Bed H1 Topped Up and Completed

Morning on the allotment 17c Sunny and light winds It was between 44c - 30c in the potting shed, which gave me a buzz as the coffee grounds are in the sun drying out and the potting shed smells delightful.

More 30L pots with handles of soil decanted into Bed H1, then Wally arrived and helped me get the two sacks of soil conditioning compost on the top and I cut the sacks with a Stanley knife and decanted and spread the material over the bed.

Plastic Hoops installed ready for debris netting.

Bed H1 filled with additional soil and hoops added

Bed H1 topped off with conditioning compost

Bed H1 topped off with conditioning compost

Bed H1 Nearly Completed

 

A trip to Tool Station to pick up the 5 x 70 T20 Structural Screws for building the next raised bed frame, then down on the allotment today which was Sunny bright and 11C. 

I started by decanting the 14 number 30L pots with handles worth of woodchip that I have been squirreling away for this very purpose in the bottom frame of the raised bed.

The next job was to cut the short 700mm lengths of Scaffold boards for the narrow parts of the frame, and predrill and screw the framework together on the improvised work bench that is beds 16 & 16 A        

In the photo above you can see the 4 number 2.4m lengths of boards that will make the raised bed H2 to its left.  Fellow plot holder Alex helped me lift the second frame onto the woodchip filled Bed H1 first frame. 

I then used short lengths of roofing batten and screws to tie the two frames together 

I then spread tree leaves over the woodchip and emptied all the 30L pots with handles of decanted soil into the top section of the raised bed, taking cared to spread the soil and remove any bindweed or mares tail roots that I may have missed when originally filling the pots up. 

I have more buckets of soil to decant in order to bring the soil up to the top of the bed, but I had extended my visit by and hour and a half past lunch time, and was quite frankly knackered, so collected my tools, and made my way home.  

The Oakland Garden 30L Plant Pot with Handles have been designed and manufactured with a dual-tier base system and drainage holes to prevent waterlogging and promote excellent drainage and thus healthy root growth, plus it stiffens up the base of the pot. I guess its the ex R&D and Structural Engineer in me that notices these kind of things.

What I hadn't taken into account was just how useful that profile is when lifting and decanting the woodchips and soil out into the raised beds. The Oakland pots are so much easier to grab, and tip out as the dual-tier base system gives areas for your fingers to get a grip and make handling and emptying easy. 

They are so much easier to handle and tip out, than the flat bottomed pots I have from other suppliers. 

Raised Bed H1 & Fixing The Loft Conversion II

9c Sunny day down on the allotment today, I started by fixing the solar panel to the arris rail that the original two smaller solar panels were fixed too.

Ex-Fireman Andy came and did the honours of fitting it in the hole as I had removed the sheet that had been keeping the rain out since it became unstuck and fell to pieces. The fans were spinning really fast as it was a very sunny day, one could tell as I have a long sleeved T-Shirt on and my Paddington like hat.

Then cutting roofing batten to screw the first frame of H1 to the original Bed Edging.

Cutting up branches and old bed edging to go into the first frame of the raised bed H1.

Fixing the Flower Pot Man that Little Man (Digby) bought me for my Birthday in my potting shed.

Digby bought me this for my Birthday and his name is Bill as that was my Grandads name (which is fitting as he is a Flower Pot Man). Every time I see Bill, I will think of Digby and smile a Grandad like smile.

Raised Bed H1 & Fixing The Loft Conversion

70mph winds last night and the store in the back garden was laying flat on its doors. That's never happened before. Bleeding Freezing this morning, so I left the allotment to this afternoon said 8.5C Overcast but felt a good 3 - 4 degrees lower and a cold wind.

Frame assembled yesterday lifted with the aid of Ex Fireman Andy onto bed H1, he is around tomorrow and has said I can call on him to lift the Plot 1 Greenhouse Loft conversion back in place, as he knows I can't climb ladders anymore, and could not get the loft conversion into the hole in the roof on my own, these days.

That meant I had to get the loft conversion assembled today, which gave me motivation as it was cold and I could have happily come home, but working in the potting shed it was sheltered after I had cut the roofing batten up to join the parts of the loft conversion together.

Timbers cut ready for screwing the polycarbonate panels together that have been tack welded in place on the outside face

The two legs will hang down in behind of the aluminium frame to what was the opening vent and stop the loft conversion sliding off the roof, yes it did happen on the Plot 1A greenhouse when the glue gun tack welds failed.

I have the timber for an additional frame which will make the H1 raised bed significantly higher on the plot 1 side and little higher on the plot 1A side, due to the slope between the levels of the two plots across bed H1.

The cubic metre bag of soil has gone from the car park, so I have arranged for a load of woodchip to be dropped off Monday.

Bed H1 Finally Decanted

Partly Cloudy with occasional sunshine this afternoon 9.5C. I wired the new solar panel to the fans in the loft conversion and they worked so I will not have to change the fans on the loft conversion only the solar panel.

Someone else is hitting the last of the woodchips. It was nice to see a further reduction in the height of the soil in the delivery sack on the pallet.

I filled two buckets of soil from bed H1

I then had a rest and water break before continuing

Raked the woodchip into the excavated end of the Bed

Levelled out and tamped it down with the flat of the rake, another rest and water break.

Added the cardboard I removed the tape from yesterday

The level of the cardboard is approximately the path level to the front of the bed.

Then added another barrowload of woodchips to hold the cardboard down

It was not possible to water everything in as the water will not be turned on until the end of March beginning of April, so again tamped down with the flat of the rake. Another rest and water break, I'm getting batter at taking 10 minutes and keeping hydrated.

