On Sunday morning I went down the allotment with one aim and that was to start digging over the new plot. I’m still not 100% sure on how I’ll use the new plot, but it’s covered in weeds and grass and really needs clearing before winter sets in.

In one of my previous updates, I put down some weed fabric and bark chippings to try and smother the weeds. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough bark with me so could only do a small area, so before going to the allotment on Sunday, I popped into a local garden centre and picked up 4 bags of bark for £20. This was enough to cover what I wanted and a little more.

Fortunately, the previous tenant had built some raised beds and these are still in great condition considering the rest of the plot, and not wanting to rebuild them, I started to dig one of them over. It was back breaking work, the roots of some of the weeds went deep and the soil was like concrete. After 2 hours, I only managed to dig an area that covered 4 square metres. As I was tired, I decided to stop and get on with some other jobs.

Moving onto the other plot, I took down my beans and covered the area with some thick tarp to cover any weeds. I done this last winter on the potato beds and had very few weeds this year. It’s definitely something I’ll be doing more often. The leeks that I planted in the summer are really bulking up and next to them; I spotted some rather nice sprouts, and they’ll be ready in time for Christmas.