December 2013 : IBC and other continued madness

Sunday 1st December 2013
Me and the lad went to do some more work on the IBC.  One of the committee members Harry told us we couldn't put it next to the fence - have you read your plot-holder agreement?  No, I just asked the other chap what I needed to do in installing the damn thing - make sure it's on a sturdy base, make sure it doesn't infringe a path or cast a shadow and make sure it's connected to the shed roof.  Shame they waited four weeks before telling us to move the damn thing.  So dug out a base and we've put it at the front. It'll all be worth it when we've got 1200 litres of water going on I'm sure.

Sunday 8th December 2013
Cut some wood up for the front. got some guttering bits.  When Phil back from t'farm we got to the lotty and got back on the job.  Wind has made a right mess of other plots but I think we benefitted from the shelter of the hedge.  That said, it's twisted the shed enough to make it a pain to bolt the door and broken the two plastic chairs we had.  Have got a couple of wooden ones that I might bring down to the plot if the wife will let me.

We're almost there by end of the day.

Roof on, obligatory cup of tea and coffee in position

Need to replace seating in front of shed which we had to move to accommodate IBC

Still half the guttering to complete

Saturday 14th December 2013 / Sunday 15th December 2013
After golf had an hour of light to get guttering fixed.  Which we did.  Also had a couple of hours weeding and digging.  This bit in the picture below was full of thistles and some stringy weedy tat.  Filled two fertilizer bags with weeds and single dug from middle to the border.  Technically speaking I ought to the other half to nearest to the camera but it's nicely mulched with manure so could leave it if time doesn't allow.

We lost the bosses throne when we had to move the IBC but we've reinstated it now!

The missus' throne re-established

The guttering has been tweaked a bit but should work well.

The IBC tank is now fully commissioned - need to fill that 3.75" gap on the front but other than that it's done now.  We've re-routed the guttering to drop water from shed roof to roof of IBC which will hopefully fill up over winter. 

Had a look at the plot on Google Maps' aerial pictures.  When they passed over it i.e. before we got it and probably a good while before the previous owner left it to go to seed it looked like it was in good shape (our plot is the one under the white dot):-

Sunday 22nd December 2013

Wet and horrible but had a quick trip to lotty to see how much water in IBC.  I reckon there's between and 100 litres in first week.  

Water level so far.

In context of whole IBC 

Saturday 28th December 2013
Quick vist to lotty to measure up the little gap.  9.8cm x 98 cm it was so cut a bit of wood for it when got home.

Water level has now got to first horizontal bar so coming along nicely.

Sunday 29th December 2013
Up to lotty for about 10am.  Frosty morning and was first one on.  As ground was a bit hard I got all the bags of weeds accumulated over last few weeks down to car to take to recycling centre. 

Fitted the final piece of wood to the IBC housing so that's as good as we can get it I reckon.  I've made it so that it can be taken out to check on water-level.   I also finished off the missus' throne as Phil had only put one piece of wood under the three planks that make the base.  Have put a load of pots and seed trays in there to tidy the place up a bit.  Pleased with how it's coming on. 

Also took the cover off the little mini-greenhouse so it wouldn't get totally buggered with the damn wind.  I've decided it's going to stand just to the left of the shed facing South'ish.  Am going to get two posts banged into ground to tether it to and might also use a slab to anchor it down. 

Spent last couple of hours digging the other half at the bottom of the plot so that part's all dug over now.  Still need to weed and do the bit at the top but keep on chipping away at it all. 

November - planning and building and stuff

Friday 1st November  2013
Day off work.  Went to allotment in between the rain - took a 3x3 metre squared frame.  Did a bit of digging - got very rained on.  Such is life.

Saturday 2nd November 2013
Went with Phil to bring back some of the paving slabs.

Sunday 3rd November 2013
Again, a trip to get more paving slabs - almost there.  Note to self - 2 x 2' is more than big enough for paving slabs.  3 x 2' are not manageable.   Fetched the bottom of the IBC for Phil to do some construction work on the base with.

