyn School collection.

2 hours (including a 15 minute break) and I’ve dug about 40 (6x7) square feet.

Wednesday 3 October 2007

more time

Wednesday 3rd October

I’ve been scything a bit (I bought a scythe today) it seemed to tackle nettles and thistles better than shears but the blade soon came loose and I lost patience with it. So, I’ve returned to the digging I started yesterday. It’s very slow progress and since I have roughly 7,500 square feet of allotment the fact that it’s taken me about an hour to dig 15 is a little daunting. Just as well I’m not looking for a well-manicured plot. What it does show me though is that I need to be here more often and for longer.

An hour later and now I’ve dug 25 square feet today.

boundary concerns




Tuesday 2nd October

I’ve just dug out some pre-historic nettle roots… Tiny the cat has climbed onto my lap and is head-butting my writing hand… Cat’s bored now, gone to peruse the neighbouring allotment. The ancient nettles I’ve been tackling are at the furthest, lower corner of the allotment, close to my rhubarb and Jerusalem artichoke and encroaching into my bungalow-neighbour’s lawn along with thistles, teazles and bindweed. while I was working more over his side of the non-existent wire fence than my own I realised that I seem to be concerned with boundaries. I’m thinking that rather than working from the middle to the edge (and never getting there), I could work in reverse to establish good boundaries. By ‘good’ I mean friendly whilst clearly present. I’ve been upset this year by one of my neighbour’s ill-considered boundary matters and this has convinced me to take note of reasonable requests and act on them as soon as possible. This will include pruning my damson tree that disturbs a neighbours view of the hills as well as cutting back the trees and nettles from my side of the main path so that the allotmenteer who mows the path can get in closer to the wall.