The Allotment - 23^rd February 2003

All raised beds for this stage completed frame construction, most of the leveling, sharp sand and compost done. Some sieving done, to move earth to our last small raised bed addition.

So today was build a final raised bed in front of the cold frame using our last offcuts, sieve some soil to fill this bed. Complete the top two raised beds on the right in the front section to dig in sand, compost and finally cover with some landscape fabric. The other beds were levelled (partly destoned), sand was at least raked over the beds, and compost raked over by the time we finished.

Unfortunately it was too dark when we finished to take more photos, and the ones here are from shots at around lunchtime.

By the end of the weekend we had used:-

• 4 x sacks of recovered stones
• 12 x 80litre bags of compost
• 12 x 38kg sacks of sharp sand
• 3 x 80litre bags of bark chippings
• 2 x sore backs
• 4 x rough hands
• loads of hot baths

Two more Polypipes were filled for edging at the back, and the remnants of the stones were used for improving the stone path in front of the loganberry

New addition Allotment Diagram to give sizes click here

When the onions crop has been harvested, then we will look at making that part of the middle section into a raised bed, and when possible the rest of that middle section once the strawberries can be moved.

Click on image for full size image

Gill digging in sand into the top left raised bed of the front section. Red bags of compost can be seen waiting for spreading over the beds.. The section with black landscape fabric in the foreground is the section that has to await being made into raised beds later this year.
Gill filling the polypipe with more stones, and the finished beds around her, awaiting sand and compost. The two beds to the left of Gill and the one in left foreground are awaiting sand first, which was purchased after lunch and completed this evening.
Another view of the beds awaiting sand and compost, the two beds (centre and right) of the front section had been completed for sand and compost and later had landscape fabric pegged out over them to allow the soil to warm up, before planting.
First view of the new small bed in front of the main cold frame, made up from what was left over from the boarding of other boards. This has been filled with sieved earth (with sand and compost) from the completed beds; which were too full. The bucket in there is for Mint and the like.
Second view of the last raised bed. Any small bits of growth in front of the cold frame are some form of onions (probably spring onions) that were still in the ground and are extras.