Beg, Steal, Borrow & Buy

This is my bible.  A beginners guide, a shopping guide.  Step by step instructions as to what to do when and what you need to get in order to do it, presuming you know a little about what you are doing already and don't live in the climate that is Manchester.  "We're three weeks behind the rest of the world" was one helpful suggestion.  There will be a separate post of "helpful suggestions" later on.  I also buy "Growing Fruit and Vegetables for Dummies".  I even find this a bit challenging.

The Bible

"Don't buy ANYTHING" says my sister, who is having a massive clear-out of her stuff after adopting a Minimalist lifestyle (The Minimalists).  "I have loads of stuff, everything you need.  More than you actually need" (see Minimalism above).  Too late though.  I am not one for asking to borrow stuff and she lives down in the south of England anyway.   I'd already been bought "The Allotment Month by Month" book for my birthday back in July as a birthday present, along with a kneeling pad, in preparation for the forthcoming arrival.  I had already written down my top 5 essentials.  Turns out that there are at least 50 top essentials.  Who knew?

I go to Homebase the week after getting the keys and buy some essential tools.  While I am there I spot the Manager's Special.  Stainless steel raised beds, click together.  Perfect.  I realise that raised beds will be right for me.  Not too much digging and no broken back.  These are perfect (and a bargain to boot, well I think so anyway at 70% off).  I buy four.  I am very happy.  I too am trying to adopt the Minimalism ethos but that's ok because these purchases (I convince myself) are mindful and for the greater good.  It's a win-win.

I know her by name now, Kay, she owns the local hardware shop.  It's on my way back from a doggy walk.  I may have been in once or twice over the past twenty years but now I see her more regularly than I do my husband.  The dog drags me in, she gives him sausages.  He loves her.  I love her shop.  There is nothing that she does not sell.  Nothing.  I even think she sells fork handles.  I have discovered netting, weed control fabric, fish and bone meal, metal pegs, bamboo canes, ball things for bamboo canes, ties, including soft ties, plant markers and a metal bin for burning weeds.  It's a whole new wonderful world of weird shopping for me.
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Further down the road is Aldi.  A gardener's paradise.  I usually go in just to buy some Greek yogurt and fruit but now I leave the store with mesh cloches, fleece cloches, brightly coloured planting trugs, wigwam things for protecting seedlings amongst other things.  There is so much and without it I obviously won't be able to grow anything, ever.  These things arrive in March and April on a daily basis and when they're gone they're gone.  Aldi stocks for season only and therefore you have to get it while you can.  There are swarms of people buying the stuff.  I think they are all allotmenteers.  It looks to me that mostly everything I see on the allotment is from my local Aldi.

I kid myself that once bought, these things will be reused, up-cycled and recycled.  This may well be true, but I am also unable to go anywhere these days without looking for something for the allotment.  I put this down to excitement and inexperience and an inability to give up shopping totally.