Sunday 17th November 2013
Tired after last night's gig but today is IBC base setup day so we transported two 3 x 2' slabs and the pre constructed base in two parts in the missus' zaffy to the allotment.  Using the recently purchased garden cart we got it all up in four trips.   We dug out the base, checked it with the spirit level and put the two slabs down and then the base went on top of that.

Base on two 3x2' slabs that are perhaps a fraction small, really.

IBC tank in place - still work to be done though.

We still need to box it all in to prevent Algae and then plumb it in to get water off the roof. 

October 2013

I think this will be a month of tidying away, digging and possibly planting a few broad beans in cold frame - we'll see.   Am going to take down the bean poles and put them away if I can as apparently they'll rot if left out over winter.  The good thing about that is that it'll enable me to get the damn weeds out and to get a ton of manure in the ground for next year.

1st October 2013
Popped to allotment to have a quick look about and get a few raspberries for the missus - nearly at the end of them now, unfortunately but we've had plenty so mustn't complain - not bad for a fiver up til the end of the year!!

Saturday 5th October 2013
Got up there about 9am, got five barrows of muck up to the plot.  Phil rang wanting his breakfast so picked some more raspberries and then went to fetch it for him.  Swine.

Sunday 6th October 2013
Went to show me mum and dad the allotment. Took the bean poles down, they're two big for the shed so am going to have to cover them up somehow I reckon.  No bother with Phil's rechargeable screwdriver - note to self for next year!  Dug most of the weeds out from under the beanpoles.  Still plenty more to dig out up to the little herb thang.  All coming along nicely.  Pulled up two of the finished courgette plants.  Still more of them buggers coming though.

Monday 7th October 2013
Left work at 5:05, got to the lotty at about 5:50, got into overalls and wellies and got busy.  Spread muck onto top bit of plot from the bean rack area down to level with bottom of raspbobs - it's going to take a ruddy large amount of muck and no mistake.  Pulled up a load of weeds as well and bagged em up.

Looking down the plot -

Tuesday 8th October 2013
Got away half an hour early as was in office at 8am.  Dug all the weeds out of the area that had the brassicas in it when we got the plot.  Also spread some more manure out of a bag that was left behind by previous owners, did a bit of measuring,  Dug some more of the weeds out of the bottom of the plot too.    Have cut the raspberry canes that I'd put in the tub down to 6" I'm sure they're autumn fruiting Raspberries so really should cut them in February however I've read that cutting them now means you might get an early crop so let's see!   I might cut half the rapsberries down to 6" when they've finished which must surely be sometime soon then leave the rest until spring.

Just see the bit where the brassicas were in the foreground - that's all dug over now hopefully won't need to be treading on it again until next year now.

I measured the width of the bean row i.e. the distance between left hand edge and the raspberry jungle - it's about 12'5 foot so could easily fit the two metre squared frames between the row and herb planter thing in front of the shed.  Theres' a bit more work to be done weeding that area first though and I've put Rhubarb in there so that could be a problem.  It's a good little sheltered spot though so am thinking strawberries and sweetcorn up there. 

Planning 
Am reading Titmarsh's book on Kitchen Gardening which talks about planning when stuff will come out and what will go in next.  It's way more complicated then I'd thought! So am going to get a list of everything I'm going to grow and work out when it goes in and when it comes out.   I'm replanning the crop rotation again as have got manure  in one of the spots that I was going to put root crops in.  So am going to sort out the bit where the courgettes are and the bit where the brassicas were and that bit will be for root crops next year.  

Tuesday 15th October 2013
Whizzed home from work then got another load of raspberries and some courgettes - as the boss don't want em I've put em in a box in the kitchen at work  so at least someone is having 'em and they're not going to waste - there's still a few left. 

Wednesday 16th October 2013
Not the allotment exactly but my mum and dad have dropped off a load of Uncle Peter's old garden tools so I've now got another spade, rake, hoe, dutch hoe, potato fork(!) and an old saw.  I think they'll stay at home and get taken down to the lotty as and when unless I can make a secure store in the little shed.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this week have started running three miles again every morning and am taking a slight detour to the Allotment car park to see if any more muck has been delivered am beginning to wish I'd done a few more barrows full but such is life.

