Giving Up Plot 1A

Up to now this was my kingdom that I named "Avalon". A very kind plot neighbours Adamos & Sarah who lived in the flats behind my two plots, used to take annual photographs from their 4th floor flat balcony for me. 

That stopped when they migrated back to Lithuania to buy a plot of land and build an off grid homestead. Tragically Adamos who was a thrill seeker & stuntman died whilst ice diving in a river in 2025 leaving behind Sarah and their three young children.  

I originally took on the left side of these two plots (Plot 1A) in 2012 and worked it and got it completed and recovered from nature and the bindweed from 2012 to 2017. In 2015 I got an additional half plot at Spencer Road Allotment, but then managed to negotiate a free car park install by the contractor building the Parchment Close estate in 2016 and in October 2017 I took on Plot 1 and gave up Spencer Road allotment in 2018.  

Click this link for the full History Of Mill Green Allotments

Here is a photograph taken because it had snowed in 2022, from before the Climbing Frame Greenhouse (CFG) and the All Gold Raspberry boundary beds were formed along the main path, but one can see that the four 600mm wide by 2.4m raspberry beds had been constructed.  

Here is a photograph from 15th July 2022 where one can see the infrastructure getting in however the top right corner had yet to be formed. The raspberry beds had not yet been constructed and the Climbing Frame greenhouse had not been formed in the corner framed by the path between the path between plot 1 and Plot 2 and the boundary beds on the main path didn't happen until 

I originally took on the left side of these two plots (Plot 1A) in 2012 and worked it and got it completed and recovered from nature and the bindweed from 2012 to 2015. In 2017 I got Plot 1 

Plot 1, what's shown in the photograph above is not up to date? 

I tried buying a cheap drone that didn't work. I tried to get someone with a drone to take aerial shots for me and they let me down so you don't see the Infrastructure changes on Plot 1 that I have made since getting my cancer and autoimmune disease that made me officially registered as "disabled". The raised beds I have been installing since 2024 as I'm no longer able to get down on my hands and knees to weed and sow at ground level. 

Getting back to the point of thus blog, there are things I need to remove or transfer from Plot 1A onto Plot 1 before I give the plot up on the last day of September 2026. 

It is with great sadness that I am giving up plot 1, but I have to be realistic in my capabilities and reduce my plot footprint and let someone who has the time to work plot 1A take it on.

Here is my To Do List for the next four months, once I can drive and walk again! before the 1st October 2026 

Grapevines - Take cuttings and try to propagate to grow on plot 1

HotBin Wormery - Empty and move to plot 1  

Leaf Cages - move cages and contents to plot 1

Compost Bins - empty and use for filling raised beds and possibly move a few Daleks onto plot 1 

Greenhouse - I was thinking of possibly moving to plot 1 but because of having to step in and out of it, which is now difficult and dangerous I decided to donate it to Wally as he is a mate and could do with replacing his tired polytunnel that need a new skin every couple of years. 

Garden Table & Bench - The Table my be useful on plot 1, however the bench is ole and I would not trust sitting on it these days.  

Comfrey Bocking 14 Bed - I need to take root cutting and form a new comfrey bed on plot 1 

Comfrey Pipes (two  number) - Possibly leave one for the new tenant and move one onto plot 1 . 

Netting & Hoops - Remove enough materials for me to use on Plot 1 and on my new home allotment plot of raised beds I'm currently building. Leave the remainder for the new tenant  

Weed Membrane Sheets - Remove what's required and leave some for new tenants 

Paving Blocks for holding down netting etc. - Move to plot 1 

Paving Slabs - Remove so that all paths on Plot 1 are paved and take excess home for the back garden allotment.  

Tall Boy Store - Remove from plot 1A onto Plot 1 or possibly to the Back Garden Allotment (BGA), I have a sentry box vertical store I made from the original 8ft x 6ft timber shed that I bought in 1992 that has seen better days. 

Shed - Remove contents and distribute else where.  

