Progress to date

Everything is looking healthy so far!


Today's task was to mark out the salad patch, rear left of the allotment (which will eventually have the shed in the corner). First to mark out the beds and paths.  A quick call into Homebase but they were out of small bamboo canes, in fact anything under 6 ft so we needed a Plan B, only needing small markers, but having used every spare stick on the farm.  Pondering the dilemma on the way to the door I noticed bargain packs of wooden pencils - £1 for 20 - unsharpened, with gold ends and pink rubbers on the top. Natural but standing out from the earth they were perfect for little marking sticks when put with our cheap pink ribbon, the type florists use.  We have literally miles left from our shops - I knew I would find a use for it eventually.  
Marking out beds before digging is an excellent idea as it is easier to dig a nine foot bed , several times than a 36 foot bed,  psychologically at least!

Looks a little like a bad tennis court!

Field of dreams - well patch of corn!

The sweetcorn and garlic are planted.  I am told that the corn was exceptional last year - succulent and sweet enough to eat raw apparently.  So this is only the start of the patch - we are definitely going to plant more.  Remember, they have to be planted in a block to allow fertilisation, not in rows.  The block should be all of the same variety to avoid cross pollination - woops.  Perhaps the rest of the block will have to be elsewhere on the plot or maybe we will just take pot luck!

It even has a window on the one side and a door on the other
- all the mod cons!

We are delighted that we have negotiated with our neighbour to buy her shed, kit and cabodle and will soon move it to our plot.  This is the one which appears in the back of several of our pictures.  It is beautiful set up, with guttering and water butt, even some of the slabs.
It's all coming together!