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........................................