Bindweed - Trim back and remove as much as possible so not too bad for new tenant

Work still Needed On Plot 1 - Complete transforming the framed beds into raised beds

And finally, fore fill my duties as the Mill Green Allotment Site Rep and show my beloved Plot 1A to the next person on the waiting list, and hope they are going to be a nice neighbour and fit well into the great community we have going on at Mill Green Allotment.

Getting Ready For Scaffold Boards To Arrive

Last night Kelly and I slid the store from in front of the ratatan bench to the plastic bench at the back of the patio, so that when the scaffold boards arrive they can be stacked on the 3 timbers that are currently being supported 

So the 

5ft  x 6 number 

4ft x 24 number 

3ft x 16 number 

Scaffold boards will be spread along the three bearers like the two 4ft boards either end, in the photograph above  

Current state of play of the back garden allotment 

View up the first row 

View up the Second row 

The nine timber decking tiles bought over the weekend from B&Q

The New Keter Store It Out Max 1200L Polypropylene Garden storage - Grey currently selling for £136

It will go where the old bench store is that has a broken lid / seat.

UPDATE 

Due to mass congestion of traffic my scaffolding board delivery will now take place on Monday 15th and not late this afternoon. No worries, I'm not so mobile at the moment anyway. 

TEMU Garden Sale

Temu Website

Typical searches are:-

Oakland Gardens & Greenfingers Charity

  

Regular readers of manvslg.uk will recall that I was blown away to find out that we had won a Runners Up Prize in the 2026 Allotment Competition that Oakland Gardens have run in the £500 category allotments with 40 plots or less that ended on the 30th May 2026. 

I didn't know there was going to be a Runners Up Winner in each category. Now here is the thing, if we had won the first prize with 19 plot holders we would have had £26.31 each to spend, as it is with the £100 Runner-Up Win it equates to £5.26 voucher credit each.

We discussed the Oakland Gardens win on out allotment Whats App group and have decided that we would like to donate our £100 voucher to the Greenfingers Charity.

The charity aims to provide all life-limited children, their families, and carers, within their hospice, emotional support through the power and pleasure of nature.

They create beautiful, well-designed outdoor spaces for children to enjoy with their family, friends and siblings, whether through play and fun, or therapeutic rest and relaxation. 

Greenfingers Charity is driven by the belief that time spent outdoors, away from the bedside, can offer children and families under considerable stress a vital opportunity to embrace the benefits of being in the fresh air and engaging with the natural environment.

They are committed to creating specially designed, stimulating garden spaces that can bring many benefits to children with life-limiting conditions. Whilst many people may take for granted the simple pleasure of being able to enjoy a garden, for these children, their siblings and their families, the chance to spend time together outdoors and away from the bedside is precious.

I contacted Lee Ward of Oakland Gardens and they were more than happy for us to donate the £100 voucher to the Greenfingers Charity. 

I spoke to Linda Petrons the Director of Fundraising & Communications at the Greenfingers Charity about our donation, and the likelihood is that they will use it to get items to raffle at their forthcoming Summer Charity Event. 

I did suggest to Oakland Gardens that they may also like to donate some goods for the Greenfingers Charity Summer Event to help them raise funds.  

I do recommend that you sign up for the Oakland Gardens Newsletter so you receive notifications on news and special offers. 

This Link shows all posts featuring Oakland Gardens on manvslug.uk

This Link shows all posts featuring The Greenfingers Charity on manvslug.uk 

The Kindness Of Plot Neighbours

 

It's not always been the case, in the past we had a couple of plot holders who caused lots of trouble and fell out with many of the other plot holders. In my time as the Mill Green Site Rep (2012 - today) I have seen a lot of plot holders come and go. 

The ones that don't realise just how much work is involved in keeping on top of things and the amount of hours need to be sunk into ones plot. 

I always think of John, Wally and myself as bit like the three old blokes in The Last Of The Summer Wine, I'm not quite sure which one of us is Compo but I have my suspicions. 

Wally very kindly popped to my home and picked up Runner Beans, Climbing French Beans and Dwarf French beans, and has cleared the bindweed off the fencing of the climbing framed greenhouse. He has weeded the beds in the CFG, and sown the beans for me, so that I will have something to harvest when I finally get back to the plot. 

