The field path to the allotment was a slithery assault course after heavy rain and the wind was bitter, but on the big allotment bonfire-heap-in-waiting there was treasure. On top were slices of a new builder’s pallet that someone had sawn up to make for easier disposal. Well thank you very much. Naturally I had to retrieve these for recycling man and the home wood burner pile. I stacked the pieces by the hedge beside my exit route for later transportation i.e. once I’d emptied my big blue IKEA bag of vegetable peelings on the compost heap; the reason for my visit.
But then once I’d fished out the pallet pieces I realised someone had dumped a mass of garden waste that would be so much better on my compost heap. (Why do people who garden not make compost?) My good fortune though. I filled the IKEA bag to bursting. And it was during this exercise and under a load of tree prunings that I found the other half of the pallet that had not been sawn up. Yippee! It was just the right size to make the side of a new compost bin. I lugged it up to my plot along with the compost makings. Dug up the last of the carrots and discovered some parsnips. It was then I realised I’d been so busy scavenging and rootling, the weather had sneaked up on me. Over Windmill Hill there was a storm coming in. Just time to slither home across the field, deliver the pallet bits and untangle the sheets that had tied themselves in knots on the washing line. When I took them indoors they were filled with fresh-air smells that made me think of spring.
copyright 2018 Tish Farrell
Tish Farrell 
You made me feel as if I were scavenging beside you! A brilliant day and so good for gardening.
Lovely of you to come along too, Lisa 🙂
Wow, you really got stuck in there! Oh, and I love the bit about fresh air smells and Spring!
Thank you, Sue. The first fresh washing smells of the year!
Marvellous! I do miss my washing line – alas no longer outdoor washing smells for me
That was one thing I really missed about living in a flat and then the townhouse with no outdoor space. Years of tumble drying and hanging washing on a clothes airer, especially sheets. One reason why I wanted a garden.
We’re about to get more snow here, but for a moment as I read your post I felt that Spring was coming. Thanks for bringing us scavenging with you!
Glad to spread some spring tidings 🙂
I never make actually compost, as such, but we bury all peelings etc, pips and all at various points around the part of the garden we keep for veggies.
This seems to work out as around 50% of what sprouts comes from peeling and pips.
All the varieties of squash we usually for example, and currently taters as well!
Tomatoes sometimes grow of their own accord from discarded over ripe fruit ( especially the little cocktail toms) and I also grow a few seedlings most years.
Beans are easy enough to grow and we always allow enough to ”go to seed” for the following season«s crop. It isn’t anything as posh and well organized as your marvelous allotment, but it is home-grown and we all know that is a great feeling!
I like your method, Ark. It may be all your own, but if it works! Things will self-sow (tomatoes, beans and spuds) here but not necessarily very successfully due to the climate killing them off after they’ve sprouted. And of course you have all your lemon trees to prove the worth of your approach.
It doesn’t produce a mountain of food by any means, but as you say, it does work. I am thinking of turning over a bit more garden to vegetables this year and see if we can increase the yield and maybe the variety.
The chillis are doing exceptionally well this season since I filled in the old (small) pond and planted them out.
Recycling of old pond sounds an excellent notion. More power to those chillis.
It leaked and with so many cats at that stage and it being quite shallow …. well, need I say more!
🙂
A successful scavenger day indeed! Was that the community ‘burn pile’, where people can drop off all their non-toxic garbage? Very nice post, Tish!
Hi Peter. The ‘to burn pile’ is supposed to be only for stuff from the allotment holders’ garden plots and in theory it should be non-toxic, although I notice some plastic material does creep in there. Most of the vegetable matter that ends up on the heap is compostible anyway, though the twiggy stuff obviously takes more management and time. In fact if we had a proper ‘baking’ system set up we could slow burn it into biochar which would be brilliant.
Oh for fresh sheets in the sun and breeze. My line has been down for a while and really need to be back up. Yea for compost and worm beds.
Compost, worm beds, and sunfresh linen – what more could a person want 🙂
There is something so wonderful about hanging that first load of washing outdoors. Sadly not going to happen here for a while, the wind would certainly take the contents into the fields and far away!
That’s a vision – chasing sheets across the Cornish countryside!
Spring, she says! Lordy 🙂 🙂 Queen of the wishful fairies! And an extremely industrious one. Just back from mud slithering and cleaniing of boots 🙂
The daffs are pushing up under the old allotment damson tree, and budding here in the garden so maybe just the tiniest hint of spring. On the other hand it is blooming cold at the moment with snow forecast for this pm. Brrr. You are good cleaning your boots. Mine are just where I left them, in a muddy heap in the porch.
It sounds as if you were having a great time. I was with you for the whole time, enjoying the labour and the fresh air. I need to get out more!
Alison
It’s too easy to find excuses not to go out in winter, but I always feel better when I’ve made the effort. One seizes up in front of the computer.
Yes one does, but I still try to walk every day even in the rain.
Good on you!
Wow! You were one busy person. I’m impressed!
I have my moments, Angeline 🙂
Pallets are a hot item around here. You just put them up on the street with a sign saying “FREE” and they’re gone in seconds.
Sometimes they have really good wood in them. One pallet we acquired had some oak slats. They got recycled into the lap-board effect on the eave of our porch roof.
There’s nothing like wind dried sheets Tish, not too keen on muddy slithers though!
Much Wenlock is a pretty slithery place all in all. The Silurian Sea never seems to quite dry out.
A day very well spent Tish. I hope there was a hot bath, a glass (or two of wine) and something yummy for dinner as reward.
Of definitely there was – beetroot-parsnip-feta rosti and polytunnel green salad 🙂
That sounds delicious 😋
What a productive day Tish. I also wondered why the scraps had been thrown away by a gardener, Mr recycle man would be very happy with your haul.
He was!
😊
It does puzzle me. There are only a couple of people at the allotment besides me who have compost heaps.
How amazing!!!