First Thoughts on Leutgeb's allotment.

Dear Leutgeb,

Sure you've probably thought of all the following but in case not, here goes.

1. Have you done a soil test on your dug bit. Or do you know what the soil is like already?

2. How long has the ground been fallow? If several years and the soil is reasonable you shouldn't have to spend much on fertiliser this year.

3. Are you going to be 'oraganic'? If so I recommend getting hold of a 'GardenOrganic' catalogue. They have a website I think. Will try to find link after supper.

4. Compost heap. GO do a good booklet called 'Backyard Composting' and on several other subjects eg. Green Manures and WEEDs!

5. What are your worst ones? However meticulous you are, and that's certainly an essential approach, the weeds will come up in May unless you're fortunate and all the seed from last year's 'crop' blew away rather than settling in the ground!

6. Potatoes can't be recommended highly enough for a first crop and a thorough cleaning of the ground.

7. Clearing the plot widthwise means that by the Easter holiday you should have enough ground ready to plant 2 o 3 rows of seed postatoes (new earlies) for eating during the long summer holidays. (Your Mum won't be glazing over when she sees some of those coming into her kitchen and yours! Once again you can order excellent quality seed from GO. There's a great variety available and each type is thoroughly described. You can join the organisation and then get a discount on your orders

8. I suspect from the way you have written about the 'project' so far, that we share similar attitudes to gardening. I don't like pushing my books but I think you would enjoy them from a practical and spiritual point of view. Mark Miles very kindly put a link to Amazon on our joint blog ITSO Angels. (scroll on sidebar) All three are available ranging from £1.34 to £5.42 new and from 01p to 59p used. My little 'theology and spirituality of gardening' is given in the intro of the first book, but they all include a great deal of practical stuff as well as folk lore and history of plants, with fairly frequent reference to Literature and Music. They retail at between £9.99 and £15.99 in the Christian bookshops.

Will find some gardening poems for you and put them either here or on the Oasis. Do keep on posting about your plot on 'Bara Brith', so that I can enjoy reading about it.

Time to think about getting supper,

Sure there's something glaring I've forgotten to say...........

All the best
J