Wally also sent me these photographs that show potatoes growing in the raised beds, that John planted for me as I didn't get time to plant them in buckets as intended before I became ill.  I had hydrated the coir blocks and was about to mix with compost and soil but that didn't happen. 

John weeded the beds, they had mares tail and bindweed in them despite all the removal of weed roots I had done when constructing them.

Other plot holders have helped me to lift bags of compost as I have arthritis in all my joints following the cancer treatment in late 2023 and a hernia from lifting my wife who had lupus before she passed away in January 2023.

We have a great bunch of plot holders on Mill green who are willing to help each other out, we share any glut of young plants and any harvest later in the season. 

The girls got a no-cult for long grass, and I had a push mower that I got off Freecycle and don't use, so I gave it to the girls so they could cut their grass. I'm a Ryobi man so I use a battery strimmer.   

I can no longer manage two half plots, so that's why I'm giving up plot 1A and the end of this growing years (September) I have already found a home for my green house on plot 1A.

I need to find out if I can transplant my grape vines from plot 1A to Plot 1 or take cuttings. 

Vein Viewer / Finder

 

I had and appointment at the SDEC unit at St Helier Hospital this morning for them to look at my leg and to take blood and look at my infection markers. During the blood taking process they used this Vein Viewer / Finder as I told them that during my weeks stay they had put so many cannula's in my hands and the veins were so small that they failed and had to find another in, that both hands were mullered, bruised and tender to touch. 

My question was WTF had they not used this during my stay rather than try multiple unsuccessful attempts and caused so much damage to my hands? 

It appears it's a matter of cost "They are expensive, and we don't have many and not each ward has got one" The cost appears to be about £1,500 ish. These are not new they have been around for 10 years. IMHO Every ward where they fit cannula's should have access to one of these machines.

A vein viewer / finder is a medical device that uses infrared or LED transillumination to project a real-time map of blood vessels onto the skin. It helps healthcare professionals and phlebotomists successfully locate veins for IVs and blood draws on the first attempt, reducing patient pain and procedure time

These devices are particularly helpful for patients with difficult venous access, such as infants, the elderly, obese individuals, and those with dark skin tones.

Types of Vein Finders

• Infrared Projectors: Advanced devices (like the AccuVein or VeinViewer) project a digital image of veins directly onto the skin. They often feature multiple colour modes and brightness levels to adjust for different skin tones and room lighting
• Transillumination Flashlights: Handheld LED or UV devices that are pressed directly against the skin to illuminate superficial veins. They are highly portable, more affordable, and frequently used in smaller clinics or homecare settings.

More Scaffold Boards For Raised Beds

 

Now that I'm building raised beds and a mini allotment in my back garden, I need additional boards to complete the build. I sent my list over to David at Rugged London and he gave me a good price that I'm happy with. I explained that at the moment I can't walk very well and he offered to walk the boards through the house and stack them in the back garden. 

Once again, I'm very happy with the companies communication and service. The boards are coming Friday and I will blog about the quality of what I receive. I look forward to giving Rugged London another 5 star rating. If you are interested in obtaining scaffold boards for your own projects contact:-

David from Rugged London can be contacted on 0203 1501248 

or mobile 07804 444409 email David@ruggedlondon.co.uk

Web Page ruggedlondon.co.uk

9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

I read the Trustpilot reviews before I contacted David & Rugged London for my original order with them back in November 2025

They were most complementary of the company & of David and his staff.  

The reclaimed un-sanded boards retail at about £2 per foot, but if you provided David with a schedule of numbers and length you required he will give you a price including delivery. You can even get a 10% discount on your first order by signing up for the company newsletter.  

David then sent me a monzo payment link for payment for the boards, and we arranged for the delivery at my home address on Friday, and David will advise me of the ETA in the morning.

Use this link to read all posts featuring Rugged London  

B&Q Are Bloody Useless & A Waste Of Space!

Regular Visitors to manvslug.co.uk will know that I finally had to bite the bullet and get replacement timber decking tiles as the originals were downright dangerous and my daughter fell through one tile. 

