Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: JayG on January 01, 2021, 10:57
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You must be joking!
Just restarting the thread for 2021.
Happy growing everyone. ;)
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Another day spent in the lovely cold fresh air clearing the hangover.
Construction... The Bug Hotel is nearly complete, one small section to do and its ready for the tourists come spring.
Seeds should be here next week so weather permitting will be on again.
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As we have not had notification of Building, I decided to throw myself at it. Got he Fork out and turned 4 plots over as Snow and Frost are forecast again. Broad Beans would I be better off sowing in the Cold Greenhouse, or straight into the soil, would it be possible to get 2 sowings in. Thank You.
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Another day of construction, this time a new bird table/ feeders. Ground still a little wet for digging but hey no rush.
Chickens still giving me the evils, like us they dont like lockdown :D
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Went for a paddle!
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Went for a paddle!
Tide in on the beach then? 8)
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On our little patch of dirt here in Kent, the rain has not stopped for what seems like an eternity. The ground is absolutely sodden. So today, like the past couple of weeks, we have done nothing on the plot. However, we have a couple of greenhouses at home, and we have been sowing stuff in those. We have also been sowing chillies, peppers and aubergines in heated propagators indoors. Hopefully we are in for a couple of days of dry weather and our plots are on the higher ground of our site, so they should drain fairly quickly allowing us to get something done over the next few days - Fingers crossed.
Ralph.
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Didn’t brave the plot, but did have a shunt round in the greenhouse. Emptied out pots of salads which we have eaten, revitalised compost with some fresh stuff and some fertiliser and replanted with winter salad mix.
Potted on violas grown from seed and sowed broad beans. Bright sun but chilly, so that was enough for today :)
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Even I ventured out into the greenhouse, breeze quite strong from the North makes the garden quite chilly, but the big greenhouse is in the lee of the hedge, 15C in there 8)
I pruned the grape vine, just in time as the buds are beginning to open, and tidied up anything else with grotty leaves. Stacked the new delivery of seed compost inside in the dry.
I tidied up the seed trays and modules and brought more pots indoors to wash - ready for the off.
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Down at the plot I hoed bed 3, then emptied 20 bags of well rotted manure over most of it (bags of varied sizes) then started to empty the finished compost bin on to the bed as the top layer, but only managed 2 barrow loads before it started to get cold & the chickens decided it was time for supper. A lovely first start to the year.
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Tide was half way out today so ditched the chest waders and put me wellies on.
Raspberry canes cut, and the bug hotel was fixed in its new home ready for the residents.
Sown Broad Beans.
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Started building my polytunnel. Got the frame up and part of the base and door frame done as you can see.
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What did I do on the plot today I thought I’d just get a quick swim in
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I took stock of what is growing well, and what may need a little help.
The snow peas are up, growing, forming tendrils and starting to climb. Looking good for January. I may have peas in early March if the weather is good.
Sugar snap peas are not doing quite as well, A few are up, but others are not, despite chitting the seed before I planted them. I'm chitting some more seeds to fill in the bare spots, they are already sprouting, I will put in pots and set out when they have a few leaves.
Brussels sprouts I planted from seed last fall are in the ground but still quite small. Next warm spell, I may give a little fertilizer, including some calcium nitrate.
Radishes and turnips are growing well, but small.
Spinach doing great, I should be picking some in late February.
Lettuce transplants are 10 cm tall or so; the second batch that I planted directly in the ground are up but still tiny.
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been making [potato] chitting trays managing to make 1 a day thank god for that electric bench saw the wife said we should be digging the potatoes by the time i get enough trays made :lol:
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More stuff at home yesterday while we had a break from the rain for the day.
I root pruned and repotted my Gingko trees that I keep as largish bonsai specimens. Also repotted the Chilean Guava and top dressed the potted olive tree and Szechuan pepper bush. That is all the big potted stuff dealt with now :)
Then I played around and moved bulb pots so I have a nice display positioned outside the back door to look forward to. I potted up some primroses, bellis and violas for the plant theatre, but left them in the greenhouse for now as we are forecast lashing rain and sleet for the next couple of days ::)
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been making [potato] chitting trays managing to make 1 a day thank god for that electric bench saw the wife said we should be digging the potatoes by the time i get enough trays made :lol:
What are you actually making, a segmented tray? I just use the plastic inserts in a seed tray :)
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Carried on with the polytunnel build. Base and door posts now done. It was blooming cold!!
