Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Paul Plots on January 01, 2011, 15:07
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I'm just off to see if mine is still there... before it gets too dark. ;)
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I started to dig in the mustard that I planted in September and didn't get round to turning in. I'll be ready to put the broad beans in later this month. (Glad I didn't plant them earlier).
Cut a bit more turf from where we are extending a big bed. Drank lots of coffee listened to the birds singing and felt a lot more cheerful for my labours!
xx
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Had a bonfire, some drinks and mince pies!
(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/Flatters_photos/BitOfaDo.jpg)
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I picked some kale and sprouts, dug up a few leeks, and a parsnip ( for The Mighty V ), and even got a teeny handful of calabrese from some plants I'd left in from last year :D It'll all become part of tonights tea ( except the parsnip, I don't like root veg ). Damn I love growing food :D
Ohhh, and I sowed my onions, although I got called "weird" and "interesting" when I replied to all the "Happy New Year to the whole of my address book because I'm an idle git" messages with "ohhh!!!! I just sowed hundreds of seed!" :D
¥
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What a busy lot you've all been - good for you! Nice party on the plot too. (Jealous or what? ;))
I made my first trip to the plot since 5th December!! It was good to see it was still there. :)
I finished digging my half-plot but didn't have time to dig in compost from the heap. Normally it'd be almost empty by now... There we go - exceptional weather so can't be helped.
I lifted a few leeks and scarpered before it got so dark I could't find the gate. A good start to the New Year. :)
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I finally cleared up the leaves and found that procrastination pays off! It was a very easy job because the winds had swept them all cleanly into one area, amazingly beside the compost bin. :happy:
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Had a bonfire, some drinks and mince pies!
(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/Flatters_photos/BitOfaDo.jpg)
That's the allotment spirit 8) 8)
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Yesterday, rotavated the whole plot, turned in the manure and lime to the different areas,dug up parsnips, and looked at the sad excuses for sprouts, kale and cabbages that the rabbots are enjoying, ( must have been really hungry as they are getting through electric poultry netting!) while hubby and son, cut up fallen trees for the log pile. We now have a public holiday then Sunday, so no outdoor machinery will be running!
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Removed the rubbish left by the committee when they dismantled the shed on my new plot to give to someone else.
Dug over (yes me digging) one of the beds on the new plot; the rest of the plot doesn't need digging over as I will plant squashes and brassica. Squashes ramble over the topsoil and brassicas like it firm anyway.
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Still can't walk with this sciatic pain been incapacitated since Christmas Eve :( so I have not been to the plot for ages. I am going stir crazy :wub:
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Still can't walk with this sciatic pain been incapacitated since Christmas Eve :( so I have not been to the plot for ages. I am going stir crazy :wub:
I guess the cold weather hasn't helped you much either. :(
Here's wishing you a warm and more comfortable Spring. ;)
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Well the weather looks to be good today so I will be weeding between the onions and just tidying up the rest of the plot.
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Sowed my exhibtions onions about an hour ago and they still havent germinated :lol: :lol: :lol: Im not very patient
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I had a look at mine ;) and picked some swede and cabbage. The leeks are still looking ok as well.
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Spent hour and a half in the sunshine digging in manure!
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Went up this morning and chatted for an hour and went home! In essence nothing!
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I spent a couple of hours with a little tiding up and then I weeded two of the onion beds and re-netted the cabbages to stop those blasted pheasants eating all my greens. Its a pity its still very early in the year as I would love to do more but no point until all the bad weather is over.
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I spent a couple of hours with a little tiding up and then I weeded two of the onion beds and re-netted the cabbages to stop those blasted pheasants eating all my greens. Its a pity its still very early in the year as I would love to do more but no point until all the bad weather is over.
Ah. roast pheasant with a liitle cabbage! :D
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Back up the allotment today, were very lucky and have a regular pile of woodchip mulch dropped off so I raided that and mulched fruit bushes. Cleared the shed out and made plans for raised beds, 6 in total approx 3mtr x 1.2mtr .
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We ventured down the garden to work out the drop over the space for the greenhouse (we live on a hill). Over a run of 10ft the ground drops 40cm (yes i know I am missing metric and imperial but hey I'm a woman :tongue2:). At least we now know how big a wall we need to build so that we can put the greenhouse up.
We now have a plan for the rasied beds, bean frame and greenhouse just need to actually get in the garden and put it in to action.
I took a couple of photos so I might start a progress thread to add to over the year if anyone is interested in seeing the progress and it might give me the push I need to actually get the hard work done
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Had a bonfire, some drinks and mince pies!
(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/Flatters_photos/BitOfaDo.jpg)
That's the allotment spirit 8) 8)
Looks like you all had fun!!!!
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I managed to recover the roofing felt from my shed and fix it back in place. Looks like I'l have to start saving up for a few rolls of new stuff and recover the whole shed.
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Thanks Learner, I cant wait for warmer weather 8)
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Thanks Learner, I cant wait for warmer weather 8)
You're welcome....
...........warmer weather! Oh yes please!! ;)
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Started digging in the green manure today or should I say black manure.The over wintering phacelia was well and truly frosted.Its done its job and kept the weeds away over winter,I ask no more.I was nice to see fellow plotties busy doing things,must have been thirty plus working away.Must have been a sun thing.Talking of sun ,was building new raised bed last week sun rise has been about 8am ,quarter past 7 when I got there looked east at orange sky and silhoetted against it was a scarecrow framed by a fruit cage.It was a real picture.
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Enoying deciding what to grow next year, writing down seeds to order, making labels and planning plantings etc on my iCal!
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Finished planting out the strawberry bed; 10 x 4 feet. Topped up the leamould bin from some black-bagged overflow ones. Got away before the rain set in.
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Yesterday went to say 'hello' to my goldfish,
got both feet stuck in the mud, got one foot out (minus wellie) and fell over....... ::)
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Did something similar in among the manure, but didn't lose the welly. :lol:
Shovelled a whole lot of sh sh sh manure around.
It's a dirty job, and so on......... :)
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Garlic finally in, the soil brilliantly workable, the frosts have broken it down really well.
More leaf mulch on the beds, collected and stacked bricks ready for a new raised carrot bed.
Few hours down there tomorrow before work starts again on Wed
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put the onion sets back in the soil - just hope taht they will be ok.
fixed some gutering to the shed and plumbed into citrus container - water supply issues lessened.
dug and levelled the centarl path - lesson from last year is that a level path is easier on the wheelbarow - and the babys pram!
had a coffee and thought to myself ''i have missed this!''
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I acquired a second plot in Dec that runs directly next to my existing plot, so yesterday I weeded it all, put some basic paths in and made the two plots into one lovely, continuous plot.
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Well my Wife goes over morning and night to let put in the chickens,
She has got some weeds up but with all the mud it may be best to keep off it for a bit.
I'll start to go over when I'm a bit fitter as I've been poorly the last few months.
roll on spring.
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Pulled the last of my leeks and dug up some parsnips. Then i stared at my Rudolph PSB ,which is meant to be the earliest, for a long time to will it on :)
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cut back the paths so i should get another row of spuds in burnt all the brambles and Christmas rubbish said hello to the rhubarb that has just woken up and generally tidied up the bins and compost heap and swept the shed and dug some leeks up for tonights dinner only have 6 out of 90 left :(
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Finally got round to getting rid of the contents of last year's growbag and (donated) spent compost around the garden (the stuff used to grow tomatoes went on the roses rather than the veg plot!)
Also scattered the last of my supply of pure clay across the veg plot (this is yet another of my experiments based on the notion that there's only one soil type as problematic as very heavy clay and that's one with no clay at all!) :)
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Dug in a bit more manure, until my boots became too heavy! :)
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Went to the plot to do some digging but it was too wet, took down the bean canes instead. Then I scrapped the inch plus of mud off of my boots :tongue2:. I hope the weather improves soon as I haven't finished the winter digging yet.
Wendy
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Not finished winter digging? I haven't even started it.
To be honest the way the soil is I wouldn't even compemplate it. If it's sticking to your wellies like that, pound to a penny you're doing the soil structure no good.
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I've only done half my digging I'm afraid, the early snow caught me out.
I won't go on the land if it sticks to my boots as it would do more harm than good to the soil structure.
My land drains quickly though so there will be time later when it dries out a bit.
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I have been lucky enough to change to another plot which is next to the one my O/H took on in October they are both just inside the gate which is the shortest distance we have to walk from home to lottys (which is about 300yards) my old one was right round the other side of allotment plots which took me at least 5 mins to walk (20 mins some days as have to stop and chat on way) and when I got there i could see my bungalow!!!!
But as the plot had been neglected since july I have lots of digging to do.
I am keeping my fingers crossed as I have just dug up asparagus and replanted in new bed, wrong time of year? but optamistic in that if i didn't move it, no asparagus so at least a chance this way.
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Went down to assess the the damage after the snow. Not any that I could tell. My Leeks seem to have survived and I dug up some Parsnips and Carrots. Someone has left a load of manure so I dragged some bags full of that back to my allotment. Couldn't get it over the Rabbit Fence so it is just sitting outside my allotment for now :) No digging, far too wet.
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beautiful day for the allotment and I am feeling too ill to go and do anything.
Grendel
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Cut back a 100ft hawthorn hedge that had become neglected. Cut into by about 4ft back to the tree stumps and it cut into me by about 1inch. ended up in hospital for 3 hours while a very kind nurse cut the thorn out with a scalpel. Thank god for local anaesthetic. Thigh now looks a mess, taught me a lesson though. Respect the hawthorn.
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Like many of you I have just finished digging in manure that I spread last year. It looks good but the old problem has recurred i.e backache!!!!
Still that prepared the ground for my peas and puts me a little ahead. The Garlic came through the snow and frost as did my winter onions so positive start to 2011.
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Just the potato patch to dig in the manure now, might leave it a bit and dig trnches at the same time! :)
Digging in glorious sunshine! 8)
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we emptied the compost bin mixed it all up and refilled it.
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Looked out of the window at the weeds shooting up :)
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Dug up a few parsnips to par boil and freeze for when I cannot dig them up because the ground is frozen. Spread a big bag of hedge cuttings on my path as it is starting to look a mud bath.
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Looked out of the window at the weeds shooting up :)
I was amazed at the number of weeds that developed under the snow that we had just before Christmas - one patch was completely weed free before the snow but when the snow melted there they were. :ohmy: :)
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Dug over a raised bed fishing out more weed roots than I thought possible in that sized space!
Finished a chicken run off and dug over another small bed. Slowly catching up on my winter dig now!
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Walked our old green waste wheely bin over to the plot...well DS and I walked with DH who lugged it for me ;) . It's been used as a composter at home for a couple of years and was still 1/3 full of well rotted stuff (hence why it was so heavy!). The council have given us a new bin this year so there isn't really room for it at home any more so I thought it would be of more use down at the plot.
Then we surveyed the plot swamp as we've not been down there for far too long. Looked better than we thought it would...although rather too damp to do much in the way of digging or weeding :(
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Do not have an allotment but have plenty of space in the garden. Yesterday I emptied the compost from some pots on to an empty patch which is going to be used for strawberries and goosegabs and did a general tidy up. It is amazing how much dirt snow leaves behind. Thinking about what is going where on the rest of the patches.
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Still not been to the plot, still have no feeling in my left leg and foot yet. Attempted to drive the other day but gave up by the bottom of the street, cant feel the clutch >:(
I am very apprehensive because only accquired my new plot mid November and all I have done is weeded 1 10ft x 4ft bed....got another 19 to do as well as paths :(
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Went up to the lotty for a bit of a tidy, mended my brassica "cage" (bamboo canes were all "got" by the snow). and had a bit of a tidy up. Harvested some snips, leeks, beetroot and red cabbage. 8)
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Took down brassica cage, harvested leeks, cabbage and the parsnips now the ground is workable, tidied up a bit and did a bit of weeding, then had a cuppa :)
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Nothing until it gets a bit warmer :blush: :blush:
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tidied my shed and pottered about. My compost bins and my wooden planters are still frozen solid :ohmy:
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Turned over the compost bin, dug over a raised bed,checked brassicas under netting and drew soil up around the stalks. Had a cup of tea or two,took in the peacefulness, know one else around bliss. :happy:
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took some cabbage and cauli seedlings down and put them into cold frame, soil still frozen on beds. only got 1 of 4 dug over so far
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I'm sure you know binner but I'll just mention it to those with itchy spades.
NEVER dig when the soil is frozen - you just turn frozen soil deeper into the soil profile and it takes much longer to warm up in spring.
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I'm sure you know binner but I'll just mention it to those with itchy spades.
NEVER dig when the soil is frozen - you just turn frozen soil deeper into the soil profile and it takes much longer to warm up in spring.
Which means that we can stay nice and warm indoors. ::) ::)
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Yesterday I did some digging, adding compost and lifted leeks and carrots. :)
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pulled out dead strawberries, cut back dead comfrey plants, emptied out dead hanging baskets (not really had much of a chance to do anything over the past few months for various reason) and DOUBLED size of patch in the garden :D :D :D going to get really, really really rotted manure on wednesday and then planning to cover with a trap for a few weeks.
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dug up some sprouts and sadly removed some cabbages that the pidgeons had gotten at through my netting .did a little bit of weeding and planned .(well stood with a cup of tea thinking lol)
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(well stood with a cup of tea thinking lol)
Very important part of the job - I do that a lot ::) :)
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(well stood with a cup of tea thinking lol)
Very important part of the job - I do that a lot ::) :)
Me too and it takes ages :wacko:
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Dug up some Leeks, Swede, Cabbage & took some Kale. :)
Started to prune the Pear & Apple trees & bought a Plum tree which i have made space for near the others :)
Glad i can get back up there - can't believe i've been missing it :D
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Dug up some Leeks, Swede, Cabbage & took some Kale. :)
Started to prune the Pear & Apple trees & bought a Plum tree which i have made space for near the others :)
Glad i can get back up there - can't believe i've been missing it :D
Don't prune back the plum.... wrong time of year. ;)
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The Apple & Pear trees have been there for years & really need it (Quite tall).
We have a shop on our allotment & loads of trees turned up today. The guy who deals with the shop had just heeled them in when we went up.
They aren't very big but big enough to get fruit off this year hopfully. Think it's end of summer you prune Plum trees ?
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general claen up and bagged 6 bags of leaf mould. raked the beds.
It was lovely being out doors.
Jools
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Finished digging in the manure! :)
Took a couple of small celariac home for tomorrows dinner!
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What I did on the allotment today:
Paddled!
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What I did on the allotment today:
Paddled!
:D :D :D
Me too!
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got manure and dug in to veg patch. Covered with tarp. Raked up 9 bags of leaves for leaf mould. Had lovely coffee and pictured yummy courgettes that will grow this year :)
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Don't know how you lot are managing to get on your plots. Mine's still way too wet and I'd just compact the soil if I set foot on it.
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My plot is on such sandy soil, that I could dig it now if I wanted to!
It seems good to have free drained soil now, but isn't such a benefit when we have a dry spell...so much needs watering :(
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We've got more rain again, that'll rule things out for at least another 2 days even if it stops now and that doesn't look likely.
With commitments over the weekend, it's Monday at the earliest and the forecast is not too brill.
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well up here near Perth we still have snow on the ground,so no getting onto the ground at the moment. Just waiting for break to get garlic and onion sets into modules and under cold frame.
Today though I updated my garden diary ( got a new one for Christmas ) and threw out the old one, and then went through all my seeds and put them in some sort of order! Also set plan of action as to what goes where. So feeling quite good about that!
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Nothing - far too wet in any case I have been wrking all day !!
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i drank a large mug of bovril and pottered in my shed.
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I tried to get the hang of the Forum while looking out at gloom and rain.
Then I gave up and watched Edwardian Farm!
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I can't even consider it until about March. The garden is ready, bar a few weeds and I find there is nothing to be gained by sowing before April, even in the tunnel (what's left of it ). ::)
There is a lot more winter ahead unfortunately. :(
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Can't do anything on ours either,rain hasn't stopped for last 3 days.
Never mind I have snowdrops up in the garden and the daffs are poking through,and the chooks don't go to bed now until after 5pm :) :)
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Not really on the plot but getting ready to start...
Put all my seed packets in alphabetical order :)
Got me allotment books out to tell me when/how to sow and plant...
Potted up 8 strawberry runners in the conservatory and sowed a box of microgreens (mustard cress) as an experiment :)
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Hiya
Picked some swedes, leeks and brussels sprouts and went home and made a home made, home grown potato and veggie soup. You can't beat growing your own, yum!
We've never had an allotment before last year and totally in awe that we've still got lots of potatoes and onions and carrots in storage, and lots of swedes, leeks and brussels sprouts still in the ground, it's fantastic!
Herbie
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Planted everlasting onions today (huge thank you to Lacewing). Can't wait for them to start spreading. :)
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Well I do not really have an allotment, I have a veg plot in the back garden which has just been extended.
Planning to pick the last 2 leeks on Saturday then get on with some feeding of the plot before any planting in spring.
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nothing yet as still incapacitated, after the hospital phoning me I did have an MRI scan last night so hopefully this time next week I should have the result of what all this pain and lack of mobility is :(
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hope you're better soon :(
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Thanks Mum :)
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Went up this afternoon, with all good intentions. The plots where saturated, so I swam two lengths and went home! Emptied the compost caddy actually.
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much the same as us Nige - would return to the Swamp tomorrow, but have the dreaded lurgy, so will stay indoors :(
Fed-up :(
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much the same as us Nige - would return to the Swamp tomorrow, but have the dreaded lurgy, so will stay indoors :(
Fed-up :(
It is frustrating Plum :( Winter jobs to do on the plots and it's to wet to do anything!
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Had a quick look between showers/deluges and the soil in my new beds have settled 2in with the amount of rain we've had :ohmy:.....I guess they will need digging again, when the weather finally improves :blink:
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Nothing, it's pouring with rain here and it's forecast to be on for most of the day. :(
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Too wet from all the rain this week & far too windy today.I'll go tomorrow & have a look all being well. Last week I tidied 1 of the sheds 7 moved 3 daleks(compost bins) too make room for some manure to be dropped off via quiet Dave. Today I've been in my shed at home & sown 17 kelsae onions, some red & white onions seeds & a 1st for me some banana shallot seeds. I got them all half price at wyevale 2 weeks ago.
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Well havent been on here in yonks so first of all Happy New Year Everyone
Down at the plot today iv dug up the last of the sprouts and cabbage, drank some tea, dug half a plot, then noticed how unfit I realy was, dug some more and then retreated to the warm clutch of the indoors. It may be wet and windy but lets look on the bright side, it was 13 degrees today, summers on its way already :D
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Welcome back pumpkinpatch. Sounds as if you had a good day!
I'm hoping to visit my patch tomorrow all being well. ;)
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Planted 15m of my new hawthorn hedge yesterday and only have 12m to go, though the 12m still need clearing and weeding.
Sowed the following seeds on my windowsill this weekend:
Cauliflower (all year round)
Tomatoes (several varieties)
Chillies (more in hope than expectation)
Leeks
Haven't yet made the cold frames to transport these to when they outgrow their seed trays.
I'm ahead in one sense and well behind in :)
I also drew up by sowing chart and have began to roughly sketch where things will be growing on my plot this year.
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today I.....
tipped the peelings from the sunday roast on the compost heap & RAN! hood up, head down!
darn british weather! :blink:
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Upturned the frame of the greenhouse that I started erecting last week, un-bent a couple of members, then set back in position. Framed all the twin-wall. Hopefully no more heavy winds until next Friday when I'll be setting a 6x2 frame down for it to sit properly on.
As others... spent a good amount of time doing the back-stroke up and down the plot (almost lost a welly!)
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Nearly lost a boot digging the last four leeksMMMMMM. :DBurnt all scrap wood left over from building asparagus raised bed.So,so wet.not worth trying to do anything else :(
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FINALY got to do some digging :D
one bed finnished off that is for onions and garlic, half of it already has over wintering ones in
dug a full one over for carrots and snips, just got the potato patch to dig over now, luckily i managed to get the brassicus patch dug in november :tongue2:
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We pulled a few comedy parsnips ??? not sure what the heck happened as the others are all fairly normal, well thats if you ignore the 5lb monster we pulled before Christmas :wacko:
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02237-20110116-1230.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02239-20110116-1242.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02195-20101114-1023.jpg)
The first two came up today and the last one is the 5lb monster :wacko: the ground hasnt been manured so its just a freak I guess
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Finally started to dig and managed to get the best part of 2 beds dug with help from the better half, while the lil lad made mud pie!!
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cleaned out green house and shed rained all day ground like a bog.
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I dug a 30' long trench, filled it with compost and transplanted a good number of raspberry canes... another job completed! :)
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Also lifted some parsnips - three stumpy and distorted because (I think) they were in a place that had been invaded by shrub roots in earlier years, and two farther down the row that were perfect.
Unusually I had to scrape the spade between diggings because the ground was so sticky.
But the good news was that my disturbance of the soil brought up a great number of healthy looking worms - they must have been able to get below the permafrost during December.
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Just went down to assess the winter damage but I was pleasantly surprised that there was none :)
Sprouts haven't done very well at all, thats my second try and I don't know if i'll bother trying a third time.
Came home with a bag full of swede and still have a dozen or so to pick but too heavy to carry home on buses all in one go.
Leeks are looking good from what I can see through the grass that has engulfed them :wub:
I'm feeling good now about getting started, i'd expected a big mess when I got there.
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I do not have a plot but today I gave one of my patches a good digging over and incorporated some natural fertilizer from the local beach. Looked at the green house for the first time in ages - had a bucket of fat balls for the birds and somehow the mice managed to get the lid off (must not have closed it properly). They have eaten all of the fat balls and there is mouse poo all over the place. Have to get Jayes fluid and clean everything. Yuck. Really enjoyed the outdoor digging though.
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We pulled a few comedy parsnips ??? not sure what the heck happened as the others are all fairly normal, well thats if you ignore the 5lb monster we pulled before Christmas :wacko:
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02237-20110116-1230.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02239-20110116-1242.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG02195-20101114-1023.jpg)
The first two came up today and the last one is the 5lb monster :wacko: the ground hasnt been manured so its just a freak I guess
That's what ours looked like as well :D;think heavy clay soil can do that. Going to try the crow-bar and compost method may mate has told me about.
Sunday was spent doing a bit of tidying,planting the Garlic what got left in pots before the cold snap and harvesting Parsnips and Leeks.
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we did have some standard looking ones but every few we ended up with a monster :D
I didnt even attempt to peel the multilegged one I'm afriad I know a lost cause when I see one :blush:
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In similiar vein to the "Weather" topic, we're starting afresh with 2011.
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Previous one here:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=52152.0
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I have amended the word "allotment" in the title to read "plot" to reflect the fact that not all forum members do their growing on an allotment.
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Hi all i am very pleased with myself today spent 4 hours on lotty, just had hedge cut so bagged a load of chippings. So I have managed to hard edge a 18m path with planks and put down chippings. Also managed a bit of digging.
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Transferred my compost to a bigger bin and boy did it stink ::) too wet here at the moment to dig again but I think I will go and get 3 bags of all purpose compost on Friday and empty that over the plot.
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Just had a letter posted through the door, that mine is closing for two weeks with no access at all :( :( This is due to Health and Safety whilst a new path is laid down the centre of the Throughfare, from the carpark to the toilet block!!!!!!!!!!!
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Received delivery of my first ever seed potatos, plus patio growing sacks, now off to pour a glass of vino & read up on chitting :tongue2:
Also, looked at my new raised beds & wondered how much more nagging (gentle persuasion 8)) it will take to get the husband to finally remove the lawn so I can get it put in
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Received delivery of my first ever seed potatos, plus patio growing sacks, now off to pour a glass of vino & read up on chitting :tongue2:
Also, looked at my new raised beds & wondered how much more nagging (gentle persuasion 8)) it will take to get the husband to finally remove the lawn so I can get it put in
Poor husband! ::) I only have to mow ours :lol:
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I looked at it............nothing has changed :nowink:
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I looked at it............nothing has changed :nowink:
I quite like the idea of visiting the plot with the intention of just looking.... I might come away feeling I have achieved (for once) more than I set out to!! :lol:
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Popped down to see if our shed was one of the several, that had been broken into over the weekend. Luckily ours hadn't received a visit from the thieves.
I really need to get on with the winter digging (our rules states that the allotments should be kept free of weeds) and mine is about 60% weeds, but it is just too wet to dig.
Wendy
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First real visit to the plots today (with the intention of actually doing some work, that is :) ).
Had a go at what turned out last year (our first season) to be the most troublesome of the two - waterlogged, clay, overrun with weeds, etc. Dug a patch a plot width (abut 20ft) x 12ft, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't waterlogged, and not too clayey in this part. Bit sticky & heavy going but basically good soil down to beyond a ful spit.
Having worn myself out on that, with half an hour until dark I turned my attention to the ovrgrown hedge at the back, and stripped out copious quantities of bramble that were taking over our compost bins & water butt.
Well pleased with my first effort of the year - tired and somewhat scratched but can't wait to get back, probably before the weekend's out :D
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Ground rock hard after four days of constant below zero temps - so no work possible in garden. :tongue2: :tongue2: :D :D
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Place is surrounded by brambles but i planted a Blackberry 'Black Butte' hoping for some monster berries in a year or twos time.
Picked some sprouts
Cut down some elderberries and started to tidy up an overgrown ditch
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went down the lottie yesterday and today with some good loads of horse dung that was stored over from Christmas i was unable to get down the lottie because of the weather i had 3 loads it was darn cold but i kept warm loading the dung some dung was loose and some in bags when i drove on the lottie the trailer when down to its axles with the wight i recon i had about 2 tonne on board each load once unloaded the trailer pulled out OK :happy:
i hope the dungs going to put some goodness back in the ground he says hopefully it was b-----dy cold driving down the lottie with the tractor no cab only fresh frosty air :ohmy:
its really wet on the lottie just have to wait till spring before i can plough the dung in o'' happy days :D :D
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Walked through mine to get to the chickens and thought about the hard work we have done over the past few years, and decided we need to sit, enjoy, and watch things grow this year.
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Put three barrow loads of manure in new raised bed.Shovelled some mud/soil on topof it in the hopes that we get some dry weather so it will dry out and I can mix some garden compost with it.We are on top of a hill ,why is the soil so damn wet?
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.We are on top of a hill ,why is the soil so damn wet?
When it rains you're the first to get it. :lol:
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Today hubby & I went to the plot & re-constructed the leaf mould container that we dismantled last year from the garden.Then we put the 3 bags of leaves in that we had raked up in the autumn from the garden.It only covered the bottom of the pen by 1/2 inch. Chap who's bringing horse manure turned up with another load.It looks like we'll be rolling in it this year!!Only trouble is it still hot. So I'm off tomorrow to tip out compost bins & layer it in there to speed them up,can't wait.
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right well........................ hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, me and 'er indoors had a quick gander and the main change was that the plot looked empty, as in , all the green manure we had a month ago was gone, disappeared, as good as rotted away!!!!!!
I dont know if thats a problem or not?
there was a lot of green manure (mustard) that i was going to dig in before the end of january, but it's "died" rotted after the snow???????
any ideas anyone?
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Ground too wet to do any digging at the moment. :(
We had a day changing old water tanks and putting in new pipes on the site, all volunteers gratefully accepted ::)
Started at 9.00am dug trench across the road to put in new tank for disabled beds and added some stop cocks to some of the tanks, had lunch of bacon butties and free teas & coffees provided by members of the comittee and cakes & biscuits provided by lovely lady who couldn't help with the digging and pipework. :tongue2:
Managed to break the back of the work but still lots to do so will be back there tomorrow to do a bit more
We had a really good day even though it rained and met some very enthusiastic new members. Great to have some young blood on the site :D
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right well........................ hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, me and 'er indoors had a quick gander and the main change was that the plot looked empty, as in , all the green manure we had a month ago was gone, disappeared, as good as rotted away!!!!!!
I dont know if thats a problem or not?
there was a lot of green manure (mustard) that i was going to dig in before the end of january, but it's "died" rotted after the snow???????
any ideas anyone?
A quick fork over in the spring?
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Too wet to do any digging, soil sticking to boots.
* Planted garlic, very late, but its solent wight and it says you can plant until Jan.... we'll see!!
* Hoed between the onions.
* Shifted about 7 wheelbarrow loads of manure onto plot before the guy at the end does his usual manure grab and takes all of it onto his plot! (There's 2 people who hog all the manure on our site it seems) The site has just had three truckloads delivered and its the first time i've managed to actually get any!!
If there's any left by tomorrow then will grab a few more barrow loads.
* stared mournfully at the greyness of it all...
ROLL ON SPRING
The site was extremely quiet!!!
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right well........................ hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, me and 'er indoors had a quick gander and the main change was that the plot looked empty, as in , all the green manure we had a month ago was gone, disappeared, as good as rotted away!!!!!!
I dont know if thats a problem or not?
there was a lot of green manure (mustard) that i was going to dig in before the end of january, but it's "died" rotted after the snow???????
any ideas anyone?
A quick fork over in the spring?
Yep, going to do that anyway as nothing to lose, I just thought that the green manure would stay green if you see what I mean and not just die? I suppose though logically, it's not an evergreen so suppose the snow probably killed it off and it still rots down into the soil so should be ok.
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I've built a very crude raised bed and filled it with top soil that some lovely person ( :mad: ) threw over their wall onto my allotment path last year. It may be naff but i am very proud and very sore lol.
Ive also attempted to de-weed some of the many millions of weeds that seem to have taken root over winter.
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Generally tidied both plots and lit a Sulphur Candle in the Greenhouse. Havested some Swede and Parsnips :)
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Pruned Blueberries
Cleared about 20m of bramble filled ditch
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Dumped a load of seaweed around the fruit bushes, grubbed out the old brocolli plants and had a good tidy up.First visit for a few weeks and lo and behold...THE RHUBARB IS SPROUTING..... :D :D :D....spring cant be far off now.....On a bum note the savoys were looking a bit sorry,probably heads ok if the outer leaves are cleared away,but have to say they dont look very appetising...lucky most already used,only a few left....Pulled a few leeks which went straight from plot to pan,lovely!....only one more picking though....that and the tatty savoys and the plot is bare.......not long till the broad beans go in though :tongue2:
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weeded the garlic (already standing 6" high :) ) and prepared the ground for my onions. Moved my carrot box and replenished the soil in it with fresh compost then weeded some pots.
I thought there wasn't going to be much to do before I got there, but left wondering how I will find time to catch up ::)
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Planted a blackberry, two gooseberries and ten rasperries in a bed which form the understorey of an Apple tree. This is my mini fruit forest where I'll also be planting shade loving annuals like lettuce and Land Cress as well as some woodland wildflowers for the bees to help in pollination.
That's the theory anyway!
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Cleaned out the greenhouse after a mouse infestation - used lots of disinfectant on the staging and floor. Just got to re-clean all of the pots now. Beautiful day - sat outside the greenhouse for 10 minutes - was quite warm.