They were a good brand and pressure treated and had anti-slip lines in them, but alas that style is no longer available. The concrete patio area under the timber decking is all over the place and the falls come towards the building and the first thing I did when I bought the property in 1991 was to install an acco drain parallel to the external rear wall to collect the remove the water. 

It had been saturating the external leaf of brickwork and there was a tide mark where capillary action had taken the moisture up the brickwork. 

I made small concrete mole hills of support at the corners and a mid- points of the original decking tiles and levelled the top. The water that flows down the garden path and off the decking tiles, travels via the concrete patio under the level decking into the acco and off via the surface water drainage system. 

These are the only 500mm x 500mm decking tiles I could find they are not treated or anti-slip.       

I need 82 tiles to replace all the old decking tiles, which equates to a cost of £492. 

I could have ordered them for delivery but at least 50% of them would be of inferior quality with splits or too many knots in, so I would rather go and select the best of the bunch.

There are four branches within easy reach of home, but only two hold stock of the items. 

I have laid some and needed another 48 tiles to complete the project. Now here is the rub and what's basically pissed me off. 

Stack available as of Sunday morning. 

My daughter and her partner went to get as many decking tiles as possible. as I needed another 48 Tiles. 

They went through those on the rack and selected the best which amounted to 9 tiles, They spied another load of the same tiles, however the banding was still on them and they could not be picked through. As we can see Sunday morning they report 89 available.

I apologise for this term for the B&Q staff, but the "Arseholes", would not take the banding off the next lot of tiles for my daughter to get the remaining 39 tiles I need.

They informed her that "they want to sell those still open on the rack before they let anyone have access to more"!. Cleary we were not going to purchase the shitty ones. It was also raining and perhaps they were afraid of getting wet as the tiles are stored outside? 

Doh, I'm sure with them having 89 in stock, we would have been able to get the additional 39 tiles we needed, and they would have taken another £234, in addition to the £54 for the nine we got from the open pack. 

Shame I was not there as I would have bought a Stanley knife and taken the banding off myself.   

   

So B&Q Head office, the helpfulness of your staff is non existent, you have pissed off a regular customer, and yes I have informed everyone on here how poor your customer service is at your Croydon Branch, and If I could go and get them from anyone else other than B&Q I would.  

Now I will have to visit another one or two times, and hope I find more friendly staff if there is a bundle there that needs the banding on them removed, or just take a pen knife with me, and do it myself. 

Freecycle Find

As you know if you visit manvslug.co.uk on a regular basis, currently I'm just out of hospital and I'm laid up and can't drive at the moment.  

My daughter Kelly and her partner Frazer went to Mitcham and collected them for me from James. 

I can now fix the broken fence post in the back garden, once I can get out there again.  The others will be used to make a framework down the allotment for the grapevine to climb up.

I Used To Be Cool ...

 

British Gardening This Week

 

I Have Not Passed Away

I've just been very, very sick and ended up in hospital 

This was the state of play of the Back Garden Allotment on the 11th May 2026 after I went to Halfords to get cardboard to line the bottom of two more raised beds. 

Due to my Autoimmune disease, and stepping down my steroids month on month, I caught one thing after another and ultimately my left leg increased in circumference by 2 and a half inches, and I was admitted to St Helier Hospital and they found I have Thromboses. 

I was discharged on the 1st June 2026 and today on the 3rd June the photo below is the state of play of the back garden.  

The brambles and weeds in front of the shed have gone mad with all the sun and rain and the grass between the beds is in desperate need of cutting. Currently I can hardly walk and there is no possibility of me getting out there to do it. 

I've also not been down to my allotment during this time, for obvious reasons, and I really hate to think how the bindweed would have taken over everything. 

I did ask a plot neighbour to get my potatoes into a number of the raised beds I had prepped down there and he has, so at least I will hopefully get a harvest.    

We Got A Runners Up Prize !

 

I was blown away to find out that we have won a Runners Up Prize in the 2026 Allotment Competition that Oakland Gardens have run and ended on the 30th May 2026. 

I didn't know there was going to be a Runners Up Winner in each category.

Oakland Gardens have engaged with a number of allotment groups and has run various completions this year. It really worth registering with them for their newsletter and updates. 

