More digging and first signs of life

The plot has been coming along nicely since my last post.

Despite not doing the traditional thing and spending Easter gardening (thanks to the weather) I have been managing to put in regular time down on the allotment.

About 3/4 of the plot has now been dug over. Last week my partner and I finished digging the left side and marked out the rest of the beds with string. I'm planning to install edging boards when time and money allows, like the ones around the tree.

The area around the tree has been compacted and weed control fabric laid down. I'm going to leave the water butt next to the centre path together with a wildlife project that I am working on with my son. On the other side of the tree there will be another double compost bin that has already been made by my Father-in-law and just needs to be installed.

My Father-in-law has also finished putting up the fence and it looks great. He has done the job pretty cheaply by using his own ingenuity and recycled materials such as the chain link fencing which came from a local park and from another plotholder, free of charge.

This is what the front "fence" used to look like

The garlic I planted previously has started growing and I have since planted shallots, onions and a couple of rows of spring onions. My potatoes are chitting nicely and I'm planning to plant them within the next week, if the weather allows. I've also started off a few seeds on the kitchen window sill.

I had read that Garlic needs a cold spell to get going but mine seems to be going for it anyway. It does better with as long a growing season as possible so I will probably get smaller bulbs this year. Next years crop can be started in the autumn and will overwinter for a longer season and fatter bulbs.

Garlic sprouting

Finally, my Bokashi bin is about 2/3 full and looks good so far. It's hard to tell what's happening beneath the top layer although as promised in the instructions it does not smell. It has made me more aware of what foods I am throwing away and I have found myself think twice about buying something that I've put in the bin. That must be an extra advantage to using it.

Better than your average composter.

While doing my shopping yesterday in Tesco I checked out their greener living promotion and saw these "Bokashi bin" type composters. They can be used to compost almost any food waste, including meat, dairy products and cooked food, that you cannot put in a normal compost bin.

The secret to how they work is Bokashi bran, which is a mix containing bran, molasses and micro organisms. When you add waste to the bin you sprinkle in a handful of Bokashi bran and this helps break it down and prevent any unpleasant smells. As the waste breaks down a liquid plant feed is produced that is drained off via a tap at the bottom of the bin.

Once the bin is full it must be left for 14 days after which time the contents can be safely added to a garden compost bin or buried in a trench to finish breaking down. It's usually better to have 2 bins so that you can start filling a new one while the previous one is working.

I have seen this type of composter before but they are usually very expensive so it was something that I had added to my mental wish list. When I saw them in Tesco they were already selling at a much reduced price of £21. But when I went back to pick them up at the end of doing my shopping they had been further reduced to the bargain price of £10.50! That was for the twin pack, they also had single bins for £6.50 and both packs included Bokashi bran.

I have already put mine to use, adding cheese, bread and leftover cooked food and will let you know how it goes in a future post.