CLEARING THE PLOT OF WEEDS

 SIX WEEKS IN: The raised beds are now clearly visible

On taking on the allotment I was advised that an application of Glyphosphate ('Round Up') would be the least environmentally damaging way of getting rid of the weeds and overgrown plants that had swamped the plot. I think if was retired and had the time I'd have been tempted to get stuck in with a spade, but as the Glyphosphate residues don't stay in the ground too long I think the compromise was justified. 
I wouldn't use it during the growing season, but I'll not be planting anything over the winter to allow time for any residues to dissipate completely from the soil. Then it'll be all systems go!

Neat and tidy, for the moment at least!

The allotments have been plagued by break-ins and vandalism over the last few years apparently, and my plot wasn't spared during the most recent incident. I was lucky, however, as although the shed was entered and the items were knocked off the shelves, no real damage was done. I'm wondering if my policy of not locking the shed actually paid off because at least the door wasn't damaged. I wonder if having a padlock attracts interest from thieves, and might even wind them.

Just an experiment really

I had some black plastic sheeting left in the shed by the previous plot-holder and decided I might as well cover the ground with it as another way of suppressing any remaining weeds.

Speaking of weeds, here's what I uprooted and raked up during the first few visits to the allotment...

Obviously I won't be burning the weeds!

JOB ONE - THE SHED

In better shape than you'd think after a cursory glance

the shed  
Only two man-made things can be seen from space
The Great Wall of China, and this:
An old Shed door and a packed out place
Of community, cultural, artistic bliss…
If the world has a centre then this is it,
And I’m only exaggerating a tiny bit!

© Ian McMillan July 2001


If your home measured two metres by one point eight it's unlikely you'd be all that happy with it, but your shed, now that's a different story. A place of refuge from the rain, not to mention from your day-to-day stresses. Shared with old flower pots, spiders, an assortment of tools - what is it that makes the shed such an object of wonder and desire for so many people?

A lovely job for a sunny day

I'm not sure, but what I do know is that this one needed fixing. It's not old, pretty new in fact, but for some reason the roof felt had been half stripped off, possibly by branches from the nearby tree blowing in the wind. The exposed wood was looking damp.
I'm not much of a DIY man, but I have to say, this was quite easy and really enjoyable.

Strip of felt to cover the join

A roll of felt, some 'clout' nails, a hammer and a big pair of scissors (and/or a Stanley knife) is all you need.

First I removed the gables followed by the old felt and clout nails from the roof.
Then I cut the felt into sheets that would cover each sloping side of the roof, allowing an overlap for the 'down bits', and nailed them in place.
It's then just a matter of adding strips of felt at the apex of the roof to cover the join. Nail that down, replace the gables and it's job done. It probably took me around three and a half hours all in.

Safe as houses, dry as a bone etc

The next job is to add guttering and a water butt of some kind. The Garrett Park allotments have a long term problem with the water supply, so water saving is being encouraged. As a rule, over-watering will discourage a plant's roots from going deep into the ground and it's probably only seedlings and maybe potatoes that require a bit extra in a dry spell. I hope!

AT LAST - AN ALLOTMENT!

Having been on the Wandsworth Council allotment waiting list since 2005 it was a bit of a thrill to open an email from the Geraldine Kelly, Strategy and Information Officer, to find that I was now at the top of the waiting list and that I could select one from four available at the Garrett Park site. The allotment year starts on 1st October but Geraldine was happy for me to meet with John Hooper, the allotments manager, in order to take a look.
The one I chose (plot 20b) stood out as it was in a good location, had raised beds under all the weeds, and boasted a fine looking pale blue shed.

The previous owner of the site had sadly been too ill to carry on maintaining it but had obviously started with the best intentions. I made a silent promise to her to try to do a decent job of looking after it.
The site is bordered by the Wandle river and Garrett Park and is just a stone's throw from The Leather Bottle pub. What more could you want!

The plot is half sized, as are many London allotments now because of the waiting lists, and measure 15 metres by 8. I think that's about the perfect size for us.