REDESIGNING THE ALLOTMENT / ALLOTMENT GARDENING UK

[Music] good morning everyone welcome back to my allotment Diaries my name is Emma these are the allotment diaries that you are watching right now that is my little Robin Einstein chirping away waiting for me to feed him you know you've got to wait for the camera everybody likes to see you you're everyone's favorite allotment Robin you know that actually probably doesn't know that there's a lot of people here today in hi viz orange jackets wondering around the allotment plot of lots of tools and I think I don't know I don't know for sure but I think they're going around and chopping back allotment plots that are like really jungly like what my one was like I think they're going around chopping and back ready for new people to take on I have a feeling people aren't taking them on and the council is now getting involved a bit more and chopping them back and then offering them to people which makes a lot of sense I always thought they should do that but I guess it's money isn't it it's money it's time it's resources it's people it's all that Malak so I understand why it's not been done before but that would be a great thing I know a lot of people get put off taking on a new allotment plot because it's so overgrown CU they just like they're either elderly or they're not able to chop it down or it really is too time consuming do you know what I mean it took me like four months to chop that one back by hand so I completely get it that would be good though that would be good it's always good when more people are here cuz has less chance of the site being closed down and flats being built here or something do you know what I mean that's like my biggest fear anyway my new allotment book went up on Monday um it's actually the week before when I'm filming this is Thursday the week before so I have no idea how it's done um very exciting I will have been promoting it like crazy over my social media channels if you haven't got yourself a copy the link will be in the description forever now I suppose forever all right Einstein all right okay right we're going to feed Einstein and then I'm going to tell you what we're going to be getting up to on the plot today okay let's do it right [Music] wasting don't you right I wonder if my hand like [Music] that paniced see [Music] so this area here at the very back of my allotment plot my new allotment plot plot that I took on literally like a year a year and like 3 months ago or something it's just not wored this year I think what happened is I ran out steam as I was clearing the plot and so I've started to clear the very back of it now and I've remembered how much space is here there's a lot of space and I think what I did was I panicked put a path in the back put a couple of small beds in um and just grew straight into the ground and obviously it didn't really work last year not very much grew here the sweet peas really struggled the sweet corn got trampled on because it was next to a big overgrown area and the fox was hiding in there the whole area becomes overgrown so it needs to be cleared this year I'm going to restructure this entire area and try and make it more productive I've got the greenhouse coming that will go in this area and I need to restructure so I think what I'm going to do to start is to clear it as much as I can start digging out some of the canes and stuff and hope that kind of inspiration comes and I can figure out where the greenhouse is going to go where the beds are going to go where everything's going to go [Music] I don't think it's a good idea to have the greenhouse under the tree that's what I will say so I think the greenhouse will have to stay this side um I'm actually thinking Bird poo not the tree falling I'm thinking bird sitting in the tree and pooing all over the top of the greenhouse um that's what birds do that's what they're like I'm not saying they won't land on the greenhouse and poo anyway but I think under a tree is a bad idea so it will go this side all right good let's just start clearing it and then um have a think let's do that [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you know what guys if you've got yourself a new allotment plot and you're kind of waiting on the springtime if it's overgrown like this or if there's anything that you want to dig out and get rid of Cu you just don't want it on your plots now is the best time to do it in fact that's a lie the best time to do it is after it's been raining so I think it rained two nights ago and the ground is quite soft and easy to dig in everything I'm digging out just comes up so easily that's really what I found is the best time to clear your plot this is the best time now it's sort of January February time if it's not frozen over get out there and start digging it comes out the ground like butter it's so much easier so that's what you can be doing now in your allotments guys digging it all out right we are getting there [Music] [Music] yes look at that smooth like butter oh whole thing out easy peasy make it look easy Emma well done tell you what guys I thing is been anything in my life more humbling than sitting down here in the mud pulling out roots with my bare hands whilst listening whilst listening to them with all their machines probably clearing the entire plot in about 12 seconds what am I doing with my life honestly the bind weed the bind weed it's everywhere [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] okay we're making big changes bigger than I thought we'd make [Music] right what we've done is