[Laura]

hello fellow allotmenteers,
we've just happened across this site tonight and what a happy find!  we were out last night and enthusing to some friends about the progress we've made in the past few weeks at our lovely little plot.  it was at the point that we were showing pictures of the re-felted shed roof that we noticed they had glazed over!  
hoping that here we may have found an outlet for our enthusiasm, a mutually rewarding exchanges of information, general chatter, top tips, amusing stories and being able to post pictures of sheds and plants that folk can look at without rolling their eyes!
...we are striving for an organic plot - there was a little weedol use in the merry month of may to try to combat japanese knotweed, bidweed and horsetail - it was mostly unsuccessful - digging and pulling and hoeing seems the only effective solution.  we have been quite lucky on the slug front so far, dry weather and lots of toads and birds knocking about.  
kindest regards to everyone and looking forward to talking to y'all

[Sadgit]

Welcome... This made me laugh

allotmenteers

Reminds me of robot wars.. Roboteers stand by

[John]

It's a great word though (allotmenteers) - but now you come to mention it...
He's fallen into the pit of slugs! Here comes masher the rabbit!
Laura and Ian - what you need to do is take up web design, just as you get to the interesting bit where the script takes the information from the database and merges it into the page, trust me - they'll be begging to look at the shed photo again

[GrannieAnnie]

Hello to you 2 too!!!  Yep, you will find lots of pics on here about sheds, greenhouses and polytunnels, and no one will glaze over at talking about the lastet ways of getting rid of weeds and pests.

However, you'll find that when you start giving veggies away because you've grown too many, those 'friends' will be the first in line!!!! LOL

[Oliver]

you'll find that when you start giving veggies away because you've grown too many, those 'friends' will be the first in line!!!! LOL

They have a couple of friends, known them for a long long time, and very dear they are too, who offer to help on the plot.

At every mention of the d.. word, his shoulder plays up. She does buy some onion sets and bean seeds, or come down a few times to help plant lettuces, BUT come harvesting time and they are both there to pick beans, courgettes, lettuces, flowers, blackberries, you name it! and he knows where the fridge is.

O well, that is what plotholding and friends are all about! Especially since they have also now retired - My humans get to go on their boat up the Thames. They generally take a basket of produce to eat on board! They like me (although I do make him sneeze!), and its great to share!

[GrannieAnnie]

Oh I agree with you Oliver, I love to share too!!!  We went to see some friends today and I took them 5 cabbages and 5 cucumbers.  They were overwhelmed!!! (Sorry, did I give them some peas and runner beans??? Don't be silly, do I look stupid??? LOL). Well I may give them some beans later when they are in full fruiting mode, but there are no peas left over at the end of each week!!!  They are not even getting into the freezer!!!  They weren't as prolific as I'd hoped, and the maggots got a few, but not bad first time round.

Then on Friday I gave my friend Sharon 3 cabbages, 5 cucumbers and loads of courgettes for her to share with her friend who was visiting for the weekend.

And my sister-in-law is even more hard up than I am, so I gave her a share in ALL my seeds when I bought them earlier in the year.  Also I've given away comfrey, tomato, beans, chillies and some other plants to my allotmenteering friends.

So I've been a good girl this year.  Do I get a brownie point??? lol  Yes, its lovely to share things.  Just remember me you lot when you win the lottery!!!!

[Fafafifi]

I think all my friends when I told them I had an allotment all said ooh how exciting, if you need any help just let us know.........  Well only one of them has actually set foot at the allotment!  Her reward was a bag of 'pink' potatoes (for her pink mad 3 year old dughter who helped dig them up) and 'sunshines' (sunburst squashes) and courgettes.  

Hello to Laura and Ian too!

[Oliver]

'sunshines' (sunburst squashes)

By the way John, read your diary that you are growing these things. She calls them Patty Pans - are they are sort of frilly little squashes (?) sort of 'top-shaped' (is this what they look like?
- if you pick them when they are about as big as your thumb and index finger joined togetner they are very nice whole in vegetable curries, or raw in salads. A little bigger they are cut in half and grilled or barbied, or hollowed out and stuffed with meat, or quinoa, or couscous (etc).

Left to get normal sized (about as big as a dinner plate) and this is what yours sounded like (?I may be wrong here!) they are like a marrow - too much to cook interestingly or one sitting! So she has 4 plants and harvest them every day if necessary to eat very small with very small courgettes.
(The pic shows the first harvest made into a salad about 3 - time goes by so fast it may have been longer -  weeks ago. She only had 7 broad beans! and the courgettes are a bit on the big side, but they ony had 3 then!) Oliver