Flighty's plot

that I started clearing Plot 124. I’ve worked slowly and steadily a couple of hours two days of each week since then and I’m well pleased with what I’ve done so far.

This photo was taken today from the southern end of the plot looking north. It’s all been forked over once and the top half has been gone over again. To the right you can see the edge of the compost heap and the pallet patio.

The latter looks like this It’s on bricks and you can see that I’ve given it a coat of green wood preserver. It’s 6 by 4 feet which gives plenty of room for the planned shed, which is 3 by 2 feet, and a deckchair.

I’m planning on sowing some flower and a few vegetable seeds sometime soon, planting bulbs and then later on the roses. I’m still thinking about what and where though!

I like this time of year and given good weather can see me continuing to make further good progress.

I keep losing track of weeks so I’m stopping doing specific entries titled Week …

As well as week-to-week entries I shall do a round-up one at, or soon after, the end of each month for anything I’ve not mentioned, along with a photo or two showing how it’s coming along.

All the rubbish has now gone, partly cleared by the council and the rest taken by other plot holders for their own use. The pile of weeds has also gone, either burnt or moved to the communal compost heap.

Just about the entire plot has now been forked over once, and perhaps about a third has been worked over a second time.

Following my thoughts mentioned previously I’ve moved the pallet patio to it’s new position. Hopefully tomorrow I shall stand it on bricks and ensure that it’s level. Later on I intend giving it a coat of green wood preserver, which I think will make it blend in with its future surroundings better.

A temporary cardboard walled compost bin will also be erected which will suffice until I can do a timber one.

The forecast is looking ideal for the next few days at least which is good news as it means I can hopefully make further good process.

were a bit lax with little digging and weeding being done. My excuses include it being too hot, too wet or doing other things!

Having looked through the pile of assorted items that are sitting in the north-west corner of the plot I’ve decided that I can’t use, or don’t need, any of it so the council are going to remove it all. Hopefully that will be on Monday.

Where I’ve started digging over ground that I’ve already forked I’m finding it fairly easy going. Roots, weeds and sundry items, like rusty nails, are being picked up as I go. As yet I’ve found nothing of interest such as any coins.

I’ve had second thoughts about where I’m going to put my pallet patio and sentry box shed. Instead of being in the north-east corner I’m thinking of putting them about a third of the way down the eastern edge.

I’ve been browsing through several of the gardening books on the bookshop shelf and have made a list of annual flowers that can be sown direct onto the ground in the autumn. I shall check these in the seed catalogue* that I received earlier in the week.

I’ve also been looking at floribunda roses, in books and on websites. I particularly like the look of Valentine Heart among the handful that, for me, stand out.

[* I shall be doing a separate entry, hopefully sometime soon, on the joy of looking through a seed catalogue. ]

Last Friday afternoon I went to Plot 124 but really didn’t feel like doing very much.

As the wind was in the right direction, that is away from the the nearby flats, and there was no-one else working on the site I burnt the large pile of weeds that had accumulated since I started. Being dry it burnt well and what was left I can dispose of in one rubbish bag.

When the temperature goes over the low 20sC, especially when it’s humid, then I wilt! Yesterday it was around 30C here in London so I stayed home and continued reading James Fenton’s A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seed.

This is a small, slim book and to quote the cover is A simple, refreshing way to start a garden from scratch.

The majority of the seeds mentioned are listed in the Chiltern Seeds catalogue. I have ordered a copy and will enjoy looking through it and making up my own list.

The forecast this week is for dry, sunny weather with the temperature in the low 20sC. That means I should be able to get on forking and weeding for a couple of hours on two, or even three, days.

I reckon that a couple of more weeks will see me finish the initial forking over and weed clearing. I hope so as I now feel that I’ve had enough of doing this!

I mentioned a shed last week, which I’m going to put at the north-east corner which is where the pallets are which are visible in the photo in that entry.

A week or two back I had a look round the site at all the sheds there then spent a couple of hours looking at ones on the web.

Bearing in mind that it’s only a small plot, and I’m somewhat of a minimalist, I’ve settled on a rather small one with a footprint of only 3′ x 2′, so it’s really just a storage unit which I think will be ideal for me. I don’t need it just yet so I’ll wait a couple of months and buy it as a birthday present for myself.

A shed for my 60th…what more could I ask for!

Last week I treated myself to a and

This morning I was working away when I stopped and looking round saw a fox sitting down no more than ten feet away. Later a handful of chattering magpies strutted their way across the neighbouring plot.