Shedagedon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As part of the restoration of the St Ann's Allotment site, work is being carried out on First Avenue which runs adjacent to our garden. A new retaining wall, fence, and hedge is being built, along with new water piping, and the avenue being completely resurfaced. It will look brilliant when it is finished.

But one Monday when just by chance I went to have a look at the garden, I was greeted by the sight of devastation. The existing fence and hedge had gone, and what's more an excavator was still there digging away at the bank. The fence that separates us from two adjoining plots had also been tore up. Out historic shed had been dug around at the back, and it looked like shedagedon!

A site visit with Groundworks and the site manager ensued. It was agreed that the shed will make way for the retaining wall, and will be replaced by Groundworks with a spanking new shed. In the interests of I don't know what, we readily agreed, and know await delivery of the said new shed.

Daydream Believer

Coming up to a year on the allotment now. Ah, they were good times clearing it last summer! Things were simpler then; there were only 3 jobs: cutting, slashing and hacking. The smell of the undergrowth was brilliant; an antidote to concrete and tarmac.

Life's more complicated now. The jobs have multiplied and the weeds are creeping back with the summer, but I wouldn't go back. Looking at some photos from last year the other day, I realised how far we've come already.

I can hardly believe what comes out of a little seed planted in the ground. Broad Beans. Potatoes. Tomatoes. And the greenhouse is looking magnificent.

Children's playhouse

Today we have moved a wooden children's playhouse onto the site (to be reassembled shortly) along with a totem pole! and a large amount of treated timber. We intend to build raised bed edging with it. A bench has also been bought, but has yet to be assembled. Watch this space for further images.

Two pear trees and two plum trees have also been planted, along with the creation of a strawberry bed, which has been planted with Cambridge Favourite and an Alpine variety.

2.4 Million Pound Award from the National Lottery

The St Ann's allotments have been awarded £2.4 million by the National Lottery. This will be used to fund the extensive restoration of the allotment site. This will include:

• resurfaced access roads
• new water supply
• repairs to security fencing
• hedge cutting and the clearance of derlict allotments

We are thinking of asking STAA to just divolve our share of the money £2.4 million / 700 ish, we could buy a new greenhouse and shed. Lets hope the money isn't wasted!

The story continues.......................

Slowly we began to clear the undergrowth. Many bonfires were built to get rid of the cut brambles, nettles, bindweed, and other weeds. Out hands and arms were ripped to shreds by the thorns, and stung by the nettles. Slowly we began to realise we had picked wisely. We now had a 30 foot by 10 foot greenhouse, albeit in need of repair and renovation, a far sized shed more than capable of storing tools, and garden chairs. But more than this we had a large plot, with very good soil. The plot was in 2 distinctive halves, seperated by a terrace. The top half contains the greenhouse and shed, it had also been covered with black polythene sheeting, which had killed off most of the weeds underneath - bonanaza!


The two halfs were separated by a double row of metal climbing supports for bean etc. The bottom half however was covered with dense undergrowth. We didn't realise for a few weeks that the bottom half had a separate gate to the alleyway leading to the allotment.

By Autumn 2007 we had cleared sufficient area of the top half to actually plant some crops. We planted:

• radishes




• spring onions




• swiss chard




• spinach




• red onions




• slad potatoes




• garlic




• cavavlo nero




• carrots

It really felt that the allotment was really on its way, we were on our way to the Good Life!

In fact within a few weeks we were eating our first radishes, Imogen was really proud about this because she planted the seed, and looked after them. But like most 4 year olds tried them once, and then wouldn't eat them again.

In the run up to Christmas, more of the top half was cleared. David worked really hard clearing all the growth in the greenhouse, you could now walk through it. The greenhouse began to look like a viable proposition.

A fruit bed was created, using concrete fencing panels (recycled from a derelict allotment) to create a raised bed. This has been planed with 3 varieties of raspberries, and 2 black current bushes. It is our intention to build a wooden fruit cage to cover this bed, and protect it from scavenging vermin.

Just before Christmas we harvested our first potatoes, well we dug them up after the potato plants suffered potatogeddon following a harsh frost. We didn't harvest many, but all agreed they were the best tasting potatoes we had ever tasted.

Just after Christmas two apple trees were purchased with our Christmas money, and planted. I am hoping that we might taste our first apples in Autumn - ever the optimist.

The story starts.................

After some frantic pruning of the hawthorns and brambles encircling the gate, entry was gained into the dense undergrowth of plot B224. I had been told by the Allotment officer that the plot was the best on offer, and had been previously cleared about 18 months ago, and that black polythene sheeting had been laid to keep the weeds down. After a awhile of slashing around the undergrowth it was realised that we were now the proud owners of a jungle, and that under layers and layers of bindweed and brambles we were now the guardians of a rather large greenhouse, or rather the shell of a greenhouse filled with brambles. A little while later I discovered a shed covered in creepers.

The start

The story of allotment number B224 on the historic St Ann's Allotments site in Nottingham starts in July 2007 when Nick & Dave received the keys to the gate from STAA. The first impressions were those of horror. The gate to B224 could not even be opened, the way was blocked with brambles and hawthorn. The brambles and hawthorn were so thick, that even Ray Mears would have turn tailed with fear. How did the story carry on........................................