   

Planning and Reviewing June In Previous Years

 Reviewing the diary over the last Thirteen years for June

2013 - Potting up tomatoes & peppers, potatoes, cabbages, sprouts and sweet corn, dug beds 7 & 8  

 

2014 - Watering system installed on Mill Green plot 1A, Potted up Tomatoes into buckets, installed bed 12, Marrows in manure covered in cardboard. Beetroots, Harvested the first bunch of Spring onions. Harvested first early potatoes from buckets. End of the month bed 13 completed, second bed of runner beans sown.         

2015 -  Not many posts in the blog for this month in this year, it was however my first Vlog from the plot. first year trying French beans the family didn't like them and it they have not been grown again since. Potted tomatoes from vending machine cups into pots that were taken to the grow house on the plot. First year growing Marketmore cucumbers. Sweetcorn planted on Fathers day, First year for successfully growing a whole bed of Parsnips. First year for peas. Cherries on the cherry trees. Sent two Crimson Crush tomato plants.   

2016 - Very cold June. Grow House heaving with plants, Burpless Cucumber transplanted into pots, Tomatoes potted on from vending machine cups, Sprouts failed and I had to buy some. Third sowing of beetroots, First year for celery. Flooding at Wallington Railway Bridge

Second sowing of sweetcorn due to slow germination then the first sowing germinated after the first ! Drying Coffee Grounds

Mill Green - Runner beans planted out, sweetcorn planted out into beds mulched with cut comfrey, Sprouts planted out,    

Spencer Road - Onions, Potatoes, Beetroots and infrastructure works. 

Home - Tomatoes finally get transplanted into flower buckets.  

2017 - Due to wife being very ill and in hospital a couple of times, everything was late and many things just didn't happen. Sweetcorn was sown about a month later than usual, so were Beetroots, and the first early spud in buckets experiment for SoilFixer was also a month late. Very large double size Dalek picked up off Freecycle for Mill Green

2018 - Community work, clearing weeds from plot 4 for Sarah who has burn injuries and can't work her plot.  Crimson Crush & Rapunzel tomatoes planted on the plot.  Lark Sweetcorn planted, Moving slabs and kerb stones from Spencer Road to Mill Green, Sold my Handy Tiller & Generator that I had bought and had never used, Trimming tomatoes and giving a Comfrey feed, Butternut Squash in the bottom of Plot 1. Clearing Spencer Road Allotment and bringing items to Mill Green. Sowed more carrots, Spring Onions in cut down flower buckets, 24th June Cucumbers transplanted, Fixing the chairs, Comfrey pipe from Spencer Road plot set up on Mill Green, Shed maintenance replacing feather edge board, Trees from Jersey Plants Direct, 

2019 - Lots of potting up and growing in the Space Saver Greenhouse, Purchased CMH Heavy Duty Plastic Trays,  Lots of rain and flooding in the early part of the month. The contractor working on the property behind the wall cut down the trees and left branches on my shed. Lots of plums on the tree and the some bastard picked them all!  Beetroots disappointing this year wiped out by the intense heat and slugs. 24th June Butternut squash planted out, cucumbers starting to climb their framework, Trial of Nemaslug sent but they had to be stored in the fridge!, Weekend Heatwave with temperatures in 40C .Watering visits as a very dry and sunny June, Potatoes in buckets drying out very quickly, must consider toeing into the bed next year.  

2020 - Due to Covid and the lockdown I  didn't visit the allotment during June as I was shielding my wife. My daughter and son in law visited and tried to keep the allotment tidy and undertook weed management. All of my growing was done in the back garden.

2021 - First week potting on tomatoes into vending machine cups. Met Jane from idverde and she undertook the plot inspections and served no cult letters on two of the plot holders. Planting Sweetcorn into the beds. Gherkins and cucumbers potted on. Second week of June really hot and dry, mid week watering visit required. 300mm x300mm paving slabs off Freecycle used to make the path between SFG Beds 1 & 2. Making tomato planting membrane for the new narrow beds on the plot. Buying 3" spring clamps to hold the debris netting to the tube was a game changer . Lined the inside of the plot 1 Greenhouse with blue Debris netting and made it look like a TARDIS. Beetroot bed a third sown and growing. Tomato Bed 2 weeded, compost added and plants planted. Path between Rhubarb Beds 1 & 2 weeded and formed. Quadgrows finally set up in the plot 1 greenhouse.

