Allotment gardening

Today is the day that I finally finish clearing the biggest bed of all its grass. I can't quite believe it - it looks so different from when I first saw it. In only a few short weeks the bed is completely cleared - and there is a large pile of upturned sods in the corner of the plot to prove it. I couldn't have done it without my trusty mattock. I haven't dug the earth to any great depth but clearing off all that grass and breaking up the ground underneath has got to be a huge improvement on what I started with. I am a happy man today. Next the three smaller beds will face the same treatment.

I haven't been able to get down here for four days and am keen to finish the last little square of grass remaining. To tell the truth I am a bit fed up of mattocking up grass but now is no time to think of quitting. A couple of hours and it is all but done - for some reason I can't be bothered to finish it today. I'll pop down tomorrow and finally the biggest bed will be cleared.

I spend the morning continuing to clear the largest bit of my plot. A Korean man who has a plot near the entrance to the allotments comes over for a chat. He tells me about the plot, a few down from mine which is held by an elderly Korean couple (we are in New Malden don't forget - largest Korean community outside Korea.) It looks like a professionally run farm with lots of well-ordered crops. He takes me on a tour and I try out a few of the unusual vegetables and herbs they are growing. I am then given a bag of seed so I can grow some of these chive/spring onion type herbs. The Korean man then asked me about my plans. When I trotted out my usual response about turning all the earth over before the end of October so the weather can get at the soil, he told me it was much more advisable to get some crops in and therefore keep the weeds down, which he assured me would grow back quicker than I would believe. Maybe I should have a rethink. One thing is for sure, this is going to be a steep learning curve for me.
I now have only about four square metres left to clear of the main patch of the plot. I have got to work for the next four days so the progress will slow up - but I am very pleased with how it's gone so far.

Another day, another few square metres cleared. Roll on the end of October.

I have now cleared more of the 17 metre long stretch than I haven't. I beginning to believe I will be able to turn all of the earth before the end of October - that's the target I set myself after the professional gardener suggested it as a good thing to achieve.

I put in a couple more hours. My pile of upturned grass is beginning to resemble a mountain. As I have mentioned before, all the other plot holders have been very encouraging, spurring me on with their kind words. But today, one plot holder decided to interrupt me as I was beavering away with my mattock. His opening words still stick in my mind (throat?) "I don't want to put you off but..this plot is rubbish. Why don't you ask for another one." I'm glad he didn't want to put me off. While I am happy to stand and chat for as long as necessary to other allotment holders - I am quite frosty with this chap, and return to my work as quickly as possible. Fortunately enough other people have told me what a good plot it should be, that I chose to ignore this one piece of bad comment.

The cleared part of the plot is getting bigger and bigger. Now seems a good time to try and describe the plot I have taken on. In total it is 26m long by 5m across. At the start of the plot there are four wooden compost bins across the width of it, built by my predecessor from flotsom from the Thames. The plot then carries on for about 17m. Then there is an area, bordered by two paths made from paving stones, about two-and-a-half metres long, where the previous holder built four more compost bins. These were completely hidden by brambles when I first took the plot on. As they were largely dilapidated, I pulled them down but am still left with a few mounds of ancient compost to deal with. Then there is another area, once again about two-and-a-half metres long. It too was covered by brambles and once I chopped them down I found there was not too much growing underneath them. Then there is another stone path across the plot and then a little tall shed and one last area about two metres long by three metres wide. That's it, my little piece of the Elm Road allotments.

After three days away from the allotments I am keen to press on. Thanks to various conversations with other plot holders I am building up a clearer picture of the chap who had the plot before me. He owned about four plots as far as I can make out. He was a lock keeper on the Thames and made everything on his plots from material he fished out of the Thames - the shed on my half plot, the compost bins, posts for his runner beans etc etc. He also did not believe in buying seeds - rather letting one of his many crops go to seed and then used that for the following year's produce. Everyone tells me that he really looked after his plot - manured and composted it regularly and got a great deal out of it. His plot was one of the best kept and produced a wide variety of fruit and veg. This makes me determined to keep my half plot looking nice and ordered and to grow as many different crops as possible.

