June 27, 2026

Time is flying by. I’ll start with my knitting update as usual. It’s been slow progress in this heat, but I’m almost done with the jumper. Still a bit dubious as to whether it’s going to grow in the block wash, but we’ll find out by next week. I’m knitting it with the inside out, in the round, as then the colour floats are travelling along the outside of the circle, so the knit is bigger.

The big news is that I’ve got an allotment from the council! A small plot of land that is used for growing vegetables. I was on the waitlist for two years, and they emailed me saying one was available, meaning someone has abandonned theirs. The rule is you must cultivate at least 70% of your plot otherwise you start getting eviction notices. And it’s completely free. Anyways, my plot was hugely overgrown. It’s got a large plum tree and a large grape vine at the start. Then the rest is overgrown vegetable beds and a big mess of brambles at the back. It’s quite a large area, around 10m x 40m, though I haven’t measured it properly.

how I found it - the view from the front - I couldn't walk inside - inpenetrable

 The starting point was basically a jungle of long grass and brambles. There is an existing shed with tools in it, and a greenhouse. The grapevine had been growing in and around the two structures and the plum tree, apocalyptic-style. It’s not my first rodeo with brambles, so I tackled them head-on. Around half the plot is now flattened, and I’ve been working on that half, re-prepping the beds to get some last-minute seedlings in there, building a trellis for the grape to grow on instead of everywhere else. Pruning, sweeping, ordering everything. There’s lots of rubbish, old tools, tarp, decaying wood etc everywhere. 

Post clearance - looking to the front

The view after clearance

From the middle to the front

So far so good. I’m glad I have the field experience because, in comparison, it feels like a mini project, and would have felt overwhelming otherwise. 

I found an old rusty sickle in the greenhouse, which is awesome. I’ve been wanting a sickle! My brother gave me some oak to make a handle for it, and it turned out beautifully.

how i found it

The method is simple... You cut a recantagle of wood, with equal sides around, and long enough to cover the metal part of the handle. Then you plane away the corners, making an octagon shape. Keep planing, then switch to sanding until you have a smooth, rounded surface. Then drill a hole in the middle all the way through, wide enough to fit the metal point. Stick the sickle in and fill up the sides of the hole with wood shavings and glue. Then polish off the handle. Simples. Finally, I sharpened the blade, and now it’s good to go! Such fun.

post makeover

The shed had a number of other useful tools like a hoe, a rake, and long shears. I’ve been sharpening them all with a whetstone I have at home; it feels a little sinister, but it’s not. I’m trying to get the whole plot under control as quickly as possible while I have the momentum. 

I’m already learning new things at the allotment, seeing other people’s gardens. For example, the upside-down water bottle for slow drip watering is a must, especially if you’re not there every day. My main downfall when it comes to growing, apart from pests, is consistent watering. Especially with seedlings in trays. A few days or a mini holiday away means complete ruin for seedlings. So for next year, I’m already coming up with a new strategy to ensure better watering.

Not much else going on. I finally got the snail problem under control in the garden; I’ve been diligently hunting every night. My third set of chilli seedling plants have survived and are growing nicely. The tomato plants, which were unaffected, are growing a lot. The hot summers are getting more consistent now and has me thinking if that means we can grow more hot weather plants like apricots, peaches, other berries… 

Hopefully will have some grapes this year

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