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I worked on renovating an outdoor storage room, which looked like the inside of a skip for longer than I care to admit. It's an ongoing project, I hope to be done sometime this month. Most of the garden tools and supplies reside there.
Big tasks are demolishing non-functional metal shelves, recycle what I can, landfill what can't be recycled, clean, mend walls, paint, build new sturdy shelves. Today was mostly painting, building the shelves is next.
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I double dug a bed and added loads of manure ,hard graft had to fight the urge to quit lol but glad I got it done
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Finished the polytunnel build!!
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Regarding the garden tool storage room I posted about a few days ago, 90 % of the wood for the shelves is cut and drilled, ready for assembly. I'm probably going to start assembly after dinner tonight, do more tomorrow.
The shelves are 16 feet long, 8 feet tall. There are cut-outs around 2 east-facing windows, there will be shelves beneath the windows to start garden seedlings.
The walls facing the shelves will have peg board for tool organization.
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Regarding the garden tool storage room I posted about a few days ago, 90 % of the wood for the shelves is cut and drilled, ready for assembly. I'm probably going to start assembly after dinner tonight, do more tomorrow.
The shelves are 16 feet long, 8 feet tall. There are cut-outs around 2 east-facing windows, there will be shelves beneath the windows to start garden seedlings.
The walls facing the shelves will have peg board for tool organization.
That sounds a great space Sub :)
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I have been holding off because of the cold snap, but with that now receding I have had a busy day in both the polytunnel on the allotment and at home. Peas have been sown into three lengths of guttering suspended in the polytunnel and two 42ltr buckets have been planted with Maris Piper spuds in an attempt to force a few with the benefit of the tunnel. At home I have sown both sweet and chilli pepper seeds, celery and, a tip I learnt here last year, a cat litter tray filled with compost and sown with leeks. Hopefully the tunnel will assist in bringing things on a bit earlier than last year, well, that how I persuaded the good lady to agree to the purchase of the tunnel at the time.
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Ooh you're lucky Persistent Novice, your other half lets you put seed trays on the furniture indoors by the looks of it, never gonna happen here ! Have to wait and do it in my cold greenhouse :( .
Down the plot, I've dug in the Phacelia that overwintered, which I've tried for the first time, while the weather was ok yesterday. Must say it didn't grow very high - 4-6 inches? Maybe I ought to plant earlier in future? Spuds will eventually go in there. Also had to sow more broad bean seeds as some of the over winter Aquadulce are looking a bit worse for wear due to rain and wind I'm guessing. Wanted to sow some "Bee Bombs" I bought, but it says early spring, so thought I'd better wait. Also dug up last of parsnip, but they are huge (about 4" width and 8 or 9 " long) and inedible, left too long methinks.
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Posting a quick snap of my tool storage space with shelving in progress. The uprights are mostly done, the cross pieces and shelf boards come next.
(I know, you look at it now, and you probably are thinking poor SP has been sleeping too close to the car exhaust). I will probably post more about it in the Design and Construction section.
By the way, that far wall used to have a huge hole in it, and paint that looked like the dog's breakfast.
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much to wet to even walk on the plot so its repairing and painting garden tools including a seed packet rack together with a weekly sowing chart the wife has been in the greenhouse's prep for spring wishful thinking or what :D
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I did a little fill-in planting of sugar snap peas today. I noted that rabbits seem to like nibbling the tops off of the pea plants.
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Planted scallions and lettuce. I'm chitting tomatoes, aubergines, jalapenos, getting them ready to go into community pots.
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I've been working on the tool storage shelving I posted about back on February 1, 6, and 17. If you want to see how it is progressing, have a look over at the Design and Construction section: https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=134330.0 (https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=134330.0)
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First weekend of the year on the plot both days. I've been cutting down an overgrown hawthorn hedge, so finished that yesterday. Been chopping up all the twigs into inch long pieces for top mulching. This afternoon I transplanted a few blackthorn hedge plants into the gaps and have tried some holly cuttings into the ground to see if they take. Carried on chopping up until the sun went down and it went notably cooler. This coming week I plan to cut the remaining hedges back and clear some space in the potting shed for sowing leeks, peas and various other things. My other half cleared the leek bed, a significant number had suffered frost damage so ended up in the compost bin. Can't believe it is March tomorrow.
