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Ive had a wonderful day butchering the sycamore trees that I had sawn down in to canes and logs
Ive also despatched the Elder tree that was covering half my plot but with the intention to train the new coppiced bits that sprout from it and get elderflower cordial and stuff from it.

I've also ordered two mulberry trees I absolutely adore mulberries and I once worked at a place that had a tree and it was divine to go and pick berries from the tree and eat them.

The aforementioned place also had apples that I could pick and eat straight off the tree Once youve tasted fresh apples the supermarket ones are dry as Im sure many people know

Links to how it used to look are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/46785529@N00/

Cant wait for the trees to arrive but Id better clear a space for them soon

Wow, looks like a lot of hard work there Rohen, but am sure the results will be well worth the effort.
Love mulberries, many fond childhood memories of being scolded for coming inside with stained feet, hands, clothes and face

Unfortunately cant really afford the expense of a chainsaw right now but I have significantly cleared quite a bit already by hand and secateurs and japanese hand saw and telescopic lopper

The apple tree is no longer choked with brambles, privet and other such nuisances and has blossomed nicely

Will take a photo tomorrow/ sunday and show you

Rohen

Well you are making a lot of progress already. Well done! By the way, who is Screaming Bertha? Is she one of your patients?

No I wanted a different name for the flickr account something a bit different if you know what I mean


Thats why

As promised here are the photos taken this morning on the allotment

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46785529@N ... 126781227/

Looking good Rohen!

Do you have a friend with goats you can direct your cuttings too? Looks like some great roughage there.

stick some runner beans up that back fence

Wow, well done!

Nev

Dug a bed today... I shall plant potatoes in there..... At least I shall have something growing on it...

Also got a free shed from a friend who has just built herself an new one

And one of my neighbours cleared the path that runs down the side of my allotment on Saturday night which was great help.

I think its better that I start planting stuff rather than trying to clear it all in one go first or I'll get nothing for harvest except apples.

Got six strawberry plants in pots too I dread to plant them out as there are slugs in the allotment and snails......

Am I doing badly for only having had the allotment for just over a week?
There doesnt seem to be enough hours in the day

Rohen wrote:Am I doing badly for only having had the allotment for just over a week?

I think you might be giving Gunners a run for his money! Mind you Stoney would have had that whole plot clear by now.......

... and I'd still be sitting inside, drinking the umpteenth cup of tea or coffee, and making yet another plan of how to tackle this mess

Well done! You are definitely getting there. How long had that allotment been out of action that it got so badly overgrown?

I unearthed a plastic strip with november 2002 on it from the bed I dug

I would say about 3-4 years for most of it ... That would explain the elder growth and account for why the sycamores had grown so big. It also explains the big bramble roots I took out They were the size of big fists and were pretty deeprooted

My intention is to do a little bit every day as that is manageable

The plot next to me is reverting to woodland in parts I dont think anyone has actually worked it for at least 7 years and anyone who does take it over ( hopefully me) will spend a full three months in the winter chopping it down to size.

Im planning as today is rainy to just carve up the elder branches and the privet branches all down to manageable bits so I can inspect what is left to do.

Im aching all over but It has to be done

keep it up