Then a search around the allotment to find the Christmas tree trunk from 2024 and other twigs and branches from when they cut the dead branches of the Ash tree and didn't pick up all the mess they made.

Also rotting timber added. The rotting timbers that formed the edges of the framed beds that now have raised beds will be added which is why I have left room for them on the long sides. Two levels of framed made from scaffold boards are to be added to make H1 a raised bed. This bed will be used for Tomatoes this year. It was getting more overcast and a drop in temperature and was time to make my way home.

Bed H1 Continued Again

8C Cloudy and overcast morning on the allotment, and once again working on decanting soil from Bed H1, and back filling with woodchip whilst there is still some in the car park. Photo above is Bed H1 after filling another two 30L Pots with handles with decanted soil. 

Bed H1 after filling another two 30L Pots with handles with soil

Bed H1 after removing bindweed roots from the perimeter of the excavation. I switched to getting woodchip as the pile is decreasing and we have no idea how long the dropped soil is going to be in the way before we get another delivery. 

First of many Barrow loads of woodchip from the car park. It appears the plot holders with the soil came and moved some yesterday after I left at 4:00pm. Not a third of the volume as quoted by them last night on the Allotment Wat's App group, but a start. They were a no show this morning, as as stated before, historically they are not frequent visitors despite living in the estate behind the allotment. 

I decanted the woodchip into Bed H1 (Left Photo) and then levelled it (Right Photo)

Another wheel barrow of woodchip decanted, and walked on with and without the spreader board to help consolidate it. 

Another view from the opposite end of Bed H1, Another two wheel barrow loads of woodchip decanted into Bed H1, filling the timber frame to the top. 

Another view from the opposite end of Bed H1. The woodchips will be pulled down into the trench once the soil has been decanted into 30L Pots with Handles 

Soil to be weeded and decanted on the left and the woodchip fill on the right, now up to the top of the framed bed. This will be pulled into the left side once the trench is bottomed out and weed free, likely on 10th March weather permitting as I have a hospital appointment on the 9th March. 

Garland Garden Trays used to cover the bed to keep the soil and trench dry to make working in there easier, and less muddy.

No one will ever know the amount of work that goes into making the bed foundation and back fill. Typical Civil engineering works, it gets lost and all people see is the structure above the surrounding ground once completed.

The woodchip pile is going down, and hopefully the owners of the soil will get their skates on and get the soil moved to their plot so I can arrange another woodchip drop off.

Gathering Woodchips & Bed H1

It was supposed to be 11C today, it only got to 9.5C it was chilly and overcast and the rain came about 12:30 I got to the allotment by 9:00am.

The compost heap has taken a bashing since I was last down, so I decided to fill as many 30L buckets with handles with the woodchip so that I have enough to fill the excavation of Bed H1.

Seven Oakland Gardens 30 Litre Buckets with Handles filled with woodchip and then barrowed in pairs into plot 1 and placed along a path

Steroids now reduced to 4mg a day as I'm being weened off them, but I'm attempting to be more active in order to build muscle before I'm off them and hopefully improve my stamina.

I'm still working on taking a rest/ water break as required and for as long as required before I have another bash.

2.4m Scaffold boards stacked on Beds 16 & 16A ready for De-Banding the ends.

Hopefully I'm getting a drone shot of the allotment shortly and then again in 3 months time so I can see the progress being made.

Square Flower Bucket filled with bits of branches and twigs from when the Ash tree was trimmed last year and not picked up by the tree surgeon.

A plot lot holder allowed the top soil delivery to be dropped in front of the woodchip pile. So no more woodchip can be ordered until they have removed the soil to their plot. Getting woodchips is always a hit and miss affair. 

They are not the most active of plot holders, and have said they will "Be slowly moving it in the coming days" and have also stated when pointing out it's location stops another load of woodchips from being delivered "Not to Worry, it won't be there for long"  We have no option but to wait and see, I suppose! 

I did suggest that they would have been better off placing it along the fence on the right of the car park, and drop off/ pick up area where it would not be an obstruction to the cars or for loads of Woodchip to be dropped. 

Nine 30L Pots with handles filled with woodchips. I do have some more of these pots with handles to take down to the allotment, and I will get more woodchips on my plot, especially as arranging a delivery of woodchips will be delayed. 

Two more 30L Pots with handles filled with topsoil from bed H1, before the rain stopped play. 

 H1 covered up when the rain started around 12:30 and I made my way home for lunch. 

Bed H1 Continued

Another afternoon on the allotment this time working from within Bed H1. Stepping into the excavation made decanting the soil and weeding it an awful lot easier, and not as hot  as I had the long sleeved T shirt on today and not the fleece, and a T-Shirt.

When I think I could not get into and out of the potting shed two years ago, and had trouble with the front door and backdoor thresholds at home, the fact I can step down into the trench and get back out is awesome. I'm happy to be getting some of my mobility back for a while in 2023 / 2024 I thought I might have to give up at least half of my allotment.

Potting shed was 20c and 24c the cold end and 32c the warm end at 2pm today which was Sunny and 15C outside.

I felt like I was actually making progress today and didn't have to take as many breaks, as I was not trying to bend more than double to weed.

Photo taken about an hour in from arriving and at one and a half 30L Pots with Handles filled.

Three 30Litre pots with handles filled today and weeded as decanted. I estimate at least another two days/ visits worth of excavation before I can start back filling the excavation. 

Garden trays placed over the Bed to keep the soil dry. I also branded the 30L Pots with Handles that I had brought down to the allotment.