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I planted some tomato seeds (that I'd chitted) into starter pots. Gardener's Delight and Roma. I also chitted Better Boy slicing tomatoes that came as some kind of pelleted seed, they have not sprouted at all :mad: ??? :unsure: I think I'm never going to get pelleted seed again. I read elsewhere that the pelleting process reduces the shelf life of seed.
My starter pots are actually sections of 4 cm diameter pipe, cut 5 cm long. I set these into plastic deli-type containers, which I rescued from our household recycling. I set each pipe on end, fill it with potting soil, plant the chitted seed, put the lid on. Easy, simple, made with free materials that I can later recycle.
It is very easy to get the seedlings out of those pipes when it's time to move the seedlings to larger pots.
Aubergines and jalapenos chitted at the same time as the tomatoes are being slower to sprout. A couple jalapenos finally sprouted today, I'm waiting on more. I'm providing some bottom heat, hoping that will help.
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put all of the old/rotted raised bed wood in the incinerator. was hoping to staple fine mesh onto my new veg cage but couldnt cut it...scissors/stanley knife wouldnt do anything so brought it home to try to find a solution :mad:
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First real days sowing. Tomatoes (Ailsa Craig, Big Daddy), Aubergine, Chillie peppers (KN, Curry pepper) basil. All tucked up in the heated propagator in the green house. Sowed summer leaks and radish in pots in the cold green house. That's enough for today
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put all of the old/rotted raised bed wood in the incinerator. was hoping to staple fine mesh onto my new veg cage but couldnt cut it...scissors/stanley knife wouldnt do anything so brought it home to try to find a solution :mad:
I suggest aviator snips or tin snips for that cutting job.
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Took stock of what is growing (or not) in the plot. Radishes are ready to pick. Bibb and Romaine lettuce have grown well, look great, starting to form heads. Spinach looks great, but not quite ready yet (late March?) Snow peas are climbing, nearly knee high, sugar snap peas not far behind. Second planting of scallions is still 100% a no-show.
I cut grass on the entire yard, including a new raised bed area, but had to repair the lawn mower first (removed the gasoline from the tank, due to water from condensation, did the same with the carburetor, cleaned and re-set the gap on the spark plug).
Did some more work on my storage area shelving. Finish tomorrow I hope?
Oh, and the dog took me for a walk. Sat down and had a small Kentucky bourbon after that, while watching the sun set behind the plot. Or maybe it was 2 small bourbons.
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..."Second planting of scallions is still 100% a no-show..."
Well, there's nothing like a good public shaming to get the crops growing. :lol: After my last post this past weekend, the scallions finally started sprouting yesterday.
I now need to have a hard talk with the aubergines that haven't sprouted yet.
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Today I planted some onion sets, parsnips and early Nantes carrots. Also started some toms, chilli peppers and baby cucumbers on the window in the kitchen much to my wife’s delight 😏
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Managed to get 45 minutes of daylight after work so nipped to the plot and started movibg some blackthorn hedge plants in from where I planted them too close to a fence. Did alright, dug trench and repositioned nearly half of them, got to finish it this week as they are slowly coming out of dormancy. Will tend them up to grow sloes in future for sloe gin. Sowed some tomato seed in pots on the kitchen windowsill when I got home.
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Planted out my four lettuce plants on the plot, grown in soil blocks for the first time in my cold greenhouse, first of succession sowings. Also a couple of foxglove grown from seed for the flower garden on the plot. Laid a load of wood chippings on my muddy path down there. Then sat in the sunshine (17deg), with a coffee admiring my handiwork :D
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Managed to finish work a little earlier today, so more daylight left. Finished moving the blackthorn hedge plants then top dressed the whole planting site with a mix of chipped hawthorn twigs and chainsaw chippings to suppress weed growth. Onto raised bed preparation, other hedge cutting and more seed sowing later this week.
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when down the allotments burnt all the hedge and tree brash the ground is still cold and wet taking time to dry out for cultivation a bit frustrating but as all our plants are bench grown its not really a problem waiting that bit longer but still able to dig over the raised beds had winter crops like sprouts
the point is when the ground dries out i can cultivate both plots [open ground] with our tractor in a couple of hours as the ground has been winter ploughed it will come down fine i like to work the ground when the weather warms up a nice sunny spring day wouldn't go a miss probably next week :D
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I spread a little pine straw to keep weeds down on the paths. Also pulled weeds, though apparently not enough yet. I picked some lettuce, spinach and radishes for my oldest son (the graduate student).
