Black Gold!

I’ve been able to tick a few major things from the to-do list this week. One of which was to find and pick up some free manure. Not one of the nicest of jobs, but it needed to be done. My allotment soil isn’t particularly poor in quality in fact it’s very rich, to the point that my neighbour jealously shows everyone how dark it is. So I’m very grateful to have such fertile ground, but I know must look after and replenish the soil if I am to be rewarded with bumper crops later in the year.

I saw Julie’s advert on pre-loved.com and arranged to pop over to her stables and paddock in Shepshed on my way back from work in Loughborough.  “Bring wellies and old clothes” she texted ..”its very muddy”. She wasn’t kidding, this picture doesn’t show the muddy side that we dragged the heavy wheel barrow though! Julie was very helpful in making sure I got the manure I wanted – the oldest, most well rotten stuff with no bedding materials mixed in. Despite Julie’s warning about the soft, sinky poo I still managed to get my foot completely stuck in the muck. We had a good laugh as I slowly removed my welly and I reminisced to the days when I would go horse riding with my sister and father when I was around 7 years old.

Thanks to Julie’s two lovely horses Barney (25yrs) Scarlet (4yrs) I now have 8 bags of black gold manure ready to spread across my plot tomorrow.

Jobs for the weekend
Spread manure
Prune and re-locate the buddleja
Move strawberry plants
Think about greenhouse positioning
Start to build the cold frames.