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Getting towards the end of the leeks now, but plenty of parsnips left, albeit a bit cankered!
If mumofstig is viewing this, (she's previously shown interest in the multi-planting technique) the leek on the left was grown in its own planting hole, the three in the middle shared a single planting hole (and there were 2 others which had obviously been crowded out and hadn't grown at all!)
Trimmed and ready for cooking, the large one weighed 5 oz, the three smaller ones totalled 8 oz, so I guess you could say that multi-hole planting can give you 50% more per planting hole. Think I'll probably continue to do a mixture of planting this year, especially as space is at a premium. :)
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Bought three bags of all purpose compost on Saturday and tipped all over my plot and forked in a bit the soil is gray clay and clumpy so looks like more bags of compost will need going in as although it's a small plot the compost I got didn't seem to go anywhere. maybe needs a few bags of top soil too?
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Nothing :( not been anywhere near plot for weeks due to back injury but one of my fellow plot holders rang me to say not to worry he has weeded all my beds and everything is on course with my plot. :D
You know who you are and if you read this post once again thanks from the bottom of my heart. There are gentleman still left out there ;)
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Getting towards the end of the leeks now, but plenty of parsnips left, albeit a bit cankered!
If mumofstig is viewing this, (she's previously shown interest in the multi-planting technique) the leek on the left was grown in its own planting hole, the three in the middle shared a single planting hole (and there were 2 others which had obviously been crowded out and hadn't grown at all!)
Trimmed and ready for cooking, the large one weighed 5 oz, the three smaller ones totalled 8 oz, so I guess you could say that multi-hole planting can give you 50% more per planting hole. Think I'll probably continue to do a mixture of planting this year, especially as space is at a premium. :)
Thanks for the update Jay :)
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i went down to day as well and started diging it over again .
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Finished making an L shaped bed to for fruit and planted an apple tree, Hung two hanging baskets on the upright posts we have for peas and beans. Going back up shortly to make the doors for the communal polytunnel and put the beds in there. Be glad when spring comes and the hard work is done!! ;)
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Nothing :( not been anywhere near plot for weeks due to back injury but one of my fellow plot holders rang me to say not to worry he has weeded all my beds and everything is on course with my plot. :D
You know who you are and if you read this post once again thanks from the bottom of my heart. There are gentleman still left out there ;)
Hope the back is improving dexy. Good to hear there are some kind, generous spirited people around ..... but then he is a gardener! :)
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I feel it for you Thrift, I know exactly what you're going through. Feel better soon ;).
My first day (well hour) on my plot late afternoon. It was very peaceful, no-one around, just me & the hungry birds. I decided to check out the compost area figuring I'd need somewhere to dump the profitable waste I'd be pulling up. Some interesting findings of oddments of "junk" that could be put to good use.
I found slug & snail eggs too & put them out for the birds :). I pulled a few weeds growing around the edges & was delighted to find lovely loamy soil :). I left them to die off in a bowl I found. they ain't goin' anywhere near my compost heap ;)
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Been to lottie and pruned Autumn Raspberry canes, also put stakes in but not wires (Mr VVG's job later today) . Pulled some kale for tonight's dinner and leeks for lunchtime soup...yum! Seed potatoes in egg trays in greenhouse for chitting or freezing...not even paraffin heater is cutting through the chill. Want some sunshine as we are stillbehind with winter digging. But windowsill resplendent with broad beans, white and red onions, plus leek seeds.
Lunch with my allotment books and more planning methinks. :D
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chucked ALL 14 planats of me PSB into teh compost heap as they had rootten down to mush caused by the severe frosts. minus 18 in December
Gutted, yes, but its nature - its what happens....
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Surveyed the plot ready to put up the greenhouse and finish off the construction work :D
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chucked ALL 14 planats of me PSB into teh compost heap as they had rootten down to mush caused by the severe frosts. minus 18 in December
Gutted, yes, but its nature - its what happens....
I am so sorry to hear that. I tried growing it last year in the garden and it was a total failure.
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Hello, this is my first post and I couldn't resist saying ... today I went down and saw my allotment for the first time. So excited! :)
Now I just need to figure out what to do! I have been so lucky because its been loved. Not overgrown or weeds. There are even leeks and sprouts in.
So going to read everything on here. Think I will start be making compost bins and grinning randomly at everyone.
:D
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chucked ALL 14 planats of me PSB into teh compost heap as they had rootten down to mush caused by the severe frosts. minus 18 in December
Gutted, yes, but its nature - its what happens....
That's what happened to my PSB too and my Savoy cabbages....gutted as we love both!
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Hello, this is my first post and I couldn't resist saying ... today I went down and saw my allotment for the first time. So excited! :)
Now I just need to figure out what to do! I have been so lucky because its been loved. Not overgrown or weeds. There are even leeks and sprouts in.
So going to read everything on here. Think I will start be making compost bins and grinning randomly at everyone.
:D
Welcome to the mad world of veggie growing - enjoy your plot. You will find lots of help here.
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Just wanted to say a quick hi to everyone, haven't been on since about August last year, good to be back for 2011. So far on the plot, I have clear away most of the old growth, now just making my way around digging each bed over. Got lots of plans for exciting stuff this year (well exciting for me anyway!) Including a bean teppee and tunnel for the kiddies :) Here's the other stuff I've done
I put in some onions sets as a crazy experiment
Build a rudimentary raised bed around my 3rd year asparagus and infilled with home made compost
Moved my alpine strawberries into a newly made herb bed
Pruned rasberries, planted a new gooseberry bush
Weeded and weeded and weeded, although thistle and couch grass problem is much less of a problem this year...(famous last words!)
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Winter onions and garlic frozen solid in the ground! :(
Am I likely to lose them - they look tiny still?! Have covered them with fleece; not sure whether it's unnecessary or am too late.
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chucked ALL 14 planats of me PSB into teh compost heap as they had rotten down to mush caused by the severe frosts. minus 18 in December
Gutted, yes, but its nature - its what happens....
That's what happened to my PSB too and my Savoy cabbages....gutted as we love both!
so far the savoys are ok.........but thats this week. The PSB was ok last week.....
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Hello everyone
So glad to be back had a rest over winter but back and rearing now :D
Plots been dug over, though will pay extra attention soon to carot and parsnip bed - parsnip taste great but have forked this year.
Shed cleared and tidied
Pots brought home will hopefully get washed this week
Broad beans in
Pigeon manure over potatoes and legume beds, will keep turning over ready for March
Just need to get house ship-shape so I can neglect in March/April also going to invest in some Enviromesh so any bargains about please let me know
Bye for now
Missy
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Hello JustViolet, I've only just got my allotment too (Tuesday just gone) & I share whole-heartedly in your excitement :D. Mine's also been well cultivated, a few goodies left in, and weeds too lol!
Hope all goes well with your new toy, once the frost has thawed, there'll be no stopping me, good luck! Mash :)
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During a very quick visit:
- lifted, selected and replanted raspberries to complete a 30' row
- lifted and took home carrots and leeks
- finished digging one bed
- started clearing buttercup from the bed the raspberries were in
:blink: Oh how I hate buttercups!
Came home just after 5.30pm so the evenings are gradually "getting out".... ;)
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Just an hour or so there today, but cleared a third of a raised bed of weed & planted my garlic :)
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Just got my half plot couple of week ago, and had been digging since...lots lots lots of weeds.
1. found some potatoes while digging and gathered them to a small area to allow them grow together;
2. planted two blackcurrants branches bought from Morrison's for 2x1.5 pound
3. neighbour gave me 3 rhubarb roots and planted next to the blackcurrants
4. two lines of daffodil flowers
5. 50 mini Onions planted
6. planning to buy some garlic and plant tomorrow.
7. still have about half of the plot not digged yet and covered with weed killer plastic
8. thinking of nails a tool box to leave my spade and fork in the allotment instead of taking them home each time.
9. strawberries plant are on sale on ebay (10 plants for a fiver), not sure whether I should buy or grow them my self by just using the seeds from a fresh strawberry.
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Just got my half plot couple of week ago, and had been digging since...lots lots lots of weeds.
1. found some potatoes while digging and gathered them to a small area to allow them grow together;
2. planted two blackcurrants branches bought from Morrison's for 2x1.5 pound
3. neighbour gave me 3 rhubarb roots and planted next to the blackcurrants
4. two lines of daffodil flowers
5. 50 mini Onions planted
6. planning to buy some garlic and plant tomorrow.
7. still have about half of the plot not digged yet and covered with weed killer plastic
8. thinking of nails a tool box to leave my spade and fork in the allotment instead of taking them home each time.
9. strawberries plant are on sale on ebay (10 plants for a fiver), not sure whether I should buy or grow them my self by just using the seeds from a fresh strawberry.
You have been busy especially as it's so early in the year. Keep in mind that we still have a fair bit of winter (and cold weather) to come.
Strawberries from seed take an age so you might be better to look for some rooted cuttings or, better still, new potted plants. Lidls often sell these pretty cheaply at around the right time for planting. They are not named varieties but will give you a crop this season and be better still next year.
Rhubarb takes up lots of space and is a devil to dig out later so make sure you really do have it where you want it.
Above all... take it easy and enjoy!
Good luck! ;)
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Just got my half plot couple of week ago, and had been digging since...lots lots lots of weeds.
1. found some potatoes while digging and gathered them to a small area to allow them grow together;
Hi Bing - you are doing really well - just one suggestion. The potatoes that you found could be diseased - you would be best to start off with fresh stock. Good luck for the coming season.
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Cant do anything this morning,minus 6 last night.o well
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well first time down the plot for a while, strimmed most of the plot, that at least gets the weeds down to a manageable length. dug about 1m full width of the plot, managed to get a bonfire going and burn most of the hedge trimmings. at least the path down the plot is clear and usable, by cutting the hedge back to the fence I have gained 1m on the width of my half plot. had a quick trip to our other half plot, will need to weed that next week (quick rake or hoe) I am glad that one came rotovated as it has needed no work so far, the surface looks a bit claggy for working properly yet though.
Grendel
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9. strawberries plant are on sale on ebay (10 plants for a fiver), not sure whether I should buy or grow them my self by just using the seeds from a fresh strawberry.
The germination rate from seed is extremely low and has frustrated and disappointed everyone i know who has tried it... the most productive way is to start with runners, and they will multiply for you each year.
I would definitely agree with Springlands about the potatoes too. Not a risk I would take
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Picked the last of the Sprouts on both plots and then dug them out and dug over the beds where they were. Two of the sprouts on Plot20 did show some signs of Club Root the rest were fine.
Harvested some Carrots that I had grown over winter in a raised bed in a sheltered spot, they are on the small size but I bet they are sweet.
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Picked some sprouts cleared a bag of rubbish blow in from others had a walk around the site to say hello and found out that AGM is in March :D
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Went to get pick up truck full of horse muck and got it spread over a couple of beds . Will go and get some more in a couple of weeks , i put this load on the beds that i'm planting my spuds :)
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Acquainted myself with a few of the really rather friendly & approachable, allotmenteers, one was a blast from the past :lol:. Asked advice about maincrop spuds, bocking 14, rotation etc. Took more photies from top to bottom of my plot this time, no actual work as the ground is still frozen. Thaw starts tomorrow,............. and so it seems, does the rain ::)
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Good four hours this afternoon, got some heavy digging done, then having worn myself out I turned to weeding & clearing some of last season's raised beds. Finally, had another session stripping brambles out of the hedge that were threatening to engulf our compost bins & water butts. Looks so much tidier now & we've gained another couple of feet of space.
Nothing much growing at present, but at least the plots starting to look 'lived in'.
Oh, and I saw my first local Raven - they've been about the area for a while now, but have so far avoided me. One flew over low, calling, before landing briefly in trees at the end of the allotments, and was then chased off by angry crows, which were so much smaller :D
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I spent a good four hours or so at my plot today. Checked on my Garlic I'd planted late November last year and it's doing well despite the big freeze in December so that's heartening to see. I dug (spit deep) half my 5 rod plot in a single go so I'm well chuffed as now it can weather a bit before Spring. Also got our greenhouse cleared ready to get seedlings off and running as and when! I just can't wait now for some Spring warmth and drier weather to really get things going.
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I put up the greenhouse, started digging over the new beds, started to move the strawberries and dead headed the winter pansies :)
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I got my strawbs out of the greenhouse and tidied them up over the weekend. The ground was frozen again all day so went to our local nursary and perused the seed displays.
So many seeds, so little space ::)
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Weeded around my strawberry plants dug loads of ground over and covered with black plastic dug up some spinach plants that were in the way and filled the compost bin with all the bits good few hours this morning on the plot it was nice to be down there working hard.
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Was ill yesterday, so had a quiet day today, got the propagators up and running, will check on the temperatures tomorrow!
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been down and done some more digging(getting there now) and limed the brassicus bed
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Planted some seeds ( slow day, still not back to normal)
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nothing, as were in our nearly second week of frost :D
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nothing, as were in our nearly second week of frost :D
2nd week of frost? What...no warming break? :ohmy:
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Ground just starting to soften today :D so I,ll be slopping around in the mud soon :mad:
:D :D :D Alby
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Got back to a warm house (brr) after a few hours in the freezing cold and wind. Have dug a 6 x 10' area and weeded around raspberries.
A good day today!
;)
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Just started to warm up today learner
Got a letter off the council today, Iv got me a new plot. Going down tomorrow to see if its in decent nik or even half decent and see if the soils any good as im going through what I did last time and ill just stick with the garden.
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Things are definitely looking up here too.
I received a letter informing me of this year's allotment fees. At last they sent it to the right address (rather than my father's) and listed the right one and a half plot numbers.
Problem is this should have been paid by 31st Jan but the bill arrived 2nd Feb. ::)
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You'll be getting your marching orders then...if you don't pay up soon :D
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Today's the first time we've been since before all the snow etc.
Ive dug a 25 x 7 foot section that had been left to fallow so was fairly thick and wet but broke up nicely. Only thing is my cheapo spade was clinging to the earth so it was like twice the work so Im gonna get a nice stainless spade and take good care of it.
The wife did a section that was previously dug, so a lot easier work for her :-) but about the same size as my section so in total we've dug just over a third of the plot in about an hour!
Not bad given we're both relatively unfit and not done any proper digging for the best part of 20 years! :-)
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Not on the plot, nut bought some spuds to chit and some shallot sets ( 70 percent off and still 2 months to sow according to label )
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Slid around in the mud on my allotment, put up a new raised bed and planted a set of shallots. Ground is pretty sticky but just about workable. Saw an odd object in the sky think it's called the sun!
Cheers HH
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Went down 18:30 in high winds, under torchlight to secure the greenhouse door (kept meaning to do something about that). One twinwall panel blown in - replaced that with some difficulty. Will be interesting to get down there this weekend to assess any damage :(
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You'll be getting your marching orders then...if you don't pay up soon :D
Very true... and then I'll have longer to spend on here delighting pestering you all! :lol:
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i gave my plot a good digging over at the end of last season and now im going tomorow to start for this year, its been to cold and wet for most o the winter. :(
looking forward to a hard slog tomorow , poatoes chitting away and broad beans at the ready :)
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been down this morning and done some digging, just about done now :D
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Me and 'er just got back from the allotment , I planted 100 shallots, 20 each of Red Sun, Blue Moon, Topper, Picasso and Golden Gourmet. The memsaab did a cracking job crearing a bed of old cabbages, kale and wiggly parsnips.
The weather was a bit breezy and rising with just a hint of rain in the air. Back home to sardines on toast and a cuppa. :D Glad I've got the beggars in. Cheers,. Tony.
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Turned the compost heap over,pulled up leeks and parsnips for us and my two elder daughters and family and had our snips and leeks tonight fot tea yum! :)
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Me and 'er just got back from the allotment , I planted 100 shallots, 20 each of Red Sun, Blue Moon, Topper, Picasso and Golden Gourmet. The memsaab did a cracking job crearing a bed of old cabbages, kale and wiggly parsnips.
The weather was a bit breezy and rising with just a hint of rain in the air. Back home to sardines on toast and a cuppa. :D Glad I've got the beggars in. Cheers,. Tony.
Ooooh sardines on toast -not had that for years! Scrumptious.
Went on allotment today and cleared another 2mx 1m area, heeled in a blackcurrant until I can decide where he is going (he's called Ben Nevis so he is a he) :D ,divided a rhubarb (massive roots on it) and transferred all muck to my muck heap, which will have pretty box containers around it soon (please Mr VVG). Hope weather holds off for tomorrow so I can plant shallots in newly cleared area. Soil is drying out beautifully in this wind, black and luscious, crumbly too and I even brought it home in my fingernails (now had a scrub)! :D
Nearly forgot - pruned currants and tied up loganberry to wires.
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Too windy to do anything outdoors realy, was going to finish off greenhouse but it is so windy it would probably blow away ::)
So instead i sowed some toms and more sweet peas and bought soem seed spuds to chit for a while.
Hopefully tomorow will be less windy and allow me to finish the greenhouse :)
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Rather than being blown to bits I:
- started my sweet potato tubers to sprout
- decided what tubers I want to get at the East Anglian Potato Day (12 February)
- sorted all my seeds into sowing date order and decided what I'm going to sow tomorrow
- started a fresh sowings spreadsheet for this year
- wrote a list of what I need to do on the plot. (It's very long!)
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Paid my annual plot fees and scarpered ..... boy was it windy!
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no plot today as I had flu yesterday and she who must be obeyed wanted me within sight. but I did get a plum tree planted in the front garden, a redcurrant bush in a big pot in the back garden and weeded the overgrowing bits sticking out over the path at the front of the house through our fence.
Grendel
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well if you were able to do all of that Grendel, it was MAN FLU what you had, not flu.... :lol: ::) :nowink:
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my thoughts exactly plum :lol:
I've still got a bit of a cough from the flu I had at Christmas couldn't eat/hardly moved out of bed for a few days.............. let alone garden :nowink:
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Wish we could only get the male version of flu :lol:
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:lol: :nowink:
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I reckon it was a 24 hour virus, when I got home I was so cold that I was in bed fully dressed with 2 winter quilts over me still shivering - it was about 4 hours before my temperature let me feel warm.
Grendel
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not been down today but called at nursery to get my veg seeds and a tub of chicken pellets that i've never used before. It's raining here today and the forecast for the next 2 days is the same doh !!!!!!!!!! >:(
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10 rows of rough digging, more mucking and laid 8 2x2 slabs. I'm knackered and ready for a pint!
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my plot is in quite good nick considering Ive not been there for a couple of months, so today i took out my bean canes and have dug the bed over and covered with muck, took out my sprout stems and dug that bed over .
new bed ready for next years beans and will have a trench system this time .
the fence that backs on to my allotment has been broke by all the strong winds and was flapping and clattering about so i have screwed a rail across to braice it
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my plot is in quite good nick considering Ive not been there for a couple of months, so today i took out my bean canes and have dug the bed over and covered with muck, took out my sprout stems and dug that bed over .
new bed ready for next years beans and will have a trench system this time .
the fence that backs on to my allotment has been broke by all the strong winds and was flapping and clattering about so i have screwed a rail across to braice it
Sounds like youve been busy mate :D
Way too windy and wet to get anything done up here :(
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very windy here to but quite mild and warm :) i really enjoyed being on my plot today didnt see anyone else there though and a couple of half plots that have not been touched for a long time , i wonder if they will be up for a new owner this year ;) i might enquire as they get moore sun than my little plot
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Been down to cover the shallots I popped in yesterday with pea netting to keep those pesky birds off.
Tried to hang C.D.s on fishing line above (belt and braces) but as fast as I was tying them up the wind was sawing the C.D.s and cutting the fishing line. Back to the drawing board. ::) Cheers, Tony.
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10 rows of rough digging, more mucking and laid 8 2x2 slabs. I'm knackered and ready for a pint!
Sounds like our day - shovelling rotted muck along beds and between raspberry canes, gave rhubarb a huge dose too. More digging over - looking good now. Put in 13 2 x 3' paving slab path. Neither I nor Mr VVG can stand up straight. Wind was whipping up over the allotment but it was lovely over the fields to the river. Called at Wyevale on way home, got some gardening club bargains - Chicken pellets half price and buy 1 get 1 free if anyone is interested. Bought peat pots on offer and seed trays, also Tomorite - all on offer. But the best purchase were mynew leather Gold Leaf gloves - am in heaven.
Roaring fire and beef stew now but no beer :ohmy:
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Today ive removed three trugs of weeds, half dug over another raised bed, attempted to make my path flat and collected a bucket of stones. BUT the one thing im super proud of is pulling out a huge bramble root that i couldnt get out last year, im sure ive left a few bits but the amount of times i tripped over it last year its worth it!
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Went to take a potting bench and some staging down for the greenhouse... which had been torn apart in the high winds, spreading panels everywhere and leaving a twisted mass of cheap aluminium.
Another greenhouse ordered :(
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Yesterday I dug and weeded a 4x5 metre bed for my peas and beans, covered with muck and battled with a huge piece of black plastic in high winds to cover the bed :wacko:
Also covered my blackcurrant bush as bullfinces stripped the bush last year of buds...
Mucked strawbs and rhubarb (stray roots found in hedge, had those!!)
Am now crippled! but I am 5 months pregnant so I have an excuse!
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Yesterday I dug and weeded a 4x5 metre bed for my peas and beans, covered with muck and battled with a huge piece of black plastic in high winds to cover the bed :wacko:
Also covered my blackcurrant bush as bullfinces stripped the bush last year of buds...
Mucked strawbs and rhubarb (stray roots found in hedge, had those!!)
Am now crippled! but I am 5 months pregnant so I have an excuse!
All good exercise your body will thank you :) rain and more rain here with clay soil so no work on my little plot and am in work latter so not best pleased :( bought a Raspberry cane though yesterday gloves and some seed trays all from Wilkinsons all under a tenner
:D :D
Bill
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:wacko: I think I am going to have to start another thread saying, "What I WOULD do on the plot today, if only I could get there"
yours sincerely
Stir-crazy of Maidenhead
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jome , take it easy as you say you are 5months pregnant :)
plum you make me laugh :D spot on
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today, i managed to get down to my plot and finally managed to lime it ! do you thnk i've left it too late :unsure:
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I haven't been to my plot for what seems like forever (2weeks) as I have been training my naughty puppy to behave and fundraising as I got my hair shaved off for charity on Friday night!
However, I have bought some seeds - ready to plant in my indoor greenhouse at some point.
I've got courgettes, beetroot, purple podded peas, purple carrots, rhubarb, runner beans, parsnips, sweetcorn for the kids to plant, erm........
Last time I went to my plot, Myself and my boys finished turning over the soil, and marked out where the new raised beds are going to be built.
I also have a big pile of pallets, which at some point this month, will be used to build my shed!
Next week I will be making the raised beds from donated scaffolding boards, and digging in the horse muck. That's if this rain will stop!
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Haven't even looked for days ....... still have howling wind and lashing rain :mad:
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Finished the raised bed i started yesterday and flattened some more path. Still very windy but workable atleast.
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picked 3 leeks ???
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Been up with the mrs and dragged the kids too :-)
Done more digging, while the kids did a bit of digging and raking too (not as good as i'd like but good that they are trying and are interested) Mrs did some pruning of raspberry canes too :-)
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Nearly got blown away aka Mary Poppins, but managed to finish intended bed for broad beans with rotted muck forked over and dug in. Planted another rhubarb - Red Champagne. Pricked out leeks and red onions. Cleaned greenhouse floor. Made celeriac soup from 2 of our babies :ohmy:
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Arrived to find about half a ton of horse manure :)outside my gate , which i had to climb over to get in ???. Then had the job of moving it inside and pilling it up :mellow:.
Malcolm
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Couple of hours this afternoon, measured out, dug, & weeded a couple of raspberry beds from rough grassland, including a couple of pretty substantial docks that required some seriously deep digging to extract :blush:
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Digalotty, thanks for the concern, but I already have two toddlers, I think they are harder work!! I have lots of tea breaks too :D
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Went down and strung up a few C.D.s to fend off the birds from pulling up my onions, garlic and shallots. :mad: Looks like the P.S.B. has snuffed it. ??? Cheers, Tony.
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Hi all, dug up last row of parsnips nice size, dug up few leeks and trimmed the hedge,
covered the ground where parsnips were. Weeded the asparagus border.
Silky :D :D :D
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Tidied up the potting shed, its nice to be able to get back in there again :D
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not done much, but very excited as seeds arrived :D. Not going to get too much going as away for a week soon and dont want things to get going and then die. Bu tlooking forward to returning and starting.
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onions in and netted
first carrots planted in my carrot box (and under a cloche)
potted up some of last season's strawberry runners
pruned the autumn fruiting rasberries
got absolutely wringing wet through ::)
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prepared the onion and shallot bed 17" by 15" i manured this last november
the differnce in soil is amazing hoping for good things from this :blink:
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Lifted 3 bucketfuls of alien parsnips (didn't thin them enough) - now looking forward to all evening peeling and freezing. Got some manure. Burnt loads of prunings. Drank loads of tea - all in all the perfect day (it just wasn't long enough).
..isn't life too short for peeling veg?
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took down some peelings for the bean trench and discovered 2 bits of polycarb had popped out in the wind, the day after I thought I'd fixed everything in well... :(
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Nothing but im soon to be on my new plot. Ill start a topic soon when i get pics and start clearing it up. Go down on Wed to pay my fee and get the keys. Its a nice full sun allotment and only half a mile up the road from me. Very exited :D
Will be nice not to be restricted to my garden anymore :happy:
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Nothing but im soon to be on my new plot. Ill start a topic soon when i get pics and start clearing it up. Go down on Wed to pay my fee and get the keys. Its a nice full sun allotment and only half a mile up the road from me. Very exited :D
Will be nice not to be restricted to my garden anymore :happy:
might have to change your name to Pumpkinplot?? :D
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Nothing but im soon to be on my new plot. Ill start a topic soon when i get pics and start clearing it up. Go down on Wed to pay my fee and get the keys. Its a nice full sun allotment and only half a mile up the road from me. Very exited
Will be nice not to be restricted to my garden anymore
WOW, how very exciting!!! Iwould love a plot instead of a tiny postage stamp patch. Enjoy, looking forward to hearing about it all :D
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not alot it was frosted over :ohmy: so i just tidied round a bit and put my shed roof back on again after the high winds :( .
i passed a worksite with lots of green netting ont he way home so i am sending out my hubby later to see if we can but the bits they dont want when there done lol. :tongue2:
well i can try
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mine was frozen over aswell this morning so i had a look around and went off again but i am going back down after dropping the daughter back from school ;)
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Cleaned inside the g/house a bit and then started marking out the area for my new g/house base :)
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I still havent been able to get there but if the weather stays fine this week :dry: I think I will try and venture there. Had my 1st physio assessment today and it doesn't look too good :(
Oh well I shall just do the best I can on my plot.
I have however just dienfected a load of pots at home ready for cauli and cabbage seeds, my potatoes are all chitting so at least something is getting done here.
How do I get rid of the smell of Jeyes Fluid? :wacko:
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How do I get rid of the smell of Jeyes Fluid? :wacko:
I don't think you can... apart from acclimitising to the smell so you stop smelling it?
(i love the smell)
I'm itching to dig... i'm dreaming of rolling back the black plastic and whacking with my azada to get more brambles out.... but the soil is still too STICKY! argh!
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Mowed the lawn, mainly to hoover up some leaves and herb tidyings and chucked it all in the bean trench to keep my old jeans company!
Covered up bean trench to get the excavated soil out of the way and planted some garlic in the space.
(That's one good thing (possibly the only good thing!) about sandy soil; you could probably still dig it during a monsoon if you were that way inclined!) :)
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Picked last sprouts (10 lb) and cleared bed of plants, discarded kale, spring cauli,s and purple sprouting broccoli that suffered beyond repair in winter frosts. Ordered 20 x13ft scaff boards to build another 6 raised beds. Supped about 8 cups of tea :)
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Cut back half the over hanging hedge, scrubbed out pots for seedlings and put potatoes out to chit.
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I'm itching to dig... i'm dreaming of rolling back the black plastic and whacking with my azada to get more brambles out.... but the soil is still too STICKY! argh!
Please tell me what an "azada" is cos if it gets brambles out easily I really really need one.
jools
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Dug and degrassed for five hours >:(
Moved redcurrants inherited from a clustered mess to a neat cordon line.
Back killing - any tips!?
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hot bath then hotwater bottle (or lay on leccy blanket).....just what I'm about to do ;)
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dug 2 manured beds over , weeded around 60 onions , scattered chicken pellets and forked in where the peas , french beans and runners are going.Scattered chicken pellets around spring cabs, onions, leeks and strawberries oh and around the raspberries ;)
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I'm itching to dig... i'm dreaming of rolling back the black plastic and whacking with my azada to get more brambles out.... but the soil is still too STICKY! argh!
Please tell me what an "azada" is cos if it gets brambles out easily I really really need one.
jools
its a shovel on a long handle, where the shovel bit is at right angles to the handle, and yes it gets brambles out a treat, its also great for skimming weeds off just below the surface.
http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm
I bought 2 the medium and medium heavy.
the edge is kept sharp and just cuts through the brambles.
Grendel
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Cleaned up the cat mess.... again.
Sowed coriander and cress.
Put some sweetpeas in to soak.
Weeded and built support for the raspberries.
Removed the chickweed and creeping buttercup from round the currants.
Emptied a drop sack of home made compost over the 2 empty beds and the rhubarb.
Pruned 12ft off the old apple tree.
Piled all the non compostables up and set fire to them.
Back killing - any tips!?
Scotch... Cures everything.
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heres my bramble patch when I got the plot.
Grendel
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an just 30 minutes or so later with the adaza (visible on the ground) its a lot clearer.
Grendel
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I'm itching to dig... i'm dreaming of rolling back the black plastic and whacking with my azada to get more brambles out.... but the soil is still too STICKY! argh!
Please tell me what an "azada" is cos if it gets brambles out easily I really really need one.
jools
Hey Jools, They are fantastic. And not just for brambles but all round digging.
I got a medium heavy one from the get digging website (
here : http://www.get-digging.co.uk/ )
and once you get the technique (not swinging it too high!) it just slices through brambles making them so much easier to dig up. Once i got an azada, i couldn't believe the difference in the workload i'd been trying to do with a fork. And i have some serious brambles to contend with!!!
Have a look at this thread, particularly rossco's progress with his bramble patch (which looks not dissimilar to mine before it was hacked to ground level) and an azada:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=56593.15
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Cleaned up the cat mess.... again.
Sowed coriander and cress.
Put some sweetpeas in to soak.
Weeded and built support for the raspberries.
Removed the chickweed and creeping buttercup from round the currants.
Emptied a drop sack of home made compost over the 2 empty beds and the rhubarb.
Pruned 12ft off the old apple tree.
Piled all the non compostables up and set fire to them.
Back killing - any tips!?
Scotch... Cures everything.
Can't drink it; I'm a right wuss. Mr VVG drinks scotch and he swears by it for everything too. He tried to shove a peaty Irish malt under my nose when I had flu and it smelt disgusting to me!