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I sharpened the machete and hatchet, then pulled two full washtubs of weeds. Most of it was bedstraw or chickweed, but there was a fair amount of bamboo, hedera, some sort of wild cress, and stuff that I still don't recognize.
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Still more weed pulling. There is probably at least another day of it ahead of me.
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I did something unfathomable, unprecedented and disturbing.... I planted flowers...
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Yesterday hubby & I levelled the area for my soon to be delivered poly tunnel, & painted Cuprinol on to the scaffold boards we’re putting around the base (inside)
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I did something unfathomable, unprecedented and disturbing.... I planted flowers...
Don't worry - you'll be fine :) Honestly you will :lol:
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I did something unfathomable, unprecedented and disturbing.... I planted flowers...
Don't worry - you'll be fine :) Honestly you will :lol:
I've still got the shakes, I feel unusual.
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I've still got the shakes, I feel unusual.
If it helps you can think of them as vegetables for the bees ;) :lol:
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I've been converting the parts of a (former) plant stand into a storage rack for long-handled garden tools (rakes, hoes, picks etc.).
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Snapped the fork in 3 - impressive as normally it's 2. Shame it's a really nice day with a good breeze, digging weather. No a lot more I can do so I've measured up for some repairs needed for the chicken run and might do a bit more cleaning in the GH.
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I did something unfathomable, unprecedented and disturbing.... I planted flowers...
P1P, don't be disturbed! Remember:
'... and there were vegetable gardeners living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their brassicas at night. A flower of the ornamental garden appeared to them, and the glory of the bright colors shone round about it, and the vegetable gardeners were terrified. But the flower said to them (for they were so scared, they were hallucinating) "do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all gardeners. Today, in the allotment of Plot 1 Problems, a hollyhock has been planted before you; it is magenta, and quite showy (even though it requires the space of an entire tomato plant). This will be a sign to you: you will find a plant tag, with the varietal and Latin name inscribed, and lying next to the hollyhock in a raised bed.”
So, just relax and chill. The flowers and the vegetables usually co-exist without problems, and the flowers may even draw in extra pollinators.
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put in my charlotte potatoes and some nicola...did some howing and strimmed the paths :)
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Wind was in the right direction yesterday so had the last bonfire of the year before the the curfew. Got rid of the couch grass and bindweed roots. Despite only half the plots being tended it was good to see more people than usual working away.
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Busy day in the sun today... been potting some peas / aubergine/ cucumber ‘ tomato’s in the plastic green house. Finished off making a cold frame out of scrap wood. Bit of digging over. Dreamed about the plot being full of fruit and veg 😁
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Spent an hour & a half at the plot swoeing the to be potato bed & levelling the mulch on it, hand weeded & tiffled the asparagus bed & spied a few spears poking through :D, swoed around the outside of the perimeter of what will be the poly tunnel. Back home I finished pricking out the last of the tomatoes & then did aubergines,chillies & sweet peppers. 3:30 I decided :wacko: to empty the shed out & clean it & the mess a mouse made ! Finally got it all back in by 8pm :unsure:,not 1 of my best ideas :lol:,but hey ho it’s done & loads of rubbish in the bin & my potting up table is in the garden (metal food prep table) to be taken to the poly tunnel when it arrives. Shed looks very spacious :lol:
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Too wet to do much of anything outdoors, but I pulled a few scallions, lettuce and spinach. The snow peas and sugar snap peas are chest high and blooming!
I'm continuing work on a rack for long-handled garden tools. The rack is made mostly from wood that used to be a plant stand, now re-purposed. Even many of the screws are recycled. The casters are the new bit (so that I can move it around as needed).
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Few different things this weekend, cut a tree down, sowed leeks, onions, nantes carrots, radishes and spring onion seeds in a raised bed. Pulled a fair few weeds up too!
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A busy weekend, especially that due to Covid and then long Covid I hadn’t been near the plots since November 😱😱
So, cut down an apple tree, dug up a diseased pear tree, dug the bed where my spuds are going and planted 2 rows of earlies
Opened another row ready for a main crop of potatoes
Dug two other beds one for the onions, spring onions and leeks and one for flowers
Finally top dressed the potato bed with well rotted manure.
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Spent Friday, Sat and Sun replacing the decking at home. And yesterday started recycling the old decking to edge all my beds, must say even using 15 year old decking blanks it still smartened up the allotment.
