Allotment gardening

I haven't been down to the plot for a while but with both children back at school and playgroup respectively, I get the chance to go down for a couple of hours. The plot is looking good, even if I do say so myself - the broad beans in particular seem to be growing well.



The main job I want to crack on with is bagging up the various piles of weeds that I have amassed during my days of clearing the plot in December. But first I do something that I am ashamed to admit here. Actually, I don't feel that bad about it but I'm sure it breaks the piece of allotment etiquette. There is a plot which faces mine which has been left to go to seed by its new owners - that's if it has any, but I think it does. It has a particularly fine crop of rhubarb plants and I don't have any. The three crowns I bought last year have failed to grow. I have read that you can split rhubarb and it thrives so, telling myself I am doing everyone a big favour, I dig a fork into my neighbour's rhubarb and break off two biggish lumps. I transplant them to the bed at the back of my plot and plant them with some well-rotted manure. I'm not sure they'll thrive but I'm glad I took them. Someone should be enjoying this rhubarb. However I still hope no-one saw me.



Then I turn my attention to clearing the rubbish. I tackle the first two small piles easily enough and pile the black bin liners by the entrance to my plot. A skip is due to arrive at the end of next month and I want to be able to just wheel my 10 bags of rubbish over to the skip and chuck the lot in nice and simply. I then tackle the biggest pile and soon have it reduced down by two-thirds.
I dig up some parsnips and then head for home, still fretting about my theft.