We cracked open a red, then I went to bed and knew nothing else until I got up this morning...bad lower back and tightened hamstrings (although am pleased about the latter) :wub:
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Just carried a dalek from the garden to the plot, and moved 6 x 30lt pots of raspberries on my shopping trolley from garden to plot (1 @a time!)
Neigbours are now sure that I'm crazy :lol:
Cuppa and lunch and then back for some more ;)
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marvellous stuff mum! The shopping trolley image is wonderful. Er....dalek??? :wacko: :wacko:
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Just carried a dalek from the garden to the plot, and moved 6 x 30lt pots of raspberries on my shopping trolley from garden to plot (1 @a time!)
Neigbours are now sure that I'm crazy :lol:
Cuppa and lunch and then back for some more ;)
where did you get your darlek from mum, if you dont mind me asking.
thanks
jools
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Have a look at this, jools:
http://www.wbc.getcomposting.com/
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marvellous stuff mum! The shopping trolley image is wonderful. Er....dalek??? :wacko: :wacko:
A name given to a certain type of compost bin due to it's shape. See the link I've given to jools.
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thanks DD! ::) d'oh! OBVIOUS REALLY! :nowink:
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Have a look at this, jools:
http://www.wbc.getcomposting.com/
Didnt think they would be so cheap, just boutgh on eand a kitchen caddy.
Thanks DD
XX
Jools
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Most councils do them cheap. Worth a Google.
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Unfortunately, mine no longer do them cheap, and I could do with another one. Something for my birthday list I think :lol:
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I checked my council and they were the same price as DD's link plus they added delivery charge, so dearer in the long run.
Do they activate the compost quicker than a wooden type heap or do you have both on the go?
Jools
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I find they trap the heat in summer and get really hot, so work quicker than stuff in the wooden one :)
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I actually used a spare Garden recycle bin that the council delivered to me by accident it is quite a large bin and has vents at the top I just drilled a few more holes in for added ventilation.
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the black plastic bins work really well, make sure they are in the sun
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the black plastic bins work really well, make sure they are in the sun
SUN! WHAT SUN? :tongue2: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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A bit late.....put some peas in toilet rolls. The garden isnt ready to sow direct yet. Slow me :(
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the black plastic bins work really well, make sure they are in the sun
SUN! WHAT SUN? :tongue2: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
:D
weve had twwo days in a row Bill but were getting rain in the morning and your getting brighter weather where you are
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A bit late.....put some peas in toilet rolls. The garden isnt ready to sow direct yet. Slow me :(
Havent done anthing with the peas yet, your still a lot in front of me ::) :D
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What's with all this "late" business?
It's still winter for goodness sake!
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Went to see the new plot today, Looks like the council got the plot numbers mixed up and iv ended my self up with a double plot with a fully glasses green house on it :happy:
The sites also got a composting toilet and has got the funding for a new fence all around the perimeter. All the beds are dug out and just need weeding, theres also heaps of strawberry plants in there. Thought id be paying on the spot and getting the keys like my last plot but terns out we have to send some letters back to the council then we get the keys. Soon be all turned over and ready though. Got all the potatoes ready and chitting. Cant bloomin wait :D
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too true DD , can't understand why some people are trying to start so early only to be disappointed when the frosts get there seedlings :nowink:
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A bit late.....put some peas in toilet rolls. The garden isnt ready to sow direct yet. Slow me :(
Havent done anthing with the peas yet, your still a lot in front of me ::) :D
LOL was in work today lets hope we still have brighter weather on Fri and Sat. more work on the soil needed.
Bill
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What's with all this "late" business?
It's still winter for goodness sake!
The problem is people see the seasons as Time and Calender not for what it is, "A Season"
I hear all the time spring, summer, autumn, winter is late early this year No it's not the planets weather is controlled by the sun and there is a lot of solar activity at the moment so much that there is a polar shift taking place causing additional issues with the weather. When people start to get back to watching the changes people will begin to understand that time is an illusion. Lets not forget all the Geo engineering going around the world Climate Change >:( Climate Manipulation more like it.
Bill
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I've now rough dug the 3 quarters of my full plot I'll be using for veg, pulled out as much weed root as I could find, next is to rotavate it in a couple of weeks...... What a difference a year makes (and tonnes of rubbish shifted and digging)
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What's with all this "late" business?
It's still winter for goodness sake!
The problem is people see the seasons as Time and Calender not for what it is, "A Season"
I hear all the time spring, summer, autumn, winter is late early this year No it's not the planets weather is controlled by the sun and there is a lot of solar activity at the moment so much that there is a polar shift taking place causing additional issues with the weather. When people start to get back to watching the changes people will begin to understand that time is an illusion. Lets not forget all the Geo engineering going around the world Climate Change >:( Climate Manipulation more like it.
Bill
Hi Bill,
I find your comment very refreshing though I do not understand what you are saying, please can you either update or PM me to explain.
Many thanks Jools
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As this is "What I did on the plot today" it might, perhaps, be a good idea for someone to start a new thread called "Geo Engineering mad or serious?" under Chatting on the plot
Just a thought... ;) I'd be quite interested to learn more too :)
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there is a lot of solar activity at the moment
On the contrary, Bill. There is little activity.
Sun spot cycle 24 is very slow and late in getting going, as a radio ham I know this from the propagation conditions on the airwaves.
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there is a lot of solar activity at the moment
On the contrary, Bill. There is little activity.
Sun spot cycle 24 is very slow and late in getting going, as a radio ham I know this from the propagation conditions on the airwaves.
and polar shift (which is a hotly debated theory, not fact) doesn't neccesseraly affect the climate.
Back to 'what I did on the plot' :)
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??? ??? glad you said that aelf!!
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polar shift is normal as the earts crust rotates around it's magnetic core :)
sorry plum (that's me bing norty again :( )
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Absolutely noithing!! :(
In response to "What I did on the plot today"......... not even a glimpse of the solar let alone a spot. ::)
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Got up early and started laying some flags for a small path so the wife can hang out her washing ::) ::)
Need to get some edging stones to stop the remaining flags moving as I laid the flags directly on top of some gravel I was using for the path. The flags have allowed me also to grab more of the garden area for Veggies Not much more but beggars can't be chooses 8).
Can't do anything with the plot though as it is far to wet at the moment but I may go and get more compost as the other stuff I bought has broken down into the existing soil.
Also dug a hole in the raised old rubble / soil dumping area which had a few worms in which I through onto the veg area ::) and planted my Raspberry cane.
So that's it today, will post up a picture of my progress thus far when I get a chance.
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there is a lot of solar activity at the moment
On the contrary, Bill. There is little activity.
Sun spot cycle 24 is very slow and late in getting going, as a radio ham I know this from the propagation conditions on the airwaves.
We are moving from the Northern Hemisphere of the sun which is fast moving to the Southern hemisphere which is slower, but with this movement it is also causing increased solar / radiation storms which is set to increase over this year and next with solar flares increasing. That's what I mean by Soar activity.
At the same time this is having an affect on the magnetic pull on the Earth which in turn has lead to a shift of the pole towards Russia. We are having a tug of war with the sun at the moment This is a proven fact. Lets hope it's not the biblical Nibiru :D :D
Seriously though we are looking at the change in seasons and the suns effect on the earth. Whether you believe the global warming scam and that the some scientists are saying the sun has nothing to do with global warming? It is a documented fact that the sun affects our weather so if we go back to what you said about time and calender being man made that's how I read your post DD Then all I am saying is if people re-acquired old Knowledge and looked past the seasons in relation to man made slave time, they would realise that a season isn't late or early. :)
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We are moving from the Northern Hemisphere of the sun which is fast moving to the Southern hemisphere which is slower, but with this movement it is also causing increased solar / radiation storms which is set to increase over this year and next with solar flares increasing. That's what I mean by Soar activity.
Nothing new, then.
Happens every 10.7 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
Moving on............
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Our allotment site is still closed for health and safety reasons whilst the new disabled path is being laid, hence nothing. I'm chomping at the bit to get back on the plots!
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The temperature outside today was 11C, but inside my greenhouse with a spot of sunshine it was 17C. Can't help wondering if this is might be the "Greenhouse effect" in action. ::)
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Quite a nice day today with some SUNSHINE!!!.I went to the shed to make a start on sowing some seeds & spied the tulips & alliums I bought & forgot to plant.So although very very late I thought I might as well plant them (in the garden)as they'll have more chance of flowering in the soil than in the shed.Plus I got to try out the long handled bulb planter Mr S bought me to take some of the back ache away from potato planting .It worked o.k when I'd got used to it-anybody do their potatoes with one, if so what about manure etc
Later on I went down to the allotments to get a few leeks & some carrots for soup for tomorrows lunch.Tomorrow we should have more of that rare thing called sun so I'll be off early to the allotments whilst Mr S services my car.
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We are moving from the Northern Hemisphere of the sun which is fast moving to the Southern hemisphere which is slower, but with this movement it is also causing increased solar / radiation storms which is set to increase over this year and next with solar flares increasing. That's what I mean by Soar activity.
Nothing new, then.
Happens every 10.7 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
Moving on............
Thanks for the link DD I am aware of the cycle on the link. Google is your friend. ::)
Not this phase only happens every 500,000 years there about from what I've read and we are overdue. And certainly not a pole shift with the 10.7 year cycle. :D :D
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The temperature outside today was 11C, but inside my greenhouse with a spot of sunshine it was 17C. Can't help wondering if this is might be the "Greenhouse effect" in action. ::)
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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Not this phase only happens every 500,000 years there about from what I've read and we are overdue. And certainly not a pole shift. :D :D
Then you need to read some "hard" science Bill. The Earth's magnetic pole flips every few thousand years to many millions of years. Not approximately every 500,000.
Now back to some actual gardening. ::)
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Not this phase only happens every 500,000 years there about from what I've read and we are overdue. And certainly not a pole shift. :D :D
Then you need to read some "hard" science Bill. The Earth's magnetic pole flips every few thousand years to many millions of years. Not approximately every 500,000.
Now back to some actual gardening. ::)
Actually if the earths pole was to flip as you state this would cause catastrophe akin to Armageddon. We actually do have pole shifts but only slight a few degrees as the earth wobbles on it's axes. You assume I don't understand the science actually I have studied this on and of since I was 18 I'm 46 this year.
There are many theories so it is not right to discount one which doesn't fit with others that's how we learn and develop our understanding. By the way Scientist always discount stuff or substitute stuff for which they don't understand so what is "Hard Science"?
Now back to Gardening It was overcast today and I laid some flags.
I can see when something has run it's course.
Thank you for your feedback 8)
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Great Bill, but this is a gardening forum and there are many other forums more suitable for this kind of thing.
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Great Bill, but this is a gardening forum and there are many other forums more suitable for this kind of thing.
DD actually answered a response to another in which he stated that it is still winter I expanded on that by saying that as people use time and calender which is man made people incorrectly make an assumption that spring summer etc is late early I also referred to the Sun as a contributing factor in the weather changes which I felt was actually in relation to gardening I was only attempting to bring a practical theory into the equation.
It appears that I should stick to asking questions and accept the answers withough question.
I feel extremely welcome.
:D :D :D :D :D
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Great Bill, but this is a gardening forum and there are many other forums more suitable for this kind of thing.
DD actually answered a response to another in which he stated that it is still winter I expanded on that by saying that as people use time and calender which is man made people incorrectly make an assumption that spring summer etc is late early I also referred to the Sun as a contributing factor in the weather changes which I felt was actually in relation to gardening I was only attempting to bring a practical theory into the equation.
It appears that I should stick to asking questions and accept the answers withough question.
I feel extremely welcome.
:D :D :D :D :D
Yes, but what did you do on the plot today? :tongue2:
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I laid flags and planted a Raspberry cane hope that's the right term? Oh and I through a worm on the area I want to grow veg. :D :D :D :D
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so - did anyone do anything on their plot today? :wacko:
d*mned if I can understand anything on the last 2 pages of this thread!!
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so - did anyone do anything on their plot today? :wacko:
d*mned if I can understand anything on the last 2 pages of this thread!!
I'm quite mystified too.... I think it's got muddled up with what we did on our plots. ::)
I did try suggesting that billathome65 start a new thread rather than fill this one up with a rather curious obsession with sunny cycle rides. :wacko:
After all I'm doing my best not to keep on about cycling. Guess I'm being ignored as usual :(
Perhaps a new thread about sunny spotting all of your own Bill? Just a thought. :blink:
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so - did anyone do anything on their plot today? :wacko:
d*mned if I can understand anything on the last 2 pages of this thread!!
Nothing! Zip! Nada!
Wet Wet Wet and no Marty in sight!
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Finally I actually did some gardening! Cleared the bean and salad plot .... I'm afraid it has to be the same plot every year as it's the only really sheltered bit.
Then I started on the main veg plot. The potato area was good because as I lifted last year's spuds I dug each new space and removed stones. Then I lifted the last parsnips and quickly encountered a bed of stone :mad:. Where do they keep coming from! This is the area I had in mind for new potatoes this year :ohmy:
I departed with creaking back and knees :ohmy:
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Ground still too wet here, but the rhubarb has sprung into life(2nd year) psb is colouring up and onions garlic and broadbeans are looking healthy. :) :)
I just have to learn to be patient.
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limed the brassica area 3 rhubarb plants said hello to me they must like the manure i dumped on them in november :D then a helicopter gunship ??? flew overhead which was surreal maybe they are after the pidgeons :tongue2:
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The soil is just too wet to even weed, let alone dig! >:(
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Wont go down to lottie today cos it's too wet after a morning of rain , very frustrating . Can i get a refund off my allotment charges for every day it rains or snows and keeping me away from from my lottie ?
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found another pane out on the greenhouse, so another quick repair.....trip to glass shop for some spares I think.
Planted out the garlic cloves into a raised bed....soil was nice and easy thanks to the rain
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Today I was expecting to see a right state, but fortunately it wasn't too bad :)
Mares Tail have sprung up in the beds that I had dug over 3 weeks ago, so today I roped in my hubby to pull up the weeds :)
He also dug over one bed- approx. 4ft x 10ft, and i tipped on some manure.
We dug over the boys' patch - approx. 2ft x 4ft and manured that too.
The boys have decided that they are going to create a wildlife pond and were collecting stones and rocks from the other plot holders, and bringing them back in the wheelbarrow.
It is forecast heavy rain tomorrow (typical of the North West) so I doubt we will be there at all.
We have planted a lot of seeds in my indoor greenhouse this morning:
Courgettes, Aubergine, Cucumber, Sweetcorn, Imperial Longpod Broad Beans, Purple Podded Peas, Sweet red cherry peppers and Beetroot. So hopefully by the time the weather gets hotter, we will have baby plants to put in the allotment.
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Just a general potter today. Hoe'd last years squash bed of nettles and de-grassed some beds i put in last year but never got round to using, its gonna be back breaking the amount of stones in there :blink:
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Well the sun shone so off I popped to my lottie :). Being N facing makes it a bit shadey. Funnily enough the more shaded soil was quite workable in comparison to where the sun fell. I could've dug half of those raspberry canes out if I'd taken my spade :wub: Anyway, shifted a few weeds & nettles & met a couple more allotmenteers :)
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Nearly 3 whole hours on the plot today starting at 3pm :happy: so it shows Spring is nearing as the days draw out. Not really dark until 6pm :)
Battled with the buttercups (that wouldn't have been there if I'd had more time last year) and freed the raspberries so they are now sitting in a second new row.
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Just an hour this afternoon. myself & my lad knocked in the fence posts I bought yesterday, across the front of both plots (both sides are already done courtesy of neighbouring plot holders, and with a hedge at the back, we're now fully enclosed). Put mesh up on one half (from Freecycle), just need mesh for the other half - oh! and a gate - which my lad can knock up, being a carpenter :)
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Been on allotment to take delivery of 20 scaffold boards being delivered by my mate. These are going to make 6 raised beds next week, weather permitting...
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Three gloriously sunny hours spent today preparing bed 1 which is 16x9'. Manured, tarped and ready to go for broad beans and later peas. Replanted a line of redcurrants, previously in a clump. Path nearly finished - 36' in total with 24' of paving slabs laid. Started to prepare bed 2 for onions and leeks. Moved carrot raised bed onto there too.
Weather report says rain tomorrow but I hope not!
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fixed trellis back to fence, hedge had grown massively from next door and had pushed the screws out!! Moved new bird feeder to daughters wendy house so we can watch from the kitchen. Hoped to plant out strawberries runners but the heavens opened. Maybe tomorrow. ;)
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I wonder how many
man person hours we managed to put in between us on Saturday?
Sounds as if it's been a success all-round. Should sleep well tonight all. ;)
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Erected a second (replacement) greenhouse - hopefully this one will last a bit better :)
Noticed the first of the autumn sown broad beans poking their heads above ground :) :)
Saturday was a good day.
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Well today ...wait for it.....I planted some seeds :)
Some radish, parsnips and broccoli - Raab I think it's called, well the packets did say Feb and it's been mild here for a few days so hey ho I went for it, popped cloches on 'em and we'll see what happens.
A third of the plot was 8 inch deep in water ! Well Paul estimated 8 inches but we all know men and their estimations now don't we ? I'd have said more like 6 !
Some of my strawberry plants leaves were floating in water too (while they were still attached to the plant I should add) bless 'em :(
Q. Should I move the strawberry plants today or are they hardy little blighters?
xxx
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Off today to finish greenhouse and dig over the riased beds, then off to get some manure from someone, they charge a £1 a bag but i am happy to donate that for the horses :D :D
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Wet & windy today but I bought 3kg of Rocket 1st early seed pots from Wilkinson & laid them out to chit :)
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Went to allotment shop and got a bag of rocket and one of picasso.Both chitting away nicrly
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Bought some planters a hoe some red and white onion seeds £ 1.89 a bag and 3 bags of John Innes Multi purpose Compost 3 for £10.00 at B & M stores
Have dumped it all over the plot Got the Compost for nothing as it wasn't till I got home that I realised they had forgotten to charge me for it which I think is only right anyway as I was under the impression that J I is a good make but each bag had lots of plastic and thick twigs in it?
The Hoe only cost me £2.99 it is one of those Dutch hoe but I've been after a cheep draw hoe so when I got home I wedged it and managed to bend it into the shape I wanted. I can pick up a Dutch hoe another time.
Bill
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Regarding John Innes:
Firstly, it's not a make - it's a formulation.
Secondly there is no "Multi-Purpose" John Innes.
It comes in these formulations:
JI Seed
JI No. 1
JI No. 2
JI No. 3
JI Ericaceous
You'll often get a multi-purpose compost that says it contains John Innes, but that actually makes it not John Innes!
More here:
http://www.johninnes.info/about.htm
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Hi mate I can only go of what it has on the bag it says Easygrow Multi purpose compost with John Innes..
Is this not John Innes? The packaging is very misleading to unsuspecting gardeners like me.
Thanks for the information mate I know not to take everything I read on the packaging as true..
Anyway as it cost me nothing then it's a bargain. :D :D
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I agree.
It's a compost into which they've thrown a bit of JI. I think this came up recently, not sure if this brand or not.
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I have saved the link you posted to look over when I get a moment. Once again thanks for the heads up.
Bill
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It was that compost:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=71144.msg811672#msg811672
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You surpassed yourself again,,, Yes that's the stuff, will keep away from it in future or use it in planters with fertiliser mix.
Thanks DD
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I often use the westland multipurpose with IJ and I have to say I quite like it for some things.
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I often use the westland multipurpose with IJ and I have to say I quite like it for some things.
Me too; no matter how little JI it has added to it I still think the mineral content helps it to keep its bulk more than some other makes.
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Kagganz re
Some of my strawberry plants leaves were floating in water too (while they were still attached to the plant I should add) bless 'em Sad
Q. Should I move the strawberry plants today or are they hardy little blighters?
I would certainly think about moving them to well drained pastures a new as they don't like to be too wet :ohmy: :ohmy:. That's why its often recommended to grow them on top of a small ridge to increase the drainage. 8)
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Picked up a trailer full of manure and dropped it off at me plot. Doing it again next week to create a compst mountain!
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We are banned from having bonfires ,drinking alcohol and useing the allotment for any gatherings which include BBQ what a joyous place we have in Cardiff, it seems Iwent there a bit nieve and happy and found the majority are grumpy and pinch from every one elses plot.thats life hopefully I will out live most of them and maybe some happy people will take their places.....I know nieve again
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Today was a quick visit as it was pouring down.
A fellow freecycler gave me some bricks from her fallen down wall. I am going to use them for paths around my raised beds. We have only picked up about 100 bricks so have another 200+ to get yet :)
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Planted Shallot sets, cannot believe how many pieces of couch grass root I pulled out despite weeding well before I rotovated in the autumn.. :ohmy:
In for a weeding, weeding and more weeding summer I think!
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puddled it down all day here so never got to the plot , i have a box to make so i can leave more stuff on the plot , hopefully get a bit of free space in the car as well.
so as it will be late and dark when i get home it may have to wait till next week :wacko:
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Spent a good day there today, 8 full 60 litre bags :D
Plus my garlic is showing :D :D :D :D
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I did a trip to Poundland... got onion sets -Stutgart and Red Baron... a small pack of Charlotte potato seed (because I could tell people felt sorry for me on these forums when i said i hadn't ever tasted em!! lol... now i have TOO many potatoes!)
Also got shallot seeds- 'golden gourmet' and some packs of fleece, great value!
And fish blood n bone and tomato food.... and other bits n bobs... poundland is a little addictive- way too many bargains!
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Plus my garlic is showing :D :D :D :D
So is mine at last... I thought it might have been earlier than yours as I'm that bit further south :blink: but I guess it may depend on when the garlic went in. ;)
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Plus my garlic is showing :D :D :D :D
So is mine at last... I thought it might have been earlier than yours as I'm that bit further south :blink: but I guess it may depend on when the garlic went in. ;)
Id have thought that too,im just trying to rack my brain to when i planted it, but dont have a clue :lol: ::)
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Lovely mild, warm day yesterday so I managed to rake up leaves and debris and remove the remainder of the stricken tunnel.
Even had coffee in the sun ! :D A first for this year.
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Plus my garlic is showing :D :D :D :D
So is mine at last... I thought it might have been earlier than yours as I'm that bit further south :blink: but I guess it may depend on when the garlic went in. ;)
It's the variety that makes the difference IMO.
I planted some from Really Garlicky and some purple ones (forgotten name already ??? ) and the purple ones were up really quickly, much before the others ;)
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Plus my garlic is showing :D :D :D :D
So is mine at last... I thought it might have been earlier than yours as I'm that bit further south :blink: but I guess it may depend on when the garlic went in. ;)
It's the variety that makes the difference IMO.
I planted some from Really Garlicky and some purple ones (forgotten name already ??? ) and the purple ones were up really quickly, much before the others ;)
That would make sense. Why didn't I think of that! ::)
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Finally got outside at the weekend (though did get caught in the hail), it's been so long!
Dug out the remainder of carrots and cabbages that had got lost in the snow and dug over all the raised beds ready for planting. My garlic is also now showing through.
Going to start a few little things in the conservatory for planting out in a few weeks. Yesterday I started flowers rather than edibles, but then noticed, after watering, that my plant label pen wasn't waterproof and now I have a load of seed trays and no idea which seed is in which. Sigh.
::)
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Picked last sprouts (10 lb) and cleared bed of plants, discarded kale, spring cauli,s and purple sprouting broccoli that suffered beyond repair in winter frosts. Ordered 20 x13ft scaff boards to build another 6 raised beds. Supped about 8 cups of tea :)
Afternoon Skiprat - Where have you ordered your scaff boards from in Hull and how much were they each?
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Tidied up a bit in the Veg patch and transferred a Yucca that was growing in a big planter into a spare bit of ground in the front garden so Now I have a rather large empty Pot Any Ideas of a shallow rooting fruit tree / bush that will thrive in it? and also doesn't mind something like herb accompanying it.
Cheers Bill
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We had a good weekend, OH rotavated the big bed (10' x 45) which was manured last October, ready for putting the potatoes in next month.
I've dug up the last of the parsnips, sprouts and swedes and spent most of yesterday blanching and freezing.
I'll try and get up there tomorrow, must get the broad beans and onion sets in.
Whoopee, spring is on the way!
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Put in another two hours but ground very wet. Planted a double row of Sutton Dwarf broad bean seedlings and cloched them. Dug a bit more of the plot, bed 2. Gave a neighbour a sage plant I had grown from seed plus homemade Seville Marmalade - he have me two Jerusalem Artichoke tubers, which I replanted. :D
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Picked last sprouts (10 lb) and cleared bed of plants, discarded kale, spring cauli,s and purple sprouting broccoli that suffered beyond repair in winter frosts. Ordered 20 x13ft scaff boards to build another 6 raised beds. Supped about 8 cups of tea :)
Afternoon Skiprat - Where have you ordered your scaff boards from in Hull and how much were they each?
Hello Spudmiester, I ordered them from Caspian Scaffolding, and they cost £5 each plus £10 Delivery. They delivered them last sat and they were decent boards.
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Built three of six raised beds 13 ft x 4 ft.
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When i had chance the other day i cleared the shed out (AGAIN) as more had to go in.
Finished off clearig the plot & dug over for the Tatties next month.
Took a load of chicken manure up & started to spread it over the cleared areas ready to dig in next time i go up.
Packing at the moment to move, so trying to make time available with trying to work as well is very difficult :wacko:
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Took 6 bags of horse pooh up there. Sawed up one of the branches of the previously mutilated ex-plum tree.
Then rain stopped play.
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Today = absolutely nothing (not even clearing out the plot shed between drips) as I'm back home waiting for the "11am to 3pm window" to expire before phoning again.
Presently still hoping to recieve a new NEFF oven ordered before Chsitmas. ::)
NEFF, apparently, were unable to supply the model we chose due to "global shortages" of the components. :unsure:
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Finished building my raised beds all six now done.. :D
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nowt on the lotty today but got a rotating composter given to me from a bloke next to work.planted some indoor tomatoe seeds and sorted the shallots ready for planting tomorrow while im off work.
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platned strawberries from runners last year. Covered some with a cloche to see if forcing them will help lengthen croping period and to keep the kids interested!! Moved bird feeder again.
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Finished building my raised beds all six now done.. :D
MrVVG still thinking about mine >:( :mad:
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:D im of to look at a generator somtone has to sell.
fantastic i hope :)
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Turning and adding more paper to the compost bin it's a smelly job but someone has to do it. :D :D :D
Mind you it's better than mopping up water from a leak on a washing machine that was only checked this morning by the engineer after he checked it last week and said it was OK? Seems the water flooding from the bottom of it has other ideas. Maybe 3rd time licky :D :D :D :D
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made final prep on the onion and shallot bed and then worked in some BFB just waiting for drier weather then its onion time and also sowed 210 leek seeds on sunday
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Sawed up more of that darn plum tree.
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Finished off nettle tea kettle, trying that after a few!! Poly pin from real ale company with several layers of tea strainer mesh to stop bigger particles. Working well and hopefully will please the plants :-)
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Took delivery of new polytunnel then had email from council offering us a bigger plot. Went to view it and decided to go for it. Luckily we have only levelled the ground on our smaller one and this doesn't need that. Going to spend the next few days moving all the wood for raised beds into new plot and erecting polytunnel...hopefully, eventually, THEN can actually plant our first crops :ohmy:
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lucky you Gravedigger :)
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well, moi, did absolutely NUFFINK on the plot, but dear old grumpy OH dug up all the rest of the parsnips. Blinkin' heck there;s a load of 'em!!!! Will they store alright??? :unsure:
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freeze 'em plum :) the parsnips that is :D
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lucky you Gravedigger :)
Yes, good timing really...unfortunately no well on the new plot but it also means no well upkeep :)
20m x 10m approximately but they say still not big enough for a couple of chickens ::)
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day off work sun out so down to the lotty for the day,started bad, wind has took the felt of the shed roof,sorted that out.then thought i,ll turn the compost bin ,put my fork in turned it and a ruddy great rat jumped out at me.nearly had a heart attack.then planted the shallots,rotavated the 3new beds and laid 3 new paths.did a bit of weeding.set up my new tumbler comost bin,lets see the rat get in there.tidy,d the shed out,met the local MP who was having a look round.chatted to some of the other plot holders and put the world to rights.
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Ok, so finaly got the keys and down to the plot the other day. Basicaly cleared up at the top end on the plot, tidied up the greenhouse, took out old rotting plants , got rid of rubbish etc.
Before:
(http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss101/jdamadman/IMG00058-20110214-1409.jpg)
After:
(http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss101/jdamadman/IMG00059-20110214-1547.jpg)
Not much of a change but most of the work we did was getting the plot ready for digging. Managed to get the council to get a skip down to the plot so we can get that old shed off. The greenhouse was full of old tomato plants and weeds. panes missing and smashed but luckily there was masses of spare panes of glass to fit into the green house.
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wow that looks huge, pumpkinpatch!
All plots that size that become free in Hyndburn are divided up now.
Is the old shed usable? (we are looking to build our own but could do with something to keep us going for now) :)
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Showed new tenant around this morning :)
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Dug over another bed today, pruned a few bushes/trees at the front of the plot. Met a few of the people, very friendly. Told me about a few things, meatings,woodchips and muck etc. Also about the wheel barrow that we can share between a few of us. So that it doesnt get nicked they keep the wheel barrow without a wheel in one shed and the wheel and bolt in another. Also bought a massive shed for £100 with 5 ready made beds in it :happy:
So that my plot sorted realy, compost bin, greenhouse and a shed. Now all i need it to dig the ground and get growing :)
@Gravedigger
No, its in a sorry condition. The rains got through and its all rotten and moldy. Managed to get the council to get a skip down to the plot so we can get rid of it along with the bath and other strange things on there :D
(http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss101/jdamadman/IMG00061-20110217-1612.jpg)
The new shed, doesnt look that big it is massive:
(http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss101/jdamadman/IMG00062-20110217-1613.jpg)
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Removing couch grass from new plot, 3days a week for the past 3 weeks ahhhhh. hope it kills it off. So far have dumped about 7 large bags of the stuff
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Great to see some photos on here.... makes it all the more interesting.
Thanks. ;)
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Took the dog for a walk tonight to the plot, planted a Damson tree in the light of a beautiful full moon, gave the tree a good watering and the druid's blessing and gathered firewood from the copse on the way home.
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Hoed the odd weeds off the veg plot ..... now need to fork it over and remove the stones (rocks) that keep rising every year. >:(
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My good neighbour put some onions in for me as still not up to it yet but I am getting there.
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Hoed the odd weeds off the veg plot ..... now need to fork it over and remove the stones (rocks) that keep rising every year. >:(
Strange how they do that.
We've been in this house since 1978. Forked over one of the front beds the other day and came across a whole damp course brick about an inch below the surface. Couldn't have been there when I planted the roses!
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Strange how they do that.
