I think 8am might be the earliest I’ve been at the allotment. I followed Leo out of the estate with my wood on his van. I was able to take this panorama before the day’s work began and everything changed.

I pulled up all the chard and remaining beetroot, not least to get them out of the way of big feet. At least some of the beetroot will be usable. With that, the harvests for 2021 are all done.

Parts of the allotment were underwater from rain last night and it didn’t take long for the green grass to be turned into mud. Mum brought down my new door mat, which was helpful for going in and out of the shed, and I scurfed up the old one and all its grass.

The post holes made for securing the bed frames were all full of water, so the waves of liquid mud were amusing to watch when being refilled. The original plan had been for concreting the posts, but I nixed that when I got wind of it.

The robin only turned up when the guys left to get wood, and at the end of the day. On the first visit I treated him to some mealworms. Mum had brought down a new suet coconut too, as the first had been emptied.

It was too wet to attempt any weeding, but I found some jobs to do around the place. I mulched where I’d weeded before on the left boundary. Maybe a third of the bed remains to be weeded and mulched, assuming the ground dries out enough at some point.

I also sorted our latest collection of hügel sticks, chucking out anything I couldn’t break. I have a couple of armfuls of larger pieces which I need to bring home to break down further with some tool or other.

I’d left the bed edging in place so as to show where the edges were, but then the first job was to take them up. I was taking them up nicely, scraping them off a little and stacking them. The guys pinged them up (faster) with a spade and heaved them down the side of the shed. I’m hoping that the coming rain might wash them off a little and then I’ll make a nicer pile.

I’m sure I have too many of them, but I have one use in mind already: filling the strange hole at the bottom of the outside of my fence. I cut the grass back from the fence on the outside and I need to put some weedkiller on the grass that’s right on the fence line. Then I want to put a layer of one or two pieces in the groove.

The beds were done by around 3pm, with the poor grass looking a bit worse for wear. I’ll be in touch with Leo early next year with regard to evening the ground and turfing it. I took the opportunity today to dig out a bunch of dandelions and buttercups between the edging coming up and the beds going down. When the grass is cleaner and easier to see, I also plan to put weedkiller on other weeds and on anything that looks like it has been caught underneath the frames.

I’ve got lots of work ahead of me and since I don’t know if or when the ground will dry off a bit this side of Christmas, I’m not sure yet what my plan is. Some of the beds hadn’t been weeded yet, but with the ground being dug up, those weeds are now a bit churned up. It might be that they get proper cardboard covering rather than weeding. There are also going to be decisions to be made about spreading leaves and sticks, and where and how deep etc. So some sun and drainage would be helpful.

Today was compost heap day. Suzy and did a grand job and heaved all the newer top layers out onto a sheet on the back bed. This year’s very recent additions were easy to move and then gradually it became more of an endeavour. Taking the front off the heap showed good layers and then we started digging out the proper compost, making two big piles of really well rotted material. Any big pieces were thrown back on the pile to go round again.

Digging down far enough we were able to clear the compost from the wrong side of the posts and tied the chicken wire tightly to them to stop the sides bulging out so much. Neater and better airflow. The green wire doesn’t last all that long, but it’s a good start.

The robin was all around us while we worked, thoroughly enjoying the various things we were digging up. The strata of compost were interesting and it was good to find that although there were a few pads of grass stuck together, you’d never guess that there was 6 years’ worth of mowings in there. We also found some ornamental gourds, from probably 4 years ago, which could finally be broken down and crumbled. By no means were all the gourds found though, which just shows that this does all break down eventually – oh, but not fruit stones just yet.

We scrapped out a bit more than this, but have left the more compacted stuff. The pile at the back was diminished and spread out so as to mix with what we put back. Suzy heaved forkfuls from the pile into the heap and I trod it down to make sure no more pesky holes would form.

The compost heap has now gone from stuffed full to less than half full. We’ve done a great job, but it’s also quite nice to know that it won’t be worth again doing for a few years yet.

We ended up with two big heaps of compost and had managed to keep the grass pretty clean with the sheets we used. A number of sticks from the heap were added to the hugel stick pile and then in the afternoon we went to gather more from the park.

I raked up the leaves from the crab apple tree, mowed them (though you can barely tell) and took them to my leaf bin at the allotment. I checked the rat bait when I was in the area too and the bit that I’d thrown down by the compost heap and bait station had disappeared. The compost heap hasn’t been obviously disturbed, so I’m hopeful that the rat may have gone.

The fruit trees will need the usual attention in spring, but I noticed that the pear tree had a mad long branch coming from its bottom silly branch, up to the other side and rubbing against another branch. That low branch has been left quite long enough, so I’ve got rid of it entirely now.

The robin did a few fly-bys and came to look at me while I was weeding the front bed. I think it’s now learned that I’m keeping mealworms in my pocket too. They’re certainly more interesting than the sunflower seeds I’d first tried.

I’ve weeded the remainder of the front bed and mulched it with compost too. Any dislodged bulbs have been put back; the perennials are mostly cut back for spring, but there might be some spaces for annuals next year. The calendulas aren’t in great nick.

Light disappears quickly in the afternoon, but I got most of Plum Corner weeded before going home. It was riddled with couch grass, mostly coming through from next door. I’ve dug up what I can and next week there will be some more grass to get out before I get onto the left bed, which is in a fairly dire state further down.

Since none of the bait was taken yesterday, I’ve thrown one piece outside the station, just to see if I can persuade the rat to give it a nibble. It’s down the side of the compost heap at the entrance to the bait station. Come in!

I finally got to do my weeding and did Bed 7, almost entirely seated, which was good. I’ve taken up all the marigolds in that bed and saw a few remnants of the fibre pots – so they really do break down in a season.

