What a year 2021 was, let's look back at it.
- ourallotment102
- Jan 7, 2022
- 3 min read
What a good year 2021 on our allotment, it feels like we managed to get so much done. We didn't end our year too great as we caught covid, but we are clear now and ready to go. Hope all you guys are doing ok and keeping safe. I feel my allotment is one of the safest places to be right now.
This blog is a look back at what we achieved on our allotment over the year, what we managed to build and also what we managed to grow.
Looking back on what I built last year apart from being lucky enough to get a massive polytunnel. I would say, as I am always excited when I can turn something old into something new, so my favourite build was our hot house extension. This was made out of pallet wood and old patio doors. The only new section was the roof, but it was still free as I asked around to see if anyone I knew had some laying around. What it has given us in growing space was amazing. We have gained another plant bed as well as lots of racking and storage space.
I was also impressed with my cold frame, which again was made out of recycled parts, an old greenhouse door and some more pallet wood goes a long way. We had never used a cold frame so it was good to try it out. I am not sure if it made a big difference but this year I will do some testing.
We have been very lucky this year as we seem to have found an endless supply of pallet wood, which at the moment we are using for fire wood at home. We are trying to keep our heating costs down. Speaking about costs, this year we really want to keep our food bills down, so a lot more planning will be going into this year's crop so we can maximize our return off the plot.
As for the polytunnel, This was something my wife had always dreamed about getting on the allotment. To be lucky enough to finally have one and experience growing in one for the first time, we couldn't be more happier with it, the whole kit from start to finish was really easy for us both to build. The interior beds again were made from pallet wood, I still have a few more to make and will be done before this year's harvest is ready to go in.
When it comes to growing, my wife plans it all. I had fun growing salad. I know it's nothing special but I do eat a lot of it and there is still something magical about being able to pick my own salads and make my own Greek salad. My wife grew Heritage tomatoes last year and they were amazing, not only to look at but they tasted like nothing else. I know she put a lot of work into growing them, it was well worth it to see and taste them.
Don't think for one moment it was all plain sailing for us. We had a nightmare with our potatoes, who knew ants love Coco Coir soil. We didn't. The ants ate all the roots of the plants, we only noticed something was wrong as they started to die off very early. All the crops we grow outside got infested with whitefly and also the slugs got a lot of it. We don't use chemicals and they found a way through our netting. I think this coming year we will grow hardy veg outside like onions and corn and keep a lot of the brassica indoors. But it's all learning so don't get disheartened if you have a bad year, there is always the next year to try something different.
Let me say a massive thank you to anyone that has taken the time to read any of our blogs and hopefully some of you will have taken something positive away from it.
Once again if you're reading this, thank you for taking the time out of your day. I am not an expert; I am just sharing my experiences with you and maybe it helps in some way. For more on our allotment head over to our Instagram page @allotment102. We try to post a few times a week and we share everything good and bad
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