Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: AlaninCarlisle on February 09, 2012, 16:28
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I'm not a dewy-eyed first-time grower, in fact Ihave been growing veg for 40 years. Maybe it's the infectious enthusiasm of others that's rubbed off on me since joining this forum but I'm so impatient to get started this season that it hurts :)
I've got two large established veggie patches, a soft fruit area, a greenhouse, a large polytunnel and a few apple and plum trees and have decided to put a new extra area of pasture of about 150 sq metres into cultivation now that I've decided to retire later this year.
This hard cold weather that we are having this month is driving me bananas given the amount of digging and then rotavating that lies ahead.
The only gardening activity available is seed and compost buying etc plus starting a few seeds off in the propagator in the greenhouse. That and buying yet more seeds seems to be my lot for the next week given the latest forecast.
Anyone else suffering from this malaise?
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You mean I'm not the only one with things to do and bored silly? :dry:
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Hi sounds like you have a real nice place there
ive managed to get all mine dug over now and manure trenched in looking good
also put my greenhouse up and benches
but cold has slowed down my second plot but that one all raised beds the grand children
have that small one .
they keep asking when they can come and plant there seeds bless them ::)
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I'd never really had enough time to cultivate so much land until I became semi-retired a couple of years ago and now it's taken over my life to the point that growing is all I want to do. What makes it doubly hard is the mild weather we had until a couple of weeks ago. I'd really kidded myself that we were going to have a very early spring - after two weeks of sub zero temperatures we had freezing rain this morning!
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Nope, no malaise - happy to stay indoors until it warms up a little!
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Plenty of things to do.
Polish the aluminium foil, count the peas again.................
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Everyone in my family have a new pair of knitted gloves, knitted hats, and all repairs have been carried out. I might start polishing the carpet to-morrow!
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so bored with waiting to get on the lottie that we are revamping our garden, starting tomorrow, subject to weather (note it has just started snowing as I look out the window :nowink:)
planning to move trellises, beds, etc, and relay lawn in the spring. Moving stuff around so I can re-site the greenhouse OUT of the shadow created by neighbour's new extension (GRRRRRR >:( )
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plenty to do but the ground is rock hard here so sitting on my thumbs
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If I dare get out my seed box to look at - yet again - OH is threatening to chuck it in the bin. Its not like I don't know when to sow them coz I've read the packets over and over again, just waiting for the warmth of spring to turn my house into a greenhouse.
Got out my crotchet hooks out and a big ball of wool to keep me from going insane :wub:
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But it's so warm inside my polytunnel :)
If only I had the time to do it, as opposed to working 12 hour days on top of riding and mucking out my horse, I've got the last bed still to be made and filled in my polytunnel, plus a load of first earlys all chitted and ready to go in the tunnel. And I've got the last load of onion seeds still to be planted in modules, plus the sweet peas, spring onions, lettuce, carrot, radish, kohl rabi seeds to start in the tunnel. So many jobs, so little time :)
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Ah! you're just showing off coz you have a polytunnel. Rest of us mere mortals have to wait!
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I'm also feeling REALLY impatient to get going! Was given my allotment 2 weeks ago and since then, we've had snow so I can't do anything. Have been reading my allotment books and mags every evening after work, looking through all my new seed packets, boring my husband by going on and on about what I want to grow...for the first time in my life I'm not loving snowy weather :D
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I'm getting itchy feet as well. I've been unable to work on the plot for ages due to the physical problems I had while pregnant, as well the issues of dealing with a tiny baby all summer, and now finally I can walk properly, lift stuff, dig etc I can't bloomin' do anything because of the snow :mad:
I've had my 2nd letter last week warning me there have been complaints about the weeds and I really want to carry on with the work so I don't get a 3rd (which'll mean I'll get evicted :(). I was making really good progress and had dug over the first bed ready for planting...and now I can't even get a spade in the ground it's so frozen :tongue2:
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I'm itching to get going too! I'm filling my time by buying ever more packets of seeds, at the last count I had 48 packets! Made out a spreadsheet for what to sow when and sorted them all into sowing date order.... If I don't get started soon I'm going to have to go for counselling to put a stop to my seed-buying habit.
