Allotment in April (and an announcement!)

from the top: Broccoli Raab, 2x rows Beetroot and the Broad Beans

Rejoice! as we've had some sunshine and warmth. The barbeque has been wheeled out at home and the evenings are lovely and light. I'm also pleased to say that I have finally passed through a big patch of nausea and ridiculous tiredness caused by my new pregnancy - yes! - you read it here 1st!! So now I can start to enjoy this year and also play my "Get out of digging card free." This growing season I shall be taking it a little easier than last.

A couple of trips to lottie in the last week has seen me do some weeding, watering and a little sowing. With the brief help of my fella and a mate, soil has been turned and paths have been weeded and a bean trench has been readied. The broad beans are coming along reasonably. The broccoli raab has got loads to go in the next 30 days (-if it's to make it's 'ready in 60 days' harvest deadline) but is growing well and onions and garlic all shaping up fine. Interestingly, I have so many onions and no potatoes this year which is a turn around from last year. This is good though, as I don't eat that many potatoes, they are cheaper to buy than onions and the whole blight thing at the allotments last year really freaked me out. The onions mostly look after themselves which is definitely good for me. I almost totally forgot them last year and the several I grew last year were a gross underestimation. My boy and I sowed some beetroot and sunflowers, whilst at home the seedlings all need potting on. I'm slightly panicked that I don't have things started that I should and I think I'm going to run out of space on the plot!! oh no!! and breathe!

Shed is Up!!!!

I found a shed on Gumtree - it is pretty worn, but it was free and will be absolutely fine for now. It's a muted purple colour; not too unpleasant as it's tone is fairly grey. We 'uumm'ed and 'arrrh'ed about what to put the shed on slabs or pallets? Paving slabs would have required a gravel/sand/stone mix under and level ground. That would have meant bringing in heavy loads and fiddling about a lot. 

Instead we opted to use the free pallets that were donated to our cause. The ground beneath was dug and roughly levelled by Papa; then a layer of membrane that will let the water through but keep any weeds down. Two pallets side by side then the shed on top.

We hilariously constructed it in a thunder storm! Desperately knocking it together and chucking on the roof just to get some shelter from the downpour! It may not be standing 'totally bubble' but we'll make it good tomorrow when it will be drier - we hope. I was so chuffed that I went back this evening to look at it and took this photo of the sunflower with our shed behind!