Field beans bursting with life this Sunday on Scarlett's plot
New endings and new beginnings. The Observer magazine organic allotment reaches its third incarnation. Like a Tibetan deity or a cat with an interesting life. Over the past month or so, we have come to realise that our project with Scarlett's plot has reached a conclusion. The fetid pond, the bricks, the wire, the dead trees, much of the bindweed on the bank have gone. And as we proudly counted the leaves on the green manures, it dawned on us all that Scarlett should and could take it from here. Which (cue slow drum roll, trumpet peal and New Orleans choir) brings us to this year's project.
Allan and Mary survey the plot of land we will be working this year
But first a bit of background: our first mentors on the first plot were our next-door neighbours, Donald and Mary Wood. Whatever the weather, whatever the time, Donald offered encouragement and a wheelbarrow. And when we shuddered and hit buried walls Mary would smile and offer a bag of her wondrous silver beet.
Unfortunately, Donald died in October last year, and sometimes we would worry for Mary. Plot 29 is probably the biggest on site but with the best-composted soil (Donald's pride was his pumpkin pit with its tonnes of steaming horse manure).
Donald's pride: the tastiest crumbliest soil you could ever hope to have
Then a week ago, when Howard and I were perhaps pondering a summer without home-grown salads, sunflowers or gardening together, Mary offered us a bed on her plot - the sweetest piece of land you will ever see - in exchange for help with heavy work (last year a tree crushed her fruit cage and there are plans to clear an area for ferns).
So our organic allotment has a new site and new life, and we stand before you, reborn, and humbly aware of the gift of healing gardening that has again been passed to us...