"My name is GYO Girl and I'm a seedaholic" ::)
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I'm itching to get going too! I'm filling my time by buying ever more packets of seeds, at the last count I had 48 packets! Made out a spreadsheet for what to sow when and sorted them all into sowing date order.... If I don't get started soon I'm going to have to go for counselling to put a stop to my seed-buying habit.
"My name is GYO Girl and I'm a seedaholic" ::)
Lol! Well for the first time ever this year i havent had to buy any seeds at all as my seed tins are overflowing. May buy a packet if parnsip though...........
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Hi GYO Girl. I have the same type of habits as you BUT to add to the seed-buying addiction I've bought half a dozen bags of compost, a sack of Growmore,288 6cm fibre pots, a sack of lime, 20 metres of bubble-wrap, 50 metres of weed-suppressing membrane and 22 metres of timber to make a new bench for the polytunnel
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lol, I wouldn't mind, but back in December I went through the Kings seed catalogue with a fine tooth comb and made out my entire order in one go. 23 packets, at a cost of around £19. At the time I knew I'd been really thorough and covered all my vegetable seed requirements for the entire year. So why, 2 months on, has my seed packet quantity more than doubled? :blush:
The longer I have to wait to get them started, the more doubts creep into my mind that I've missed something vital! I now have 2 varieties of tomato when back in December I KNEW that one packet of 50 Gardener's Delight would be plenty, 3 varieties of pea.... and so it goes on!
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I thought it was just me feeling like the ways you have all described :lol: Glad I am not the only 1 suffering! 8) I think I might have gone a bit over the top with buying stuff. I either have growing in the way of canes and new fruit trees, or seeds for approx 80 different varieties in total. In 1 sense is seems mental and over the top, and on the other hand I am thinking I still have a few more things I have missed. Even today with the plot covered in snow, I went to test it, thinking if I can get a fork or spade in, then I am going to work it. Of course the ground was still frozen solid and came away frustrated. The past few weeks I have probably re-designed my plot in my mind 20 different ways, and new ideas, none of which I will probably do in the end. Arghhhhhh, :D
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I feel your frustrations. We acquired our plot only a week before the snow hit. Before then we dug over about a third of it, and now the cold white stuff has halted play.
We've bought all our seeds, and I've put them into a spread sheet of when to plant/harvest
I've designed the plot with a 5 year rotation worked out.
I just want to dig...!!!!!
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I am beginning to get itchy about starting on this season's planting. I've already bought some seeds but I need to decide what else I want to grow so I can buy those seeds too. My veggie patch needs digging over (I've tried green manure for the first time) but it's been too frozen and anyway, I've not had time with work and social commitments and an ongoing DIY task indoors! Spring is just round the corner so it will soon be time to get started so I can't wait.
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I've had my 2nd letter last week warning me there have been complaints about the weeds and I really want to carry on with the work so I don't get a 3rd (which'll mean I'll get evicted :(). I was making really good progress and had dug over the first bed ready for planting...and now I can't even get a spade in the ground it's so frozen :tongue2:
Getting a bit off topic but Sazhig, could you write a letter to the site owners, explaining the health issues you have had recently and it may be they could retract the warnings you have been given. You never know, it might help
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sazhig, as sarajane says, it is important to make contact. If they hear nothing then you will be evicted - they aren't mind readers about your particular background.
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The week ahead looks to be dry and mild so tomorrow afternoon I'll drag the bench I've just made up to the field and into the polytunnel and then I'll fire up the rotavator and make a start on my potato and onion patches.
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Been to the plot today to do some harvesting. There's still the odd patch of snow & whilst it's quite free draining it's a quagmire at the moment.
The best thing I can do with the plot is stay off it! If you're in too much of a busting rush you can do more harm than good.
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I've just been poking about on my veg patches, thinking about rotavating etc and common sense has prevailed over blind enthusiasm. Apart from pottering in the polytunnel and greenhouse, it's too cold and the soil's still too heavy to do anything yet
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Sorry Yorkie & sarajane I've only just noticed your messages. The council were/are fully aware of my difficulties. I'd seen the council clerk in person and spoken over the phone several times last year. TBH they just don't care. If your plot isn't worked you're out, end of. There's no community or offers of help if you're having problems.
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Sorry to hear that sazhig :(
At least the soil has warmed up now; good luck in getting a covering down over the less cultivated areas, so that the weeds are not visible and not bothering other plot holders.
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Thanks Yorkie. It's going well now :)