Removing the Framework To Bed 16

A couple of hours on the allotment this afternoon dismantling bed 16 and find out the timbers will be no good for extending the narrow beds half beds between plot 1 and plot 1A so I will need a little rethink on that one.

I used a pile of brick as a pivot point and the garden fork as a fulcrum and levered up the frame and placed bricks under until I had it high enough so I could lift the fame on its side to unscrew the timbers.

Michelle who was also on site today came over to help me lift the frame and held it stable whilst I unscrewed the timbers.

The timbers that framed bed 16 have rotted too much to be used to extend the half width beds that denote the boundary between plot 1 and Plot 1A, and are now resting on the narrow bed and will be ripped up and used to line the bottom layer of the two new raised beds on the bed 16 footprint in a similar way as I did on the last bed 15 raised bed.

Bed 16 now frameless and ready to be uncovered and excavated into square flower buckets and potato buckets, to be then used to back fill the top half of the raised beds once constructed.

Square flower buckets stacked and ready to be filled with the excavated humus material from the bed 16 footprint starting at the rear end of the bed in this photo. The roots of the bindweed are visible in the void left from the removed timber framing and they will be weeded out as I excavate the footprint. 

Selma from plot 6 has stacked a load of rotting decking boards next to my plotting shed that I can used under the new raised beds, and in the bottom layer.

Infrastructure 2024 to 2025

 

Above is Avalon's (Plot 1 & 1A) layout for 2024, ignoring what was supposed to be planted in what bed it basically shows the bed layout and locations of Daleks etc. 

Below is what I'm aiming to achieve by March 2025

Below is what I'm aiming to achieve by March 2025. The tumbling and non uniform Daleks are to be replaced with standard green door less Daleks and more are to be added to the line of Daleks along the path between plots 1 & 1A and plot 2.

A Blueberry and Goji Berry area is to be added to the rear of the corner Climbing Frame Greenhouse. I'm also considering where to locate 3 new pixie grape plants, either down on the allotment or at home.  

Beds 12,13,14, 16 and 17 are to be formed from just above ground level framed 2.4m x 0.8m beds to 1.2m x 0.8m Raised beds approx. 400mm high at either end with a new path between.

I have been working on doing this at bed 16 in the last couple of months. 

I'm also considering moving the external potting bench behind the plot 1 greenhouse out against the wall by the potting shed and replacing the 1.8m x 1.2m (6ft x 4ft) greenhouse with a 1.8m x 2.4m (6ft x 8ft) entry level greenhouse with the door onto the main path from plot 1 to plot 1A. 

Path Between Raised Beds 16

Mega hot and sunny today so just a couple of hours on the allotment to work on the path between the two raised beds at either end of what was bed 16. The path is constructed using some of the paving slabs I picked up in the last couple of weeks from Freecycle.

Next work on the bed to excavate the soil out of the bed on the left into square flower buckets and then re fill with branches and woodchips up to the top of the first level of timbers.

SFG Bed 2 goes Hügelkultur

My sister came this morning to help me with my socks and medical boots, and it was off for the morning and little bit of the afternoon on the allotment. I watered what's growing in the potting shed and then attacked the plum tree that has never given me a fruit as its getting way too big. I'm going to use it to fill the bottom of my now extended raised Square Foot Gardening bed next to the potting shed.

Lazy Housewife French Climbing Beans doing well

Cucumbers doing well in the self watering pop bottle propagators

One of my new favorite tools the Bamse Mini Chainsaw came out to play and  I have to say it was £39.99 well spent, makes cutting the tree back really easy. 

View from the path between plot 2 & 3 the Plum tree has been trimmed from the front and back 

I cut up as much as I could in the sun and then took the wheel barrow to SFG Bed 2

View from the potting shed of Square Foot Garden Bed 2 before adding the contents of the wheel barrow. To save buying lots of compost or soil I'm layering the bottom of the bed with the branches from the plum tree that I'm reducing and possibly removing in my take on a Hügelkultur Square Foot Gardening Raised Bed.

Contents of the wheel barrow added

First bag of weathered bark from Wally added to the bed and watered in. Lots more tree to cut up and the promise of grass cutting from my sister in the next couple of days, the bed will slowly get filled. 

Moving Mulch

I managed to get to the allotment this morning thanks to my sister Elaine coming early and sorting out my legs and socks for me.

My daughter Emma had previously removed all the mares tail and other weeds from the All Gold Raspberry Boundary beds and the level below the top of the frame was about 50mm.

With the pile of very rotten wood chip/mulch reducing in the car park I though I would see how much I could barrow in and place.

I got a little over half way and then told myself I had to keep going until I had done the lot.

It knackered me completely, and after returning home for lunch I slept most of the afternoon but it was worth it to actually achieve a completed job on the plot.

It knackered me completely but it looks so good

I used the last of the mulch worthy woodchip and hopefully we can get some more path worthy woodchip delivered soon

Working on the plot this morning was the most alive I have felt in recent weeks, until I got home and flumped. I'm looking forward to sleeping less and recovering from the Radiotherapy side effects more in the coming weeks.

Factor 50+ sun cream applied as that's what has been advised for me in the future.

Another 22 Paving Slabs

A big thank you to my daughter Emma and her husband Andy for helping me to collect and lay 22 more 450x450mm paving slabs from Freecycle in the form of 4 new paved paths on my allotment this morning, and for watering my plot and potting shed following my surgery on Tuesday.

After lunch with Emma & Andy I popped back to the allotment in the afternoon with composting materials from Andy's gardening clean up and topped up two active Daleks up to the top again.

Climbing Frame Greenhouse Beds

So with heavy rain and thunder and lightning forecast this afternoon, I hit the allotment this morning and back filled the external perimeter bed in the climbing frame greenhouse, and set the kerb edgings under the framework, ready to excavate the remaining two legs of the U shaped beds.

Full flower buckets removed, and then gradually emptied into the external bed within the climbing framed greenhouse

Sweetpea's in the boundary bed along the gable fence wall

Gable end view of the beds

Shape of the beds from the entrance into the climbing frame greenhouse

Once filled

View looking from plot 2

View looking from plot 2

Eden Sweetcorn pushing their way up

Eden Sweetcorn pushing their way up

I also weeded the boundary beds.

Beds In The Climbing Frame Greenhouse

Filling a trench and then digging another to fill up with hedge cuttings to make a raised bed in the climbing frame greenhouse as the luffa seedlings are growing at quite a pace and it will not be long until they need to go out and start climbing the frame.

More Paving Slabs Off Freecycle

 

Another great find on Freecycle, picked up and taken to the allotment. One day all my paths will be paved.