I threw it in the ground

It might be a bit early, but I couldn't resist planting a few rows xD

So apparently it's best to plant similar families of veg in the same beds - as they alter the soil in the same way (such as taking up more of a specific nutrient) and this means you can rotate your crops every year and keep your soil balanced and happy.

Here is what I've planted so far:

Legume family
Broad beans - "Karmazyn" (Bed 1 row 1-4)

Root family:
Parsnips - "Tender and True" (Bed 2 row 1,2)

Allium family
Onions - "Bedfordshire Champion" (Bed 3 row 1,2)



You're also supposed to test the PH (acidity) of your soil before planting but meh, I'm lazy. Lets see if anything comes up! And even if it is too early we can always replant :)

Also.. while I was planting the seeds... I was being watched. I've already seen them loitering around in other allotments, but now it seems I've caught their attention.

The birds >:| Well, the ones that cause all the trouble look more like pea hens (and then there's other pests like rabbits and then slugs), but birds are the most evil looking ones. Leave my teeny veg alone!

GO GO VEGGIES U CAN DO IT

Ready to plant? Um... I fink so

So apparently we can start putting stuff in the ground in Feb! Well herpa derp. I'm thinking onions, leeks, garlic and various other members of the allium family - but I'll have to submit my request to Stevo tho and make sure it meets his approval.

Anyhoo I went out today and got two seedbeds ready, they've both been dug up with a spade, hacked with a hoe, and raked over with... well you can guess.

Now here's the picture - and yes it kind of looks like all the others BUT I assure you - there are more earthworms this time round. You just can't see them cos they're imba.

- Aaron

3D allotment, because I'm a nerd

Gives you an idea of how big our patch is!

Allotment size: 6 meters x 20 meters. Each bed is 2.5 meters long, giving us 16 beds in total - that's a lot of brussel sprouts! Of course if we get a garden shed then we'll have to give up some space for that :)

Muddier than a Mound of Mudkips

I had to finish composting the left side, I was losing sleep over it! The mud was intense :o

Washout!

We headed out today, however the clouds above were looking unfriendly but on we went undeterred. We launched into the ground but it's tough going..the soil is soaking wet and quite clayey, it sicks to all the gardening tools and really just gives us grief. No matter though as being outside is all the motivation we need.

Then those unfriendly clouds turned more sinister and unleashed hell on us, we hurriedly dove behind the lee-side of the nearest shed and hunkered down. It was at that moment that Aaron leaned into me a little and with an air of defeat admitted that my idea of getting our own shed was a guddin.

But why would we not!! We can:

• Shelter from said elements
• Store our tools
• Have our neighboring Allotteers over for tea and crumpets
• Most importantly we can 'Chit' our potatoes :D

Aaron: .... Let's not forget the real reason you want this Stephen.

Moonshinin'.

Enter the Garden Hoe

Why get a rotorvator to break up your soil for you in five minutes, when you can spend a week doing it by hand instead? Exactly, that's what I thought.

Enter the garden hoe! I think so far this is my favourite gardening tool :3 The one I'm using hasn't changed much since Roman times, but there's a foam grip on the end so I'm sure that brings it into the 21st century.

By the way, some people have been asking where exactly is the place where us city kids embarass ourselves in front of seasoned gardeners, so I'll give you their website - http://www.beechparkallotments.ie/

And here's what a patch of ground looks like after being mercilessly hoe'd. The lines in ground are called 'furrows'. I was completely broken after doing that, it's really hard work! You can see the on the last couple of furrows I was slacking haha, I could of made them a bit longer :)

- Aaron

***DISASTER HAS STRUCK!****

It has transpired Aaron purchased cheap ass reasonably priced hoe, there I was creating the straightest furrows you'd ever see and then...KABLAMO:

And might I add - 10 year guarantee ! Im not sure we even hoe'd 10 furrows.

-Steve.