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I started construction on 3 new raised beds, using planter blocks and 2×4 lumber. Posted pictures of the blocks under Design and Construction. I'm doing a little work on them each evening, should be able to finish construction on Saturday.
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A busy weekend, especially that due to Covid and then long Covid I hadn’t been near the plots since November
That sounds pretty horrible, but good to hear you have recovered.
You certainly did have a busy weekend. Back to work with a vengeance by the sound of it :)
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Yep Enfield Glen, used my old decking to edge the path down the plot, then filled in with wood chippings. Wasn't going to bother with the chippings as they tend to get everywhere, but I slipped on the path a few times narrowly escaping breaking some bone or other, as the path is across a sloping plot and is slippy in the wet ! Anyway looks tidy now :)
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This :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I got about half way though construction of my three new raised beds before sunset today.
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That's right posh that is Snow... Nice. Plenty of space by the looks, how big?
I pruned some of the apples - It's really late but - meh. I need to stake some and pull them back up over the season they're looking like they've had one too many after a few years of neglect. Some of the framework support posts also need to be replaced :(
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That's right posh that is Snow... Nice. Plenty of space by the looks, how big?
I pruned some of the apples - It's really late but - meh. I need to stake some and pull them back up over the season they're looking like they've had one too many after a few years of neglect. Some of the framework support posts also need to be replaced :(
Thanks Lardman, it’s 14ftx 25ft :) so should be room for a bit of everything I hope plus some things I’ve not grown before like a peach & apricot
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Continued work building raised beds. Of the 3 beds, one is complete, one has 1 wall remaining, the last has 2 walls remaining. :D
We are expecting rain for the next 2 days, we'll see what kind of luck we have with the weather, but I hope I can complete the beds over the next day or two.
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plus some things I’ve not grown before like a peach & apricot
Don't forget your grapes and I have an utterly hopeless fig in the top GH here ;)
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plus some things I’ve not grown before like a peach & apricot
Don't forget your grapes and I have an utterly hopeless fig in the top GH here ;)
Yes I’m thinking about grapes & ive taken loads of cuttings of my outdoor pot planted fig tree, that I only get about 2 ripe figs from (brown turkey) & if they take 9/11 did a few years ago, I’m thinking of planting 1 of those in there.
Is yours in the ground? If so did you restrict the roots at all? As they say they should be planted in a Gladstone bag don’t they or a slab lined hole? I’ve got lots of slabs.
What about the peach & apricot, do you think straight in the ground,pot or bottomless pot? Any views on varieties?
I asked Christine Walkden on a zoom meeting the other week & she suggested Peregrine for the peach & any of the Tomcot range for the apricot. But the Peregrine can make a very large tree! I’m thinking tree rather than espalier, any views?
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I completed construction of my three new raised beds on Friday. See photos at https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=134588.0 (https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=134588.0)
Next, I need to get them filled with compost and get some plants in!
On my forest-edge beds that I grew tomatoes in last year, the snow peas and sugar snap peas are as tall as I am, blooming well, and I should be picking peas in a day or two.
I'm still picking plenty of spinach, lettuce, radishes, scallions.
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My fig (brown turkey) is straight in the ground at the gable end, roots inside. No restriction needed as the soil is so poor up there, If you have proper soil ::) it's worth checking the roots otherwise you'll just end up with growth and no fruit. I'd go with a BIG planting hole and slabs rather than a woven bag. Don't forget to tip out early to encourage fruiting.
Stoned fruit isn't my wheel-house unless you included killing them :lol: even in the poly you might be struggling without the radiator effect of a back wall to grow against. The tomcot and peregrine appear to be your best bet, I looked a few years back but decided the juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze so to speak. I have enough fickle fruiters.
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Thanks Lards, could you just explain the term “tip out” as I’ve not come across that before?
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Potted on some chili, tomato & okra plants. Was quite unsure about the okra, and if to push ahead with growing them. Looked at many sources and comments, and figured I'll go against the grain. They look beautiful to me, both in terms of proportion and fruit growth (I know they're veg' but what do you say). Plus, the flowers look gorgeous. Not my problem if you don't know how to cook.
Also dug out what seemed like half the foundation of a brick out-house. Right where I'm trying to erect a decent trellis area. Only 45 and it might have broke me, if it wasn't for the robins - and even a wagtail - getting very annoyed that I was infringing on their good times! :dry:
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Thanks Lards, could you just explain the term “tip out” as I’ve not come across that before?