Im sure they breed, ::) each year I have a new family of rock in my veg path. Since I moved in I've removed 1 builders drop sack of builders rubble and 1 drop sack of stones, Im almost tempted to uses them as a path material.
.. and to bring the thread back OT.
Yesterday I was mostly cleaning up cat mess and collecting stones :D
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Tripped over one of the short pieces of support stake which were flush with the paving slabs last time I looked but are now a couple of inches proud!
Apparently this is caused by the alternate freezing and thawing of water trapped under such objects (including stones) which will eventually bring them to the surface. Remarkable, innit?
Raked up yet more leaves (no trees in the immediate vicinity; another miracle of nature!) and put them on the compost heap before the blackbirds distribute them absolutely everywhere! :ohmy:
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I'm sowing my peppers, chillis and sweet spanish onions today ... whoo whoo!
8)
*By the light (by the light)... of the silvery moooooon* dum de dooo!!!
And a couple of early tomatoes (yes, yes, yes, i know its early.... they'll go in the poly in April and i have a heater, and my seed collection looks like a Moles warehouse so theres no fear of it ending in tomato-less tears)
The pots and multicell trays all got washed and sterilised yesterday.... the compost is warming gently next to a radiator... I've got a nice bottle of red wine... ;)
And if I really get into the mood, I might do some leeks too....
;)
Hoed the odd weeds off the veg plot ..... now need to fork it over and remove the stones (rocks) that keep rising every year. >:(
Have you ever heard of Sailing Stones? :lol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones
Maybe its more common that people think? O-o
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Erected polytunnel...took longer than I thought :)
Placed base for shed
Got cold ears ;)
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Got cold ears ;)
Not surprised! Cold down here today too on the not-so-sunny south coast.
I gave the plot a miss. :closedeyes:
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I bagged up 20 large sacks of year old well rotted manure - approx 400kg - from a local stables & drove them across to my allotment in the next village. Got twice as much still to go :)
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Friday - Planted carrots in a compost/sharp sand bed.
Today hope to get the wife down there.
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Friday - Planted carrots in a compost/sharp sand bed.
Today hope to get the wife down there.
will she want to be in there with the carrots?? :unsure:
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:lol: :lol: @ plum
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:lol: :lol: :lol: plum's in that mood again !
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I do have my moments!!!!! ::) :lol:
I have been very honest in my description - "bonkers"
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no lottie today due to......snow!!!!! :mad: and I was soooo looking forward to getting there
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Friday - Planted carrots in a compost/sharp sand bed.
Today hope to get the wife down there.
will she want to be in there with the carrots?? :unsure:
She'll do anything to spend more time in bed.
As it was, a solo expedition. Fixed another mini bed to grow little-gems (too small for much else), planted two rows, will plant more later. Tomatoes, chillies, peppers, aubergine, lemongrass and artichoke into propagators - maybe a bit early for some, but if they don't take then try again in a few weeks.
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Started at 7am this morning, cleared dumping area at top of plot - trailer and car full to the tip! Then back to the lottie for cuppa, strip and re-roofed shed, put tool rack up and tidied out. re-installed water butt and guttering, then laid concrete slabs for path next to permanant bean(s) area. dug over bean area and general tidy up. then home to install new main phone line and socket with 4year old and 11month old helping me ???
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A beautiful day in Devon.
Planted the broad beans, onion sets and shallots.
Did loads of clearing up and had lovely chats with the people passing by.
It felt really spring like today.
Bring on Spring!
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We got up at 7am and as it was not raining (although forcast said rain all day) we got ready and got to lotty by 8am. Yesterday late afternoon we loaded a trailer with well rotted horse muck our friend took it to lotty where we dug it off trailer. So we were really hoping for a dry spell this morning so we could get the muck spread and rotavatered in.
Rain started at 11am job was done so headed home with a satisfied grin on my face !
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Planted the blackcurant bush in the raised area with loads of compost and fertilizer. Cut back the Gooseberry bush and got some good canes so planted them into an old tall bucket. Dug up the Raspberry bush I planted the other week and added loads of compost and fertilizer and replanted. I took peoples advice and planted the other two Raspberry bushes well away in fact I planted them in the area I was looking to plant broad beans and sprouts. Can I still plant between the Raspberry bushes or is there anything else I can plant that may be better placed once the bushes take hold?
I also went and bought some Eracious compost don't know how to spell it and planted out the Blueberry bushes I bought into the large Planter, then realised I had no rain water as the dog had decided to play with a container that is normally full and chewed a hole on the blind side so didn't realise it was empty so I'm hoping for rain tonight or I may have to water with Tap water???
I also decided to plant the apple tree I bought by mistake yesterday I have planted it in the front and will just keep pruning it to keep it short. Just plated it straight in the soil no compost or fertilizer as I'm not bothered if it takes or not.
Bill
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@ Half a Plot Man. I'm impressed that you stripped before re-roofing your shed. Naked gardening is unfortunately frowned on by our committee despite my argument that it is an extremely effective way of scaring off the pigeons. And passers-by. :)
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made myself a 4'x2' box to keep all my kit in on the plot, this has made loads of free space in my car now.
it was freezing cold and a bit to wet to do anything on the ground though but luckily im pretty much ready to go now anyway :)
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Early start, dug over and manured half the plot, moved the garlic (I know i shouldnt have but had no choice :( ) Plotted the path, and sorted the staging out on the greenhouse, will dig over the border for my perenials tomorow :D
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Got my shallots and jerusalem artichokes in, planted some seeds in the greenhouse, prepared the runner bean trenches and did a lot of tidying up. Also tidied up the soft fruits and repotted the herbs and strawbs that survived the winter.
Buzy day :D
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hoed part of onion bed and got frozen
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replanted onions sets from tuesday thanks to these bleeding sky rats (pigeons) aaargh. Will need to get some humming wire or CD's over the sets
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Hello Everyone,
I'm a noobie, both to forums and allotmenting, so be gentle. I've been lurking for some time, and am really impressed with the general sense of community on this forum, including the banter and jibes. So decided today was the day to come out of hiding.
We took on a 20m x 6m allotment in South East Essex in October last year (£50 rent), stand pipe recently fitted, manure provided.
I've got a lot to catch up on as we've already spent a lot of time down at the allotment. Heres a quick summary:
October - Took on plot, started clearing weeds,
November - continued clearing weeds & started digging randomly, added a wabbit proof fence around the plot (I've never ached so much!) planted Garlic and some winter onions.
December - Planted some daffodils (my wife likes them so we thought why not!) They should brighten the place up a little (maybe take a few bunches home too).
January - Made a gate from pallets, put down a shed base and ordered a 6x4 pent shed (maximum size we are allowed). Made raspberry supports & planted raspberries and strawberries.
February - Shed arrived! Planted currant bushes (red/white/rose/black & goose) dug some more and weeded the already dug areas, I cant beleive how quickly the weeds are growing at this time of year!
<Takes a breath>....I think thats it! Back to work, my boss is looking at me funny.
Empty.
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Nothing, cos I've been away for a few days. But did come back to my potatoes laid out (amazingly well) by my 5 year old, for chitting :)
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Put two more bags of garden compost in raised bed and put some more MUD on to of it and mixed it in.How can you have a swamp on top of a hill?Had a chat with a neighbour and he said there will be a hosepipe ban at the end of March
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Went out, then came straight back in, there isnt realy much i can do in this weather :(
Hello Everyone,
I'm a noobie, both to forums and allotmenting, so be gentle. I've been lurking for some time, and am really impressed with the general sense of community on this forum, including the banter and jibes. So decided today was the day to come out of hiding.
We took on a 20m x 6m allotment in South East Essex in October last year (£50 rent), stand pipe recently fitted, manure provided.
I've got a lot to catch up on as we've already spent a lot of time down at the allotment. Heres a quick summary:
October - Took on plot, started clearing weeds,
November - continued clearing weeds & started digging randomly, added a wabbit proof fence around the plot (I've never ached so much!) planted Garlic and some winter onions.
December - Planted some daffodils (my wife likes them so we thought why not!) They should brighten the place up a little (maybe take a few bunches home too).
January - Made a gate from pallets, put down a shed base and ordered a 6x4 pent shed (maximum size we are allowed). Made raspberry supports & planted raspberries and strawberries.
February - Shed arrived! Planted currant bushes (red/white/rose/black & goose) dug some more and weeded the already dug areas, I cant beleive how quickly the weeds are growing at this time of year!
<Takes a breath>....I think thats it! Back to work, my boss is looking at me funny.
Empty.
Welcome to the site :D Its brill and I hope you enjoy it :D
Sounds like youve made a cracking start to your allotment :D Sounds like youve been bitten by the allotment bug :lol: :D It gets very addictive, as does this site :lol: :D
But be careful your boss doesnt catch you on here :lol: :lol: ::)
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Nothing done on the plot yet but in the garden so far this year-
Dug out 2 roses to make space for other stuff
Planted 2 apple trees - Devonshire Quarrenden and Crawley Beauty
Planted 1 cherry tree
Planted thyme, rosemary and lavender in an old wheelbarrow
Snipped off and potted 2 redcurrants that had self-layered
Dug up one motherload of raspberry rhizomes ready for the lottie
Took cuttings from a winter jasmin - seem to be taking well!
Hopefully will be able to spend my first time on the plot this w/end! Garlics and onions ready to go. Taters chitting away.
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picked more jerusalem artichokes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts.
Weeded the strawberry bed
Tidied the greenhouses
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First time on the plot today for thirteen days and an empty bucket then now has a good four inches of rainwater in it!
It`s still too wet really but I did sow some self saved early nantes carrot seed under a fleece cloche with a layer of plastic on top. Just sprinkled the seed on top the ground and covered it with a sand compost mix.
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Managed to get a full test on my polytunnel candle heater; Minimum temperature outside 2 degrees C, minimum temperature in tunnel 7 degrees C. No sunshine to mess up the calculations, and the candle burnt for 18 hours! :ohmy:
That should take care of March frosts! :)
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Went outside saw that it was raining and smiled because my blueberry busshes now have water :D :D
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Then you thought - "How do I get that plot?" :lol:
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Then you thought - "How do I get that plot?" :lol:
Wish I had a plot I'd be a happy Bill :D :D :D :D
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Went to plot yesterday raked some BFnB in some of the beds, then started to tidy up strawberry patch and then the heavens opened. Sheltered in greenhouse for a bit then gave up.
Today has also been abandoned due to bad weather >:(
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Trimmed back a hydrangea which was blocking the path to out front door - probably wrong time of year but saves walking on the grass to get round it. Ground far too wet to do any preparation veggie growing.
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put up a mini greenhouse (pole and pastic thing from poundstretcher) in the conservatory (protection from our cats) hoping to plant some broad beans later if it ever stops raining long enough to go outside and fill some pots with compost.
Grendel
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Well, went out to finish off levelling greenhouse when it started raining, decided to bite the bullet and stay out, got soaked and came in 2 hours soaking wet and covered in mud, but loved it :lol: ::) :D
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We too, are clearing a spot in the rain for the greenhouse. Very slippery, but fun. :tongue2:
Today, I put in 5 first earlies (Rocket) in a potato planter and sowed early nantes carrots in a veg. planter, re-sowed broad beans after losing a few to frosts last week and remembered to cover up well with fleece! Fingers crossed... ;)
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Greenhouse for me today due to the rain, filled 50 toilet tubes with compost and sowed them with parsnips. also sown 70 broad beans in 3 inch pots, and finally onions at home to sit on the window sill till they germinate.
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I took the head of my old garden fork up to the farm to see if they could cut out the bolts which still remained in the shaft. The farmer asked if I had the new handle so I nipped down for that and within half an hour it was delivered all fixed. :) Brilliant, how's that for lovely neighbours!
So then I was out in the sun and managed to dig one trench for the potatoes. Maybe tackle one per day, albeit with a lot of knee crunching :(
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finally got out and filled seed trays with compost, planted a few seeds, just one tray each of broad beans, aubergines, and a few varieties of tomato. all now greenhoused on the conservatory.
Grendel
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Lovely day, finished greenhouse, made a gate, levelled the path :D
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What a great day! I made a flask of tea to take with me to the allotment and it was so warm out I didn't want to drink it!
Today I did some more prep on my asparagus bed. Cleared some space to finish planting my hedge and began turning the brassica patch.
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I dug up the last of the manky swede and cabbage and forked some of the bed over.
Turned the loose compost into the dalek.
Then home for some sowing in the greenhouse :)
Lovely day
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Beautiful day! Moved rest of wood for the raised beds into new plot.
Dug out about 1/8 of the reeds.
Started digging land drain
Enjoyed the sun
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Hows this for recycling My daughter was throwing this chipboard book stand away so I thought I have a temporary use for that. :) :) :)
(http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g451/billathome65/CIMG0898.jpg)
(http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g451/billathome65/CIMG0897.jpg)
Now carrots are an option :D :D
What can I plant before the carrots go in?
Cheers Bill
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Sowed first lot of broad beans into the ground.
Sowed leek seeds in the seed bed.
Picked the last of the sprouts and parsnips.
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Fixed my Christmas-present Bayliss auto vent-opener to the greenhouse.
Tip: don't do what I did having misread the instructions and install it when the temperature is about at the temperature you want it to open; even fully backed off it was trying to open as I struggled with the clamps (finished up balancing it on my head as I wrestled it into the right position!)
Planted Mikor and Golden Globe shallots and netted them just so I can smirk at the blackbirds trying to get in and pull them out! ;) That's it outdoors until the onions from seed go in in about 3 week's time
Noticed that the donated supermarket garlic planted 2 weeks ago was starting to sprout, as are last year's remaining parsnips which are obviously going to have to come out very shortly!
The sort of day when I get a teeny-weeny bit excited! :)
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What a great day! I made a flask of tea to take with me to the allotment and it was so warm out I didn't want to drink it!
Today I did some more prep on my asparagus bed. Cleared some space to finish planting my hedge and began turning the brassica patch.
I was going to start an asparagus bed. Roughly how many crowns do you need to buy when starting it?
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Today on the plot, i put some weed membrane over the beds i'd dug. I weighted them down with bricks, and I hope the wind doesn't blow them away.
I also dug over a small area approx. 1ft x 3ft and built a cold frame out of bricks and 2 panes of glass.
Hopefully if the weather is good again at the weekend i will be able to start the base of my shed :)
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Yesterday, lightly dug over an area, which was dug and rotavated in the autumn - only to remove loads of couch grass roots :mad: . I will be removing them al summer I think. Put a mini polytunnel over this area ready for some spring onions and carrots.
Also making my roll-up wooden paths - OH let me loose with his chop saw - all digits till intact!
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My plot might have a housing development on it or another new road. :ohmy:
It has been so long since I last visited...
Still sopping wet here and when we do have a dry spell it doesn't last long enough to allow the ground to dry out a little.
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I am amazed at how much more light is filtering through my polytunnel after spending two hours giving the interior and the exterior a really good wash with a bucket of water,a couple of dishcloths and a soft brush. I had no idea how grotty it had actually got and I'm really happy I went to the trouble now.....so much better. :)
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YAY!! me and OH built our new shed on the lottie - me not so much cos of dodgy foot, but still there! And moved some membrane, re-sited brassica hoops ready for the netting. Opened the dalek and couldn't believe how many whitefly came out. :ohmy:
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I managed a slow walk to the allotment this afternoon.I'm recovering from a sickness bug :tongue2: :Pthat put me in bed all day yesterday when I should have been enjoying all that lovely gardening weather :(. Never mind I've got next week :) off so should get up to date I hope.
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Coat off, (lovely & mild afternoon) pruned the raspberry canes (kill 'em or sort 'em), ready to shift a few this w/e hopefully, weather permitting. Sat & surveyed my lovely lottie, I still can't believe I've finally got one :D. Met another allotmenteer :)
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Skip arrived today, so headed straight to the plot after work, cleared a few loads, all the glass, the old bath filled with mud and a few other bits of rubbish. Stayed till 6 o clock doing all this
Hopefully get the shed out the way tomorrow weather permitting though.
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Put down weed membrane and bark chippings on allotment path, fitted latch to the gate, planted 4 fruit bushes, gave them all some BFB, started digging out posh garden path and then began to fill it :D
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you doing good mate :)
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you doing good mate :)
Thanks mate :D
Today i sowed my parsnips and broad beans in some of richys paper pots, then sowed some early geraniums, not got my hopes up for them though :(
I also did a bit more on the path and dug a bit more of the allotment over before it started raining :)
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Finished putting a chicken wire roof and walls on the new chicken run (the old one having turned so wet that the girls feet were becoming webbed!). Celebrated by getting 4 more hens to take us to 15.
Desparately want to get some digging done and plant some bits and pieces but the clay soil is so waterlogged that it is not worth touching at the minute.
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Damned rain it's chucking it down giving me the blues >:( >:( anyway I have two weeks off work from next Thursday so I hope to get even busier in the garden then, weather and other jobs permitting. ;) ;)
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OH and I put up our new shed on Friday. Delivery driver told us that it would take an hour! :wacko: He must be a comedian as 4 hours later we finally got it wind and weather tight and OH had to spend yesterday morning finishing it off. Now all I need to do is install the kettle and mini bar!
We must be on our 10th trip to the tip with the remnants of the old shed. Woodworm finally got the old dear (the shed that is!).
The ground is still too wet to touch but I covered part of the plot in black membrane to try to dry it off a bit. Getting impatient to start digging but am at least few weeks off that I think.
A lovely morning this morning so it looks like I'll be re- laying the path with black membrane and bark after nearly breaking my neck slipping on the old one.
GG
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OH and I put up our new shed on Friday. Delivery driver told us that it would take an hour! :wacko: He must be a comedian as 4 hours later we finally got it wind and weather tight and OH had to spend yesterday morning finishing it off. Now all I need to do is install the kettle and mini bar!
We must be on our 10th trip to the tip with the remnants of the old shed. Woodworm finally got the old dear (the shed that is!).
The ground is still too wet to touch but I covered part of the plot in black membrane to try to dry it off a bit. Getting impatient to start digging but am at least few weeks off that I think.
A lovely morning this morning so it looks like I'll be re- laying the path with black membrane and bark after nearly breaking my neck slipping on the old one.
GG
You are certainly making good use of your time when little else can be done. ;)
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All my leeks have popped up in their seed tray- so they're gone into the cold frame.
Started some annual flower seeds in pots for the lotty.
Turned my compost heap at home...
... made a flask of coffee... and am off to tackle my future spud bed with an azada :-)
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Just had an hour up there. Way to wet to do anything. Made good use of the time though!I cleaned the greenhouse glass inside and out. It is so much easier when the glass is already wet as the Algae comes of so much easier. Likewise with the condensation inside it's a doddle.
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I went to choose my first allotment today (choice of 2). It is ankle deep in weeds but nothing that I can't handle. Can't wait to get the keys from the council an get digging! :D
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We have pulled up some pesky long rooted weeds, dug out a big pile of rubbish comprising of old carpet, rolled up unused turf, branches, wood, bricks, glass, soil and various lengths of wood. we now have a nice pile of useable wood, two buckets and a pop up rubbish bag of glass and other debris. A pile of wood and branches for a bonfire and a bin bag full of weeds. It was VERY muddy up there this weekend, but worth the effort in between the showers.
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Hubby has the tractor out trying to pull out a tree stump in the middle of the plot!!
Trunk out, now to try and get some of the roots out!
And then to dig where the tyres have been! ho hum ::)
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Digging potato beds, very heavy, wet, slow going.
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I was very proud of myself and my other half today. We cleared all the areas by our beds of weeds, put weed membrane down, and then covered it with a big healthy helping of chippings (supplied for free to the allotment!!)
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Far too wet here to do anything outside.
Made 70 3/4inch diameter pots each 6inch long filled them with MP compost (easier to say than do) and put some of last years parsnip seeds in them.
Anyone fancy a sweep-stake on how many actually germinate ?
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My husband and I stared on the base of our new green house a romantic joint Valentines gift. Rain stopped play again.
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At the rate our weather is going I'll be searching for water-cress seeds. :blink: Another day without even thinking of escaping to the plot. Too wet.
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nearly finished digging my half plot, got really scared while digging an area where the old compost was situated. there were three little snake alike thing came out of the soil!!!
I used a stick picked them up and put them in a container...later found out they are slow worms....
(http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/control/customer_images/EC935D5B-FDD4-4FB5-B594-6BF926B9E63B/whw_gallery_pics/wildlife/slow_worm.jpg)
In the United Kingdom the slow worm has been granted protected status, alongside all other native British reptile species. The slow worm has been decreasing in numbers, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, sell or advertise to sell them.
I dropped them into the new compost....
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Just a quick trip to harvest purple sprouting for sunday dinner, Rudolph variety this yr and its yummy.
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nearly finished digging my half plot, got really scared while digging an area where the old compost was situated. there were three little snake alike thing came out of the soil!!!
I used a stick picked them up and put them in a container...later found out they are slow worms....
(http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/control/customer_images/EC935D5B-FDD4-4FB5-B594-6BF926B9E63B/whw_gallery_pics/wildlife/slow_worm.jpg)
In the United Kingdom the slow worm has been granted protected status, alongside all other native British reptile species. The slow worm has been decreasing in numbers, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, sell or advertise to sell them.
I dropped them into the new compost....
You lucky thing!! I'd love to have slow worms on my plot. I haven't seen one for years. As I guess you know they are completely harmless and eat all sorts of pests.
With care you can pick them up - they won't jump, bite, do anything nasty, sudden or unexpected. :)
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I was moving rubbish on my new plot the end of last year and got bitten on my finger by a grass snake, it was only small but i still nearly messed myself.
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:( got VERY cold :( got VERY wet :( came home
winge
winge
winge
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:( poor plum :(
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Turned the compost and bought some of that Enviromesh. I am thinking about making a frame so it is raised of the ground is this a good idea or should I just let it rest over the soil loose? :)
Bill
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finished building a wooden pallet compost bin, turned all my bins out into it, and went home for bacon and egg sarnie :).
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finished building a wooden pallet compost bin, turned all my bins out into it, and went home for bacon and egg sarnie :).
I hope you washed your hands first :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2:
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Well, I got my allotment just over a week ago. I share it with my hubby, my son and two friends. Since Friday we've had the shed delivered, painted it, dug for foundations and erected the shed. We've kitted it out with stove, tools, hooks and chairs, etc, etc... We've erected two compost bins made of pallets, we've made a large raised bed for our son to plant up. We've marked out the other beds and started to remove the grass from one of those beds. We're knackered but happppppy :D :D :D
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Went up yesterday, reroofed the shed, cleared out all the rubbish from side of shed (council need to trim the hedges!). layed a slab path and dug over the permanant bean bed ready for making bean trench. Dug over a fifth of the allotment. Then stopped for many cups of tea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2:
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I was moving rubbish on my new plot the end of last year and got bitten on my finger by a grass snake, it was only small but i still nearly messed myself.
I'd have been out cold.Mr S & I have a deal-I get rid of the spiders & he gets rid of the snakes as yet he hasn't had to pay back & I just hope he's around should one of the other things turn up. :happy:
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Well, I got my allotment just over a week ago. I share it with my hubby, my son and two friends. Since Friday we've had the shed delivered, painted it, dug for foundations and erected the shed. We've kitted it out with stove, tools, hooks and chairs, etc, etc... We've erected two compost bins made of pallets, we've made a large raised bed for our son to plant up. We've marked out the other beds and started to remove the grass from one of those beds. We're knackered but happppppy :D :D :D
What do they put in the water in Ashbourne, then? extra vitamins? Pity the nestle factory is now a hospital and there's an M&S food on site, or we'd all be drinking it and getting so much done! :lol: :lol:
Well done, you lotty lot. :tongue2:
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After saving some of those cheap pallets from work, these are the single sided ones as they come apart better. On saturday I made my potting bench for my part of the polytunnel. I also started to dig my little bit as well.
It looks very little in the picture but is around 10ft by 5ft in size
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/kenderworld/Gardening/DSCF1030copy.jpg)
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Bit drier today but colder too. Did a couple of hours digging, weeding and composting and made slow progress. Day off tomorrow so im going to plough on and hopefully get a good bit done.
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Luvly and warm in the greenhouse, potted on 40 tomato plants, sungold, brandywine, moneymaker and Raf, a luvly spanish beef tomato. Also about 20 chilli plants and 10 aubergines. Unfortunately its still too cold at night in the greenhouse so theO/H put a trestle table in the front room to put them on so I can now watch em growing whilst watching the telly. :mellow:
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After saving some of those cheap pallets from work, these are the single sided ones as they come apart better. On saturday I made my potting bench for my part of the polytunnel. I also started to dig my little bit as well.
It looks very little in the picture but is around 10ft by 5ft in size
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/kenderworld/Gardening/DSCF1030copy.jpg)
That looks absolutely fab!!!
Not done much myself, kids back to school today so cleaning needed to be done. Did cut down some more hedge that was overgrowing and set aside a WHOLE day next week to do stuff.
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Just attacked the climbing rose ( it bit back ) :D and cleared up leaves and debris the wind had deposited. Lovely to be out in the sun despite a coolish breeze.
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Sunny today but been in work and out again at 5.30pm Not good :(
Bill
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Did a couple of hours of general clearing up in the garden - a mild and sunny afternoon. And also decided what is to go where - very important.
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Well, spent Friday Saturday and Sunday getting the cack out of the shed, demolished the shed and getting rid of the shed. In all it took well over 50 wheel barrow loads and one skip. We actually filled a whole skip well over the top just with the shed and its contents. At least that's done now and we can concentrate on the actual growing of the veg :D
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I've got this week off, so I thought I would get up this morning and have a good day on the allotment. Got up there at 0600 and moved the trailer load of horse manure that the local farmer had kindly dropped me off, then I got a small fire going and did some general tidying round. I spent the rest of the day digging.
I also had some good news when the same farmer popped back and offered me 6 chickens, so the will be coming thursday.
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The rhubarb I grew from seed a few years ago had grown quickly, so took some of the roots out of the garden beds and up to the allotment, where there is more space.
Lovely and bright but I quickly got cold and as there was no one about to natter to I came home for my cuppa :)
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Being on the plot today would be a nice thing.... some cementing to do in the kitchen (not rock cakes!) so I'm going to aim at escape time this coming week-end if the weather's kind.
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I sowed sonnet lettuce seed in a cold greenhouse (no heat ) on my allotment 8days ago and they are just showing threw today
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Did a few hours digging yesterday and an hour and a half of the same today. OMG it's taking forever! I have it in my head that give it a few weeks and its a bit drier i'll be able to rotovate as much of the lotty in a few minutes than i have dug in the last week or so :(
The upside is that all the extra exercise has helped me lose 10 lbs in over a week.
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Good result, surely ;)
Digging is better than rotovating, as the spade goes deeper....it'll all be worth it, honestly :)
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Thanks MOS, i look forward to looking back on all the digging, if you see what i mean :)
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Since Tuesday I've cleared an area of the allotment that had some slabs on & other useful things.Lightly dug it over & then after a few unsuccessful attempts to get a fire going(stuff to wet) went back to said area & had a go at laying the slabs.It's not perfect but better than it was & now have a good firm place to have my bench. Then tidied the utility area & re-sited water butt & comfrey butt.Fed fruit bushes & trees.Yesterday I finally got round to clearing the greenhouse out, jet washing it & giving it a good scrub inside & out.And today back to the lottie for a bit of digging, more unsuccessful attempts to get a fire going,2 trips to lottie with composting material, & then finally clearing a load of pots etc waiting to be washed. Do you think thats why I need a sit down!!
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Forked over 3 raised beds (30ft by 4 ft), tidied savoy cabbage bed up, and generally pottering about.
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Spent a good 2 1/2 hours down the allotment today. Finished off digging the fruit bed, and planted all the rasp canes I had left.
A neighbouring alloment holder offered me some more rasp canes and some straw runners and as I am hoping to get the back 1/2 of my plot to rent this year, I accepted. I have cut down the rasp canes as instructed and planted the strawberries.
I dug out another 1/4 of one of my beds, and found that 2 sage, 1 oregano and 1 thyme plant had survived in that strip. I also had another 2 or 3 thyme plants survive in another bed, so I am well pleased with that.
I watered some pots of seeds that I set on Sunday - no growth yet in my temporary cloche (old ottoman with plastic over the top).
Just remembered that I forgot to plant my garlic and jerusalem artichokes, so need to go down and do them tomorrow.
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Spent an hour after work all this week, and managed suprising things!!! Put a tool rack up in the shed and cleared out the cr*p, then trimmed and cleared all the old dead blackberries stems, and cleared the top end of plot of leaves etc. Also sited two compost bins. I find an hour with head down is more productive than 4hour stretch.
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Started forking over the area where I grew pasnips and unearthed quite a few stones then hit a massive great rock! :ohmy: I kept excavating and eventually got it free; luckily OH helped and rolled it away.
Continued on and found another so after much creaking and crunching ( me, not the rock ) managed to get that out. I need a delivery of top soil to fill the holes now! I managed a bit more by sitting on my stool and digging from that position. ???
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Yesterday was my day off from work, I went up to the lottie after dropping small boy at school and worked solidly until just after 3pm - went to get small boy and took him up the lottie for another 1.5 hrs!!! I ACHE ALL OVER!!!
I painted the compost bins (made of pallets so they look better the same colour as the shed and it might make the shoddy wood last longer), I dug and dug and dug the new beds, I put the blinds up in the shed, and I dug some more. Oh and chatted with a lot of people. Lovely atmosphere up there! I LOVE my new lottie!!!!
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Planted some fruit bushes had a chat with the bloke next door, and stood scratching my head as to were to start. Its to cod to start uncovering the ground yet i reckon.
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I went out in the garden when the SUN came out it was lovely.I tidied the shed so I could get through the door, Then cleared all the stuff around the shed are that I'd cleared from the greenhouse the other day & then I made a start on washing last years plant pots that I never got done.I managed to do loads more than I expected. Day off tomorrow going out at 7.50 on a trip to the rhubarb triangle with WI.Might get some seeds sown on Sun in clean pots In clean greenhouse.
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Yesterday managed a bit more digging and excavating. Then started emptying flower pots and tubs of old compost which I deposited on the veg plot ready to mix in.
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Netted my rhubarb, its not had a chance to grow since 4 rabbits have started to lodge on my plot.........
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went to the lottie yesterday and dug up the swedes that did'nt swell to anything. sowed some parsnip seeds , sowed some nantes carrots under cloches and scattered some chicken manure pellets around spring cabbages , onions , and raspberry canes. A good 3 or 4 hours work done :D
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Moved a load of items that had been stored at my house for the allotment (with about 20 people helping along with a fork lift!) - then finished digging second bed (removed grass first) - it's 2m x 8m - only two more of them to go. Finished the down pipe for the second water butt. Moved some old bricks for a small patio out of the front of the shed from my late father in law's house. Started removing the grass from the second bed. Made lots of tea and coffee and a small amount of hot chocolate. Had loads of great chats with lovely people. Planted some garlic in the cold greenhouse at home. Made four cushion covers for the plastic chairs in the shed as they are mighty chilly on my bot bot!!!
