Chickens!!!!!

Not content with growing our own veg we decided that we needed some chickens too! We wern't happy about them living at the allotment as we can not guarantee to get there every day and besides there would be more risk of fox's so we wanted to have them at home.

We scoured the net and travelled all over looking for a nice coop that would look nice and be easy to clean.....this is what we came up with

The omlet Eglu. After looking at loads of other coops which looked hard to keep clean this won us over, we purchased ours from E-Bay and set off to Norwich (340 mile round trip) to collect it. I set it up that evening so we could go and collect chickens the next day.

We looked at loads of places for chickens to and either were not impressed with the conditions they were kept in or just didn't like any of the stock, that was until we went to The Wernlas Collection in Shropshire. This is a fantastic place and we struggled to choose from all the fantastic breeds they have there. We didn't really want just Hybrid chickens for laying we wanted a choice of pure breeds so this was definitely the best place to come.

So here we have, from left to right, Trinny the Rhode Island Red, Suzanna the Buff Wyandotte and Janet (after Janet Street Porter) the Welbar (this one is loud and bossy hence the name).

So as well as allotment pics you will have to check back for loads of chicken pics too. We will post more pics and egg news as it happens.

Getting there!

Well I have been hard at work and the plot is looking nice now, everything we planted is coming on well and we will be planting more this weekend. The compost bins and manure bin have been built and painted and the plastic compost bin has been put up for our home waste.

Managed to get a water butt form one of the other chaps on the allotment so am going to rig that up so that I don't have to walk backwards and forwards to the water supply.

All the brambles have been cut back and I have removed loads, am going to put some posts in and wires to try and keep them under control, the plot they were taking up is going to

be for the greenhouse and the shed, I am also going to wire the rasberries to keep them in control.

We have harvested loads of rasberry's and blackcurrants, Sam made some jelly with some of the blackcurrants and we were going to make more!!!!!!!! Until we found the recipe for blackcurrant vodka........Will keep you posted on how this is.

I will not be defeated!!!!

I decided not to let the rain beat me and get up the allotment to plant the beans and start to construct the compost bins!!!!! Did 30 mins work and spent 30 mins in the car, then another 30 mins and back to the car, and another 30mins then I had enough, admitted defeat and came home.
Still I managed to get the beans planted and started to get the compost bin up, I have put all the stakes in just need some long nails to hold it all together.

Where is the summer

OK the seeds have had enough water now! I need some sun, and I'm sure they do.

Have been trying to complete my compost and manure bins but as soon as I get to the allotment the big man upstairs lets the heavens open, was hoping to get up there today but unless the rain holds off until midday and stay off for a few hours it will have to wait until the weekend.

Still haven't planted the beans they are growing huge in their pots so that can be done today or over the weekend too, may try to find some time to start my revision for my final exams in September and October then!

The first planting

Went to the Royal show last week and picked up some seeds so off we went over the weekend to get them planted.


So far we have sown, lettuce, spinach, carrots and beetroot from seed. It is really to see how the ground is and to try to raise a few crops to reward us for all the hard work we have done.

Sam's dad came up on Sunday with 50 leek plants, a pumpkin plant and about 50 "bobbie" bean plants! I will get these planted this week if the rain ever stops here! Oh well at least the seeds will be well watered.

I also covered another quarter of the plot to allow the grass to die, after a whole day of ball breaking digging I have decided to rotovate the rest, there is very little weed and cooch grass to worry about on this half.


The next task is to dig over the quarter behind this patch and lay weed membrane and slabs for our greenhouse and shed, at least I can leave the tools there instead of bringing then home every day! and I have somewhere to hide when it rains!

Starting to dig.

1st July 2008.

Both been at the allotment today, very hot weather today.

Spent the whole day digging out the first section, going to take it step by step, doing a bit at a time!

Cleaned up the raspberry bushes today, got all the grass and weeds away from them, look a lot better, we can see them now!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a couple of ripe one on the plant so we had a couple, they were really nice, very sweet and yellow, never seen yellow ones before though!

The digging of the first section was finished today, Mark worked really hard. Lucky for me, we only had one spade!!!!!!!!

Spoke with my dad tonight and he has already got us some plants which we can put in!! He's more excited than us, ah bless........

Clearing the plot!

28/29th June 2008.





During the weekend, while I was away in Liverpool for a hen night, Mark has been very hard at work......................Once dad had come and sprayed it all we left the allotment for 5 days and then it was time for it to be strimmed. Mark worked all weekend, I planned that one well!!!!!!!!!Have a look at the photos from the weekend, he did loads.

There are a few fruit bushes on the plot so we are going to keep those, at the front on the right are 3 blackcurrant bushes full of fruit, in the middle on the right are golden raspberries and the back left of the plot is full of raspberry bushes, we have already picked loads of these.