Another day, another few hours of clearing. I thought I would feel stiff and sore after yesterday's exertions but it seems that limiting myself to a few hours a day means I avoid any strained muscles. The work, while monotonous, is very enjoyable - watching the little area I have cleared become bigger and bigger drives me on. One thing that holds me up is the friendliness of other plot holders. They all come by for a chat and to tell me what a good job I am doing. While it holds me up, it is great to meet loads of people with a shared interest and who are keen to see me succeed.

After taking my eldest boy to school, I almost run down to the allotment with my mattock, keen to try it out. An old fellow at the gate comments that it looks impressive - I hope its looks are matched by its effectiveness. I needn't have worried. I put in two hours work and clear a good few square metres. The mattock makes short work of the covering grass, pulling up great big sods. Following advice from an uncle, I pile the sods upside down in a heap with the aim that they will rot down over the winter and provide me with an excellent source of compost. I go home feeling confident I will be able to clear the whole plot before the end of October - and so save myself a few hundred quid.

I spend an anxious day at work, waiting for confirmation from my wife that the mattock has arrived. Sure enough by midday, I am a proud mattock owner. I dash back from work, do the tiny bit of self assembly required and take a few practice swings in the kitchen. Roll on tomorrow.

I agonise long and hard about buying myself a mattock. Both Graham and the chairman of the allotment association, Bryan Swabey, have said I can borrow theirs. But my big fear is, if they are not around, I could end up wasting a couple of hours of valuable time. I search the net for a mattock - B&Q - no results found; Homebase - no results found. Then I try a company called Screwfixdirect and they have one. For £19.99 they will send it to me the very next day. I deliberate for a while then take the plunge - before you know it, I will have a mattock of my very own.

Mid-morning I meet Graham, who has the allotment opposite mine (at the end of his garden, lucky- bleeder) and he hands over his mattock. It's like a pick-axe but with one end flatter and broader. I start having a crack and..... it works. It makes an impression, I am managing to dig up the grass, roots and all. What a feeling, I can't believe it. I am making real inroads here.

Haven't been able to get down for a couple of days. I've been thinking about how I can make any sort of impression on the concrete-like earth. Should I wait for it to rain, as many of my fellow allotment-holders have suggested? I mentioned this problem to a colleague at work and he told me he had a similar problem with his front garden and ended up hiring someone to do it. He said an old geezer with a pickaxe came and ripped up his front garden in next-to-no time. Is that the answer? I mention it to another allotment holder and he says he can lend me his next week. When I get chatting to a neighbouring plot holder, he recommends a mattock. I've never even heard of a mattock but he says if I come down tomorrow I can borrow his.

I am working a late shift today so I nip down to the allotment to see how hard it is to turn the earth over with a spade. I put my spade in. I push down with my foot. I jump up and down on the spade. I have made an impression about half an inch deep. This is going to be harder than I thought.

The appointment with the gardener is at one o'clock. I nip down early to clear more brambles to make it look even better. I have to say work is progressing nicely.
But when the gardener comes he points out that, to a large extent, we have done the easy part. He says he could provide two men to turn the earth over and clear the weeds but says that in four hours they would only manage to clear about half the plot. The cost? £18-an-hour each. £144 to have about half the plot cleared. I don't take long to thinks about it as I simply can't afford it. It also sticks in my claw a bit to pay someone for a job that, although hard, physical labour and although I'm no Superman, I should be able to do myself. How hard can it be?

Another chance to get some clearing done. I am left with a covering of stubby grass over two-thirds of the allotment and then a mass of brambles over the last third.
With the help of my dad and a pair of long-handled shears we hack through the brambles and use a rake to pull out the worst of them. It is surprisingly fast work. We start a bonfire to get rid of the remainder of the grass and some of the brambles. But the dry weather means the fire spreads rapidly and leaps into the plot next to mine. Some quick work with a hose and bucket brings it under control - although we were tempted to let it burn when it caught hold among the brambles on my plot.
We continue to hack down as much as we can - tomorrow a professional gardener is coming to give us a quote on clearing and turning over the plot. We want to have done as much as possible in an attempt to get more for our money. In among all the brambles we discover three wooden compost bins. They are rotten and have more brambles sticking out of them. They look like they will be a pain to clear.