Better late than never, here’s the next instalment of my new allotment plot! The first couple of months were spent clearing the space, digging and generally getting some kind of control over it all!
I have been slightly more adventurous with the layout with this plot, whilst being careful to make it flow with my original plot next door. With my first plot I settled on one large pathway right through the middle of the space and then had the beds all coming off of it at right angels. It’s practical and works well, but I do find I get a little bored of it! So I’ve tried to make the pathways a little more exciting on this new plot.
I’m envisioning a secret garden type space with lots of weaving pathways and hidden beds full of flowers and pumpkins. However, it will still need to be practical and I need to be able to move about, grouch over beds properly to weed and harvest and to push a wheelbarrow through.
The way I’m working is bit by bit. I’ve sectioned off each area and I’m carefully making sure that things work and look right as I go. I’m trying to think about what I might grow in each bed and this is helping to determine the size and positioning of them.
“Things are fluid in a garden and changes can be made”
The archway is my old polytunnel and will house pumpkins and courgettes so I need to make sure those beds are large enough. The little tree stump area in the middle has proved a challenge, but I’ve settled on a mini wildflower area with the apple tree in the centre.
Things are fluid in a garden and changes can always be made. I think it’s great to just go for it and get stuck in with the planting as soon as possible and then make changes as I go. Trial and error style, that’s the best way!
I’ve run out of wood chip so will have to just lay groundsheets for pathways for now and hope they repress the weeds sufficiently enough.
I have to say, I’m enjoying this process a lot more now than when I first started! As I clear more of the plot and the structure starts to go in, I feel more excited and far less worried! I can start to see the vision unfurl before my eyes, like a fern waking up in the spring time and can’t wait to start using the space properly!
Watch this space for my next update soon!