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Planted some Blackcurrant bushes (Lidl, £5.00 for 4) and mulched them in with some home made compost - note to self, get some manure. Also worked over one of my newly dug beds and hoiked out another barrow load of weeds. Drank tea with neighbouring allotment holders while stamping feet to keep warm. Did not sit on bench - it was perishing cold!!
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I have had quite a productive couple of days.. Had yesterday off so could get to the plot while 1 of my boys was at school.
In 2 days I have weeded and dug over about half the plot. Im so impressed how crumbly the soil is and how easy to dig it was compared to last year which was also my first year!
The rhubarb i thought was dying is back to life so have given some of my allotment produced compost :D also covered the raspberry canes with manure and compost and weeded.. Hoping for big things this year.. I thought they werent supposed to fruit last year (their first year) but got quite a nice crop! Lots of jam making this year I hope!
Also dug a nice big bed for the other half and 2 boys to plant flowers and whatever they want!
Managed to put some garlic in the ground and started a few seeds in the conservatory at home.. Wondering whether now is a good time to start all the chillies I will be growing!
So nice to be back on the plot and working again.. Had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.. Had also forgotten how much digging can hurt!!! :)
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I made my first visit to the allotment this year today, I have been a bit busy with work and away a lot. It was nice to get down there and find it still looking tidy. My clearing up at the end of last year paid off.
I did manage to get my tomato seeds sown last Wednesday indoors though.
I cleared the last two raised beds today that had the remnants of the sprouts and cabbages in, and rotovated them, weeded the strawberry bed, and cleared the other end of that bed ready for even more strawberries.
Planted onions, Garlic and shallots.
I am more organised than ever before, all beds basically prepared for the coming season, need to go and see my mate and raid his antique pile of manure and I'll be ready for the year ahead.
Half of the allotment is a clear rotovated bit of ground ready for potatoes and beans and peas etc.., the other half I have 3 empty raised beds that will be devoted to salad crops this year. The fruit is getting more established and all the Dwarf Apple Trees are looking quite healthy.
I think it might be a good year.
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Nothing today, but tomorrow will have to carry on trying to dig out a tree trunk and roots - much bigger than I had thought when deciding where to place the veg plot!
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I got there!!!!!!!
Not until 3pm 3:30 pm but better than never - left for home in the dark at 6.30 after lots of digging.
Buttercups make such a nice show when they are in a pile for burning :) and I've enough raspberry canes for yet another row. You can't have too many... Can you? :blink:
Bordeaux Spinach has survived the winter and is tender enough to eat raw. So sweet - I was surprised. Carrots and leeks in the bag! ;)
Purple sprouting? Perhaps I'm being impatient... healthy plants but so tiddly this year. :(
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Went to the local timber yard to get more wood for the path, did a bit more on the path, made two new raised beds for the greenhouse and made a gravel path in the greenhouse, found a few bags of 3 year old manure so give my rasberries a treat :D Did a bit more digging over in the allotment raised beds, will keep working at them :D
Hopefully i will get anouther productive day tomorow, lots needs to be done, and sowed ::) :D
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Yesterday, we did some more digging over, glass clearing and weeding. Measured up for some chicken wire fencing. Today we will be measuring the plot and marking out for the various veg "plots" for planting. should cut down on the amount of digging! :D
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Well - its a beautiful morning here - if a bit cold - had a couple of brews to psych myself up -
my garden is heavy clay so am raising beds for my veggies - hoping to get lots done as this
weather is set to continue! :D :D :D
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I took the kitchen waste and some cardboard up for the compost heap and covered a small bed with some poly to warm it up a bit for my first pea sowings. Had a quick natter, but too cold to stay for long Brrrr
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Went up a couple of days ago & finished digging over the last growing bed.
Spread a load more Chicken manure about from the girls.
Put some pea nets up & planted some peas - have also got peas planted at home on the window sill just incase the others don't do anything.
Put some 1st & 2nd Early Potatos in plus a row of maincrop. Have more maincrop to go in when i get the chance.
Has been really nice here but the minus temperatures have come back over night so frosty in mornings.
Planted a couple of Gooseberry bushes, Raspberry & Tayberry a neighbour a few plots down gave me.
Today have planted on the window sill at home Lettuce, parsnips, Carrots, Cabbages, Tomatos, Turnip, Leek, Marrow & Sweetcorn.
Happy i have got this done as i am moving shortly so have loads to do :wacko:
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Bad back stops play :(
On a more positive note this week I have erected the new shed, made half a raised bed, made the compost bin, dug out some more reeds, planted a plum tree and some donated sage, mint, corriander and goosegogs, and put the Pentland Javelin and Lady Crystl chitting on top of the dresser.
Very, very impressed with the weather this week too...perhaps spring is on the way
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Finished two bean trenches, dug over another large part of the plot. just some more weeds to get rid of now. Time to get the plastic greenhouses out and start sowing! My good neighbour graham lent me his Mattock today - what a great piece of kit, highly recomended. :) And we have lovely sunshine here in Hereford :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2:
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Sunshine here too :D Finished marking out, dug 4 veg beds and updated the planner. Can't go next Saturday, so we are very pleased with the progress so far. Some more allotmenteers introduced themselves, just got to remember their names ::)
What's a Mattock? :unsure:#
No wonder you have a bad back Gravedigger, you've done loads! :ohmy:
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Got some seed compost in, did some more bed digging, manuring/composting and couch root clearing. Separated the compost in prep for dividing the unwieldly bin into two or three.
Gave the rhubarb a bit compost. Received several visitors to the plot to see how the new boy is getting along and got a lot of good gen and pointers.
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Generally tidied both plots and trimmed the grass edges. Dug in the last of the Manure spread last Autumn. Have now decided where to put the Grape Vines I purchased a couple of weeks ago( It's the driest part of the two plots)
I also booked a Guest Speaker for the allotment site!
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Lovely sunny day here :D
Re planted garlic, add some more compost to the raised beds, finished wood on the path, starting diging over the new flower beds :) Sowed:
-Leeks,
- Sweet Pepper,
- Toms,
- Spring onions
- Carnations
- Tom thumb lettuce
- More broad beans
Then did a bit of weeding in the front garden and did the first cut of the year, looks better for it :D
A good productive day :D :D :D :D
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I went from this to this over this weekend:
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Today I dug over a bed- 12ft x 4ft, and started weeding it.
Managed to pull up enough Mares tail and couch grass to fill two wheelbarrows and I still have the other 6ft or so to do.
Hubby filled up the van and took two trips to unload the pallets his work had been saving for me. These will be made into the raised beds, the compost bins and the shed- eventually!
It was lovely weather today, although at five o'clock it started to go very cold so myself and child number 1 decided to come home for tea :)
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Sunshine here too :D Finished marking out, dug 4 veg beds and updated the planner. Can't go next Saturday, so we are very pleased with the progress so far. Some more allotmenteers introduced themselves, just got to remember their names ::)
What's a Mattock? :unsure:#
No wonder you have a bad back Gravedigger, you've done loads! :ohmy:
A Mattock is like a pick-axe, but has a flat blade. Very good for swinging and shaving off the surface - say 1/2" layer.
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Over the weekend I have had some manure delivered so I finished my bean trenches and dug some marrow/squash holes and part filled these with manure, I also added some manure to some of the other raised beds.
Really desperate to plant something but I still feel its too early, I have planted some seeds in the poly tunnel.
I have also drawn my plot out so I can mark out a sowing and planting chart which I will probably follow until I get to the plot again :)
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Still digging over my new plot, unearthing up & coming Mare's tail & other deep rooted weeds. Planted 3 lovely rhubarb plants to add to my resident one, given to me by my veteran neighbour allotmenteer, he's one great guy!
Planted a lavender cutting a few days ago, near my fruit trees to encourage bees.
Also planted a couple of pea plants I chitted first (like u do sweetcorn), as the others are taking ages to start.
Still getting lots of goodies from fellow allotmenteers; organic poutry manure pellets, calender for the shed, netting for peas & beans to climb, a couple of clubroot resistant swedes to try......
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Again went out when the sun came through around lunch time. Off to the allotment to plant fruit bushes I got 1/2 price at wyevale some weeks age. A gooseberry,black,white & redcurrant.Still very cold up there. So I came home & sat & had lunch by the pond & decided to do more pot washing until it was too cold. Only one more load of pots to wash & then I will start on the seed sowing.
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I've just counted my seed spuds & now realise the bed I had in mind won't be sufficient for the 82 seed spuds I have, without the 6 main crop I'm being given! :ohmy:
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:) im a bit worried where all my spuds are going to go , i may take up some paths to make more room .
scattered some carrots (early nantes 5) on a 4ft x 2ft area and mixed in some white lisbon spring onion to see what happens
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I levelled some ground and planted raspberries, blackberries and red currants that I got from Aldi a couple of weeks ago. I tidied up the strawberries a bit too.
At home, I sowed tomatoes and capsicum peppers that are well out of date just to see if they will germinate!
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:) im a bit worried where all my spuds are going to go , i may take up some paths to make more room .
scattered some carrots (early nantes 5) on a 4ft x 2ft area and mixed in some white lisbon spring onion to see what happens
That is a good idea, I will try that :)
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who said you cant teach an old dog new tricks :lol: :lol:
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Layed the base for the new shed to go on. Dug over two plots. got 12 or so loads of muck and spreaded over the plot, made a few cups of teas. Job done, go home, eat and the best part, I'm ready to sleep and its only 9:50 :happy:
(http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss101/jdamadman/IMG00037-20110306-1649.jpg)
Sorry about the wonky picture, it looked perfectly fine when i took it on my phone :D
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1. took me FIVE WEEKS before I finish digging out last bits of weeds in my newly gained half plot.
2. set up two trellises for grape and ...maybe cucumber
and Fergie make me laugh! he looks lost his half 'plot'!
can not ask for more
happy
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Spent the day digging and tidying up, especially the bombsite behind the shed. dug out masses of rubbish to go to the tip. Cut back overhanding branches from the wooded site next door. I'm digging out an area of nettles to make a new shed base on, which should give me a lot more space as it means I can extend the plot by another four feet. Shed roof is leaking, so that needs fixing next.
Spread some pelleted chicken manure, didn't get time to dig it in before it got dark. First earlies are chitting in the cold frame, will probably pop them in next weekend. Found Avonresister parsnip seeds in the 99p shop, have been meaning to give them a try.
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Sunshine here too :D Finished marking out, dug 4 veg beds and updated the planner. Can't go next Saturday, so we are very pleased with the progress so far. Some more allotmenteers introduced themselves, just got to remember their names ::)
What's a Mattock? :unsure:#
No wonder you have a bad back Gravedigger, you've done loads! :ohmy:
A Mattock is a short pickaxe but with a blade edge instead of a pick...I use one all the time both on the plot and in my real job...much easier to dig with than a spade - especially for deep trenches or in compacted soils :)
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Sunshine here too :D Finished marking out, dug 4 veg beds and updated the planner. Can't go next Saturday, so we are very pleased with the progress so far. Some more allotmenteers introduced themselves, just got to remember their names ::)
What's a Mattock? :unsure:#
No wonder you have a bad back Gravedigger, you've done loads! :ohmy:
And sorry just noticed the question had been answered :)
I'm using one on my profile picture (although to dig an iron age floor surface up rather than to plant spuds :)
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Not strictly on the plot but my little boy helped sow some peas in modules and we made a start on weeding/tidying the garden - not got the car today so can't get to the allotment, have already used a bribe of going there tomorrow for some good behaviour today!
Still, I did a load of digging down there yesterday, and there was no one else around so i snag my head off for a good three hours - everything from the songs we used to sing at school to the modern rubbish that gets stuck in your head after hearing it once. I had a great time, even indulged in a little air guitar with my fork..... :wub:
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Planted:
Onions
Shallolts
garlic
2 Black currant bushes
1 Cherry tree
1 peppermint plant (whicj i got in Asda for 5p)
My son made a lovely big raised bed for peas & beans, filled with compost, mushroom comp, veg peelings and new top soil. (still have to build a frame)
then we sowed our seeds of cucumbers, toms and peppers.
What a great day, feel very fulfilled and chuffed.
Jools
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Filled up my bean trench, covered it over, and straightened some of the grass path edges.
Sat in the sun to warm my face....just beautiful today 8)
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This is the very first thing i've done on my new plot.
I built my compost/manure bin out of 4 pallets and 4 posts.
I also paced out and marked out for 2 beds.
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tidied the strawberry bed will feed them next weekend
planted
shallots 40
onions 150+
covered the above in debis netting so the birds cant pull em out :tongue2:
made coffees for the neighbours :D
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Lovely day but nothing on the plot. Did manage sow beetroot in mini-cells ready for planting out if/when they grow:
60 Boltardy
50 Tardel
50 Crimson Globe
I thought I'd compare them as normally I stick to Boltardy.
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Lovely day but nothing on the plot. Did manage sow beetroot in mini-cells ready for planting out if/when they grow:
60 Boltardy
50 Tardel
50 Crimson Globe
I thought I'd compare them as normally I stick to Boltardy.
I take it you like beetroot? :) I thought I planted a lot with 60 :)
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What do you do with it all?
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What do you do with it all?
Beetroot...
Love it.... and they will be planted out in batches once they've grown. I have orders from the family (6 adults) so we get through a fair bit of it!
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finished the digging Yahoooooo!!!!!!Finished filling asparagus raised bed,can plant sparra grass on thursday and cover with fleece.
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Lovely day but nothing on the plot. Did manage sow beetroot in mini-cells ready for planting out if/when they grow:
60 Boltardy
50 Tardel
50 Crimson Globe
I thought I'd compare them as normally I stick to Boltardy.
Do they grow ok being started in mini cells? I didnt think they like being moved about?
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For the first time this year I have managed to get an hour in after work! I just pottered though and what a great way to relax after work!
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jamie, i got some beetroot seedlings in a tray from B&Q last yearas i didnot get mine off to a good start , well it looked as good as dead after a week or two but then shot into life and turned out great :)
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jamie, i got some beetroot seedlings in a tray from B&Q last yearas i didnot get mine off to a good start , well it looked as good as dead after a week or two but then shot into life and turned out great :)
Good :D Thanks mate :D
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I just sow my beetroot straight into the ground and they seem to do fairly decent.
Didn't get down to the plot today but did manage to sow some artichokes for a bit of fun to see what happens, if they don't work iv got nothing to complain about but if they do, well hey ho iv got some artichokes for tea :lol:
Hope to nip down tomorrow after work to dig over a small bed seen as the weathers meant to be sunny :happy:
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We took the plunge and put two rows of first earlies in today, fairly deep, about 8 inches down and lots of earth on top.
Nothing happening with the broad beans planted two weeks ago, the spares that we planted in trays indoors for filling the gaps are doing very well.
Been a lovely day here, but the wind is so cold.
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lovely day, planted some bolotti beans which are safe in the greenhouse, for indoors planted some herbs
cant wait for everything to get going
hev
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put together a chicken house and run have to gate across and take out a fence panel to get better access when I get some chickens.
looked at the garden, just looked :D not going to plant anything till end of April due to continued frost hazard.
Bill
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Awarded myself a day off. The digging/clearing is becoming a chore.
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Half an hour weeding before I went to work, drove to work feeling great after getting a whole bed weeded!!
Bought the canes last night for my bean trench!
YEAH getting there
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Had half an hour before work so filled some seed trays with compost ready for planting but thick frost on the ground so left it at that.
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Dug over my beds again - determined to do all I can to stop my parsnips from forking!
Planted a row of very very early carrots
Planted my shallots
Admired my broad beans which are staring to poke through LOL!
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Cleared a patch of the couch grass at the road end and sprinkled some random annual flower seeds in it. Cleared a lot more of the cr*p and broken glass from the previous tenant. Supervised ::) my good lady raking and hoeing one of the better beds, ready for carrots, parsnips and beetroot. Measured the plot, ready to make more realistic plans. The ground cover fabric has arrived.
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Pricked out, Aubergines and Tomatillos.
Sowed Peppers Chillis, lettuce indoors, and some flowers.
Far to gusty outside - would be chasing seed packets everywhere and probably get no seeds intot he correct place. Here's hoping for a quieter night, spent last night hoping the roof would stay on!!!
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Tried overwintering chilli plants this year so repotted them. Spent loads of time sorting and filling propogator trays with compost. No greenhouse so then spent just as long decluttering window sills for said propogator trays. So love this time of year.
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Tried overwintering chilli plants this year so repotted them. Spent loads of time sorting and filling propogator trays with compost. No greenhouse so then spent just as long decluttering window sills for said propogator trays. So love this time of year.
Mine are all lined up very prettily ( not) in front of the french doors as I have no greenhouse or windowsills as such( about 2 inches deep and the windows open inwards! Now I have run out of table space!
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Finally got around to getting some digging done, though still a bit on the damp side it had to be done. Will be attempting to get up there again tomorrow to do a little more. Rhubarb is coming through and chives,sage,lemon balm, oregano, and all the fruit trees and bushes all have buds on them.. and the compost heap is doing great things.. my soil is in for a real treat soon..lol
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Also did some digging still got a lot more to do....... should be able to get few more hours in over the next few days if the weather permits.
Forecast rain over night so I covered the next patch to be dug with a tarp to stop it getting to wet
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Planted my potatoes - Maris Bard - and covered them with fleece, still worried about frost but had to get on. Actually sunk the spuds quite deep and made ridges either side to lay the fleece over. I just hope there are no high winds!
Also took the risk of putting in 2 rows of early Onward peas.
The rest of the time was spent raking the ground but as its been so cold and windy its very dry and lumpy.
O yes, drank tea and chatted to the other plot holders! :D
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I grippled my espaliers (apple and pear) and caned up my fans (plums) -- all new skills for me after a long time in gardening.
R
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Lovely sunny day today in Hull, Limed 4 Beds, repaired coldframe frames with new glass where needed. Dug over bed and incorporated rotted manure to where 1st earlies are to be planted. Set up 1st early pots on egg trays for chitting.
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Not going to the plot today due to a complete turn around in the weather.
Bright sun yesterday and cold windy rain today :nowink:
I will be re-sowing my chillies, peppers and tomatoes at home tonight after tea in the heated propogator.
I will be using a different compost as i believe the failiure of my last lot was due to bad compost.
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Took delivery of a bulk bag of topsoil mixed with compost and another of organic compost, whilst waiting for the plumber to come and fix the drains :tongue2: OH will be busy this weekend!
Dug a flower bed so I can put in pollinating/bee-friendly stuff near the veggies. Sowed stuff in toilet rolls (without the paper :tongue2:) and watched toms, chillies and peppers come up in heated propagator. Allowed hens out for a scratch around in the mossy lawn. Still waiting for drains to be fixed..... :(
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Got the greenhouse frame up and screwed down, just the digging inside and the glazing left to do ...oh and fit the new fangled auto opener :unsure:
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1 hours digging, very strong wind got up while i was there so packed up.Have another look manyana.
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Wasted 1/2 a raised bed by putting some shallots in. Fully expect them to be massacred by allium leaf miner again, but it just doesn't seem right no planting any :blink:
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Dug up the last of the parsnips as they are starting to grow again, and lightly forked over part of the plot, finding some of last year's Lady Christl potatoes as I did so!
Here's a pic.
(Why, I hear you ask? Well, these parsnips were all from a row of thinnings which goes to show it can be done, and the potatoes, which are in perfect condition despite being only a few inches under the surface, shows just how tough the tubers are; pity the top growth isn't as resilient and has to be protected from frost.)
If you ask me why stored spuds go soft and rot if subjected to frost but these have probably suffered days if not weeks of it underground this winter I honestly haven't a clue! :unsure:
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picked up 3 pallets at work today, so dropped them down to the allotment after work, screwed them together into a rough compost bin. another 3 on the cards for tomorrow, to finish a double bin.
Grendel
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Dug over a recently unused part of the plot!! (getting there slowly!!) Planted up five blueberry bushes (in holes filled with eracious compost) one blackcurrant and one red currant bush! Hoefully get my strawberry plants in tomorrow!
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Yesterday I finished turning over newly allocated spud bed. Dug out (quite deeply) long striped roots of lord knows what, as well as Mare's Tail, nettle roots etc. Hubby helped me replace wooden edgings (broken drawer parts :D), as I'd run out of nails ::). Need some more pieces of wood tho' to finish it off.
Cut up some more placcy bottles for cloches & labels :)
Had a day off today the plot today & re-potted some seedlings ;)
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Yesterday did a couple of hours digging, general tidy up, composting.
Today a couple of hours clearing grass, dandelions and couch from two raised beds.
By the time ive pulled myself together after a days work 2 hours of light is all i have if im lucky.
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Eventually pulled out the tree trunk with the tractor ( watched OH balancing on 5 wheels at one point :ohmy:)
Now just need to get out as many roots as possible level the ground again, and re rotovate!
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Planted some 'erbs in pots then raced to work (late again ::) )
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Just looked and planned ...... and picked some chickweed for my salad :)
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2 hours digging weed roots out of half the potato bed. Potatoes are chitting nicely and can hardly wait to get them in.
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well, started off 2011 by throwing some red radish seeds in a small area and covered up with compost. planted some plum tomato seeds in some pots and they are in my bedroom window bay being kept warm by the heat from the radiator :tongue2:
maris piper and cara potato's are starting to grow small shoots. once shoots grow bigger then i will put them outside.
hoping the weather warms up some more and i can use my small plastic greenhouse outside. next is cucumber, brussel sprouts
and oh yes.... need to get some peas to grow, how could i forget! :blink:
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:ohmy:
FLIPPIN WIND!!
Went up to the plot to discover the brand new polytunnel mangled in the meadow behind the plot. After I'd finished crying :( we retrieved it and confirmed that it was truly b*ggered.
Oh Well
Treated the wood for the raised beds while OH dug over beds on which to place them.
Where am I going to raise my seeds now?
P.S. we weren't the only ones to sustain damage...roll on some nice weather
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:ohmy:
FLIPPIN WIND!!
Went up to the plot to discover the brand new polytunnel mangled in the meadow behind the plot. After I'd finished crying :( we retrieved it and confirmed that it was truly b*ggered.
Oh Well
Treated the wood for the raised beds while OH dug over beds on which to place them.
Where am I going to raise my seeds now?
P.S. we weren't the only ones to sustain damage...roll on some nice weather
Sorry to hear about the damage.... very disheartening. :(
There's lots on this site about anchoring polytunnels if you are considering replacing it. ;)
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Thanks learner
It was well anchored - belt and braces job - we just under-estimated how exposed the site was. Judging from the timber framed greenhouse that was with our polytunnel in the meadow we are going to have to think of something else - I'm thinking cloches (?)
Touch wood - the shed seems ok so perhaps a shed with lots of windows :)
I'm more annoyed about the complete waste of money
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:ohmy:
FLIPPIN WIND!!
Went up to the plot to discover the brand new polytunnel mangled in the meadow behind the plot.
sorry to hear that :(
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went to the plot after work to drop off some more pallets, only to find the lock had broken and been changed.
So no compost bin building for me tonight.
Grendel
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Sorry to read that Gravedigger :(, I've got a feeling my tent-like coldframe will probably have flown the same way :wacko:, will find out tomorrow. Really will have to get a start on my digging over my brassica patch to weed & aid drainage soon. Just need a couple of dry days ....
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Spent a very windy afternoon stripping and denailing 6 pallets :) :)
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Spent a very windy afternoon stripping and denailing 6 pallets :) :)
Surely it was too cold and windy to be stripping?!!
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Spent about four and a half hours there this PM virtually on my own, bit too breezy for most.
Planted all my Rocket early spuds and planted out fifty parsnips that I started off in cardboard tubes. These still had just their seed leaves but some of the roots were a good 4+ inches long,almost to the bottom of the tube.
The ground had been dug in November and I used a two inch diameter post and a sledgehammer to make 15 to 18 inch holes. I moved the post around to make each hole bigger at the top. I filled the holes with a mixture of spent compost, seived soil, (builders) sand and BFB, firmed it with the upturned post and put the tube on top.
An awful lot of work I know, but I had nothing better to do. I`m hoping the alloment chairman who is next door will be impressed. He`s been there 30 years, this is my first......
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:ohmy:
FLIPPIN WIND!!
Went up to the plot to discover the brand new polytunnel mangled in the meadow behind the plot. After I'd finished crying :( we retrieved it and confirmed that it was truly b*ggered.
Oh Well
Treated the wood for the raised beds while OH dug over beds on which to place them.
Where am I going to raise my seeds now?
P.S. we weren't the only ones to sustain damage...roll on some nice weather
I had the same experience last year Gravedigger and after a certain amount of 'restoration' and further reinforcement and nailing down it still succumbed to the gales this year. >:( As a big chunk of old stone wall went into the field too I can't replace it until that is re-built. I think it will have to be replaced with a greenhouse if there is one strong enough to withstand the gales. Until then, maybe a cold frame.
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Went down to fetch the toolbox from the lottie to try to repair the gaping hole the wind left in my garage roof last night. Looks like that's as much allotmenteering as i'll be doing today. >:(
I know the feeling of disappointment. My planned 3 hour escape to the plot changed into a longer stay at my parents place. ::) My father didn't want the shower I suggest he take when I arrived......until it was time for me to go.
Bye, bye plot visit. Rain forecast for tomorrow too. :(
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still waiting for a new key from where the broken lock was replaced yesterday. so no allotting for me this evening.
Grendel
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Went and sat in the allotment to try and get a bit of fresh air.
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Built staging down one side of greenhouse and laid out seed trays. It's going to be a busy weekend sowing seeds. :)
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Planted my earlies felt like taking a chance on them i can cover if needed later, got some netting for fruit cage i want to build and had a chat with the site rep we are getting toilets built woo hoo.
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Spent a very windy afternoon stripping and denailing 6 pallets :) :)
Surely it was too cold and windy to be stripping?!!
They build us tough in Hull...... :D :D :D
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Put up 15 foot of fencing, and laid 10 paving slabs...
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Picked a fight with the loganberry.
Think I lost.
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Picked a fight with the loganberry.
Think I lost.
I have a bramble, nettle and livestock fence to take out tomorrow. Think I'll don my welding gauntlets. ???
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Exactly 30 minutes - on my way home from work: Hoed and raked over the bed for the parsnips, and planted four rows of them. Partly dug over the Broad Bean bed. Checked the weed control fabric hadn't blown away. Whew!
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Nipped in on my way home during the pouring rain to check my tent / cold frame. Was amazed my poly cover & all my placcy bottles were as I left them despite the howling gales over the last couple of days :D.
I whipped the poly cover off my "cold frame" anyway so my seeds could have a drink :).
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Only had an hour so planted Raspberry canes and alot of white onions - over ran and had to hurry home!
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Had to rotovate the plot today as the tractor had compacted the soil despite it being quite dry. But all tree trunk and all roots near tot he surface have been removed. Planted some Carrots, Spring Onions, Lambs lettuce and Kohl Rabi.
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went to both plots today, did an hours digging on one, managed to get into the other as they have put another new lock (with the old key). and marked out some beds by raking over the top, they will need digging though, plan to take my pallets down later or tomorrow to finish my compost bins.
Grendel
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Dug, Dug, Dug and Dug, oh yeah a bit more digging on top of that.
Sat and listened to the birds singing and the bees buzzing around. Watched the world go by for a bit, relaxed and reflected on how lucky i am to have access to a plot of really good rich soil to grow my family some lovley veggies and delicious fruit!
God i love my allotment - who needs therapy when you have a plot?
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Oh yeah, and i volunteered to man the allotment shop for a couple of hours every so often, works out about once every 1 and a bit months!
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Can't work up there today as we're off out in a bit. took the dogs up there for a walk and worked out the final bits and pieces needed for some fencing we're going to do. The dogs loved the smell of the manure piles along the way! :lol:
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got up there to find that some nice man (ok an assumption it could have been a woman :blink: ) has rotovated my big bed for me. :D So all I had to do was fork over the last small bed.
Lifted the plastic, planted some sugarsnap peas and recovered :)
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Replaced two cracked panels on the greenhouse, sowed 30 sprouts, 20 cauli's, 20 beetroots, 20 various lettuce, and 20 summer cabbage. sieved a 70ltr bag of potting compost as I'm too tight to pay for seed compost as well. The twiggy bits go on the beds.
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Got the bike out as.........it began to rain :(
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2nd trip to the plot - finished the pallet compost bin and dug over a 2m x 2m bed. back home and
knackered worn out, I dont think I am used to all this hard work, must build up slowly. then I will be able to dig all day.
Grendel
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Finished digging over the second plot and then planted the Grape Vines, I bought a few weeks ago. Then for the next two hours Committee stuff !!!!!!!!!
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over the last two weeks I'm quite chuffed to have got the following done.
bought and treated scaffold planks, and made into a raised bed for fruit. Created frame for raspberries and nailed to raised bed. Planted 12 raspberry canes and 12 strawberries plants in new bed.
Moved tayberry to give it more room.
Planted 100 onion sets - 50 white, 50 red and 15 red sun shallots.
Ordered new shed and ecobase to go under it. Gravedigger so sorry to hear about your polytunnel, reason for new shed is that my garden store bit the dust in the gales too. :(
Today have cleared area where new shed is going, flattened it and laid ecobase ( much easier than paving slabs). Shed is coming on Monday.
Pleased with progress as I only get to garden weekends and day off. :)
Spuds are chitting on window seat, can't wait to plant them out but it will be few weeks yet.
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Got the bike out as.........it began to rain :(
A dozen spots later...... I think I might just risk it for a change of scenery
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Set off as it began to rain...oh well :)
Completed the 1st raised bed and filled it with soil ready for the 1st earlies to go in hopefully on the 16th
Erected cold frame as an inadequate replacement for the poly tunnel...thanks for all the sympathy everyone - it made me feel better :)
Thinking of adapting my dad's old shed by adding lots of windows....otherwise have lots of tomato, cucumber and courgette seeds going to waste
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Built the ickle B&Q greenhouse in the garden, all but one panel that was being a so-n-so. Will leave it for tonight or I'll lose it and take a hammer to it :D, will finish it tomorrow.
Instructions say it will take two people half a day.......
Who they trying to kid?????
WW 8)
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Had such a lovely day today. Nice and dry ground. Gone are the water logged days of February.
Turned over the soil on 3 beds and dug & filled my bean trenches. Hard days work, worthy of the glass of red wine that I'm now enjoying while wathing the rugby.
Happy Days. :D :D :D :D
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2 new Water Butts plumbed into the gutters of the greenhouse, just in time for the rain :)
Next - cross-link them, then get a submersible pump and a solar-charged battery, to maintain a header tank inside the greenhouse, and an irrigation kit. Planning for low-maintenance this year :)
Just sown some alpine strawberries, tomatoes and courgette in a propagator (/lights-blue-touch-paper).
