Growing what we can, where we can!

We used to have an allotment. We loved our allotment, it was a lovely retreat for us after a hard working week. It was quiet and peaceful and still. Bliss. The only thing is we had a rather large plot, far too big for us really. 

When we took it on it was totally covered in weeds and we took it on in the spring so we had our work cut out just preparing the ground before we could even start planting. I will show you what I mean.

This is the state of neglect that we took the allotment on. In hindsight it was too big a job to take on really!

Here we go then, begining the "big Dig"

It seemed to be that we took the allotment on at the wettest time imaginable and every opportunity we got to get down there, it was raining. 

We are getting there - one strip cleared.

Looking good. Now this was only the bottom half of the allotment and as you can see 2/3rds now clear!

Sufficed to say, the weeds took over and we lost the battle. It was not long after that we were asked to leave as we were not keeping the allotment to the standard required. It is a shame and in some ways we miss it greatly but in other ways it was quite a burden and it became more of a chore “having” to go there all the time and the house suffered and our quiet retreat became an errand which is not good.

Top half of the allotment taken from the bottom half. As you can see we were loosing the weed battle!

 

Our idyll, is to have a house with a big enough garden to be able to plant our veggies and do our bit there. We are not talking “The Good Life” kind of drastic by digging up the whole garden, not at all. Well hang on maybe. I could see myself doing that actually. OK let’s wait and see!

Anyway, our house is up for sale, we hope to move soon. In the meantime we are compromising between growing a few veggies and herbs but still keeping the house and garden in an OK enough state for house viewings. We don’t want potential buyers who do not share the same interests as us being put off by it all.

We have stuff hidden all over the place. Herbs are the easiest as they smell so nice and look pretty so we have them outside the front door in a nice border and in pots all over the back garden. Of course it is even harder for us, having four small fluffies who are very partial to the herbs and veg. We have to be careful where we put things. 

Out the front in the shrub bed, Jon has made a discreet little clearing that you can’t really see from the road and planting in there is spuds and lettuce in between the spuds. He was so sneaky I didn’t know he had done it, he actually had to make a point of showing me!

The sneaky pots hidden next to the drive in the shrub bed!

We have stuff in pots everywhere we possibly can. This year it is going to be a case of making do with what and where we can and just hope that next year we are in a new house with land that we can do more with. Fingers crossed. Of course I will keep you updated with veggie growing and with house selling!

I saw this photo on Facebook and thing it is a fabulous idea for those like us with not a lot of space!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eco-Village-International-Network/107895505948237

 

 

 

 

Want to grow a salad garden but have no room? Try gutters! Affix them to a fence, slope them for drainage, and voila!