I've been wanting to do this for ages and we finally managed it. Our neighbour at home gave us a load of old wood for use on the allotment and we have constructed a pergola to sit under and admire all our hard work. When I say 'we' built it I of course mean 'D' built it with good advice and foreman skills from me!!!
I have said this before, and sometimes I sound like a broken record, but I do love allotment architecture that is made from old reclaimed and recycled materials, it is supposed to look a bit wonky and home-made, to me that is part of the charm and apart from a handful of nails it didn't cost a penny.
I still need to tidy up bits around it but we have already started the beds alongside it, on the left hand side is a 'Golden Hop' (
Humulus lupulus Aureus) which is a prolific climber. On the right hand side I have planted a climbing rose that I produced from a cutting at home. It's a rose called
Veilchenblau which I found rambling through our hedge at home when we first moved in , I have tweeked it out and trained it over an arch and I have taken this cutting from it. It produces the most beautiful small violet blue roses and it really is a beautiful rose. The other plants are Origano, Lavender and a couple of 'Gentle Hermione' rose cuttings.
The other rose cutting of 'Gentle Hermione' that I put up at the plot last year is blooming fantastically at the moment, much better than the parent plant that it came from at home.
I love taking rose cuttings because of all the plants I feel it is the one that feels like you are getting a lot for free by creating a new plant. They are so easy to do and I have done ll of mine by taking a stem approx. 18" long and literally just pushing it into a pot of compost and watering in. I don't use hormone powder or any other fancy tricks but I do quite a few so you cover for failures.
Our broad beans have been great this year, we've had masses and we've had some really imaginative meals using them like Brod bean pesto and pasta and broad bean,lemon and feta linguine (sublime!) They are tarting to slow down a bit now but still loads to go and if anyone is wondering about double podding then the answer is yes, do it, it does make a big difference to the taste.
The next crop to come through for us I think will be the new potatoes which I'm disappointed with so far as everyone else seems to have been having theirs for weeks. I think I plant them incorrectly to be honest. I put them into trenches and the put the soil back over them in a ridge so they were earthed up from day 1 and I haven't really earthed them up since. So in effect I have planted them too deep so they have taken longer to grow and flower. Oh well, you learn something new every day I suppose!
The days are drawing out more and more as we head to the peak of the hill tomorrow, I wish this time of year would last for ever.
I've been wanting to do this for ages and we finally managed it. Our neighbour at home gave us a load of old wood for use on the allotment and we have constructed a pergola to sit under and admire all our hard work. When I say 'we' built it I of course mean 'D' built it with good advice and foreman skills from me!!!
6 comments:
That is one amazing structure. How deep did you go into the ground? I'm assuming you used concrete? My pea canes have all collapsed and died, the canes, not the peas, as they weren't in deep enough! whoops!
It's completley freestanding, apart from being tied in to the metal fencing at the back. I didn't want to concrete it in as I didn't want it to be permanent if we need to move it, so it is just standing on the ground. The black plastic on the legs is to prevent the legs rotting at the bottom.
Hey Mr Womble,
Thats looking great, well done! Will be lovely to sit out there and have a cup of something cold after some hard graft.
I think I'm sufering the same spud problems as you too, my earlies haven't flowered yet although they're looking healthy etc above ground. I may dig one up and have a look at the weekend...
Thanks Mr Cuke. we did try to pull up some potatoes a week ago and they were like marbles!!
I can never grow enough broad beans, they are just such a delicacy. Wonderful pergola! so important to give yourself time to just sit back and admire your hard work.
I think we will have to plant more broad beans next year actually Matron, ours have just finished and I want more!!
Post a Comment