I am now an ex-allotmenteer

My last day on the allotment was yesterday. 

I didn't feel as sad as I expected, partly because during my last visit I spent most of the time being attacked by ants who weren't very happy that I was dismantling their home, the sides of the plastic Link-a-Bord* raised bed system. In the pouring rain. Although I am sure the birds had a field day picking up all the ant eggs once I'd gone. The rain stopped, and I picked a lot of soft fruit and cleared lots of junk out of the storage box.

 

The other reason I had to give up my plot - not revealed before now because I fear jinxing it - is that within weeks I am moving house to a place with a garden (supposedly 70ft although it doesn't look that big to me) that will be more than enough to keep me busy in the next few years. And when I am ready to dive back into plotting, there are some allotments up the road from the new house I can sign up for. So giving up plot 176 feels like moving forward, not back.

So now I am starting to wind down my current garden (no impulse plant buying for me) and figure out how the hell I am going to get all my container plants to the new house. And how the hell do you transport a wormery (Can'O'Worms to be specific) full of worms and gunk? Current plan is to bungee it over an old blanket and possibly take the legs off.

*Link-a-Bord is great if you want a utilitarian raised bed rather than a pretty one, something that takes minutes to set up and doesn't require a hammer, and will never rot or fade. I can't see it working in my garden but it's perfect for an allotment.

Comments

[Natalie El-Barrawi]

Careful, if you cover the wormery it needs to breathe-I nearly had a wormerycide incident when I left a box on the top.
Nothing like moving to make you realise how much garden stuff you have-be ruthless to lighten the load. Good Luck with the move.
Can the link a bords be used as a new compost heap?

[Jane Perrone]

I may well use the Link-A-Bords for a compost bin ... which they are also designed for.

With any luck the wormery will only be covered for a few hours and it'll be something breathable like an old blanket - would hate to suffocate the worms!

[emma townshend]

that's great! hope it all goes smoothly... 70 foot garden is good... But remember to take your own advice and sign up the minute you get in the house!