Allotment Vegetable Growing in February 2007

Compost Mountains

15/02/2007

Our site rep, Larry, has arranged a compost supplier to provide us with 7 tonne lots. It's made from the contents of the green waste bins collected by the councils, composted and ready to return to the land.

These were two loads sitting by the gate.

Emptying the Compost

15/02/2007

It's quite an impressive sight when the lorry tips 7 tonnes of compost out.

Larry stands by to assist, or maybe just admire!

Compost Lorry Stuck!

15/02/2007

Having half emptied the skip, he tries to pull forward but the left side is in soggy ground and long story short, the wagon is totally stuck.

This was when the 'fun' really began.

Digging Out the Compost Wagon

15/02/2007

Larry and the driver spend an hour trying to get the lorry out, digging under the wheels and trying to get slabs and rubble under to give it some traction.

The more we try, the worse it gets and the lorry ends up really stuck in.

The Tractor Arrives

15/02/2007

So Larry takes the driver back to his farm where he picks up a huge John Deere tractor and returns with his wife to try and pull the lorry out. Well I've never seen a tractor skid before. The wheels whizzed around, digging holes into the path and the lorry stayed stuck.

Eventually we got it out, read the full story in my diary entry for today.

I've no photo of it leaving as it was pitch black.

Bit Wet for Digging

16/02/2007

Down on the plot awaiting the second day of compost deliveries, I thought I'd see what I could do when the rain decided to stop.

As you can see, digging was not on the cards. Anyway, it started to rain again and I draw the line at digging in the rain.

The Site Path

16/02/2007

You can see the effect of a heavy wagon backing up the path, made soggy by the rain.

I was going to take an 'after' shot when the rest of the compost was delivered but it was raining too hard and going dark as well, so maybe tomorrow.

Geese Fly Past

17/02/2007

Just as I was leaving, in fact I'd just locked the shed, the geese decided to have a fly past. I've seen this quite a few times nad it never fails to impress me. A wonderful sight. Sorry the quality of this photo is none too good but the light was poor.

Sunset Over the Allotment

17/02/2007

When I'd had enough of moving compost, I sat on my bench and watched the sun set for five minutes or so. Really peaceful just me on the site and even the birds seemed to have headed home for the night,

I just wish I could get a shot that does it justice, the sun shining through the leafless trees.

Greenhouse Borders

17/02/2007

I've built up deep beds inside the greenhouses and finished barrowing compost in to fill them up.

The next job will be to finish the central path.

The Compost Mountains

17/02/2007

The empty path at the top of the plot is now full of compost. Yes after the wine lake and butter mountains if the EU, we have the compost mountains of Crewe.

Much work to be done.

My Compost Mountain

17/02/2007

This is what nearly seven tonnes of compost looks like in a pile. I look at the heap and wonder if I'll ever get it moved!

That's my shed in the background. There's a fair amount of the compost not in the shot as well.