[Abbeyview]

 I have done nothing since last Thursday plot and BYG not flooded but too wet to walk on.
Some of my neighbours have taken to using builders planks to allow them to harvest crops
without compacting the soil and clagging up their boots. IMO our plots will not take much more water before we have standing water in low places.

[angelavdavis]

Had a delivery of manure to the plot - 9 large bags.  This stuff is well rotted so can be used immediately.  I want to use it on the new raspberry beds I am creating, so it needs to be well rotted.  Whilst waiting for the delivery, I cut back some of my espaliers and tied in a few more.  I also took an old dustbin up to the new plot to use as a waterbutt.

I am hoping we will be able to collect some hazel rods from the allotment coppice tomorrow, I am going down to meet up with another couple of plotholders (machete in hand!) to see if we can break through the thicket! 

[Yana]

Cleared and dug over 3 raised beds (3m X 2.4m) ready for manure / compost and tucking in for the winter.
Tied in new Brussels and broccoli growth and wedged leeks. Everything slowing down now but still need to make sure tidy before winter really gets going.

[angelavdavis]

Well I went to the plots today with three year old in tow.  It was a horrible drizzly morning, but I had made arrangements to meet other plotholders to look at the hazel coppice.

The coppice itself was pretty much inaccessible due to overgrown brambles and nettles.  I spent an hour and a half hacking out a path, with another plotholder doing the same until we met, having carved a circular path to start opening up the area.  The allotment committee is willing to pay out for a professional to coppice the larger hazel (some of the hazel branches are 4-5 inches thick) which will be my recommendation.

Once we had spent this time on the coppice, I gave my little man his lunch in our shed and had a cup of tea and lunch myself whilst waiting for the weather to clear.  Looking out to sea from the shed, it was clear that the weather front was moving in (which is not what the weather forecast was today), so I decided to give up and go home as little man was getting cold.

[Paul Plots]

The view sounds lovely angelavdavis... You were lucky that your nipper was patient enough to let you stay as long as you did. 

"We" spent a busy hour shelling saved French Climbing Bean pods in the warmth of the front room. My father had been looking forward to helping and he did a pretty good job for a 97 year old...

    .....snoozed a lot afterwards mind you. 

[Annen]

Cut back the autumn rasps, they still had berries coming on.
Untangled some more weeds from my astroturf paths.
The ground is draining but still too wet to walk on.
Dug out some more charlottes from the gro-sacks.
Got very cold, went home when my fingers and toes stopped responding.

[allotmentann]

Well I went to the plots today with three year old in tow.  It was a horrible drizzly morning, but I had made arrangements to meet other plotholders to look at the hazel coppice.

The coppice itself was pretty much inaccessible due to overgrown brambles and nettles.  I spent an hour and a half hacking out a path, with another plotholder doing the same until we met, having carved a circular path to start opening up the area.  The allotment committee is willing to pay out for a professional to coppice the larger hazel (some of the hazel branches are 4-5 inches thick) which will be my recommendation.

Once we had spent this time on the coppice, I gave my little man his lunch in our shed and had a cup of tea and lunch myself whilst waiting for the weather to clear.  Looking out to sea from the shed, it was clear that the weather front was moving in (which is not what the weather forecast was today), so I decided to give up and go home as little man was getting cold.

Hi Angela, the hazel that I coppiced the other day was like that. I didn't think that I would be able to do it myself, but the little saw that I used was amazing and went easily through the largest branches. If I can do it anyone can, you just need a good saw

[rowan57]

Picked Chard covered in ice this morning, stopped at 4 1/2lbs because my hands were frozen almost solid.

[carlrmj]

 Dug up sweetcorn and squash plants .Removed seeds from Sunflower heads for next years

  flowers and the birds.

[Annen]

Plot under snow as well as water today! 
Planted garlic in modules. Too wet to plant them out.
Noticed I've got a flat tyre on my wheelbarrow.  Haven't a clue how to deal with that

[snowdrops]

Sorted out my compost bins,all 3 of them,1m x 1m x 1 1/2m, layered them all with some fresh manure that had just been delivered to my manure store. Then I moved 5 barrow loads of well rotted manure to the end of my lasagne squash bed to complete that whole bed as a lasagne bed,complete with a layer of cardboard to start with. Then I cleared the squash & courgette plants in to the last compost bin. Just for a bit of light relief I finished with a spot of digging up some potatoes & managed about 3lbs,picked some culy kale & found a head of calabrese,a few raspberries & cut a bunch of chrysanthemums.

[symonep]

cold and wet but managed to get rid of the last of the broadbeans from the ground and frame.

prepared some more beds and picked the last of the apples. Oh and had a huge bonfire which was nice and toasty!

[angelavdavis]

The view sounds lovely angelavdavis... You were lucky that your nipper was patient enough to let you stay as long as you did. 

It is pretty good, I'm looking forward to when we build our seating area on the new plot and can enjoy the view next summer:

[JayG]

Finally accepted that my remaining runner beans will not mature and dry out on the plants however long I leave them there, so pulled the plants out and put them on the compost heap. About 6lbs of beans altogether - when I've finally got them dried out I'll save the best for next year, and start thinking about a spicy pork and bean casserole for the others.  

Also pulled out the sweetcorn - heartbreaking job because for the first time ever there were at least a dozen plump, fully pollinated cobs which just needed a week's worth of Indian summer to get to eating ripeness, but alas, they have had to join the beans on the compost heap.  

Edit: forgot to mention Angela's picture - most of my family still live in Hastings and St Leonards and I'm guessing your plot must be in West St Leonards because Pevensey bay/Beachy Head don't look far away. Even after 40 years in Sheffield I still miss the sea and views like that. 

[allotmentann]

Angela, that view is gorgeous, I am very envious!
I had another really good day on the plot. I have planted a new redcurrant and a blackcurrant. I took my RHS book along to guide me in pruning the gooseberries and white currant (still not sure that I have it right!). I moved the Mulberry to its final position. Planted some crysanths given to me by another plot holder. I mulched four beds with huge layers of leaves (held in place by net and pegs). Discovered rather late in the day that we had, had a delivery of woodchips and so raced backwards and forwards with my barrow collecting chips (all up hill on the way back of course!) to cover the back area of my plot where there is the arbour, coldframe, compost bins, water butts etc, and just managed to cover it all before I had to go. Hope there will still be chips there on Thursday when I can get down again as I would love to cover the paths with chips and then it would all be finished.