Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Didn't We Have A Lovely Time ...

Being August Bank Holiday yesterday, it was predictably grey & cool, but that didn't stop me going to a garden centre with mum. I was after some brassica seedlings as I have sown mine far too early & more or less all the seedlings have failed in one way or another.

The trip to Dobbies didn't start well - the coffee was great, but no, they don't do toasted teacakes. Extraordinary!

No matter, we had a browse through the books, clothes, seeds, pet section & sundries before finding the plant section. 'Not very well signed, is it?' said mum, wanderling around trying to find the climbers, '& I can't see anyone to ask.'

I found the vegetable seedlings, though - but at £4.99 for a tray of just six spring cabbage, it would be cheaper to buy the finished article in Tesco, so I thought better of it. A chap to my left was browsing & turned his nose up too, saying 'I think I'll go to the farm a couple of miles up the road to get mine,' the location of which I quizzed him about further.

After a turn round the food section & separate clothes store, off we went - mum having found a clematis to her satisfaction (a pot version which doesn't grow more than 3-4' high - perfect for an ironwork mini pergola that she has) - to find the farm a couple of miles away, which sadly didn't turn out to have any brassica seedlings in stock.

However, we popped into Homebase on the way back - & they came up trumps with a tray of ten cauliflower & a tray of ten curly kale for £1.99 each. Brilliant!

Back at the Hill the netting was whizzed to one side & the seedling planted out in no time at all, then I spent forever picking caterpillars off the brussels sprouts & cabbage - note to self with regard to smaller mesh netting for next year...

4 comments:

  1. Too many places are cashing in on the Grow Your Own thing. I saw a module with 6 radishes in! Didn't ask the price. Radishes grow like weeds!

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  2. Yes, cashing in indeed!

    Surely it would be more faff to plant radish out than to leave them in the modules for an extra couple of weeks and pull them then for the table?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, but £1.99 for 6 radishes! Taking the wee-wee I think!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I see a bandwagon a-rollin' by!

    ReplyDelete

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