2022 - Lots of Raspberries harvested this year, Onions harvested before they go to seed, First trial of Postiplugs from Suttons, Planting Membrane production, Kelly and Emma cleared Mares Tail, Poor sweetcorn germination so late starting off on kitchen towel in a take a way container, Sowing Cucumbers and Courgettes.

2023 - Trying to get everything up to date because of the proposed reconstruction of my jaw. I have cut back on sowing new vegetables as my girls will want to come and see me in hospital and not be down the allotment planting out watering and weeding. Setting up the Hotbin worm farm, Harvesting Raspberries , Karmen (Red), Pink Panther (Pink) and Snowball (white) Onions and Lazy Housewife French Climbing Beans, Crystal Lemon & Crystal Apple cucumbers.

2024 - Climbing Frame greenhouse planted out and decimated by slugs and snails, Summer Solstice 20th June, Questions when viewing a prospective plot article written, Rhubarb, Raspberry and Blueberry harvest, Remedial works to the loft extension on plot 1A,  24th Yellow heat health alert for the UK, Formulating plan to alter the low framed beds on plot 1 to smaller raised beds,  Arranged a woodchip delivery end of June .Raspberries unrestrained and bindweed knitting rows together, action needed to prevent this in 2025 .End of June excavating SFG Bed 1 ready to extend and make a raised bed.

2025 - Installing Speed Feed Pipes in the raised beds. Andy from plot 12 lifted the 70kg sack of clover compost for me out of my compost store. Dwarf French beans grown in loo rolls. Climbing French beans and cucumbers growing in the CFG Climbing Frame Greenhouse. It had been very dry and it was finally nice to see some rain on the 5th June.  The Crimson range of blight resistant tomatoes were transplanted out into raised beds 15 and 16. Climbing French Beans planted in loo rolls  

To Do List  

As only released from Hospital on the 1st and with my leg and foot two and a half inches larger and not being able to stand for long and definitely not being able to drive for a while, it could be a few weeks until I'm able to visit my allotment.  

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Greenhouse 1 - Currently being used to house all the cardboard to be used in the new raised beds, The Loft Conversion is failing and needs remedial works.   
• Infrastructure - Convert standard 2.4m x 1.2m beds to 2 number 1.2 x 0.9m Raised beds with a path between for bed 

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Greenhouse 1A - Set up more Coffee to dry out 
• Daleks - Dig in the additional Dalek by the Hotbin 
• Apple Trees - Prune & Stabilise
• Grape Vines - Prune   .

• Blueberry Ares - Weed and make a base then fence in using spare panel  .
• Potatoes - All Now Planted in raised Beds thanks to plot neighbour John   

Sowing and Planting Plan for June    

June

Week 1              Asparagus - stop harvesting

Week 1              Cucumber (ridge) - plant out (grown indoors / shop bought)

Week 1              Carrot (early) - harvest those sown under cloches

Week 1              Lettuce - begin to harvest

Week 1              Sweet Peppers - harden off

Week 2              Cauliflower (summer) - begin to harvest

Week 2              Kale (curly) - transplant to final position

Week 2              Plum - prune from now to mid July

Week 2              Potatoes - potash feed fortnightly

Week 2              Swede - thin seedlings in stages to 25cm apart

Week 2              Sweet Pepper - move to final position

Week 2              Turnip - begin to harvest

Week 2              Melons – F1 Mangomel - Plant Out

Week 2              Melons – Rugoso di Consenza Giallo Plant Out

Week 3              Carrot Onwards- harvest as they become ready

Week 3              Cauliflower (autumn) - plant outside

Week 3              Cucumber (ridge) - prune main stem

Week 3              Spinach - harvest spring grown leaves

Week 3              Radish – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Spring Onions – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Lettuce – Sow fortnightly

Week 4              Cauliflower (autumn) - begin weekly feed