Progress so far

I thought it might be interesting to give you an idea of how the plot has evolved since we took it over in November 2012.

As you can see from the photograph below, the plot was covered in long grass, docks, and brambles. There were no existing buildings, just a few rotten scaffold boards to denote old bed edges, and an overgrown rhubarb patch.

When we started to look more closely we realised that the weeds were the least of our problems! There were up to three layers of carpet on the majority of the plot, which had been down so long the grass was growing on top like a lawn. Amongst the other rubbish we have since uncovered was a ton of broken glass, buried bricks and even a bag of gnome heads!

We slowly plodded along last year, clearing areas for beds and making use of the free bark chippings left in the car park by the friendly tree surgeon for paths, and planting fruit bushes including raspberries, strawberries, and a mature gooseberry bush rescued from a fellow allotmenteers fire pile. We also moved the shed from our backyard, which then blew away in the severe winds this winter, so we replaced it with a more sturdy version liberated from a friends garden.

After several trips to the tip, many hot baths and hundreds of cups of Earl Grey, last week we could finally say that we had finished digging! As the photo below shows, we really have come along way since that first November day.

And the best news is that those fruit bushes that we planted in the first year are already beginning to bear fruit. The gooseberry bush is covered in mini fruits, the raspberry canes are growing taller every day and as for the strawberries, after the incredibly mild winter we have had, tonight I spotted the first flower! A sign of things to come I hope.