Pulling down the curtain

This blog never really got going. I discovered a gardening social media site and have attempted to record allotment activities there. Instead of this blog I am starting a new blog covering my thoughts about being a person who is or has interacted with the medical system. See my blog recording my experience of cancer to see where I a coming from and ePatient—the Empowerd Patient which attempts to develop a new model to describe the way that people interact with the medical system

Further Developments

I've been busy professionally the last few weeks, including a trip to the States over a weekend! However, I have started to prepare to build a shed, which will bring the development of this plot to a close. So far I have created a 6 ft by 6ft frame with geo-textile in the bottom. It's about 9 inches deep ad I will pack it with ballast to make the hard-standing on which to put the shed. I've been lucky to find that a local supplier (Wood Direct) has a shed built for another customer who then decided he needed something bigger, so I have got a good price. I'll get the ballast and the shed delivered this weekend and hopefully get it constructed on Saturday and Sunday, although I have a deadline to met on Sunday. However, I share Douglas Adams's view on deadlines, so who knows.

The parsnips are this year's success story for me, although my brother-in-law, a plot holder in Porthcawl, reckons that they've been a disaster down there. I'm pulling them at over 2ft long and mostly unforked. The secret seems to be to sow them three at a time in toilet roll inners using a very weak compost, wait until roots are showing at the bottom of the tube and single them down. Then plant out the whole assemblage.

At home I'm chitting some broad beans. Once the shoot is showing I will sow them into toilet roll tubes, as above but the compost doesn't need to be weak. I'll plant them out, protected from the wood pigeons when they have 4 true leaves.

The courettes are pretty much over but, as ever, several made it to marrow-hood and I have 2Kg in chunks sitting in a bowl covered in salt to make my favourite Marrow & Ginger Chutney.

Pontcanna Pemanent Allotment Plot 153a

An allotment is a small plot of publicly owned land that let to a gardener usually to grow families or other crops for his or her own use. The rent is generally quite low so it is a really good option for obtaining a plot of land. Allotments started in Victorian times as may moved from the country into the cities; it was a way to ensure that event he poorest had fresh food to eat. Allotments played an important part in keeping Britain fed in the Second World War and now being seen as a way of reducing food miles, ensuring people eat well and stay fit through exercise.

View Larger Map

My allotment can be seen alongside Western Avenue in Cardiff. The shot was taken at least two years ago. We now have a total of 6 beds, with three more nearer the road form the obvious three in the aerial photograph.

I've started this blog now because in some ways another cycle is starting. Summer is over, most of the crops are in and we are beginning to ready things for next spring, when the action will really start.

six beds means a six bed rotation system which I am still working out.