Sorry Snow it's probably short hand I've picked up from too many youtube videos ::) - just pinch out the growing tips after new growth of 3-4 leaves can be seen. Normally I'd be doing mine in a week or so but I checked yesterday and it's still half a sleep let alone putting on new growth.
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Thanks Lards, could you just explain the term “tip out” as I’ve not come across that before?
Sorry Snow it's probably short hand I've picked up from too many youtube videos ::) - just pinch out the growing tips after new growth of 3-4 leaves can be seen. Normally I'd be doing mine in a week or so but I checked yesterday and it's still half a sleep let alone putting on new growth.
Thank you, I pruned the fig seriously after Christmas, a for a better shape & b, for cuttings. I was looking at it the other day & it’s only just showing signs of budding up. It’s in a planter, that needs replacing on the patio, in full sun during the summer against the house wall & although it produces lots of figs, I only get about 2 each year to eat. I suppose I could move that to the tunnel :unsure:? But I’m not sure about having one in there until I’ve got the peach & apricot on the go.
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I repotted seedling tomatoes, jalapenos and aubergines into larger nursery pots, to grow on for a couple weeks into sturdier plants.
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On new raised beds, lined bottom with cardboard to keep down the weeds. Filled one of the beds and part of another with compost (local bargain, leaf and limb compost the city has produced, and tested, for years, only £15 a cubic yard, a mass of 1025 pounds!). I have another cubic yard waiting in my truck for the remainder of the raised beds.
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My sister got offered a half plot on the site that I'm on. There were several to chose from but she actually chose one of the worst because it's directly opposite mine (she'd probably say the choice was mine though). She's not got the happiest gardener so I went down yesterday to start weeding. It wasn't touched at all last year so there's a bit of work for me to do while she works on her vision of the "finished" image.
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I repotted seedling tomatoes, jalapenos and aubergines into larger nursery pots, to grow on for a couple weeks into sturdier plants.
I did EXACTLY the same thing today. Would have done it Sunday afternoon, but promised to babysit. My bad: I remember computer games being a lot more fun when I was young. The coffee didn't help. :(
I put in a second mini row of peas under heated soil just to feel like I got one over on my neice. I think I lost. Yep... I'm certain of it!
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The raised beds are full of compost (some have said worse about me! :tongue2: :D).
I set the seedlings out in the sun to acclimate them to stronger light. I'm doing this a little longer each day, keeping them well-watered.
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More work on the tunnel for both of us, why oh why did I not remove all the sticky residue from tge hoops before it was constructed!
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Sowed seed in 4 large containers for herbs; flat-leaf Italian parsley, sweet basil 'Genovese', Thai basil 'Siam Queen', Dill 'Mammoth'. Blended compost for ornamentals (consisting of a bag of mushroom compost, bag of soil-less mix, small handful each of 13-13-13, pelleted dolomitic limestone, plaster of Paris; about a gallon of sandy loam mineral soil).
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Starting tomorrow, it will be cloudy with chance of rain for a few days in a row, so today is planting day in the raised beds. I set out zinnia seedlings first (priorities! :lol:), done with that. After that, tomatoes are next. The tomato seedlings I put outdoors 2 weeks ago as 5 to 10 cm tall plants are now 25 to 30 cm tall. They are ready to go! Also needed to re- seed some sweet basil in a pot, as only one of the first seedings sprouted (Thai basil, planted at the same time, came up with no problem).
Updated later: added a picture; new beds are about half planted.
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A quick visit to the plot before tomorrow and the rain.
Weeded my Beetroots and purple sprouting broccoli.
Fleeced my asparagus following a fellow plot holder showing me their crop.
Mine has been sulking due to the very cold weather.
Hopefully the weather will warm up soon.
Cheers HH
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I planted out 6 each of the following although there were a couple a causalities due the move from house to plot:
Green Summer broccoli
PSP summer variety
Red cabbage
grey hound cabbage
golden acre cabbage.