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Finally did something on the plot. OH rotivated while I took down the brasicca cage :)
It was so nice to be able to get out there!! Its been so wet up til now
Spread lots of manure over the quarter where the spuds are going & rotivated it all in
Then everything stopped when we found an injured hedgehog by the side of the road
running round the allotment. Found a box and took him to a wildlife centre
They said one leg was hanging off but if he survives maybe we can put him back on our
allotment. All in all an interesting day ;)
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Nothing as I had a mega hangover from going out in town the last 2 days. Then went to the football, 0-0 not great but still had fun !!
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Put in another four rows of earlies and planted half a row of beetroot.
Spent a lot of time talking with other allotmenteers. Lovely morning.
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Had a lovely day on the plot. Sunshine and a little wind but warm enough to sit on the bench and drink tea. O yes, did some planting - spuds, onions, beetroot and carrots. Also planted some flowers alongside the shed.
And, my allotment neighbour strimmed my grass - how kind!
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Just started raining as I set out for the lottie but I went anyway. Shouldnt have bothered as all of my plot had been recaimed by the weeds. so much for my hard work digging it all over last month in the cold.
At least the rhubarb had magicaly appeared ( somebody told me there was rhubarb on my plot somewhere, turns out they were right) :D
Shall go sunday armed with a fork and wage war on the weeds .... again.
LottieX
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Went up yesterday and dug over corner for potatoes and managed to plant two rows of first earlies.Lovely bit of sun.Was hoping to sneak up today but it's raining :( haven't started any seeds off yet so panicking just a little!
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I just noticed I've got 'experienced' member under my name, ha ha ha! :D
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Yesterday I weeded Bed 1 and got ride of two barrowfuls of couch grass and mares tail. I also started building a compost bin from pallets.
Had a nosy at Colin's new plot which is down by the brook and chatted to Jim about potatoes and where to plant them this year.
If the weather stays fair today, i'll finish off the compost bin and make some raised beds.
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Wetter than an otter's pocket again today, went down to see if all was well after the rain and wind and the neighbouring plot has had some work done on it. Looks like i have a new neighbour, maybe the dividing fence will get mended. Bumped into the guy who delivers the manure so asked him for a delivery next sunday, so not a total loss.
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just finishing off a cuppa and then off i go, got a load to do but i am looking forward to it,
mmmm shall i erect my plastic greenhouse today, will see
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First proper go on the plot this year, yesterday.
Looked at all the weeds and started despairing, but cheered myself up that I've time to sort them, it's a while before most things will go in the ground. (It's been far too wet to do any digging or anything).
Tidied up a bit, made good my compost bin area, worked out what's going where this year.
Harvested some snips, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks and salsify.
That's it. Need to start some sowing this week (at home).
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Tidies potting shed and sowed:
- 2 more trays of spring onions (white lisbon)
- 1 tray of Scabious,
- 1 tray of beetroot
Then planted out the rest of the winter flowering pansies :)
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Did far too much digging - backs of the legs a little tight - ouch...... will be going tomorrow so more ouch.... :)
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Harvested a few more stones ::)
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Had a good few hours there today.
Planted about anotherer 100 or so onions, Dug over another large bed (Only 3 more to go)
Rescued the fence (again!!! - really need to sort a new one)
Brought home about 10 leeks and some over wintered spring onions.
Had a good chat with a couple down the site - couldnt believe there was only about 3 people there!
Now back home, having a relaxing ice cold lager then make the most of the sunshine and sow 100 or so peas and a few more mangetout now i know what to do with them!
Had a look at the rasberries i put in last year - really need to find out what i should be doing with those now!
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went to get horse muck in my neighbours pick up truck to supply his allotment which is close to mine and next weekend we'll do the same for mine. I then nipped to my plot and dug up the remaining parsnips , about 8 of them and pulled up 6 leeks then went home for a bath and rest and a well earn't cuppa
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Sowed 20 summer savoy cabbage (Samantha), 4 Asturian tree cabbage, 3 tomato varieties(10 of each), and 10 sweet pepper(Californian Wonder).
We only have 16 plots but apart from me the place was deserted. I sometimes wonder if the others are waiting for the veg plants to appear in the garden centres before they make a start.
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managed to get my poly greenhouse up , my daughter come to help and really enjoyed it she was checking the instructions and passing me the poles , :)she had it all sorted in no time.
took my trangia up and was happy now i could russtle up some tea .
only seen a couple up there and it was such a beautifull day sun shining and very peacefull
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Finished the greenhouse, Built the potting bench and shelving unit ('ell of a lot easier than the greenhouse :lol:)
SWMBO planted up beetroot, turnips kohl rabi, broard and french beans, spuds put out for chitting and the shallots put into pots.
Oh and we bust the rake :lol:
WW 8)
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This afternoon I built a compost bin out of pallets and put some manure in it.
I also moved 8 large pallets as they were squashing my Daffodils.
My sister came down and admired my newly dug and weeded bed, and asked if she could have a little patch on my plot.
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Spent a good few hours down there today
Moved the shed to our plot within 15 mins :)
Weeded a few beds
Put more muck on the pumpkin patch
Weeded the strawberry bed
and dug over a little bit more of the plot, only a few more beds to go now. Also turned over the compost bin and put a couple of loads of muck in there.
Time for a cuppa and some biscuit's me thinks :happy:
Next job will be to get the greenhouse fixed up. Put a few new panes in there and clean it with jeys fluid and then stick a sulphur candle in there.
Also got told i can get pallets for free from grave stone makers (dont know if there is any technical name for them). Our local one gives them away free because he gets the granit in on them. He said he'd be happy to get rid of them so im going to get down there and make a few more compost bins :D
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Spent a good few hours down there today
Moved the shed to our plot within 15 mins :)
Weeded a few beds
Put more muck on the pumpkin patch
Weeded the strawberry bed
and dug over a little bit more of the plot, only a few more beds to go now. Also turned over the compost bin and put a couple of loads of muck in there.
Time for a cuppa and some biscuit's me thinks :happy:
Next job will be to get the greenhouse fixed up. Put a few new panes in there and clean it with jeys fluid and then stick a sulphur candle in there.
Also got told i can get pallets for free from grave stone makers (dont know if there is any technical name for them). Our local one gives them away free because he gets the granit in on them. He said he'd be happy to get rid of them so im going to get down there and make a few more compost bins :D
Stonemasons I believe.
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There we go, knew there was a proper term for it :lol:
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Had a good four hours on the plots.
On Plot6b,
Finished digging over and prepared the ground where the Brassica's are going this year. Basically I just raked level where I had winter dug and to be honest I got a nice tilth as the clods broke up so easily but the soil below was firm( Perfect )
In the Greenhouse I sowed some leeks, Cabbage, Red Cabbage and Salsify and watered down the manure I had applied to the beds in early winter and turned it in. A sign of warmer weather, the automatic vents opened the windows.
Plot 20,
Finished digging over and prepared some seed beds.
I sold two bags of Compost from the container too!!!!!!!!
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Sunday afternoon and only one other person about :happy:... yesterday morning it was packed apparently.
Having not been for ages I was surprised how time seemed to slow down while I was there! I got so much done, feel very pleasantly tired and warm.
A great break. :)
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Helped by a very diligent 5 year old to sow peppers, sweetcorn and courgettes into modules. Then retreated to have a cup of tea due to rainfall :-(
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I too managed to get a good session down on the plot this afternoon, it was deserted, and gloriously sunny! YAY!
My strawberry bed now looks good enough to eat, it is well dug, weed free, slug peletted and fed, and slightly extended. I also had a good general tidy up, swept the shed (?!) and tidy some pots that have been waiting for me to do something with them! Oh and i hoed, rather gingerly, between my onions and my raspberries.
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Built and filled a couple of raised beds which will be used later for salad leaves and carrots respectively.
Harvested the last of the brussels sprouts and composted the plants, dug over the bed.
It was a beautiful day and the plot holders were out in droves :)
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I was only on the plot to take delivery of some spuds from a fellow friend. No way could you work on the ground. Heavy rain last night, so far too damp.
By the way does anyone know how many crowns you will need when establishing an asparagus bed? As a rough guide.
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Nothing
I'm stuck in work till after 8pm :(
WW 8)
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Planted some onion sets, digging over some beds and planted my Second earlies
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Pondered on whether to start planting anything. Some of the packets do say Feb/March but the soil is so cold ???
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Pondered on whether to start planting anything. Some of the packets do say Feb/March but the soil is so cold ???
I'd wait a week in that case or cover a section with a cloche to warm the soil.
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Used five pallets to build two compost bins and some olddoors to build a bin for the manure this year. Started to take down the wire fence which is full of old brambles but they beat me off. Try again tomorrow.
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Dug over the raised beds again ::) I think once more should do it :)
Covered the area with a fleece, ready to sow seeds direct :)
Started work on where the sweet corn is going.
Got flowerbeds ready :D
Pondered wether to sow heritage toms yet :unsure:
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i think im going to start some off in cheapo greenhouse jamie , hopefully they will come up nicely
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I think ill do same as you then mate :D
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ok but sighn this disclaimer first :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Today I did nothing on my own veg plot apart from peer excitedly at a lone brave asparagus spear appearing out of the ground and noticed that my purple sprouting is actually looking like it might sprout soon.
I did help my friend assemble her greenhouse and potting bench though and tried not to be envious. I say helped, I assembled, she made tea. :)
Hello btw. :)
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Had to work later than usual so only had an hour or so of light to work in. Chatted to new neighbour, discovered he saw a rat on out lots yesterday. Did a bit more digging of couch from the raised beds, planted some garlic, some chopping of greens and browns for new compost.
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digging and more digging and contemplating making a shed because I can't find a second hand one anywhere!
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digging and more digging and contemplating making a shed because I can't find a second hand one anywhere!
Have you tried looking in your local "Loot"?
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eh? :blink:
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found it! thanks Andy! ,never heard of that,will give it a go!
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We're not doing anything today, because we are expecting the nice lady from the council to come with her Surveyor friend to make out exactly what the full extent of our plot is.
Then the fun begins :lol: :lol:
WW 8)
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yesterday I dug for 18 foot then stopped rested and had a cup of tea :D
shifted a little bit more muck and cleared up the strawberry patch from all the weeds then went home :lol:
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Dug out some more brambles (dratted things!) from where I intend to grow my globe artichokes and another area where I'm hoping to grow 'sweet lupino' beans. Then covered the artichoke bed with a good layer of homemade compost and some cardboard and dug a trench where the beans are going and started filling it with kitchen scraps.
Doesn't sound like much but I'm worn out, those bramble roots are tenacious. :mad:
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That sounds like quite a lot of work missmenace and as you say bramble roots are tough going. All be worth it in the end. :D
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Thanks. :D I certainly hope so.
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built a very small raised bed for herbs so i have one at home and one at the lotty
dug a small trench and then erected some wire fencing for my peas and just pottered about
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Should have listened to DD and Mumofstig, they said it was too early. I planted a load of toms and cuces and they were coming up well indoors so on Sunday when it was gloriously sunny I out them out. Forgot about them and over night half died in the frost!
Will start again when they start theirs!!!
Got some peas and beens going in the newspaper and toilet roll holders and some early lettuce in the cold frames.
Jools.
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Re directed the fence to allow me easier access to the chucks when I get them. through more Compost down. checked the fruit canes I planted a few week back The two Red Berry canes are doing well. The other fruit have got buds exept one on the late fruiting Raspberries and the early fruiting one think these are dead. However the Blackberry bush seems to have benefited to the added compost ant fertilizer I put down as this is budding as well now to train the thing. 8)
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put 4 rows of red baron onions in as it was dry.
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Built another 15 foot of fencing, made a decked area 13 ft by 8 ft out of scaffold boards.
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Found a load of paving slabs in a skip, couple of trips later ive got about 40 at the lottie. No real time for much else after that. Day off on Thurs so hopefully the itll be dry enough to get back to some cultivation.
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Dug over 40m2.
Ow, me back.
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Dug over 40m2.
Ow, me back.
You'll know about it in the morning! :lol:
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Dug over 40m2.
Ow, me back.
Ouch..... a nice warm bath and then a little gentle exercise tomorrow. ;)
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I'm preping my potato area this week, plan to start planting next week. Today I started off some beans in the greenhouse and reset the mouse traps - the meeces seem to be everywhere this year.
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Decided that the last of my cistus is well and truly extinguished by the last freeze ...... so that's three cistus and a leptospermum gone over the last two winters. They were the backbone of my little yard by the house so all the colour has disappeared. :(
Now, do I risk some more in the assumption that the weather will never again be so severe or research something of a hardier nature ? :unsure:
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got to my foggy lotty at about 7.50am and got the beer settled in the river planted a run of peas one half is marrowfat from a packet from tescos cost 18p the other half of the run is a sweet garden pea then i covered with enviromesh and bricked it down.
Then duganother trench hoed in some bfb and then covered that with a layer of compost in two weeks time i will sow the run with peas. I then hit the rhubarb patch with the hoe :ohmy: and gave them all a little drink .i then put the kettle on for me and the my dog she loves a cuppa at about 10am :wacko: then it was beer time for me ???
i checked my onions and shallots i think they are starting to settle in now and in about two weeks i will take the debis netting off as i type this im looking at the pots that contain my basil oregano and chives on the window sill,that im waiting to germinate along with 12 cauilis 12 brussels 12 cabbage and 12 broccoli so i might have a chat with them all after i post this and do the same with all there twins in the cold frame and then its a spot of lunch and a beer
today is gonna be a good day hope it is for all of your goodselves
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Weeded the fruit patch which is now a far size compared to last year hoping for a bump crop 2nd year
Put in another 12 shallots - now have Red Sun and Golden Gourment
Planted some freebie peas kindly given to me by my plot neighbour.
Stood, looked and admired :D
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Finished off the hen area. Built two new gates. edge fenced along the area wher the fruit canes are, shouted at a couple of slugs >:( and built a bonfire and burnt all the scrap wood Just finished and had a bath...
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Walked home from work via the plot and planted the strawberries another allotment holder had left for me - how kind. Stood around feeling pleased with myself. :D
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i wish I had time to even go near it. But its wrk wrk wrk at the moment. Far too many hrs. >:( >:(
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Walked home from work via the plot and planted the strawberries another allotment holder had left for me - how kind. Stood around feeling pleased with myself. :D
That's the way to do it... enjoy!! ;)
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Not strictly today but yesterday I converted this
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm5/katemerriman/90fdfb4e.jpg)
into this
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm5/katemerriman/179adf25.jpg)
Also spent a bit of time standing around feeling pleased with myself. Today doing more sitting as everything aches. In a minute I will pull myself together and get on with potting up my chillis but wallowing with a cuppa at the moment!
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We had a nice walk round the other plots just to see if ours was ok. Yes we are new to this and dont want to get left behind.
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prepared the second pea trench which i will so in two weeks time
then prepared an area for the lettuce for when they go in
had a chat with the rhubarb and fed them all BFB then watered that in
checked my onions and shallots were ok and if it does not rain tonight i will water them tommorow
and than i made a cuppa happy st patricks day to you all
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Planted 3 rows of orla potatoes and excavated another huge boulder >:(
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Made a new cover for my mini greenhouse ( for patio) from Bubble wrap, the plastic one supplied was far too tight and the zip broke in the first year. Have transfered some seedlings outside into it now as I have rumn out of table in front of the french doors space!
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dug another 30ft x 5ft bed ready for horse muck on sunday , lifted more leeks and spring onions from last years planting , watered some carrots i sowed under cloches , planted 40 Gladioli bulbs around the perimeter of the plot for the bees to use , that my partner bought and insisted i plant . ::)
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Finally finished the 100 foot of fencing made from stripped down pallets. Tomorrow I can maybe do some actual gardening for a change... ::)
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well done mate thats a lot of pallets :)
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Bought second earlies and maincrop and started them chitting. Finished digging/weeding the last raised bed, started a compost bin for veg/kitchen scraps to discourage vermin. Went back to the skip i got the paving slabs from and walked away with a 25 meter wind up type affair hose. Unfortunately the guy replacing his roof in the next street wasnt willing to part with any of the old roof supports, they would have made great raised beds too.
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well done mate thats a lot of pallets :)
Which also produced quite a few blisters.... :lol: :lol:
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I've laid weed membrane over a 22ft X 16ft area for our "chillout zone". then I dug an 8th square veg plot, had lunch, did a bit of weeding and came home. lovely weather too :D
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Put a long row of peas in, dug over a further bed, weeded by hand round rasberries
A good few hours work!!
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I got carried away when I got home (nice weather) and laid weed membrane round the plants on the front garden, then covered with bark chippings. Nedd a bit more bark to finish completely, but all in all, a good days work. Need a long soak in the bath now to ease my achey bones. :lol:
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yet more digging
slow going work still trying to get the couch grass roots out
got help tomorrow so should be good
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Today I admired my two new raised beds- made from pallets.
I also nailed more planks of wood onto my compost bin, and attached polythene to the outside to keep it warm.
I will be looking out for old carpet to put on the top of it.
I also weeded and raked over Bed 2.
I will attach pictures if I can figure out how to do it.
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Only had an hour so spent the time trying to protect my recently sown peas from the local pigeons. I'll swear they sit and watch, wait for us to go home and they're in there, pecking through the netting to pick out the peas. :mad:
Have tried raising the neting and have strung up some cds over it. I can see this is going to be war!
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Pricked out some chilli seedlings, moved some seedlings from the house to the mini greenhouse, then sowed some tomato, celery, peas and mange tout.
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Pricked out a dozen lettuce, sown some petunia,s ,marigolds, and asters. Tidied three small strawberry beds up, emptied and cleaned cold frame,prepared plot where parsnips will be planted out.
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yet more digging
slow going work still trying to get the couch grass roots out
I feel your pain, i really do.
Started clearing weeds from and turning over the remainder of the plot giving me lots of greens for the hot compost bin. Same tomorrow for a couple of hours and a big full day of it Sunday when i get a load of horse muck delivered.
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painted / treated the fence panels and the chicken hutch and run tidied up a bit and now just waiting to sow some seeds.
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Nothing, but i did take delivery of our new wolfgarten handle. We found a cultivator attachment when we were clearing out the old shed. Also the last minute seed order delivered, jack of all trade pumpkin seeds, always wanted to grow them :lol:
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more weeding of the paths, sowed some peppers, cabbage, cauli, red cabbage, lettuce and spring onions.
I need to get the other beds made and mend the wood round the beds broken by previous occupiers son to remove :(
Going to go today to do more weeding, just checked all my seedlings here at home....cabbage very leggy glad I sowed more ;)
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Had a lazy morning chillaxin in the sun, then this afternoon a few beers and off to watch Hull City V Norwich, :D :D :D
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I laid some weed fabric down over the rough grass under the lavender hedge, before it gets too weedy and horrible, like last year.
Raked a small bed over, and checked if the peas were up...no sign yet :( Sowed a few greyhound cabbage in the greenhouse.
Starting on the garden beds this afternoon :)
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Such a beautiful day. Sowed my first salads today. Felt so nice to be getting back into the swing. Heading to the allotment later to get my onions in. Might wait a bit before putting the potatoes in. Still a bit of a risk of frost down here. Happy days. :D
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Visited my plot for the first time to do some work today. There is a big soil mountain on it, so I've made inroads to getting rid of that.
I rotorvated it as well, on the advice of other plotholders (round the soil mound), so once that is totally away, I'll do it again.
It will take a long time to get things the way I want them, but I'll get there. :D
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This morning I assembled a cloche/coldframe type thing that I had liberated from my parents and sowed some french marigold and poached egg plant seeds that I plan to plant around the edges of my slab path (so that it looks like the gaps were intentional ;) ).
Then I mostly sat and drank coffee and enjoyed the sun on my face. :D
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Heard the distinctive chug of the dumper truck making its way to the allotments so i changed into my allotmenteering outfit (old band t-shirt, boots and jogging bottoms) and bowled on over to the plot. I must have heard the dumper leaving as i arrived to find a ton of horse muck and no sign of the guy, hopefully i'll catch up with him to settle up tomorrow.
So after moving a ton of manure i continued where i left off yesterday, weeding and digging and digging and weeding anon etc.
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We also spent our first official day at the Lotty today, actually doing stuff and not just standing there thinking, "What have we done" :lol:
Dug over a 12' x 20' patch (we will pay for that later) and raked over a second area again 12' x 20'.
Still so much to do, but we know to take it very steady and build up to things.
To put things into perspective, this is the same size as our back garden :ohmy:
The Wolfies
(As I wasn't doing this on my own :D)
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more weeding along the perimiter,sowed some Marigolds, nasturtians and cucumber today.
Had a coffee and sat with the sun on my face 8)
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More digging and pulling out miles of MARESTAIL :mad:
Malcolm
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What a lovely, lovely day. Only popped down to lottie for half an hour but managed to plant some broad beans which were getting too big for their loo tubes in the conservatory and then put some fleece over another bed ready for some early planting soon.
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I weeded the raised beds containing the over wintered onions, garlic, spinach and cabbages. Burnt the branches from the trees my husband pruned. Planning to cut some leaves from the spinach in the week this will be the first veg we have harvested from our plot.
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Mowed the lawn and saved grass cuttings for mulch. Put dried tea and coffee around blueberries. Mulched blueberries, peach tree and grape vine with some of said grass cuttings. Poured over propogators for at least 30 minutes willing the seeds to germinate and up shoot 4 sweetcorn :D resisted sowing potato seeds cos of continuing frosts!
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Diverted the bath and bathroom sink drain pipes directly to the grid and diverted the drain pipe into a large Glass recycling bin that was spare Put a tap on it and an overflow just in case ;)
Baught another blackberry and some Raspberry canes and planted them where the others had died or I think they died :D but I just moved them to an area that if they do regain some umph they will not be in the way.
Planted out the strawberry runner I bought the other day not covered it fingers crossed the frost don't come back.
Dug in the ash from the bonfire I had the other day and will hopefully get some of the veg seeds in tomorrow before I go back to work tomorrow evening :( :(
Anyway all jobs done now fingers crossed that the veg do OK for my first time :nowink: :nowink:
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Planted 6 Kerr's Pink I was given & 16 Maris Peers yesterday. Planted a further 26 Maris Peers, 43 Pentland Javelin & 4 Ulster Prince (I was given to try) today :)
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First time on the plot today for nine days and things are certainly moving!
First sowing of broad beans are up, as are carrots under cloches and onion sets and shallots have grown an inch or two.
I`d previously put in two rows of early spuds and today I took out a trench between the rows, using the soil to earth up the potatoes. Then I filled the trench with some of the decaying autumn leaves I`d heaped up last year( now full of worms). On top of the leaves I heaped up barrow loads of heating up fresh horse manure thats brought onto the allotments by local stables.
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Only 12 days until we get our brand new plot. :D
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Oh i did lots of digging over yesterday after it being covered for the winter its was a dream to dig over a few patch's that i could not get covered we a little harder but still not as bad as when i first got the plot. Might try some carrot seed today on the plot but i might have to cover with plastic until i get some enviro-mesh. We got our AGM next Monday evening.
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Ill be going out soon to make a start, will be sowing some more lettuce and some others hopefully, maybe even some tomatoes, and my early onward peas in the pices of ground ive been warming up.
Then im off to pick my onions up from robbodaveuk, cant wait :D :D :D
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happily sowing seeds today in greenhouse ready :) started off with toamato's yesterday and will do some more today allong with anything else i have that will go in there.
i am toying with planting in some spuds as they will be in deep and wont make a show for a couple of weeks
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sowed peas in a tray on friday, today will do 1st batch of 4 sweet corn seeds
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(yesterday) Planted the onion, red onion and shallot sets. Sowed carrots, leek and Parsnip in paper pots. OH carried on making raised beds and digging.
Seems like we're behind a lot of people but we are still getting regular frosts so I guess we'll catch up when the weather does. Still have lots and lots of seeds to plant - and ordered more from trueseeds yesterday. :)
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Well, there was me thinking I didn't have much to do at the moment. Managed to find enough to give me backache! :lol:
I tried growing some spuds in an old bathtub last year but they didn't seem to do very well so I never tried to harvest any. Today I dug through it to weed and get it ready for growing some peas and beans in this year and found a good few pounds of nice sized spuds. :D
Plus I did battle with the day lilies that refuse to be evicted from next to my front steps. The carrier bag full of rhizomes have caused a frenzy on freecycle.
And I just can't resist sowing some seeds so I made a decent sized paper pot and put a few mangetout seeds in it, ready to go out in a big pot next to the front door. For now they have moved into a gap on the windowsill that was crying out for something.
Now I'm probably going to have a little nap. :closedeyes:
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Not the allotment but my indoor greenhouse.
I decided that my broad beans that i'd grown were too leggy and were better off in the bin :(
I've planted some more seeds and hope to have more success this time round.
I've done: Plum and Cherry tomatoes, Detroit Crimson Beetroot, Di Nizza and Patty Pan Squashes, Carrots, Purple Podded peas, Giant Broadbeans, Dwarf french Beans and 1 cucumber plant.
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Started at 8, came home for an hour to wave the OH off then straight back round, might have another stint after ive eaten. So far, digging and weeding, weeding and digging, do you see a pattern here? All around me the nice weather had brought everyone onto their plots and they're busy rotovating whilst old slothful here plods on slowly feeling a geet nump.
Did manage to get a good amount done apart from the digging: composted, turned the muck heap, planted 100 Stuttgart onions and some more garlic and got 3 new fence posts cemented in in prep for getting the fence back up. After all this exertion and weight loss i think i'll treat mesel' to a ruby tonight.
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started some more toms and spring cabbage coulliflower and lettuce off today planted 2 rows of spuds as i have plenty more to do , and dug em in deep and put in some radish and salad leaf
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Planted another row of potatoes, some carrots, leeks and parsnips. I'm a little earlier than I would like but wanted to get something in before the knee job. Big protest from the knees after that! :(
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Pruned fruit trees, clipped blackberry vines, cleared up a lot of rubbish, dug over two beds, made a new compost heap, and burnt my face to a crisp in the first real spring sunshine of the year.
Too cold to plant or sow anything yet, -1°c- -3°c nights still in these parts.
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Today i put up a post and heavy string fence, help my dad on the plot next door to fix some bits on his shed then we cut some plastic sheeting to go inside his shed as its a got lots of air circulation gaps :lol:. I managed to sow some carrots and cover with plastic sheeting and pipe hoops had a sort out of the stuff that builds up beside the shed all in all a good day i think's. Bring it on i ready and waiting to go this season.
Oh and this was about 4 plots away the other side of the fence there was a total of 5 fire engines and 4 police cars in attendance.
(http://yqst3a.sn2.livefilestore.com/y1pyi7joWZLtEdzaa_eMkP4ciQ9Aaf2LvmsLdpYKW5kF4qn07m0L3N6kRIy3vAYuWDCujMA_9X0i4ZynQkUlz1EA4g0c2YEMpvb/IMAG0028.jpg?psid=1)
(http://)
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Today we hoed, weeded and raked two 12 x 57' strips.
We haven't dug these as we have been talking to the previous owner who told us he had turned it all over in the winter so we are going to take a chance this year.
Set the second earlies and mains to chit
sowed in the greenhouse
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Raab
Peas
Kale
Courgettes (two types)
WW 8)
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today i was mostly diggin......and removing nettle roots, i was however hampered because when i pick my fork up miraculously look who appear! >:( >:(
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Notmuch as I had my daughters with me 6 and 3 years old! Sowed a row of radish,carrots and explained why we can't pick strawberrys!
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Notmuch as I had my daughters with me 6 and 3 years old! Sowed a row of radish,carrots and explained why we can't pick strawberrys!
It is great to have "help" isn't it! ::) I remember it well.... :lol:
All on my ownsome at the plot this afternoon so managed to get on in peace. Planted a new strawberry bed and ran the soil-miller between some exisitng crops as well as over bare soil to freshen it up.
The plot looks better and I feel happier. No watch so I was surprised to find it was 6:50 when I arrived home - shows daylight hours are lengthening. :happy:
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Couldn;t get up the plot this weekend :(, two kiddies birthday parties to attend and teething baby >:(, but now the evenings are light i can get up after work for an hour evry night :happy:
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Started at 8, came home for an hour to wave the OH off then straight back round, might have another stint after ive eaten. So far, digging and weeding, weeding and digging, do you see a pattern here? All around me the nice weather had brought everyone onto their plots and they're busy rotovating whilst old slothful here plods on slowly feeling a geet nump.
Did manage to get a good amount done apart from the digging: composted, turned the muck heap, planted 100 Stuttgart onions and some more garlic and got 3 new fence posts cemented in in prep for getting the fence back up. After all this exertion and weight loss i think i'll treat mesel' to a ruby tonight.
Digging and more digging , I too have rotovator 'envy' as my husband calls it ! ::)
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Yesterday I went & did some 'muck' spreading on the 2 beds for potatoes having dug out the couch grass roots from along the path on plot no1,did a bit of chatting & then back home to at last sow sow some seeds of 3 types of toms,beetroot,parsnips in toilet roll middles,chillies,leeks & broad beans.
I had wanted to do some more seeds today but ended up helping our son clear some of his garden in to the brown bin ready for recycling tomorrow & then encouraging Mr S to put the last new fence panel in & put all the cappings on so I could tiffle the ground he'd walked on, before cutting the grass.Mr S said he'd get the mower out for me & then he cut the grass with me trimming the edges. You forget the difference it makes, when the grass has been cut. All in all a lovely weekend. Only 2 1/2 days at work & then I'm off for 11 1/2 days :lol:
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this weekend we have, laid weed membrane down and covered some of it with bark for a chill out area. Fenced off the veg plot, so the dogs can be safe as well as the veg when up there with us. Oh, and spent hours in the sunshine taking barrowloads of horse manure to the back of the plot, kindly donated by a farmer. The pile (a small load, he said), was over five feet high and very wide! :lol: Also went round to neighbours plot for some slabs they gave to us for the base of our shed.
i think I will have very short legs and long arms that scrape the floor after all this labour! :unsure:
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Digging and more digging , I too have rotovator 'envy' as my husband calls it ! ::)
It will feel all the sweeter when its our turn to rotovate safe in the knowledge that we've paid our weeding dues and arent distributing perennial weeds around the beds. :)
Went back to a what was a very quiet site after all the morning activity and did a little more digging and sowed Tigerella, Golden Sunset, Gardeners Choice, Red Pear, Fiorentino and Marzano toms, Musselburgh leeks and Green Calabrese.
