After 14 months on the waiting list we finally have an allotment (pictured). I was surprised at how quickly it came about; when we lived in Surrey we were on the waiting list for seven years with no joy.

A proactive man at the council emailed and suggested that if we transferred our names from the waiting list for plots closest to our flat to a waiting list for plots in the next town, we’d be waiting months instead of years.

Given that Little B had just arrived and we realised we probably wouldn’t be walking to an allotment anyway it didn’t seem to matter if it was a drive away, so we took him up on the offer and low and behold we’ve now got a little patch of green we can call our own (pictured).

I’ve already become allotment proud: the rule book says you have to clearly mark your plot so BB and I made a wooden sign decorated with ladybirds from Hobbycraft, which is guarded by our bearded gnome Daisy (don’t ask).

It’s pretty overgrown, but under all the weeds it’s clear the previous owner lavished lots of love on it. It’s also pretty uneven, so one of our first tasks has been to level out a little patch and lay a square of turf for a picnic rug/pushchair/paddling pool/white wine spritzer (before and after, pictured).

With no gardening experience excepting a tiny patio we once had for six months, it’s going to be a case of trial and error. I’m already sensing there’s going to be more error than trial, as it’s been two weeks since we laid the turf and it hasn’t rained once. The grass is already more yellow than green.

Misery Guts is having to stop off on his way home from work every evening to water the grass, which, you guessed it, is resulting in more grumbling than normal for a weekday night.

Luckily Aldi emailed this week and asked if we’d like to try out their latest Specialbuys range, which is focussing on gardening and maintenance and includes a lawnmower (£59.99), a petrol hedge trimmer (£69.99) and a walk-in greenhouse (£27.99).

We’ve got our hands on a self-watering plant pot and self-watering trough (both £3.99) and a 100l water butt set (£18.99 – all pictured).

They went into stores yesterday and ours will be making their way to the allotment this weekend. The pots have reservoirs in the bottom which you fill through a tube which will definitely make watering easier in the height of summer. As for the water butt, which features an easy-to-use tap and fits around both round and square pipes, goodness knows when we’ll get a chance to try this out.

There’s not a cloud in the sky and it’s been scorchio for days. I’m not complaining, but a little shower would be quite nice…

We will soon have a dedicated spot on the blog all about our big allotment challenge, charting our journey from the sowing of the first seed to our first harvest and everything inbetween – watch this space!