In a netted tunnel - it feels warmer today- hope that continues 😀
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In the garden I completed my bamboo barricade to ensure himself stops mowing the plants! also to stop the plants invading the lawn :D, shredded the pruning from the harvested bamboo & sorted through the canes for which to keep :) Asked myself why I haven’t harvested it before :unsure: Then after dinner on the trip to give the chickens their supper (corn) had a quick hoe around the outside beds of the tunnel & planted the last few remaining chicories, the remains of the 3 types of beetroot in modules & the remains of a tray of lettuce, the rest of these have all been planted in the tunnel & I might get my first tunnel harvest later in the week of lettuce leaves :lol:. Also filled the compost bin up with kitchen waste & the shredded bamboo.
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I've just removed the bubble-wrap from inside my greenhouse. Not a heated house (only in one corner anyway and seperately insulated) but I line it every year - keeps it a couple of degrees warmer that not doing it. Anyway, it's an aluminium framed job and in the past I have used an assortment of different brand, plastic clips but never found anything succesful for the end glasing bars. This time I had used a good black plastic one for the intermediate bars but I used 50mm bulldog clips for the ends. Never has it been so easy to put up or take down. I've even had time to thin out my beetroot.
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yesterday, at home, power washed the greenhouse before planting up tomatoes. planted out some runner beans and potted on other veg which have been slow.
today, at the allotment, bit the bullet and planted out 30 sweetcorn, 10 dwarf beans, a courgette plant which was desperate to get out, 1Brussels sprout, a cauliflower and 2 spare tomato plants.
weeded around the carrots which are coming along nicely, also shallots looking good. I'm not sure what happened to my garlic. ..it got off to a great start..but has disappeared :( saw about 6 artichokes beginning to show....life feels good today, now the weather has improved :D
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Not been to the plot today as I was looking after poorly grandson so hubby saw to the chickens & watered the tunnel, I feel a bit bereft that I’ve not been :lol: After grandson was collected by mummy I went out into the garden & washed last years tomato pots & any others lying around after having a good tidy in the greenhouse yesterday.
Yesterday I emptied said greenhouse (again) & spread 22 bags of gravel on the floor after years of making do with a black membrane lining. I was always going to grow in the borders over the winter but never really got to grips with it & now I’ve got Tilly the tunnel I really won’t need to. Looks lovely now .
I can now pot on the tomatoes into their final pots & placings plus some aubergines,peppers & chillis & get rid of the spares as the tunnel has got plenty as I did them on Tuesday
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Snowdrops, that looks tidy!
As for me, the daffodil and hyacinth bed in the front garden was showing the effects of rain gradually eroding and moving soil downslope, so I bought one ton of compost and spread about half of that on that bed, a quarter on some worn areas in the lawn, and stockpiled another quarter for later use on the vegetables. Bargain $ 20 (£ 14) for all that compost, made and tested by our city.
Also watered, squashed as many flea beetles as I could on the eggplants, picked peas (still producing in the 30+ C heat).
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Evacuated pretty dam quick. Our allotments was suddenly invaded by a massive swarm of bees. Got out of there very quickly :D
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Well crops growing nicely, although not as many flowers on my tomato plants as i'd like. So its weeding and watering at the moment!
Cheers
Aled
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My deer fences around last year's beds, and my new beds, needed mending. So I did that today.
Also, we are expecting 5 cm or more rain to come in with a tropical storm, so I may be tying up some plants in advance of the weather.
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Having cleared my beetroot bed I added some multipurpose to the bed and planted up some purple sprouting broccoli for the spring. Cloched against rabbits and pigeons plus gave a generous sprinkle of blue meanies for the slugs etc. Odd when you realise ones main focus is on stopping other things eating the crop before you harvest it. Whilst there I checked the progress of my sweet corn: Conclusion it still needs some more time and sunshine. ( Where’s that when you want it?) HH
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It's late in the summer, but we have about 90 days of growing season left. There is still time (here at least) to grow new tomatoes in containers. I purchased 2 plants labeled as "Foodie Fresh" Summer Sandwich Tomato, and re-planted those into 2-gallon nursery containers. They are a bush type, and are supposed to stay under 3 feet tall. They will be moved into 5-gallon containers as they outgrow the 2-gallon containers.
I also purchased a 6-pack of Brussels sprouts plants, potted those into half gallon nursery pots. Those will go into the ground in a month or so.
I had started a couple cucumbers indoors, set one of those out at the base of a wire tower. This replaces a worn out plant grown earlier in the year. I'll plant the other plant in a week or so.
I made some repairs to my deer fence, seemingly a never-ending task!
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Planted carrots and golden beetroot.
The spinach planted a week ago is up and growing.
