PowerSwitch

I recently found a wonderful world of websites dedicated to peoples allotments, chickens, home crafts etc. A lot of the people working allotments are older folk who are retired with a smattering of younger folk, including some downshifters and stay-at-home Mums. All of them have a lot of know-how and experiences to share.

I started with the Allotment Lady (http://kooringa.blogspot.com/) in Norfolk, but she also has a heap of links to other allotment sites incluing this one (http://www.allotment.org.uk/) and one http://www.news2share.co.uk/ both with their own BBS forums.

These people may have a host of motivations other than PO but its still an inspiration to those of us wrestling with veggie hardens and chooks (yes I'm soon to get chooks - we've been scoping out the spot in the garden for the hen house and pen, checking out breeds - I'm quite excited

You may want to check what plans the Australian government expects to implement in the event of a bird flu outbreak before you get your chickens. It'd be a shame if you got them then had to keep them inside or have them culled because there's a bit of flu going about.

Allan

My little allotment experiment?

So, I got my second plot at the start of the year making me a 10 rodder. On my first plot I followed all the old-boy advice about double digging, fertiliser, etc, etc. This is quite hard work, and aimed at old-boys who can spend 3 hours a day tinkering around on their patch. However with a full time job, two young boys, and a house to fix, I haven?t got that kind of time.

So with drought in mind I thought I?d try a few experiments in the ?no dig method?. Having just moved house I had tons of cardboard to dispose of, so all you do is chuck two layers of cardboard on the ground (remove all plastic tape etc first), and cover it in rotted farmyard manure.

Then you poke holes in it and stick your plants through, (no good for root veg however). The result?, you don?t need to water, the cardboard prevents evaporation. You don?t need to weed, the few weeds that you get are surface only and pull up very easily, and best of all no digging, (after you?ve shifted that manure that is. I can also vouch for the fact that my marrows are the envy of all that see them. One tip is a bit of copper wire (strip old bits of electrical cabling) in a circle around each plant will keep the slugs away.

So, to conclude, no digging, no watering, no weeding = big marrows

Sherry, I know Lottie through another forum board she uses and shes a really nice person to get to know, we have exchanged seeds and plants during this past year. As you say, a real inspiration.