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not sure if it is ok to talk about garden plots here, if im in the wrong place then please let me know, thank you :)
well been dry here so spent the day trying to sort out a 4-5 foot deep boarder under my frountroom window, sadly it was over grown with ramsons and they were chocker, so ive reascued the few plants i put in there 2 years ago, golden rod, and a poor lavender, devieded a 3 foot clump of irises and replanted around the garden. Rescued my grape vine and replanted that in the back garden next to the rose arch, freecycled phesents berry bushes x2 and hardy fushia, that a prevous tentent had planted right at the frount of the boarder, they had really over growen the space. Still got about a third of the boarder to do even though ive been at it all day will be so pleased when i fill the boarder up with my hubbys fav flower marigolds got 6 diffent types growing from seed on the window stiles indoors and im going to plant my amaranths (mixed grain) in there, so will have flowers and color but it will still be part edable
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well been dry here so spent the day trying to sort out a 4-5 foot deep boarder under my frountroom window,
4-5 foot deep? That's a fair bit of digging..............? :lol:
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well been dry here so spent the day trying to sort out a 4-5 foot deep boarder under my frountroom window,
4-5 foot deep? That's a fair bit of digging..............? :lol:
:lol: :lol: felt it :D
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First day of spring! :D :D :D :D :D :D shame im at school :( ::)
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Yesterday - pulled so much couch grass out of my potato patch before planting - I could not believe how much seeing as I dug it all over in the autumn - guess I did not do a very good job!!!
also painted an old french door that we found in the barn when we moved in, for the lid for a cold frame.
Today - plan to tdo another coat and some more digging and couch crunching!
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Got my first row of spuds in :) Plan to do 2 rows a week starting this week so they will all be planted in 3 weeks.
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I'm ill with flu so can't do anything, just moping around here... :wacko:
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Poor you Jome. Flu is horrid ..... take it easy and have a hot whisky :)
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Poor you Jome - hope you feel better soon.
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put all the polycarb back in the greenhouse after last months gales
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raked some beds and sowed some more peas on the lottie.
Forked the garden veg bed over :)
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Sowed some carrots in an old cold frame with enviromesh on top also some boltardy beets in a raised bed.
Used some old chicken wire to give beans on my Munty frame a bit more support to grow up.(fixed to canes etc. with cable ties)
Sprinkled some mixed lettuce into a large pot in conservatory to provide some early salad leaves.
It is starting to warm up!!
Cheers HH
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I feel way behind you guys,
I have planted some pinkfir potatoes I was given as a gift x 20....
Moved some rasps(Christmas gifts) into pots(gifts) as I had no idea how fast they spread through the open ground...
Set up a compost bin, again a donation that was going in the tip, then filled the whole compost bin with the buckets of stuff I pulled out over the winter and had no use for.
Decided I need a measuring stick of some kind - plant 8 inches apart... ok what is 8 inches? when you have no measuring implement and used to mm and cm it becomes guess work.Painted a 150cm plant to begin to ark up as measuring pole.
Very little on the planting side, more of the tidying!
Oh and bought some seed potato's from a pound shop type place, £1 for 8 - worth a try!
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I am definitely behind most of you, I managed to get to the plot after work for the first time, did a littlec digging for half an hour before heading home. got some potatoes from sainsburys at the weekend which are chitting in our conservatory. maybe start planting at the weekend.
Grendel
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I was a little amazed to find that a row of small cabbages and a strawberry patch had appeared on my plot when I got there today - then I remembered that one of the more experienced chaps had said that I could have some of his cabbages so he must of put them there, together with some strawberries - perhaps my rather sad looking patch of bare soil is making my neighbours feel sorry for me!! (or maybe someone thinks it's their plot and I'll have plot-rage :tongue2:)
I planted some asparagus and did some digging - lovely :D
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OH put up a placcy greenhouse last weekend and the zip broke :tongue2:, so we got an eyelet punch from a hobby shop and now it's laced up on one side, with a good zip on t'other.
Seeds growing fast in porch and on windowsills, parsnip and leek bed dug and composted, raised beds (and I mean raised - anything up to 50cms deep) watered and full of compost and good topsoil, potato patch dug over, hens cleaned out, new flower bed finally dug and planted. We're both kn***** - sorry, very tired, but happy. Rewarding selves with wine.... ::)
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couple of hours digging and weeding in the warm sun, nice!
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Planted some giant Flak carrot seed under plastic to try and grow some whoppers. Completely dug out the claggy clay "soil" from a 3 x4 foot area and replaced it with seven bags of my sand, well rotted fym, spent compost, seived soil mix with bfb to give them ideal conditions. I`m hoping for some five pounders!
Scavenged a load of discarded wood from the allotment communal compost/rubbish heap and had a bonfire for some free potash. :)
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One and a half hours escape to the plot:
- Cut the grass paths and edged them with shears
- Completed the strawberry bed
- A little hoe here and there so everything looking owned
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Another lovely day but only managed an hour down on the plot. Planted some more broad beans which had been growing in my conservatory; also some peas and black salisfy (not tried this before). Then home for a shower!
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Nothing as I sprained my ankle two weeks ago and am really getting frustrated :mad: especially because the weather has been really good. Any it is starting to get better now so I intend to start planting lots of seeds at the weekend.
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Dug a bit more of the potato space yesterday so will try to plant some later. Also put another coat of paint on the coldframe lid.
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made 2 raised beds just waiting to be filled now. Sowed some carrots in half a bed. Planted some pansies round the edge of one bed for a bit of colour. Then came home with backache (disc problem :( )
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Had a walk round this morning, pulled some weeds, noticed my garlic is coming up!! whoopy doo!!
put the toms, cucs and pepper seedlings into the cold frame for the day, ill take then indoors tonight again.
no sign of my beans or peas coming through yet, but it is early yet.
roll on Saturday when the clocks change!
jools
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Dug a good bit more!!
Planted a row of beetroot, row of spring onions and a row of raddishes. Go nice with some lettuce ive got growing in modules at home.
This year im trying to make the plot look nicer - take more pride in it. Keeping all salad crops together etc.
Little has come through yet - some calbrese just poking through and i think a fleck or two of brussel sprouts may be coming through.
In the garden this aft to decide what else to sow!!
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Potted on sweetcorn and courgettes. Played with all singing and dancing watering system that didn't work last year in an attempt to get it to work this year. Went for a short walk and picked some nettles (got lots of strange looks from dog walking brigade!! ;) ) and topped up nettle tea kettle.
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Did you get the watering system to work?
If so how, and whats it entail?
If it still didn't work then never mind. :tongue2: :lol:
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washed down both greenhouses and replaced the soil.Soggy arm pits now
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...............now what could we grow in them :unsure: :nowink:
Planted a short row of Pentland Javelin spuds and some broad beans.
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What a gorgeous day. 28°C in the greenhouse with all the vents and door open.
Planted 250 sturon onion sets. Back hurting now. 100 red onion sets to go in tomorrow and
72' of carrots to sow. I'll be needing the radox tomorrow. :lol:
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Did you get the watering system to work?
If so how, and whats it entail?
If it still didn't work then never mind. :tongue2: :lol:
Actually opened each watering end, timed how long each drip took and moved on to all the other 8 vents one at a time. Did this until they all took 12 seconds to drip. Its a system for the plastic type small greenhouse I got at the same time. Scarey to think I actually spent 20 minutes timing drips, dread to think how long a system for a proper sized greenhouse would take!
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popped in to the plot to drop off a couple of pallets on the way home from work. dug a couple more rows in a bed, tomorrow I make a bench seat on the end of my compost bins after work, weather permitting. bumped into one of the site managers changing the lock for one attached to a chain
Grendel
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A little bit of forking over - the soil is lovely!
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Bought some more onion sets and garlic bulbs at the garden centre because they were pretty much giving them away :D I cant deccide wether to put them straight outside or in multi cells to help them get some decent roots and catch up with the others :unsure:
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I sowed;
golden crookneck squash (3 year old seed so I'm a bit hopeful)
All Green Bush courgettes
Patty Pan (scalloped edge squash)
Yes I'm a bit of a squash guy
And some Dwarf French Beans
All indoors obviously
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Wish it was the weekend so i could be on our plot instead of being in the office. Feel i am missing out on this glorious planting weather.
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Wish it was the weekend so i could be on our plot instead of being in the office. Feel i am missing out on this glorious planting weather.
Oh Boy, I agree with you all the way with that.
WW 8)
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Wish it was the weekend so i could be on our plot instead of being in the office. Feel i am missing out on this glorious planting weather.
Oh Boy, I agree with you all the way with that.
WW 8)
Me too, it's gorgeous weather here and I'm stuck in a call-centre, shackled to my desk and headset :(
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Wish it was the weekend so i could be on our plot instead of being in the office. Feel i am missing out on this glorious planting weather.
Oh Boy, I agree with you all the way with that.
Me too, it's gorgeous weather here and I'm stuck in a call-centre, shackled to my desk and headset :(
Not all jobs are enjoyable even in the sunshine!
Spent the last couple of hours up to my shoulder in slimy pond-goo fishing out a water lily (which I am trying to give away in "Swap Shop", by the way.) Also yanked out armfuls of smelly pondweed and gunk and came close to soiling myself when a frog jumped out of it. :ohmy: ::)
Yuk! :wacko:
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im sure that wouldnt be good for the water quality but i know what you mean. Had a frog jump out of the compost i was busy turning over,gave me quite a start and it was nearly bye bye froggie if he hadnt moved when he did.
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got to the lotty at 8am pottered about till 9am then i ripped open the behemoth that is my rotavator and did the spud patch one more time then using a trenching spade
ive put in 22 rows at 21 feet of spuds consisting of
5 1st early
6 2nd early
11 rows of main
and im creamed crackered ive just got back fed the dogs opened up a can of stella and poured myself a large vodka to go with it and im toasting my allotment and al of yours
for the coming season
and then im taking my drinks for a cold bath
cheers
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got to the lotty at 8am pottered about till 9am then i ripped open the behemoth that is my rotavator and did the spud patch one more time then using a trenching spade
ive put in 22 rows at 21 feet of spuds consisting of
5 1st early
6 2nd early
11 rows of main
and im creamed crackered ive just got back fed the dogs opened up a can of stella and poured myself a large vodka to go with it and im toasting my allotment and al of yours
for the coming season
and then im taking my drinks for a cold bath
cheers
Sounds like heaven! ;)
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Potted on peppers, physalis and chard.
Sowed Beetroot bolthardy and chioggia, spring onions, peppers and emptied 3 x 1/2 packets of old parsnip seeds into a 1/4 bed.
Pricked out 20 rosemary seedlings
Im sure theres more Im supposed to be doing but for the life of me I can't remember what.
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im creamed crackered ive just got back fed the dogs opened up a can of stella and poured myself a large vodka to go with it and im toasting my allotment and al of yours
for the coming season
and then im taking my drinks for a cold bath
cheers
i have planted out some herbs and laid some turf it doesnt sound much but i too am creamed so to speak......i am joining you with a an ice cold can of cider! 8)
(edit to clarify quote)
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and im creamed crackered ive just got back fed the dogs opened up a can of stella and poured myself a large vodka to go with it and im toasting my allotment and al of yours
for the coming season
and then im taking my drinks for a cold bath
cheers
i have planted out some herbs and laid some turf it doesnt sound much but i too am creamed so to speak......i am joining you with a an ice cold can of cider! 8)
Hot strong tea with two sugars.... a great cooling & refreshing drink. ;)
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Planted some potatoes, weeded between the strawberries which are coming into flower, pruned some plum hedge which was encroaching onto the plot and will arrange the blossom branches into a vase this evening ::)
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Am using this lovely week off work to completely blitz the allotment, get rid of all the winter weeds, dig the whole thing over and tidy everything up. This weekend I am hoping to build a hard standing for the shed and conscript a few random volunteers to move the shed onto it. Then the shed roof needs refelting and it needs repainting with wood stain. I might also put down some turf paths. Also need to get some sowing done.
After three days of more or less solid digging and weeding I am completely cream crackered, needless to say.
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another quick visit to the plot, after work, this time I used some more pallets to build a bench seat at the end of my compost bins, and finished digging the first pair of beds on that plot, may be planting some seed potatoes from sainsburys at the weekend.
Grendel
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I planted a bamboo,hopefully to grow my own bean sticks! :wub: I also surrounded our tattie patch (went in yesterday) with wire fencing to keep the foxes (& badgers)? from digging them up. >:(
I also pulled up the P.S.B. that hadn't made it through the winter, :mad: got three left so keeping the fingers crossed. ::) Cheers, Tony.-Cheers, Tony
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Planted beetroot, spinach outside, with protection; pricked out chillis, peppers, squashes and courgettes from propagators into 3" pots (paper and peat and plastic - I like to try them all!) for growing on/resting in the front room; sowed more peas, runners, spring onions and something else, I can't remember. But the main thing is I planted and did it all on my new potting bench in the new greenhouse. ::)My OH took a tip from Grendel :nowink: and used a couple of pallets from the big soil delivery to make the bench. Thanks for all the great tips.. :D
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.........I also pulled up the P.S.B. that hadn't made it through the winter, :mad: got three left so keeping the fingers crossed. ::) Cheers, Tony.-Cheers, Tony
At the rate my PSB is coming along I think it'll be "summer" sprouting by the time it produces anything! :(
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My first post....But today I potted up my broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprout seedlings. Then I tidied the top of my plot where the perimeter fence meets it.....brambles galore! Now it has 5 compost bins (2 palleted and 3 plastic) and a wood chip path.
Noticed my onion sets, garlic, peas and raddishes are coming through on the plot. In the greenhouse, Lettuce, peas and tomato's are coming through! 20 early sweetcorn are doing well! will chitt some more in a few weeks time!
Little bit more digging to do on friday and then a general hoe round established plants/bushes!
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My first post....But today I potted up my broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprout seedlings. Then I tidied the top of my plot where the perimeter fence meets it.....brambles galore! Now it has 5 compost bins (2 palleted and 3 plastic) and a wood chip path.
Noticed my onion sets, garlic, peas and raddishes are coming through on the plot. In the greenhouse, Lettuce, peas and tomato's are coming through! 20 early sweetcorn are doing well! will chitt some more in a few weeks time!
Little bit more digging to do on friday and then a general hoe round established plants/bushes!
You are doing well. Which part of the country are you from..... your profile doesn't say. :blink: :unsure:
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Went last night and aplied another dose of Glyphosate to finish off the rest of the couch and docks.
Had a good look around for new ideas. ;)
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Put a row of spuds in and some peas. Had to water everything - the ground is bone dry!
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I watered my autumn planted onion sets and garlic. These all survived well despite the winter, and I want them out of the ground as early as possible in June so that the brassica plans can go in for the autumn and winter crops. So I am giving them lots of TLC and I'd talk to them if I thought it would encourage them on. Cutting it fine I think.
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Am so annoyed at the gorgeous weather, I'm still ill and can't do a thing! aargh s*d's law
Wish I could have a whisky, I'm 7 months pregnant so will not be doing much else now apart from sitting around being a fat elephant and (hopefully) watching things grow!
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sowed a row of Elephant Garlic ( thanks Bob) , dragon snaps.
Weeded one of the strawberry beds where eventually my greenhouse will go, a barrow full of buttercup roots >:( thats 2 10ft x 4ft strawberry beds done only 1 to go now.
My back holding up but have to have lots of breaks and been weeding sat on a chair :nowink:
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about eight barrows of manure and compost rotovated and dug into the potato bed, a trip to the dump with glass, rotten wood, and weed roots, repaired the shed door and a couple of raised beds then gave the new hose set up a trial. It just about reaches the end of the allotment so im happy with that.
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sowed some parsnips in paper pots and glazed the greenhouse :)
But boy are my fingers sore from fitting the glazing clips :ohmy: and my thumb nails are roken down to the wicks :(
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Planted the second wave of parsnip seed in cardboard tubes, first lot are planted out and now have true leaves.
Planted out some sweat peas.
Finished digging a 10 x 8 feet block, adding half a tonne well rotted FYM where the sweetcorn is to go. (Hadn`t been winter dug as the leaves were piled up there.) Then marked out with small canes the actual sweetcorn positions, (15 inch spacings each way,) and half way between each cane planted out module grown beetroot, and sowed spring onion and mesclun seeds. Intercropping!
Day away from it tomorrow. going to visit my son on the dairy farm where he works in Devon. Getting down and dirty in a different sense!
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planted a row of potatoes and did some more digging after work this evening.
Grendel
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Put out my seedlings agin in the green house Toms, Peppers, Cukes
chitted some sweet corn
potted 2 small bushes in large pots 1 cherry and one plum.
pulled some weeds then went to work.
What a great way to start the day and to ward off depression - a lovely half hour in the morning sunshine.
Jools
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Built the greenhouse frame back up on the new plot.
Planted the fruit trees in their pots and sowed Sprouts, Callabrese and put onion sets into a tray of compost outside.
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Working in the garden today.
So far, I've emptied, moved, refilled two raised beds (metre Sq) prepared a third and fed all three with BFB.
Having a cuppa, then it's back out to move the small fruit cage to its new position and do some shreading.
And they call it a day off :lol: :lol:
WW 8)
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Our plot is very overgrown (about 5 years worth of abandoment!), so yesterday we cleared out some more willow saplings & brambles - and moved a load of the grass that we've dug up.
After 6 days straight of going to the allotment, today is our day off, before we dig another two bed's worth of grass up tomorrow!
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Sowed parsnips direct in the dark last night. Made a quick escape before they carted me off to the funny farm.
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cut the grassn love that smell o the irst cut of many
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Uncovered more ground and dug over some more beds, removing bramble roots that were about to shoot >:( got some more bushes from the pound shop and started to look at a pergola for the garden.
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This afternoon I planted two full rows of Charlotte and two full rows of Kestrel. I also marked out and prepared the ground for my Early Onward peas, which I will sow Sunday!
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5th night in a row at the allotments, tonight I built another bench seat from pallets on the other plot., another couple of rows of digging and home via the ironmongers for a new fork handle. - bought 2 a d handle and a T, thinking I might take the D off the handle and refix it on the end of the T for a longer handle for my 6' 4" height.
Grendel
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Having monitored min/max temperature settings in the greenhouse (2C/46C), I spent an hour or so today fitting those wax-bead auto-window openers.
Tomorrow... more of the irrigation system, then might plant a second row of first-earlies and the first row of main-crop tatties.
Carrot's are starting to show signs of life, and the broadbeans are looking well. Courgettes, in the greenhouse are looking stupidly healthy, might have to plant them on this w/end.
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Ok I got my seed potatoes the other day and was looking forwards to planting them in a few big grow sacks that came with it but Oh what a let down, the sacks are no bigger than a carrier bag what the?? so my big plans become a small plan :(
I Planted the potatoes in the small sacks >:( I have staked the area near the fence for the Runner beans.
I have divided the garden plot into 3 rows and forked it, the clay soil is starting to break down more now so that's a good thing.
Planted out some onion sets near the new fruit canes. The wife has put her foot down hard on me using the window sills to start of the Tomatoes :nowink: so I have reluctantly had to put them in the Cold frame Greenhouse thingy and will just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope.
I Also had to do the same with the herbs Parsley, Basil and Coriander fingers crossed there too. Shame she wont let me start them indoors, mind you she did let me put my strawberry seeds with their little greenhouse there ;) Me thinks she likes Strawberries better than Tomatoes :D :D :D.
Anyway I am looking to plant out the runner beans tomorrow but someone said I am best soaking them over night is that right? and if so why? I have 5 large canes how many beans would you suggest I plant by each one?. and can I plant more onions between them?
Cheers Bill
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Please don't start your runner beans yet Bill, it is still too early, you'll be wasting your seed.
They shouldn't go in the soil until mid may beginning of June, a couple of weeks earlier if you start them in pots in the cold frame. But they are really tender and any frost will kill them :(
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Please don't start your runner beans yet Bill, it is still too early, you'll be wasting your seed.
They shouldn't go in the soil until mid may beginning of June, a couple of weeks earlier if you start them in pots in the cold frame. But they are really tender and any frost will kill them :(
Thanks for that the packet didn't give me a sowing time.
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More digging, more weeding, more of the same tomorrow. Must get some more manure delivered, the way that the soil is gobbling up the good stuff i shall find myself short without laying in a good store.
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well, after loads of nattering, and enjoying just being there, put in the shallots which had beautifully rooted in modules, whilst OH put up shelves in shed and tidied it up. Found loads of netting we forgot we had, which is good considering the amount of fruit bushes I have planted at the end of the plot!
The plot inspector came wandering around - what a misery!!! Could just about manage a "hello". So, seeing how miserable he was intent on being, I kept going on about how lovely the weather was, how wonderful nature is, how lucky we are, etc. I could see him cringeing and trying to get away, so I continued on :lol: :lol: :lol: He was taking photos of every single plot, and writing things down.......
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Potted up the 70 geraniums which came yesterday from Jersey Plants Direct, they look great :D
Planted out two more rows of onions sets, and two more of garlic, sowed some lolla rossa lettuce, noticed that the geraniums i sowed from seed are showing, as are all the spring onions started in cells, and the tom thumb lettuce i sowed 2 weeks ago, so are all the beetroot started in cells, plus the carnations and scabious. Also all the leeks seem to be through and the broad beans, also the sweet peas are growing well.
It all seems to be kicking off in the greenhouse now :D :D :D
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Sowed two rows of braod beans, more digging and weeding - it never ends!!!!!! >:( >:(
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He was taking photos of every single plot, and writing things down.......
Sounds like The Allotment Police!
What was he writing down?
(edit to clarify quote)
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Two whole hours on the plot today before belting back again to cook a meal..... lovely sunshine and peace and quiet. I could do with a whole days worth of it.
Another chunk ready for planting ;)
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my broad bean has been coming out in the last week or so. I planted the seeds end of February
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Had a day off work this week and got loads done- it was fab. All onion and shallot sets planted, most broad bean plants (about 5 inches high), the soil is lovely and crumbly, the birds are singing, bumble bees and butterflies bobbing about. At last it's spring!
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This week rather then today...
3 lots of potatoes in, was given an apple tree, redcurrant bush, blackcurrant bush and about 50 raspberry canes oh and 3 big clumps of rhubarb - after I dug them out of a friends garden. Gong to share the plants with others then take some to allotment thisafternoon
Oh my 3 year old neice planted some of her packet of skittles so I will be making her a skittle bush next time she visits...thinking peg bags of skittes onto the apple tree.
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potting on tomatoes and chillies today at home, not going to lottie. Weather changed here and its cold :nowink:
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All ive been doing is digging every day most of this week, im shattered i ache my hands are swallen and i HATE clay soil i cant do any more digging i cant hold much with my hands there so swallen , i have added horse muck,home made compost , is there anything else i can do to break up the clay soil, its suposed to be my veg patch and from the sun we have had this week its as hard as nails
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Oh my 3 year old neice planted some of her packet of skittles so I will be making her a skittle bush next time she visits...thinking peg bags of skittes onto the apple tree.
Sweet!
Early morning did some electrical and plumbing work in the greenhouse (irrigation), but forgot the pipe from the pump to the header tank (doh!). Planted a second row of 1st-earlies and the first row of main-crop.
PM, got the wife down to pot-up a few seedlings we have growing, and to give me instructions for her melon bed (takes a useful 6ft x 2.5ft narrow section of the plot that was otherwise doing nothing). Dug that out in readiness for the raised bed to go down, threw a bit of manure in the bottom.
Bought the timber for the bed then went down to the local nursery; 4 2-yr old asparagus plants later and as many freebie pots (they give them... we take them) as the wife could carry.
A good day.
Tomorrow, get down there, get the bed sorted and work out why my header tank continues to fill/overflow.
Life is sweet atm.
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Gave the potato bed a last dig over and a rake then planted 5 rows of Rocket 1st earlies weeding the roots i'd missed as i went. Then continued, my favourite, digging and weeding another bed and gorblimeyguvnr if it dont look like diggin an weedin tomorrer an all.
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Me and t'other half built a shed, then I collected two bags of weeds and glass. :D
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Dug the garden over rather than just breaking the soil the clay is breaking down fairly well.
Made two wigwams in old planters ready for Runners to go in.
Potted up the Runners and I saw somewhere that carrots don't like the roots being disturbed if not carrots was something else :dry: so have sown some seeds into toilet role middles.
As I have wigwamed the Runner bean canes it freed up that part I was going to use for onion sets which I planted out today.
Cut back the Gooseberry bush and one of the wifes shrubs.
Bill
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planted my potaotes today, not that many around 30 a mix of earlies and ain. I then weeded four of the beds and hoed the paths.
Repotted the tomatoes I have at home, tomorrow I am going to plant some sweet peas :)
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Finished forking out the potato patch. Planted red and white shallots and white onion sets. Planted dwarf broad beans. Having a well earned beer now.
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Didn't get there today, a job or 2 needed doing in my back garden................ ::)
Tomorrow tho' ;)
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Volunteered to assist in the erection of the marquee for our easter show, Job done! boy do I feel virtuous 8)
Now comes the mad scramble to encourage something to put on the bench ::)
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Took a 3 tonne digger down the plots today and grubbed out the roots from the trees I cut down from our last 3 vacant plots, all we need now is tenants.
2 chances of that round here Bob Hope and no hope. :(
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forked over, decouched the main crop potato area. Then planted about 140 Desiree and 20 Vitelotte potoatoes. All potatoes now planted! ::)
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3pm until so dark I couldn't see. ;) :)
A lovely afternoon and evening rotovating and getting ready for planting. Nearly all tidy and ready for the off. :happy:
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Took a 3 tonne digger down the plots today and grubbed out the roots from the trees I cut down from our last 3 vacant plots, all we need now is tenants.
2 chances of that round here Bob Hope and no hope. :(
Pity your many many miles away I want my own plot :(
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Planted the third and last sowing of broad beans, (Karmazyn), and the first of three sowings of peas, (Canoe).
Did a little bit of finger and thumb weeding. Now I know you`ll all laugh and scoff, but I like to spend a few minutes looking at my growing crops and when I see a little weed seedling next to an onion say it gets the individual finger and thumb treatment.
:)
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So far, set a new bed (need to persuade the wife to sieve the soil back into it). Planted some 2yr asparagus. Little bit of weeding then transplanting seedlings to pots (various). Planted the last 6 broad-beans in the packet into pots (earlier ones outside have had variable success).
Back for lunch, and to persuade the missus to get dressed and give me a hand.
Beautiful day outside!
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feel like I should be down the plot, but felt unwell last night 4pm to bed and slept right through, woke with my back in agony, so theres no way I will be digging today.
Grendel
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Planted the third and last sowing of broad beans, (Karmazyn), and the first of three sowings of peas, (Canoe).
Did a little bit of finger and thumb weeding. Now I know you`ll all laugh and scoff, but I like to spend a few minutes looking at my growing crops and when I see a little weed seedling next to an onion say it gets the individual finger and thumb treatment.
:)
Grandan57 - I do exactly the same. Especially around delicate crops. There is something really relaxing about it.
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Decided to take up the narrower part of the garden for Potatoes bought it home to me today how little space I have so every spare area is being used as well as planters.
But I suppose I am lucky to have some space many don't have any....
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Had to go to B&Q, so that, and losing an hour, took time out of the day :( Spread some more bark on our chill out area and tidied up. Would have liked to paint the shed, but have too much stuff to do at home. did manage to plant some tomato, basil and moonbeam squash seeds at home though, so I feel like i haven't totally wasted the day. ::)
Hope you feel better soon Grendel.
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Planted the third and last sowing of broad beans, (Karmazyn), and the first of three sowings of peas, (Canoe).
Did a little bit of finger and thumb weeding. Now I know you`ll all laugh and scoff, but I like to spend a few minutes looking at my growing crops and when I see a little weed seedling next to an onion say it gets the individual finger and thumb treatment.
:)
I won't scoff at the weeding but I would at being a Leeds supporter! Don't mean it really. :D
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3pm until so dark I couldn't see. ;) :)
A lovely afternoon and evening rotovating and getting ready for planting. Nearly all tidy and ready for the off. :happy:
Today I ached gently ::)
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Well worked for 7 hours then went down the allotment, picked some leeks and my first crop of rhubard (got hom made a crumble - all gone!!!!!)
Sowed some more lettuce and concentrated on some flowers as for the first time im using a piece for cut flowers
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Forked out a patch for my parsnips,beetroot and anything else i can fit on there. Planted some red onion sets,don't know if they will bolt but fingers crossed anyway. Another productive weekend. 6hrs today and 7hrs yesterday. Having some more well earned beers. Tired but well chuffed. Looking forward to next weekend. :D :D :D
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Put out in the ground 12 red cabbage, gave them extra room this year seen as they took over last year and looked like this
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG01576-20100710-1011.jpg)
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Got the wife down the lotty and finished her raised beds (planned for melons). Took the opportunity to drop some more weed barrier down and barked the newly created path. Things are starting to look more complete :)
Potted out all the seedlings, with much help from the missus, and threw a few more shallots into the ground. Everything seems to be ticking along nicely now :)
Working this out... in total around 7 hours down there today and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
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Put out in the ground 12 red cabbage, gave them extra room this year seen as they took over last year and looked like this
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/judey_wooo/IMG01576-20100710-1011.jpg)
That's got a fine looking head on it. :lol:
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Chatted to everybody - drank tea - took some photographs - watered.
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Over the weekend I got the last of my spuds in (a little early, I know, but April is going to be a busy month for me and I need to get ahead). Also planted my first row of cabbages, peas beetroot and spinach and did a lot of weeding. Today I have a tender back, a sun tan and a sense of satisfaction from a job well done! :)
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Busy weekend!
We cleared another bed and put some red onion sets in.
Cleared around the asparagus bed (http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=73792.0) we have discovered buried in the overgrown brambles & raspberries.
Picked up some paving slabs we got off Freecycle, and laid them to form a bit of a seating area - which will become the base for a shed when we get round to acquiring one.
Now sat in work aching. a lot!
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I finally managed to get my 2x Apple trees (1x espalier and 1x step over) and fan trained plum tree into the allotment. Had to speak with the neighbouring plot holder to make sure they didnt cast any shadows on her plot (fortunately she was happy, but did mention scrumping later on this year?! Hmmmm....)
My Mum and Dad came to the rescue, with Mum emptying and tidying the shed and my Dad started building the compost bin (made from palelts).
We also got the broad beans in (grown in loo rolls at home, very strong looking plants). Also had to net them against the pheasants and pigeons.
Finally got home emptied and tidied the garden shed, cut the grass and let the chickens out for an hour to enjoy the full run of the garden!
Finally enrolled in our local Garden club, bought lime, potash, fertiliser and vermiculite.
Next up are the spuds, asparagus along with everything else, its getting to that time of year...
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Got a barrowload of bricks and some guttering and drainpipes from my brother and took them down to the plot, arms like a gibbon after the trip back with the bricks. Got my Nadine 2nd earlies in and had a look around one of the neighbours plots to see his bees in action. Back to the plot in a few minutes to dig some muck into the maincrop spuds bed.
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Got the onions in, sewed peas, leaks, artichokes, sweetcorn. Thats about all iv done, dug in the muck a bit more in the potato plot but thats all :lol:
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Sewed some all year round cauliflower and musselborough leeks in trays in the greenhouse. These will eventually be planted in the ground I forked out yesterday,that's if they grow. lol
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In my 59 years I have never seen a cuckoo......................untill today. I have heard plenty but never seen one. This morning I got to the plot and as I was unlocking the shed I could hear two of them coo-ing away to each other. I looked up to the tree above me and there were two of them trotting up and down the branches trying to impress each other. They were just about ten feet above my head and were completely unaware of my presence.