I also weeded the empty parts of the veg bed and did a section of the broccoli bed too, which is fairly overgrown.

The robin now has a nest box for roosting and for a new family in the spring. It’s sheltered in the corner behind the apple tree, which is one of its favourite haunts.

Mum dug over Bed 6 to get rid of the new weeds while I was doing this, then we covered it to prevent any more weed growth before Leo comes along.

We cleared up all the stuff that the rat had thrown out and put it back on the pile. I checked the bait station and none of the bait had been touched. No doubt down to the exciting apples I’d left on the heap the week before.

The broccoli is slowing down, but I won’t bother taking it up until necessary. I’ve picked the biggest beetroots and now the next size down will be the next ones to come up. The second sowing will be a good bit smaller still.

When I came back in the afternoon there was a huge buzzard sitting on my fencepost as I drew up. It then sat on the roof of the potting shed for a while before flying off.

I’d gone down to do the weeding, but got diverted into a job I’d been thinking about for a while. I’ve now bound together the two panels of chicken wire with my wire, so that there’s no billowing gap any more. Putting more log roll edging along the back, I had to remove my ad hoc spur but I’ve managed to push the fencepost on the other side further away with a fate cane hammered into the base. That combined with wiring the fence has made the fence stand up straighter.

I’ve mulched the end of the right boundary and along the front to just past the pear tree. The tree was a bit off kilter and the stake wasn’t doing anything. I discovered that it had rotted at ground level, so I just took it out of the equation and did what I could make firm up the tree a little.

It rained in my allotment slot yesterday, so I didn’t do any gardening. This morning I went down to mulch the ledge and meet with Leo. He understands the plan for levelling the ground and making little raised beds and will get back to me soon. I shall get him to put a new board along the front bed too. The log roll has started to rot, so I’m breaking off their legs and putting the boards along the back of the ledge.

I finished the weeding on the right hand boundary, so that’s all ready for mulching now. While I was sat on the ground the robin did a really close flyby over my shoulder and across my face before coming to hang out on the tree and fence.

In the afternoon we got some new bags of compost, but weren’t able to get them down to the plot as planned as the gates were blocked by cars.

The start of my birthday break. I just went down for the morning today and got the entire ledge weeded. There was lots of nettle – with very long, spreading roots – and an amount of bindweed to get rid of. There shouldn’t be too much mulching to do, as there’s still lots of compost there.

The compost heap has been disturbed an amount and more has been kicked down the back by the shed again. So I guess the rat is still around.

I’ve added the apple offcuts to the compost heap. At home we now have a big pile of started apples plus a good number of whole ones, or ones with just a cursory peck. It’s not the best idea to have added them as the rat is around, but I want them on the heap. I’ve also added a brand new rat bait station to the space by the compost heap. The bait inside smells a bit chocolatey and the two entrance/exit holes line up perfectly with the gap between the heap and shed. Hopefully it’ll be at least as tempting as the apples.

I checked the leaf bin and it all looks good. It’s sunk down three holes now and still seems to be secure from pests.

I’ve mulched the trellis bed with the compost. It has all those little stones in it, but on a bed of this size it won’t be a problem. I’m hoping that if I get the vegetable version rather than the all purpose next time, it might be finer.

I’ve also now completely weeded the triangle and mulched it too. I was completely clapped out, so thoughts of moving the hyssop and maybe the lavender have been postponed to another day – probably spring, when all the boundaries are dealt with.

We’ve had our first proper frost now, so the cosmos, zinnias and nasturtiums are done. The marigolds are done too, but I’m leaving them to dry out more so that I can gather more seed than is currently available.

I’ve pulled up all the carrots now. It wasn’t a great year for them, but there are a few good ones, plus a load of snack-sized ones – and a bunch that went straight onto the compost heap.

We’ve picked all the apples and although the crows had sampled most of them, there were still some in perfect shape. There’s just one little apple left on the tree, as it didn’t want to come off. I’ve also picked the last two little pears, though I doubt they’ll be up to much.

I cut a few branches off the tree in order to gain access and stop it going any further through the fence. Come spring, it’s going to be a big job to prune the tree. I can see branches heading into the tree, pointing downwards, criss-crossing each other …

I started weeding the trellis bed in the morning and finished it in the afternoon. I was done by 16.40, which was also when it was getting dark enough that it was more difficult to see. I went right up under the apple tree and pulled up bindweed and nettles from the bark chippings and fence.

I’ve dug up all the toadflax that was in the way of a different tall plant, or along the front of the bed. More smaller plants need to be found to take their place. I’ve left the clump of toadflax plants by the gate though. I’ll be surprised if there are no marigolds cropping up next year, as the field vole has spread the seed all over the place. It’s clearly had some of the fallen apples too.

I spotted another bit of wildlife today, finally seeing the suspected rat. The fact that a couple of apples had moved over lunch gave it away and then I saw it moving between the heap and the shed.

After two mornings of heavy rain, two days of work and then a walk in the woods on Sunday, I went to the plot just to see if everything was ok. The back fence was leaning somewhat, in part from its heavy load of everlasting pea this year. I think one fencepost may actually be a bit rotten, but it’s on the wrong side of the fence really. I’ve put in a temporary stake which has improved things a lot, but the stake really needs to be buried more firmly somehow – difficult when there’s chicken wire not very far down. A crappy post on the other side is also pushing against the fence, but there’s not much I’ve been able to do about that, apart from bending the chicken wire back from its billowing shape.

The attack on the apples has continued big time and I’m pretty sure it’s crows or corvids of some kind as there are so many around. They’re just eating the tops and then abandoning them, but down the corner by the fence one had evidently had more of a complete feast. I picked what I could carry back up the path and I’ll get more at the weekend.