We spent three hours at the allotment today and everything seemed to be really hard going. The weather is not helping with the battle of the weeds, it's perfect conditions for them to thrive.
I've covered quite a lot of land with black sheeting and carpet pieces today. Did a bit of weeding which was backbreaking and took ages but appeared to have no effect!
I planted out the leeks in cross cut holes in black sheeting. I used the no-dig method and protected them with cut up plastic bottles for makeshift cloches.
I've prepared some more ground to do the same kind of thing with the brassicas but the ground is much harder so I'm not sure how possible it's going to be without a major digging session (which I don't have the time or energy for). I'm also still waiting for my brassica collars to arrive, hope the plants will hold out til I've worked it all out.
I'm pleased with what I've achieved today but arriving home covered in mud, rain soaked to my underwear, stinking of leeks and covered with cuts and bruises, (not to mention a sore back) my morale for the entire project is pretty low. Maybe I'm just tired but I feel like I need some help! Is it bad form to employ a gardener to work on your allotment? I don't want someone to do it all for me, I just want some help to make some inroads.
I listened to a radio show today about sustainability and food miles etc. which I enjoyed (this may be in the news, I don't watch it so I don't know!). It was suggested that we should go back to a war time diet and only eat what we can sustainably grow in our own country. The show lifted my spirits and made me feel like I'm moving in a direction I want to be in. I can't usually afford principles on our meagre budget but this seems to be something attainable. The more we delve into the world of gardening, the more we tend to eat seasonally. I do wish we could find a veggie box scheme in the area that is actually grown locally and doesn't cost the earth, to supplement what we grow - the ones I've tried so far have either been overpriced or contain items that have travelled further than the supermarket produce (tomatoes from Argentina kind of go against our reason for investing)!
I'm rambling now so shall sign off and hope that tomorrow brings renewed enthusiasm and energy.
If you can afford to have someone come out for a couple of days and do the 'grunt' work--I'd go for it. There is nothing wrong with paying experts to do what they are good at. (I used that line on Michael alot during our build!)
ReplyDeleteIt isn't easy, but it is rewarding! We used a courgette and an onion from our garden for dinner today--only 2 out of the 6 ingredients--but every bit helps!
It is hard I work, but very satisfying later when the callouses on your hands have calmed down and you can stand up straight again.
ReplyDeleteleeks....yum. the ultimate soup veggie!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better!!!
We try to stick to local and seasonal too. I'm hoping for an allotment one day too to supplement the output from our postage stamp sized garden veggie plot :)
ReplyDeleteGarden work is so satisfying.