French beans (wax beans) planted a month ago are blooming and have young beans that should be ready in a week or so.
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I planted more beetroot today, as well as a second sowing of spinach.
In my never-ending battle with deer, I am making a second "inner line" of fence to keep the deer out of the French beans. The Cherokee Wax beans (yellow) are sold as bush beans, but are really more like half-runner beans. The Kentucky Wonder beans are a green bean, and climb much taller than the Cherokee (the deer eat these more frequently).
I'm transplanting lettuce seedlings into small pots this evening. Also starting some more lettuce seeds of other varieties. Sometime this weekend, I'm also planting Swiss chard into six packs for transplanting in a month or so.
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Fun repairing a broken axle on a lawn mower today. I had to wait for the parts; the Fedex truck delivered my neighbors package to me, but DIDN'T deliver the replacement axle I knew was on his truck! Fortunately I stopped the driver before he got too far down the road. After that it was a 15 minute job. Followed by cutting the grass.
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A really productive day ploughed both plots including our green manure [mustard] crop so that's done and dusted till spring hopeful the winter weather will do its job
also picked all the beetroot still have a few more jobs to do on the plots weather permitting
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A very productive day for me too. Got loads done. Swoed the fruit cage after weeding it 2 weeks ago- not surprised I could see a flush of seedlings after how bad it was :wacko:. Also did the diddy bed at the end of the tunnel
Cleared the climbing beans from the Munty frame & removed all the strings & folded and knotted & bagged them up for next year, but will I be able to find them when needed :lol:
Weeded the parsnips & in between the slabs in that area & weeded one side of the asparagus.
Planted some more of my bought in veg plants in & out of the tunnel- land cress,rainbow chard, endive & chicory, watered it all in well & the ones I planted yesterday & everything else in the tunnel.
Collected up the plastic bottles I use for watering during the summer & threaded them on the bamboo poles, ready for storing in the roof of the chicken pen out of the way until needed next year- goodness knows how old these bottles are, talk about recycling :lol:
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An hour after work finishing getting a big raised bed ready for overwintering onions, shallots and garlic, a couple of dryish days made the ground nice to work with. Should be planted up to the hilt with sets before the weekend!
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Harvested the last peppers of the year, pulled out the pepper plants and weeded and cleared a raised bed for winter greens and salad crops.
More of the same work tomorrow.
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I'm chitting some snow peas and snap peas which will go in the ground as soon as they form a root.
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I planted snow peas and snap peas in my old beds today. I planted them along trellises used for late-season French beans.
I also cut the lawn in the front garden, mulching any fallen leaves into the grass. I've found those mulched leaves break down and improve the soil under the lawn.
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Transplanted lettuce seedlings into raised beds today, and rigged up a screen over the bed to keep the squirrels out (they dig looking for seeds, and wreck the seedlings).
I'll transplant Swiss chard seedlings tomorrow, and probably seed turnips (for greens), carrots, and radishes.
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Conscripted the sprog into helping me tidy up the garden, swap the netting on the beds for next year and clear out the greenhouse. Despite the cold we both had a great time.
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Went for a walk along the coast today and decided pick up some seaweed, got 8 bags full. Added some to the active compost heap, spread some around the garlic and cabbage and also filled an old bin three quarters of the way up and topped off with water to make a homemade liquid seaweed fertiliser for next year.
Also just had time to spread four barrows of finished homemade compost over a bed.
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Spent the day barrowing compost from my bins to my beds , giving each a 2” layer. Also topping up the paths with 3 year old shredded Christmas tree chips ( lots of worms in this !). Reminded me that this time last year it was very wet and l needed to top up the paths before l could walk on them without squelching ! .
:)
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I started out just planting daffodils around the roots of an old stump, with grass seed over that. However, since I'm doing that and adding a good thick layer of compost, I thought why not add a few vegetables here in a temporary bed, this winter only? I'm planting some spinach and radishes here, let's see how they grow.
After one crop, it will go back to just lawn and daffodils again.
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Looked at it and thought where do I start let it go last year
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Planted out a few additional Swiss chard and lettuce seedlings into the raised beds today. These add to the ones I planted at the beginning of December. Mid January, I should be harvesting some lettuce, spinach and chard
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Tidied the plot shed, got everything out , sorted the wanted and bagged the rest for the tip.
How do l always end up with many more bean canes than l remember buying in the spring ? .
I’m sure they breed . :)