Couch Grass Craziness

If you want a challenge get an allotment.

Here is our new plot, ready to accept our eagerness and hopefulness. 

The first view we had was in the snow and at a temperature of -8 degrees. So first impressions where not too bad, the snow was covering the detail.

Once the snow had melted the enormous task was exposed for us to see. Thank goodness we have only a half-plot!

The site is cleared using a mattock, shovel and rake. This was started at the end of March. Because the allotment is a the bottom of the hill it is the last to drain and we are last to start work. There are plenty of theories regarding the clearing of overgrown land. I am going for the digging method, mainly because long term it is the best thing to do (the guy next to me is going for raised beds - easy but the couch grass is still there).

First dig exposes the arch enemy - couch grass. If binds the clay soil together and makes digging very difficult. It will be hard to eradicate. I pull out as much as I can.

First dig done. Back broken. The plot is marked out and we have begun!

The warm April weather has got the wildlife going, this newt called in to see me!

Trust

Why don't people trust politicians?

Why don't anyone trust the banks?

Why don't I believe anything I read in the papers?

Credibility and trust have to be earned and we could be living in an age where no one in the public eye can ever be believed again. Possibly everything you view or experience in the media and public life is distorted with mistrust and cynicism.

Why is this?

Have we been badly let down? Are we all so insecure?

Today I had a knock on the door from a man who was hoping to be our next councillor. Very nice man, member of the conservative party. I had to try really hard not to be cynical and confrontational. Because he is a conservative politician I forgot about the person underneath. He carried all the baggage to be had with the role of a 'politician'. We spoke about proportional representation and away he went. He was a very nice chap, well spoken - but did I believe him? Would I trust him?

That is the challenge facing all politicians and people in the public eye. How to engage people enough for them to forget the cynical view that they are selfish and they are only 'in it for themselves'.

A Random Allotment?

Sorry about the gap between blogs!

I have no excuse, but random stuff occurs and I need time to deal with it.

The new bathroom is complete (I should have bogged it), the coalition spending cuts are biting (I feel a blog coming on), Christmas is out the way and work is - well - work (I'm NOT going to blog it).

So - as you can tell from the title I have an allotment. There are loads of blogs out there on allotments and how to do them etc. Well, I can tell you now that this blog and many blogs to follow will be progress blogs - and it will be slow progress, this is a long term project.

Let me start by letting you know who is involved in the allotment. The labourers are my wife Alison and myself. Lots of exercise and fresh air for us both from now on.

We were informed of the availability of the allotment by letter from the council on the 22nd December 2010. I had been on the allotment waiting list for two and a half years.

We eagerly accepted the plot 51a on Doctors Lane, Melton Mowbray and took a look at our new domain (diagram below).

Plot 51a

The allotment (red arrow, picture below) is a short walk from our house (A), very handy. The position is at the bottom of a hill, so it is the last to drain on the site, there is stream on the left in the diagram. North is at the top of diagram, so the sun rises on the right and sets on the left - good sun all day.

First impressions were not good. It is extremely overgrown, mainly with couch grass, dot and a bramble or two. I would say nothing has been grown on it for many years. 

So.....the hard work has started, turning this untouched patch into a manageable vegetable plot is underway! 

Why an allotment? Why not? The challenge is massive and the results will always be random. Some things we do will work, most will not. This will make it very rewarding when the produce begins to hit the dining room table.