We've got an allotment!

Yes, we have, after a few months of being on the waiting list, taken over a small plot at our local allotments, Hazelwell Farm. This first picture show what the plot was like when we got it on Sunday; rather overgrown, but not too bad. It's not a huge space (class A, I think, according to the Council's classification system), but only £15 per year (minus a discount if we pay on time), so it's brilliant value. And, it's only five minutes walk from our house.

There's not currently much growing on the plot, other than weeds and grass, except for a mass of brambles at the back (covered in blackberries) and the overgrown remains of a herb garden, with sage, mint and lavender quite well established.

Anticipating a lot of greenwaste from the much needed clearing, our first job was to build a compost bin. After a bit of a scrounge around the local industrial estates and DIY shops, we arrived back at the allotment with a car-load of pallets, which were just the job.

We've decided to go for a layout of raised beds, with paths between. So, the following day, we set out to find some more wood in order to build our first raised bed. Between the local tip and a few skips around Selly Oak, we soon returned with a car-load of planks and scaffolding boards. Here's the first raised bed, which I made yesterday and we're aiming to use for some overwintering crops. Meanwhile, Marla set to work freeing the herbs from the tyranny of their weedy neighbours Since they're well established, we're hoping to reclaim them and use that area as a herb garden.

This is all rather good fun so far, as well as being a pretty good workout with all the digging. I was also quite interested to find that local authorities actually have a legal duty to provide allotments for local residents, which is cool I think, though Birmingham seems to do a pretty good job of it.