A Lottie update

I thought after my rant on twitter at tea time that it was about time for another Lottie update on here. That way when I'm fed up and feel like I am achieving nothing down the allotment I can look and see that actually, I am.

I totally forgot how therapeutic it can be to get stuck in down there, without a child shouting my name, no-one wanting anything and a hour or two to get my head straight. Will be doing a lot more visits on a night once the hubby is in and fed I think...

It's my father in laws memorial day tomorrow, 3 years since he died and I was pleased I went down and had somewhere to think and remember all the nice times without getting upset or feeling like I'm going to get anyone else upset. I could tell it was on my mind lately and like I say it's very therapeutic down there, I feel so much better.

I thought that I'd take as many pics of what I have in down there at the minute so I can actually see whats what, I think I've surprised myself by how much there actually is.

I took a lot of it down with me today though and put it out (in the rain) while I could.

My dad took me down a few weeks back and showed me how to hoe properly, I was using it as though I was turning the whole plot over and I was shattered and fed up every time I started. I have been doing it the way my dad showed me each time I've had 10 minutes to pop down and apart from the paths it's made a huge difference. So that was a nice surprise when I got down as I was expecting a jungle.

Anyway here are my pics from today, of me and my Lottie...

The Lottie as I left it, one day we might get a dry day so I can weed kill the paths!!

My potatoes are looking fab. They are Desiree (red skins)

Rhubarb has obviously enjoyed all the rain.

Raspberries wont be long now...

Or the strawberries for that matter.

Apples coming...

Still a little hard and sour, will wait a while longer for the gooseberries.

Blackcurrants are on the turn.

I planted out a courgette plant. We put 4 in last year and were over run with them so only sown one this year.

Butternut squash also went out today. x2

oh and the kid's pumpkins.

I put out some popcorn and sweetcorn.

Made a wigwam for the runner beans, also manured deep under where they are planted.

Peas sown in the greenhouse as the mice got the sown direct lot, so they've been put out tonight.

My first ever broad beans. This is the first year I've even grown/sown them.

Brassicas. the weeds have been hoed but look awful. I have Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, cabbage, red cabbage, curly kale, broccoli and swedes.

Leeks have taken well.

Sage looks pretty.

Jessie's sweet peas are starting to climb.

Made new 'friends' down on the allotment...

My Favourite garden centre opened this week, with the winter vegetables all ready for me and my trolley, however I needed somewhere to put them once I got them...

I had a section of the lottie where my dad had put some lettuce and cabbage, but there was loads of room there and it seemed perfect so I started to get it cleared (between coffee's on the neighbouring plot and much idle gossip about the 3 new tenants on the plots this month). The lettuce and cabbage that had gone over I decided to put into bags for Les to take to the tip for the council's recycling as my compost heap is overflowing at the minute. It was during one of my chats that Kevin, one of my neighbours noticed the bags, he told me I'd make friends for life if I tipped them over the fence that runs along both his and my allotment.....

so I did....look who came running.....




And I do mean RUNNING! From the first thud, the heads shot up and they ran at my fence, I half jumped and hoped and prayed that they'd stop in time..

I've got to say, I'm over the moon with my new recyclers, they seem to be quite happy too :)



Although one of them seems to be a little over friendly, My phone got a lovely lick as I took pictures... you can imagine the noise they made too as I walked away.



Apparently I should look forward to a visit each time I'm down from now on, waiting for an old cabbage or cauliflower. Well it could be worse I suppose. And I have a lovely clear plot ready for my winter vegetables. :)

Had a lottie wobble....

Wasn't a good lottie day yesterday, I went down full of good intentions. The sun was shining, my housework was done and I had no children until 3:15pm. The allotment was calling. The weather has been so wet lately that the most I've managed has been the odd trip here and there.
I planned to move my strawberry plants, put some PSB out and make room for some more leeks I'd been given (I've got LOADS). I spent 2hrs15mins weeding, mainly chickweed etc but it was so dis-heartening. Everywhere I turned there was more of the stuff, grrr. I started to doubt myself, wondering if maybe I'd made a mistake taking on a full sized plot myself, afterall Les has no interest so I can't rely on him to help out. It was horrible, the first time I'd been down there and not been completely relaxed and enjoyed myself. :(
After the weeding was done, I had 20minutes to have a wander and really look at the place, to really look at what I have achieved in the last few months. To remember the homecooked, homegrown meals we've had, that are 100% down to me. It was like a switch flicking, I thought s** you, chickweed, your not getting the better of me, this is my allotment, my peace and quiet and my way of life and your not getting the better of me! I took home some french beans, broccoli, carrots, cabbage and turnip, put a Gammon joint in to roast and the whole thing was forgotten.
So that was it, my first lottie wobble, it might be the first but no doubt it wont be the last.... so until the next time.....

(Not so) Rotten Raspberries

I've hit a glut...of raspberries. I have so many they are coming out my ears, (not literally.) Each time I pop down I'm greeted with the sight of hundreds of ripe raspberries waiting to be picked. Our resident scarecrow, Charlotte seems to be doing her job well because the birds are coming no-where near them. It takes me at least 45minutes each visit just to get the rasps harvested.

They are so worth it though, sweet and ripe, yum, they are devine. I went to the lottie last night for a quick look around while Jessie was at her Gymnastics lesson. Me and my 7 year old son Daniel went down. I thought I'd show him how to check if the rasps were ripe and he could help me with the harvesting..... he's now known as 'Dan, the fastest raspberry muncher in the North East'. He tells me that he did put 5 of them in the basket though, however as last nights harvest came in at just under 1kilo, somehow I dont think he got the idea fully :)

So now I'm looking for rasperry recipes, any ideas or links would be fully appreciated, I dont just want to go down the jam route, although I probably will. I have 4lb of them in the freezer, I gave 1 1/2lb to my mam and dad and another 1/2lb to my friend. I'd say there are at least another 2-3lb waiting to ripen up, so as I say any ideas would be greatly appreciated :)

Right, off to pester google, for some more.....raspberry recipes.....

Borrowed weeders and whistling tea pots....

Thought it was about time I did another blog post....





I am getting a good harvest with every visit to the lottie at the minute, things are looking good :)

I made my first ever Jam, blackcurrant, it's been a great hit with the family and I got 4 jars, (2 large and 2 small) from 2 blackcurrant bushes.






Everything has shot up lately probably due to all of the nice weather we've been having.




Jessie is over the moon that her sunflowers have shot up and are actually taller than she is now!




Her flowers are looking good too.

We've been having fun with Janet and David's chickens (the plot holders next to us) they have loaned us a run, trusted us with a key and shown us how to pick up the chickens and get them onto our plot and back. They have been doing a great job on the chickweed and digging over the patch for the winter/spring veg. Jessie likes the white one best, she says it pulls funny faces and dances hehe...

Everything else on the plot is practically working itself, a good hoeing and watering and it tends to itself really.


Also, I bought myself a gas stove and whistling kettle to keep in the shed, no more nippy fingers in the autumn/spring, just nice hot coffee. I so can't wait to get it going!!


Ohhhhh, I almost forgot, I got an awesome complitment on the lottie the other day, a lady walked past as I was putting the french marigolds in and stopped me to say how well it was all looking, and that she always stops to look as it's her favourite plot :) I was over the moon.




Sorry the pics are a bit muddled, they won't sort out propperly for some unknown reason, perhaps I wont leave it so long next time...