we've cleared most of it which I wasn't actually expecting to do today I sort of thought I was going to rejig it a bit dig a bit the back out actually I think the best thing to do is to go completely Back to Basics just take all the structure out and start again now I'm looking at it I can see a perfect space there for the greenhouse that is much better than on the edge and on the corner um so what I'm going to keep doing is clearing it digging it out properly really really focusing on this area bit like I did with the rest of the plot now that it's January you know I've got January February most of March just to really clear this area sort it out get the greenhouse up get some structure in I think it's worth doing and I actually completely forgot that I left this part of the plot last year I thought it was sorted um I just forgot that what I'd done is whacked in a few beds and put a load of ground sheet down and it's time for that to come up now and for me to sort it all out properly so this is really good I'm excited about this I feel like I've got a new allotment plot again feels like a new a new space and it's so big it's so much space so that little bit there that's where I was originally going to put the greenhouse but now looking at it I have all the space it's so much space I don't know if it's showing up on camera just how big this space is but it's basically a quarter of a plot so big so big it's like from here 6 I mean that's very bad measuring it's about 4 M by 8 m it's huge it's a really big space um perfect for Greenhouse raise beds maybe another Pond oh my God could I do another Wildlife Pond I'd love that I'd love that a bigger one I don't know if I'm allowed a bigger one though I don't know I don't know if I'm allowed I don't know if I'm allowed I have to find find out about that that'd be exciting another Pond yeah there's so much space this is my project this is my project I'm going to get proper stuck in with this this is great right let's check on the [Music] leaks I'm flabbergasted some of these are still alive I'm absolutely flabbergasted I've never never been so flabbergasted in all of my life what a lovely word flabbergasted it's got the rotting stuff around here is that a problem I planted these leaks in here what's on you what's that o planted these leaks in here a little while ago and they were very very small like little blades of grass they're all still alive and popping up it's so annoying I've just Googled it yes leaks can get white rot and there's white rot all around them I didn't even think that leaks could get white rot obviously they're like an alley aren't they so if the onions have got white rot next to them the leaks are going to have it I'm going to have to take this whole bed out this whole bed out or just not GR aliums in here that is so annoying as I'm digging around these leaks I'm seeing the white the white fungus stuff look at that see all the little white specks in there that's white rck again again they're all it's all around the leaks every single one it's in the soil so all of this soil is just completely contaminated with um white rot it is fascinating to see how quickly a fungal infection can spread I mean it's it's a fantastic grower isn't it fungus oh my goodness yes so all these leaks are going to have to go yeah pretty much this entire bed is going to have to go so the onions and the leaks are just going to have to they're going to have to sling their hook that is so frustrating but at the same time I mean it's a great sized bed and a lot of other things will grow in here quite well so we'll top it up with some fresh compost at some point and and um redesign what we're going to put in the bed I suppose hi Einstein have you seen have you heard about the white rot you don't care I know you don't care I know there's loads of worms at the back there why am I talking to him why do I do this I don't know because he talks back that's why [Music] the sun has come out today it has just made me so so happy um can you hear the birds and the power TOS yeah it's just made me so happy for spring spring is around the corner guys it's on its way now that I've said that I'm so sorry I've just said that because honestly we're going to have a cold spell now I know we are it's all going to freeze over and snow again we're only in January Emma I need to calm down a little bit but I do get a bit ahead of myself at this time of year if you've got a new allotment plot here is the best advice I can give you slow and steady work on it in sections work slowly get to your plot and say I'm going to do this section here and I'm not going to stop till I've done it and then walk away um that's the only way I can advise you to keep going and to not lose motivation or of course just get a load of power tools you do about 12 minutes honestly but I don't know for me personally part of the fun is doing it by hand it's quite a humbling experience but um I feel really proud of it and I feel really like involved in it and it makes me want to keep looking after it because I know how much work I put into it physically and mentally so it's just one of those things it's up to you what you do and how you clear it but what I would say don't lose motivation slow and steady um you have plenty of time before spring and you will get there and it will be beautiful I promise you it will be worth it and it will be beautiful just keep going all the tools will come back on now so I'm going to love you and leave you there I will see you again Friday thank you so much much for watching see you Friday guys bye