At the allotment..... in the beginning!

After having our names down for three years we were offered an allotment on a site close to where I grew up. The plot had not been tended for about 3 years and there was no structure to it at all, so basically we had rented a small field full of couch grass and other weeds, which has a tendency to get water logged on one half, but I didn't want to wait another 3 years so we went for it!
The half which gets water logged we have left for now to see what happens throughout the year, it's a big plot so that's fine, the couch grass (I was devastated to find) needed digging out as it's the only way to get rid of it without using chemicals, the ground was very compact (full of buttercups, a sign of wet, compact ground) so it was hard going at times.
We only got the plot in the summer of 2010 & it has been hard work, but this spring I feel hopefull that our hard work will pay off, it is getting easier all of the time & is starting to look like an allotment!
Here are a couple of 'before' pictures,
Helen