gale-force glazing

It’s Bank Holiday Monday and I have decided to spend most of the day at the allotment rather than at the nearby college that my partner works at where there is a Festival with thousands of people attending. I have dutifully done some gardening there in preparation, given some people bed and breakfast and baked a cake for the college committee so I don’t feel too guilty.

It is extremely windy here today. I opened the door of my shed and one of the big panes of glass began flapping, my glazing skills leave a great deal to be desired. I rushed outside with a hammer and some tacks and have managed to salvage the situation before the glass blew right out as was the fate of its predecessor.

I haven’t been here for a couple of weeks apart from calling to water seedlings and harvest rhubarb and herbs so there is much to be done. My neighbour who I’ve planted beans for hailed me and asked if I’ve been away in Cornwall. He summoned me to ‘come and see your handy-work’. Most of the bean seeds I planted are now visible and looking strong despite the dry, windy and frosty weather, so he is happy.

Saturday 31st May

Consulted with allotment neighbour and decided to plant out half my tomatoes, chillies, basil, fennel and coriander seedlings. I weeded rocket beds and plan to plant lettuce in 2nd rocket bed in the gaps and brassicas next to the fennel thus leaving my seedbed free for squashes when they’re ready. Finished digging runner bean bed, 2 rowsx8canes- 2 seeds per cane, my own seed from 2 years ago and homemade compost. Re-sowed French beans, only one each of blue and red survived. Sowed more peas, Norli, where older seeds failed to germinate.

the process of letting go gradually

Monday 5th May

On Saturday I told one of the allotmenteers that I will be handing over my allotment tenancy mid August. Yesterday one of my friends called for a cup of tea and asked about it – it seems a group of her friends, living nearby, on hearing that we’re leaving, would like to take it on. I’m asking myself why this feels uncomfortable and I’m thinking it’s because letting go is a painful though necessary process.

The pair of robins that usually appear when I’m digging are inspecting the patch I’ve just turned over and there’s a big fat bee sucking on my blackcurrant flowers.

I’d planned to be here all day yesterday but it rained incessantly all day, as a result today is moist and misty but warm, very warm in comparison to recent weather – there was a frost last week.

Letting go seems to be my current theme, the hardest of all being the death of my friend in Cornwall. However, the burial we organised in the corner of a friend’s field, in an adapted crate was I think what he’d have wanted. The only real expense was the cost of the Death Certificate, everything else was DIY, even to my friend collecting him from the mortuary in her landrover. Filling in the grave after he was placed into it by his friends was a profound priviledge.

Sunday 11th May

5pm – I’ve not been here long, it’s such a hot day I thought I wouldn’t survive digging through it. Now there is shade where I am digging for my runner bean bed. The ground is extremely dry though and hard, we could do with some rain.

A robin has just realised it’s my tea break and has dropped into where I’ve been digging for its usual snack.

After consulting with various neighbours, allotment and otherwise, I went to see the allotment landlord to talk about my handing over the plot. We discussed it being divided and I gave him the names of some of the people who’ve expressed an interest. He said he has more of a list than usual, which he puts down to people being concerned about the rising cost of food. He suggested I don’t hand over until 29th September as this marks the half-year of my tenancy and that since my rent is paid until March I’d be entitled to keep it until then and thus benefit from the harvest. He also suggested I could mark out a section to keep until it’s convenient to move out. This had me thinking and I’m going to suggest that the plot is divided into three and that I keep the middle third for the time being, justified by two daughters and my parents being nearby and whom I will be regularly visiting. I will then relinquish it if or when it becomes burdensome. If my landlord agrees to this proposition I will keep my shed here after all.

Monday 19th May

There’s reading and writing to be done, let alone sorting and clearing for our move in August. So I’m here just to touch base, water the in-shed seedlings and my neighbours, discuss this morning’s frost with the man I’ve planted runner beans for and document photographically what’s been going on here. So, it’s quite an objective, detached response today.

rethinking the plan

Time to reconsider my planting plan. I have just finished digging a bed that I intended for peas. However, I am very behind with my digging due to four visits to Cornwall since Easter. I think I am going to plant less of each crop and then use each bed for at least two crops instead of one. So, my pea bed can double as peas and French beans perhaps, or peas and sweetcorn.

My sweet peas seem to have been a complete disaster, not one germinated. So, I’m thinking instead of having something edible growing up the fence, I’m not sure what just yet, possibly climbing courgettes.