The head of allotments offered it to me, pausing as he frowned:"Looking at it I suppose we should let you have it for nothing for the first year" he sighed ruefully.
Surrounded by beautifully tended plots with nets, virgin soil, vegetables obediently flourishing in lines and all with artfully crafted home-made sheds, my plot is a disgrace.
I also noticed that all the surrounding allotment holders were stout men with hands that look made for pulling things, chopping things and in the case of rabbits, strangling things.
But I am learning.
Here in the allotment and in the garden October can be one of the most satisfying months. With the rain coming the soil is beginning to soften up and is still warm enough for planting, dividing and, in the true spirit of allotments - sharing. I have only been here a few weeks and I have already planted strawberries from Seamus and raspberry canes from Fran.
You see - whilst the world tramples on each other, us enlightened allotment holders are creating a New World Order based on a generous exchanges of goods and an admiration of compost heaps. And forget the internet. If you want to know anything about vegetables ask a man with ill-fitting trousers, red cheeks, side-burns and a wheelbarrow.
For instance - cardboard is the best way of keeping weeds at bay as old carpet gets tangled and expensive geo-textile weed-suppressants get choked ( from Reg ). And if you are going to move your fruit canes then double-dig in the old runner and broad beans first ( Kev ). And mind how old your horse manure is or it will bring in all the weeds ( Cyril ). And get your garlic and onions planted and your run beans sown under glass ( Pete). While you are at it - prune your summer-fruiting canes by cutting back to ground level and cut back all canes if they are Autumn fruiting.
If you are not quite sure then come to Hampshire and ask Reg. He will have plenty to say.
It's a whole new world and one that spurs me on when I look up at the remaining 4.9 rods of my 5 rod plot that I have to dig. ( A Rod is a five and a half yards length measure of land from the Good Old Days when the King's shilling ruled and farm deaths were frequent). It's getting away from my laptop, getting away from my In-tray and getting a sore back, filthy trousers and the most enormous satisfaction from making a tiny dent in my jungle to get the first plants in the ground.
And if ever I think of my sore back or anything else sore in my life for that matter I will remind myself of Seamus. Well into his 70's, he fell over on his plot and lay there for several hours with his life hanging in the balance. After a change of medication he is now back digging 3 hours at a time - with a large grin on his face.
I don't think we know how lucky we are.
Further top-tips on jobs for October;
- You can start thinking about planting your fruit trees now too.
- Get rid of any messy annuals and think about replacing them with something imaginative. Varieties of Hellebores, Heucheras, Bergenias, Violas and Pansies will all give you something to admire in the Winter months.
- Lift your bulbs such as Gladiolii, Dahlias and Canna for over-wintering so they don't get frosted or water-logged.
- Plant your daffodils now but leave your Tulips until November.
- Keep adding mulch to your borders, raiding the base of your compost bin for the well-rotted stuff.
More on the wonderful world of compost heaps at a later date...............
