Lotty Tunnel

Put a tunnel on the plot to extend and enhance the growing season. Beds inside are no dig, mulched with compost.

Built a bench from salvaged wood.

Mulching Complete

The whole plot's finally mulched and ready for the new season. 

No Dig Allotment is taking shape

Still a fair way to go but the plot's looking good (probably only 20% left to cover). 
An allotment neighbour enlightened me with his pearl of wisdom that no-dig gardening is lazy and only for idle gardeners. Haven't a clue how many barrow loads I've trundled up from the car park to date but I'd estimate it could maybe take another 150. 


The most recent fresh green mulch is already turning brown. 

Compost for covering beds

Compost from the 12x6 bay is ready. Six weeks back I started adding new material at one end to draw the brandling worms, no point exporting compost worms to the beds.

Rich brown and crumbly.

Green mulch for paths

Over the last couple of weeks I've been busy barrowing wood chips. According to Google Earth it's 330 metres to the car park (660m round trip), yesterday I made fourteen trips making it 9,240 meters or 5.75 miles. The uphill return journey with a full barrow seemed to get heavier each time. The most recent delivery to the site was very green and mainly Leylandii but it's covered pathways between beds.

Not covered the red cabbage bed yet (obviously) but the cabbages are starting to heart up nicely. Difficult to see in the photo but a plastic bottle swinging from a bendy tent pole is so far keeping the pigeons at bay.

Tea Shed painted

Door end of the tea shed was taking on water so needed an oil-based paint to get into the wood grain. We mixed this from old tins of cream and black and added soot to dull the gloss.

Compost

Beetroot did really well this year so any with slug damage contribute to the compost heap.




Back in the summer the 12x6 bay was well above the sides.