Sunday 20th October 2013
My wonderful son (don't say that often enough!) has only got me an IBC from the farm he works at. An Intermediate Bulk Container is a massive plastic tank in a metal cage and will hold 1,000 litres of water when full and weigh about a ton.  So going to need a clever base I think. The good news is that it fits nicely at the back of the shed and if can get it high enough should have enough pressure to hose pipe water to the bottom of the plot in summer.

Have also started planning the plot with assistance of Phil Siddall using Suttons Vegetable Garden planner (see http://gardenplanner.suttons.co.uk)   Phil has planned how it's going to all work but I'm going to point to some other online plans for his reference!

Sunday 27th October 2013
Didn't get to Allotment but started getting some bits and pieces done in preparation.  Emptied one of the meter squared which will be going to the lotty in due course.  Also emptied another of the tubs that had strawberries in it during summer.  This might well be on it's way to the allotment soon!   I emptied the tumbler composter and it's made some really nice stuff - should have been more on the boil with it really.

So have started loading it up with some fresh gubbins for next year.

September 2013 - Off we go!

Got an Allotment now get it cleared up!

On Friday 6th September I received a call from the membership secretary Lindsay that I'd got an allotment (we'd been on the waiting list since March so was taken by surprise a little bit).

On Sunday 8th September 2013 I went down to the allotments to meet her for a sort of induction and also met secretary John Scott (who will send me letters if I don't keep the weeds down and the plot well manured!!)  Anyway had a look at the plot and realised a lot of work needs to be done.  So set about clearing it that morning.  The previous holder had let it go to seed pretty much but we got a couple of buckets of spuds and quite a lot of raspberries overall so for the £5 up to the end of the year we have definitely got value for money I reckons!

A few(!) raspberries on the plot - Sunday 8th September 2013

Me shed - complete with wise old owl!

We got a shed with the plot and had to send the previous plot-holder £60 to cover the cost.  Even here we did okay as the shed had some tools, pots, cups, a great big book by Alan Titmarsh called the Cottage Gardener.  Have moved some of my junk down from home into the shed as well so all's working out nicely.

The plot as of 14th September - clearing the crud away

Have measured up the main growing area as being 42' x 18' (can't remember what it was supposed to be but this is what it is).  The raspberries will be staying but pretty much everything else will be coming out over time.  There's also a raised bed that had spuds in it between my shed (one on the right and the next door neighbour's shed) probably about 6' x 2' I reckon.


There's a raspberry bush in the foreground of the picture above (another shot below).  Am going to dig that out and put it in a tub near the shed at some point soon so I've got a clear run for rows or squares or whatever I decide to do in the end.

22nd September 2013 - brassicas cleared for the most part - netting to go next. 

22nd September after doing the morning training run (6 miles) I went down the allotment on a lovely morning for an hour or so.  Cleared the netted off brassicas just leaving some celery to come out when missus is ready for it.  Got another punnet of raspberries and a couple of courgettes to take away - there's still a few more raspberries to be had and some courgettes.

Going to be the odd courgette to be had as well.

This raspberry plant is in a bad spot in my view - it's going to go in a big tub near shed I reckon.




24th September 2013 - Raspberry plant rehomed - tub looks small but it's about 100 litres so plenty big enough

24th September - Front of the plot is now totally clear (well a bit of weeding to do but clearer in anybody's book)

Pics on 24th September were about 6:45 - it was dark half an hour later.  Hate this time of year.

Saturday 28th September 2013
Couple of hours on the allotment.  Down there for about 8:20, one other car in the car park but didn't see anyone.

Saw this lovely little allotment - all flowers - very pretty.

 This is what ten wheelbarrows of well rotted manure looks like!

Took the netting that was around the brassicas down - pulled up the celery too so it's now ready for weeding next

After hauling ten wheelbarrows of manure up to the plot I picked another tub of raspberries, pulled up the celery and took another three courgettes off.  All good fun.