There are some things with allotmenting that you just don't get with other hobby's. :)
I managed to acquire a free supply of pallets today so I can now finish my compost bins.
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Sewed some all year round cauliflower and musselborough leeks in trays in the greenhouse. These will eventually be planted in the ground I forked out yesterday,that's if they grow. lol
I sowed 24 all year round two weeks ago and they have all come through. :)
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planted two blackcurrant plants watered the peas and the rhubarb
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Got some spuds in, some carrots and stood and glared at the big pile of "dirty" compost in the back corner that I inherited from the previous owner.
Its enormous and no use whatsoever as riddled with couch. What should I do with it all?
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Did a full day at work, then popped onto the plot and dug four trenches in my heaviest, uncultivated clay for my potatoes.
By the time I was digging trench number three, I just wanted to go home, but by the time I got all the spuds in, I was feeling really proud of myself !
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Planted broadbeans
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Rain has stopped play. Can`t complain though, everying is up together.
I`ve been surprised at the lack of weeds so far, but I think this is what they`ve been waiting for, especially all the seeds that hopped across from next doors plot!
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Im the opposite!!
I cant believe how many weeds i have growing on the plot - just about managing to keep them under control!
Today ive created the posts and string for peas to climb up, weeded around onions sets and ive started to dig out the paths at the allotment to get rid of the grass growing as im feb up it keep creeping into my beds - i try to do it ones a year to make it easier through the summer months.
Magetout all come through now and will transplant in the next week or so.
Things are looking good and im hopefull of the best year since ive had my allotment.
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Andy 135 I have seen mayt cuckoos in my time but never the feathered type :wacko:
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built these today....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/mazroy/Photo0032.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/mazroy/Photo0034.jpg)
will take some filling that big one but it might save the old back a bit :)
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Nice piece of construction Plottered.
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I potted on chillies, tomatoes and chard. I saw my squash plants poking their heads out of the compost too. I sowed my dwarf beans in root trainers and they are in the potting shed by the window for a while.
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We started to dig a mangtout plot but rain stopped play! :(
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Mowed the lawn/mulched the raspberries with the clippings, planted my first-early spuds having read Mumofstig's technique of planting in a shallow trench to provide more soil for earthing up (took a nice long time as I can't afford to waste space in my back-garden plot!), sowed parsnips (directly into the ground), chatted to my neighbour who wants to get rid of her used growbag compost (I'll grow my sweet potatoes in it (with some suitable additions.)
(Oh yes, carefully examined my blueberries for signs of "bubonic plague" after a post in GYO but they're looking good so far!) :)
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Had a busy day today, built a frame to protect the strawbs from the pesky meeces, followed by plenty of digging and managed to plant 4 rows of Maris Piper spuds, planted a row of shallots and sowed a load of parsnips. Managed to get all this done just before the heavens :)
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popped into the plot after work, planted a row of potatoes, and dug a bed the full width of the plot in just over 45 minutes, used the azada to break the soil, then forked it and raked smooth. And despite the bad back I still had yesterday, my back is still fine.
Grendel
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Rotovated my 1st early potato bed and planted pots, planted 50 onion seedlings(another 200 to put in), moved 50 broad beans sown in 3 inch pots to the coldframe.
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A belt to the plot resulted in = earlies planted (Charlotte, Rocket and Arran Pilot), 8 foot row of peas neatly arranged in their paper-pots (instant peas ;)) and the sweet peas planted out.
Covered the lot in wire mesh to discourage the foxes from digging them up again >:(
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Sowed some leeks into a large planter. Potted up some turnip, swede, parsnip, broccoli, beetroot, cabbage, sprouts. just a couple of each haven't much space in the garden so a couple of each will have to do.
Bill
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Watched the welomed rain.
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Planted a couple of rows of peas, beetroot and carrots. If we dont get any rain soon it will be out with the watering cans!!
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Found some onion sets so will sow those tomorrow when it hopefully has stopped raining - trying to find a suitable pot for horeradish.
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Forked 3 beds over , 2 of which are for the spuds that are going in on friday, the other is for tall climbing peas i sowed in modules today .Sowed the brassicas in seed trays and leeks and chilli peppers and stood them in the unheated greenhouse covered with glass and bubble wrap, good days work , roll on friday !!!! :) Also did some weeding around the onions and watered the parsnip seeds and spring onion seeds, carrots under cloches and fed the raspberries.
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dodo weather so only spent a few minutes weeding and checking over things.
a few seedlings are starting to poke through now - finally some growth!
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Today I will make my first cut of overwintered chard. Well chuffed that this lasted so well given the winter we had. I will cream the chard in the manner of spinach and have it with Steak tonight for my 50th Birthday tea.
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Today I will make my first cut of overwintered chard. Well chuffed that this lasted so well given the winter we had. I will cream the chard in the manner of spinach and have it with Steak tonight for my 50th Birthday tea.
Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!! :)
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Far too wet on the plot so best to keep off.
Instead I planted a few french beans in modules and some runner beans in large pots and buckets. Thought if I did this tomorrow you`d think it was a joke so I did it today instead!
OH not going to be best pleased when she comes home from work to find pots of FYM in the conservatory.
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Put 1/2 a bed of broadies in.
Had a wander around the rest - everything looks like its about to die :( even the blackberries and the whole place seems to be alive with black ants, I thought they'd moved on.
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I've got a lot of ants this spring as well :(
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I've got a lot of ants this spring as well :(
Black or red? I hate red ants - boy can they nip!
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black ants on the plot and red ants in the lawn :ohmy:
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black ants on the plot and red ants in the lawn :ohmy:
No sun-bathing on the grass then! (Ouch :ohmy:)
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I'll have to try to get rid of them before the school holidays, won't I? :mellow:
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I'll have to try to get rid of them before the school holidays, won't I? :mellow:
Might be advisable unless you want to keep the lawn free of children ::) ;) :lol:
(Off topic we are! We will be in trouble!!! :blink: :wub: )
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Off topic we are! We will be in trouble!!! )
Off topic we are! In trouble will we be! :lol: (Yoda English)
I'm feeling rebellious today :lol:
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managed to get back up the plot again today after work. dug another strip 1m deep the width of the plot.
Grendel
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Not a lot!
After work turned the Compost Bins and watered the Greenhouse and admired the plots.
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Just recieved the May issue of Grow your own and its talking about harvesting broad beans, seems ages away :ohmy:
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Checked out my greenhouse broad beans (A quick crop before the toms go in). They are just making flower and about a foot high and good and sturdy. Closing in on my first bean crop of the year
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stuck in two rows of aaron pilot
did some hand weeding at edges of paths
saw fence is blown down yet again so off back later to measure up and will order some new online tonite - what ive got is just too heavy and keeps getting blown down.
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stuck in two rows of aaron pilot
did some hand weeding at edges of paths
saw fence is blown down yet again so off back later to measure up and will order some new online tonite - what ive got is just too heavy and keeps getting blown down.
Maybe you'd be better to consider heavier posts and soild ground anchorage?
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Rotavated the whole plot ( apart from that ready sown ::)) but far too hot out there for me as plot is in full sun and it is 26 in the shade!
Followed by a bit of weeding in the garden in the shade!
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put in 60 spuds , 20 Pj's , 10 Charlotte , 10 Maris Peer and 20 Desiree. fed the onions, leeks, spring cabbages, raspberries and watered the carrots under the cloches. sowed some leeks in a deep pot and watered the peas in modules, radishes , little gem lettuce and chilli's in the greenhouse. Planting some spuds in a neighbours plot tomorrow to help him out a bit .
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Well I'm about to plant out my mange tout and main crop potatoes (Aaron victory & pink fir apples). If I get time I'll sow another row of carrots and beetroot.
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Got the greenhouse water header tank working properly, next step: auto-irrigation.
Planted the last row of 1st-earlies and a second row of main-crop.
Weeded the onion bed (I've been ignoring it a bit of late).
Asparagus is started to show signs of life :tongue2: :)
A fine dusting of slug pellets and back home for lunch
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strimmed 2/3 of the plot to keep the weeds at bay until I can dig it, then the strimmer packed in, looked like the primer bulb had split. went and got a new primer bulb, still no joy, checked the spark plug, yep, the core of the plug had broken, got to wait until Monday now to get a new plug because both the garden tool spares / repair places closed at 12 and 1pm respectively (which I knew as I had visited both today looking for the primer bulb.)
anyhow I also rough dug a section, and planted a row of broad beans.
Grendel
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Put in my potatoes today sown the onions , garlic ,cabbage, leeks, parsnips and asparagus on tuesday, sweetcorn and carrots also, and runner beans .
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raked the newly germinated weeds off a long bed, and raked in some BF&B ready for the onions.
Had a chat and got given some long canes for my tall peas :)
Took up some hardened off sweetpeas, as I need the space in the garden now everything is growing.
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Planted some first and second early potatoes, had some tea and sat in the sunshine in our new chill out area.
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Worked all day, then went to football with the kids. When I FINALLY got some time, planted out sweetcorn and courgette seedlings. Watered well with a mix of water and nettle tea and then covered with various bits of plastic bottles etc. to keep warm. Doesn't sound like a lot compared to what some of you guys are up to but I enjoyed it!! :)
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Planted Early Onward peas on both plots [Yes, the ones I bought by the pint and counted :ohmy:] Sowed another couple of rows of Potatoes, again on both plots, whilst the O/H pottered in the Greenhouse sowing seeds and potting on. The first of the Lettuce was transplanted into the Greenhouse Beds.
Cut the paths on both plots and trimmed the edges and looking nice and tidy.
The Carrots in the raised beds have sprouted has have the Onions!
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Not been since Tues & was sooooooooooo relieved to find my pea frame had not done a "Mary Poppins" with the gales, but had in fact sunk deeper into the soil. Must've been the weight of the old football net draped over it! Peas were doing ok too! :D
Dug out some mare's tail (again!) it was the size of asparagus heads!
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just on the off chance I popped into B&Q and managed to pick up a spark plug, fitted it and the strimmer is now back running, yay I dont need to wait until Monday now so I can finish shredding the nettles now - at least shredded all I need to do is dig them in and I have ready made enrichment to my soil.
Grendel
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Planted some onions I managed to find in sets.
Sowed, Brussels, Cabbage ( 3 sorts) lettuce, Rainbow Chard.,
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stuck in two rows of aaron pilot
did some hand weeding at edges of paths
saw fence is blown down yet again so off back later to measure up and will order some new online tonite - what ive got is just too heavy and keeps getting blown down.
Maybe you'd be better to consider heavier posts and soild ground anchorage?
Not sure that would actually help (perhaps a little) - its more to do with the actual material - its a really heavy plastic with small holes in - the holes are too small to allow enough wind through
Gonna get chicken wire instead i think - a few have it and it does look neat
Took a load on magetout down and planted that i had growing in modules - got home and sowed a load more!!! AKA DD way!
Brought back a good few leeks and made a leek and potato soup
Lost a load of seedlings other day in the high winds - (along with loads of spring bulbs blown over) so tommorow will re seed.
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Planted my potatoes. Sewed beetroot,carrots and some radish. Would have sown some parsnips but it was too windy. I didn't want to sew the neighbouring plots. lol :ohmy: :ohmy:
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Filled my basket-on-wheels with pea sticks from the Churchyard and trundled off to the plot. The peas are looking good so pushed plenty of the sticks along the rows - then had to work out how to net it all as we have a resident Fat Pigeon living on the plot.
(Looking on freecycle for an air rifle).
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Put the potatoes in
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Maincrop carrots sowed yesterday and enviromesh erected and pegged down.
Deep digging a new asparagus bed, removed some Sloe roots and some bindweed - that felt good. All the activity fed the resident robins they will sit on the fork if I stop.
Picked Rhubarb had it stewed with custard last night - superb.
:D
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finished the strimming and planter another 10 potato plants 5 king edwards and 5 maris pipers.
didnt spend long as I was between my parents and my mil coming round.
Grendel
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I looked after the fruit today. Tip pruned the summer raspberries, potash on the plums redcurrants and gooseberries (already mulched with compost) then watered in.
On the veg front watered the garlic to get these boys going, its been pretty dry here
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We managed to plant 120 (2/3) of the potatoes and a whole box of broad beans. Hope to plant the other 60 potatoes and other box of broad beans along with red & borlotti beans this coming week. Raining now so, rain has stopped play, for which my back is very grateful 8). ^
Supposed to be playing pétanque but may need to give that a miss this week, too much more bending over :tongue2:
Eli xx
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yesterday did my potatoes, and did my sweetcorn plants into pots.
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peas grew 2cm long in the greenhouse so planted them from tray to outdoors. bit of deweeding done
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Planted two more rows of second earlies, charlotte this time. Planted shallots. Weeded and had a nice cuppa and a sandwich. Came home and planted carrot, radish, rocket, lemon coriander, mixed salad leaves, spring onions, Sunflowers, parsley, sweetcorn, courgette and Marigold seeds. Done enough for this weekend. :D
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40 Desiree spuds in. Stokesley peas in.
Tomorrow - a bed of Misty peas and a bed of Jaguar peas to do.
Sowed pumps, butternut, sweetcorn, sweet peas and sunflowers. Need to remember to buy some brussels sprouts and swede seeds!
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Loads while the children played i moved some soil, planted some spuds and onion seedlings marked out a new path to keep children from playing in wrong area marked out a plot for each on the children about a rake by a rake hahahah. Had a good chat with others at the plot and then came home and sown some beans potted on some toms and cucumbers (they are in flower on the window sill and small cucumbers are forming. Very good day again at the plot.
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planted 2 rows of beetroot and 2 rows of spinach
thinned out the seedlings in the greenhouse - toms, peppers, cape gooseberries..
planted out the rest of the broad beans from greenhouse
Completely went through the large pallet compost bin, the small pallet compost bin and the two daleks (all inherited) and managed to fill two daleks with wonderful compost. A real treat...it was like being a child again at Christmas!!
Picked a few asparagus to go into the fish pie
Weeded all the pathways.
Phew! But a lovely, relaxing several hours spent down there.
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Today i dug over bed 3. I also planted out my purple podded peas and broad beans. I've put canes up and string around them to help the peas to grow upwards.
I also planted some rhubarb that a fellow allotmenteer had left on my plot.
I found a box of wild flower mix under my sink, so these were planted in a bed near my blackcurrant bushes.
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Dug over the last patch of weeds. Got rid of some blown cabbages which never really amounted to much and put some onions in their place. Sowed some bergamot seeds. Harvested some purple sprouting, must grow more next year. Admired the progress of the asparagus bed. Weeded. Watered my experimental new turf paths (they look great, but time will tell how much work they're going to need.)
Fended off plot pest >:( He's there almost all the time and spends 10% of his time actually working on his plot and the remaining 90% wandering round offering terrible advice and his opinions on the politics of the day. Why does there always have to be one?
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Forked some more of my ground out. Still too windy to sew parsnips. Got disturbed by 2 thunderstorms. So much for the weathermen predicting light showers. 5hrs yesterday and 3.5hrs today. :wacko: :wacko:
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Fended off plot pest >:( He's there almost all the time and spends 10% of his time actually working on his plot and the remaining 90% wandering round offering terrible advice and his opinions on the politics of the day. Why does there always have to be one?
Well it's better that they're on their own ;)
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If only there was some kind of spray you could get to kill them off... :lol:
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Planted the rest of the onions that we started off in modules, dug over another bed and started on another. Filled up the water but and watered the plot with our amazing hose pipe, it manages an amazing 5 litres a minute -__-
Peas are ready to go in and ready to plant beat root aswell
Also discovery a asparagus bed besides the shed :lol:
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Was a busy mothers day today seeing both sides of the family and a lovely roast dinner :)
Couldnt get to the plot saturday as had the last tonne of soil delivered for the back garden. All in all its had 10 tonnes (8 of sand and 2 topsoil) to fill the massive pond the last owners had! Has been a proper mission but its now got grass seed sowed so just need to keep my son off it for a while!
Got to the plot for a couple of hours today and managed to plant half the potatos! Am trying some growmore mixed in this year to see how i get on. The other half of potatos will be going in next weekend unless i can wrangle a day off in the week ;)
Also managed to sow a couple of peas, some salad leaves and some PSB. Gave the new peach tree and jostaberry bush some water and headed home :)
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Fended off plot pest >:( He's there almost all the time and spends 10% of his time actually working on his plot and the remaining 90% wandering round offering terrible advice and his opinions on the politics of the day. Why does there always have to be one?
Well it's better that they're on their own ;)
Ours was called Malcolm and he faded gradually then......vanished. Peaceful now. ;)
An afteroon on the plot until darkness came. It was wonderful :happy:
Planted three rows of main crop potatoes, forty little beetroot (germinated in cells) and a short row of baby-leaf spinach (Bordeaux) also started off in cells at home.
“Fed” the raspberries and blackcurrants, zipped through with the soil-miller to discourage any weeds "thinking about" growing, cut the paths and took a few photos to show the folks at home.
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Planted out my broad beans, potted up my lettuces, started work on a new potting bench after the other collapsed >:( Then had to go home because i had a migrain :(
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Hope the migraine is better Jamie - it can feel as if you've been run-over by a steam roller the day after cant it?
Have a good day.
Eli xx
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planted up lots of flower bulbs, planted out some cabbage under cloches and spinache. First of the beans (runner, broad and dwarf) are showing in the greenhouse, will plant out in a couple of weeks. Sowed some tomato in the greenhouse. Getting to the point where everything is sprouting and exciting :) Possibly my fav time of year :)
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Planted loads more onions and garlic. Trans-planted my peas, beans and courgettes from my propagator to pots. Weather permitting, hope to plant main crop potatoes later this week but not Thursday as don't think the wife will appreciate this on our anniversary :mad:
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Planted our first ever potatoes, a row of Pentland Javelin, so will be keeping our fingers crossed to make sure we have done it right. Put up guttering on our shed to help reduce the flooding. Dug over a row ready for more earlies and a row for Main crop. Weeded and watered. Made another raised bed, and sat down and a had a nice cuppa.
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Planted our PJ, Charlotte & Desiree Spuds.
Manure mulched the Fruit trees/bushes & Rhubarb.
3/4 finished the pallet compost bin.
1/2 built a rasied bed for the asparagus + filled it with soil and 6 barrows of our finest.
Picked some Daffodils for the house (wife happy!)
Weeded the neglected onions. Hoed the rest of the dug plot.
Cleared bed 4 (of 5) ready for our root crops.
Got home and grafted 4 apple rootstocks.
Meanwhile back at the ranch: Mrs Draw had planted many seeds inc toms, chilli, sunflowers + various cut flowers too.
What a successful weekend, ow back to work for a rest.....
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Isn't it nice to see everyone so productive and happy in their work? :)
My favourite time of the year - so full of anticipation. Got loads of fruit bushes for Mother's day presents (quite nice having a big family ;)), so spent yesterday clearing out an old briary patch and planting them in. I now have 2 crab apple trees, 2 plum trees, an eating apple (not sure of type), and 2 pear trees as well as goosberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, blueberries, strawberrys and my rhubarb from last year. Should be some serious jam making going on this year.
Garlic and onions still doing well and I have the beds ready for my parsnips, carrots, leeks, celery, beetroot and beans. Still deciding if I have enough room for the peas, my lot can eat a couple lb each at a sitting!!
Tomatoes, chillis and peppers all doing well in the greenhouse and the spuds are in the barrels - I gave up planting them in the beds as I never seem to get them all out and then they grow through whatever I plant the next year.
I'm not bothering with cabbage or brussels this year - the slugs get them every other year, so I'm giving up :tongue2:.
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Hope the migraine is better Jamie - it can feel as if you've been run-over by a steam roller the day after cant it?
Have a good day.
Eli xx
Thanks, I feel better now, your right about how it feels, i just have to gosit in a dark room for a while or go to bed :(
Thanks Eli :)
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This is the first weekend I've been able to spend any time on my allotment, cos we got married two weeks ago - I never thought planning one day would take over my life like it did :D
So, Saturday I sowed carrot, beetroot and tomato seeds indoors.
Sunday morning I spent getting the potato patch prepared for Picasso, Charlotte and Lady Crystal I've got chitting, weeding the garlic patch and starting to clear the patch for onions and shallots to go in.
I hope I can get enough done in time to grow everything I want to this year - it looks like a right state at the moment, but am hope GH will be of some assistance :tongue2:
SarahJ
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This is the first weekend I've been able to spend any time on my allotment, cos we got married two weeks ago -
Hey contrags sjones
Just had a quick peek at the peas and all are growing well outside.
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nothing but check the greenhouse seedlings as the weather was too bad for owt else :mad:
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Spent 6 hours digging over one of the old boys(88) plot. He's had it for 44 years but was thinking about giving it up but have agreed to do the labour so he can continue and I can learn more.
Wasn't thinking that way when I finished, now doing the night shift and aching like hell but feal good for it.
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I've done some weeding on Sunday and sown carrots,early Nantes and Autumn king. Put a polytunnel on top...not sure what for. To keep warm or sommin,but it has holes all over it though. Got in Lidl on garden sale week for £5 ( very proud ).
Last year we didn't get any decent carrot. Some French market ( round ones ) and 10 out 30 curved,splitted monsters from nursery bought seedlings. :tongue2:
Hope this year to get some results!
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well did another strip the width of the plot and about a yard deep, another one of those and I will have nearly half the plot dug. forgot to take the potatoes and beans to work so nothing planted, weather was a bit wet most of the day anyway.
Grendel
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Just went and had a look, two short rows of beans just showing, onions and garlic looking good, radish germinated. No sign of asparagus yet. Strawberries looking good. Raspberries badly weedy. Looked good though
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Spent 6 hours digging over one of the old boys(88) plot. He's had it for 44 years but was thinking about giving it up but have agreed to do the labour so he can continue and I can learn more.
Wasn't thinking that way when I finished, now doing the night shift and aching like hell but feal good for it.
Sounds a brilliant trade to me... I wish you lots of success and enjoyment.
You'll do wonders for the old chap. :happy:
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radish germinated :)
would staring at my trays waiting for shoots to come up be considered an addiction ? :tongue2:
SarahJ
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Replaced a leaking water butt tap which was brand new, ment I had to empty the water butt which was over half full >:(
Not best pleased.
mind you the seedlings have started sprouting even some of the tomatoe ones I had to put in the cold frame. :)
Cleaned out the chucks run now chilling befor going to work.
Bill
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planted my Ambo spuds, covered the bean trench and built the frame with my nice new canes :) Planted my sweetpeas on each end.
Took the cover of the snap peas that have germinated, but the tall peas haven't yet - not a single one! :(
Put the canes in ready for the pea twine. Raked in BF&B on all the spare beds.
Cream crackered now and heading for the bath ...........phew!
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Watered the Rhubarb and Sunbathed. 8) 8) 8)
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back down the plot again this evening after work. planted a row of potatoes, and some beans, and dug yet another strip across the width of the plot and a yard deep.
Grendel
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Yet more digging! peas growing well, even without protection! Spuds needed a little earth over them just in case a frost appears tonight. Spend time pottering around in the sunshine. Radishes germinated, shallots looking lush.. very excited!!
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(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/onthelotty005.jpg)
Decided on risk reward and put my first Beans in today,Keynans got dug in and put some
Early onward Peas in too.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/onthelotty006.jpg)
Had to put up a make shift wire fence around our fruit plot as the resident Lotty fox thought it a good idea to dig up our Goosberries,anyway after a thorough soaking there now back in the dirt none the wiser.
Also put in some Autumn 2 Carrots in holes with a sived soil/sand mix.
Also relented a bit and put some flowers in around our Lotty border,Limnanthese I think there called + some Nasturtiums (jewel of africa) under the Bean frame.
Enjoyed the sunshine and being on the Lotty with plenty to do.
Gazza
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radish french breakfast are doing great spring onions and carrots are just peaking through salad leaf is growing and tomatoes in cold greenhouse are just showing as well
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After work I put in my early potatoes- Rocket- did them with a bulb planter,loads easier & quicker. The soil had been rotovated 2 weeks ago with plenty of manure mixed in so I'm hopeful.Then I prepared my carrot bed, put in my yellow hoops & added the envionmesh followed by 7 short rows of carrot-Adelaide F1. After that home for dinner when Mr S had finished cutting the grass.Very pleased I've finally put something in.Picked a load of rhubarb as well.
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Dug another plot ready for carrot and had a picnic tea ( and a small glass of cider)
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(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/onthelotty005.jpg)
Decided on risk reward and put my first Beans in today,Keynans got dug in and put some
Early onward Peas in too.
Gazza
I hope your beans will be safe from a late frost! :ohmy: :blink: :unsure:
Are you going to protect them just in case we get one? (which is more than likely)
Your profile doesn't say where you are from so I've no idea what your growing climate is like.
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Well today was too nice a day to stay in! So have potted up some brassicas, planted 25 buckets with potatoes, hoed the plot around vegetables and fruit plants and planted comfrey!
Carrots and spring onions are now showing themselves, onions, garlic, raddishes and shallots are doing very well!
I changed onto this plot over the winter, which had been vacant for about 2 years and now I know why!! mares/horse tail is prolific on this plot.....thankfully I've dealt with this before, but not on this scale....will just keep hoeing/pulling it up! :D
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I hope your beans will be safe from a late frost!
well ive got some bubble wrap ready to wrap my beans just incase.
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I hope your beans will be safe from a late frost!
well ive got some bubble wrap ready to wrap my beans just incase.
Here's wishing you the best of luck but I think I'd have some back-up growing in paper-pots at home to be prepared for the worst.
Down here in the sunny south my beans are still stiing patiently in their packets awaiting sowing day.
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Headed to my plot straight from work after hearing there had been another break in and vandalism.. I feared the worst for my fruit trees! Luckily the low life had not made it to my allotment. Watered the new peach tree and jostaberry and went home. Must remember to email to say I can help put up new fences etc...
At home playing with my son and he helped me plant 3 sets of potatos into some growing sacks kindly donated from a friend. also sowed a couple of pumpkin and gherkin seeds.
MY chillies still not showing so getting a little worried :(
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Here's wishing you the best of luck but I think I'd have some back-up growing in paper-pots at home to be prepared for the worst.
Down here in the sunny south my beans are still stiing patiently in their packets awaiting sowing day.
yep,got plenty of every bean variety in their Loo rolls and Im also watching some peas and beans in tissue paper on the window ledge after mumofstig suggested
to me that I can see which beans are sprouting at a glance and which ones are gonners.
Made up a few newspaper ones last night funnily enough from the fellers utube vid and they ceratinly seem to hold together well.
Our lotty is in Stanwell just south of Heathrow Airport,hence were bound to have some querky veg come up after a northerly wind blows the refreshing (correction) nauseating aviation fumes from the south runway......... :wacko:
Gazza
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Have started to dig over another half plot that I've acquired on the site, it's not been cultivated for two years. Nice to start with a "blank canvas" again.
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woke up at 6 o'clock this morning and spent so long laying there thinking about what I needed to do, that I decided to get up early and actually do it for a change ::)
managed to get half hour on the plot, so dug over another third of the onion patch - hopefully I'll have it all done before the weekend so I can get the onions and shallots planted :D
SarahJ
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got to the lotty and put the kettle on then i picked some rhubarb and watered the 1st and 2nd lot of peas
had a cup of tea then i planted four lettuces then i pricked out 200 leeks and put them in there final container
decided to fill up the water butt and two of my neighbours butts using my petrol driven water pump i was quite pleased as it has not been used since last september and it started on the 8th pull so that was good ,i filled those and while the pump was going its job 1.5 hours in total to fill i hoed the onions and shallots, then i watered them as i dont think we will have any rain for at least 5 days here so they got a good drenching.
checked on the garlic as per my other post they were showing about a 1/2 inch of clove above ground so i have covered in compost so the garlic and onions and shallots got a good drenching.
about this time i opted for a tomatoe cup a soup and not a can of stella, just then my in laws arrived so on went the kettle
i then checked on the cauli broccoli brussel cabbage pepper chilli lettuce seedling and gave them a little water after that i hoed some more around the strawberry bed and now im home im having that beer and im going to make
my beautifull wife and nice salad with jacket pots for dinner and then work tomorrow and then back on the lotty saturday
wow life is sure good
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Looked at my seed trays again - so far cukes, squash and a couple of toms are peeping through. Should have some nice salad leaves to eat next week.
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not been to plot yet ( waiting for a gas safety check :ohmy:) but have been busy sowing courgettes 2 types, pumpkin, french beans, dwarf french beans and 2 types of runner beans. Having a coffee break before school pick up ;)
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Potted on my squash and rehoused them in the unheated green house. Potted on chillies and they remain in the incubator in the sun. Sowed/planted pregerminated french beans in root trainers now in the cold frame. I intended to thin my turnips that I sowed out a couple of weeks ago, but I seem to have got a bit waylayed by a glass of wine in the sun. Hey Ho.
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I'm just a bit :ohmy: as my marigolds have just popped up. I only planted them on Sunday :unsure:
other seeds are a-bursting out now, tomatoes and basil. :D
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Not all good on the Lotty today,I had taken some fruits and veggies to hopefully thrive in our Greenhouse but I guess the thermometer doesnt tell fibs and 28degrees dealt my Toms a blow.
So had to re seed...............
Moneymakers
Cherry toms
cape gooseberry
Problem with working at the hospital all day you dont get to mother your plants and end up
with a few fatalities.
Also I have sown some,,,,,,,,,,,,
Perpetual Spinach
Calebrese
Savoy Cabbage
Kalibos Red Cabbage
Offenham 2 Cabbage.
Had to fill in yet more fox holes here and there,had a tip from a neighbour today which although
sounding a tad disgusting (whispers pee in a bucket ) and smothering the fruit area with it....apparently Ol foxy dont like human smells.
Gazza
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Dug over and then rotovated beds that surround greenhouse. pricked out a dozen lettuce, weeded two rasp beds. Took 2 dozen carnation cuttings, we decided to have tea on allotment so fired up rocket stove and cooked pork and leek sausages, fried onions and cous cous. finished a lovely day off by sharing a bottle of home made wine with mrs skiprat after watering up and putting the tools away and planning tomorows jobs on allotment.
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Planted out Broad Beans, Peas and Mangetout.
Found some cheap fruit bushes so planted 3 blueberries, 2 gooseberries, 1 blackcurrant and 1 redcurrant.
Weeded
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Bought the concrete building blocks to use as the base for my new (old) greenhouse. Checked to see how far the broad beans had progressed from yesterday, all that are coming through are now through, and there is a very promising row of Snowball turnips now up.
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did nothing on the plot yesterday, had to wait in for gas man, but sowed french beans, sweet peas, pumpkin and cougettes at home in pots.
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up at the crack of dawn again this morning :blink:
finished digging over the onion patch, so gonna put those in tomorrow :D
SarahJ
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Raked over the bed ready for planting carrots trying to get all the lumps out, even had the lady sieving, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Dug over raised bed ready for the Runner beans. Looking forward to spending the whole day there tomorrow.
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Problem with working at the hospital all day you dont get to mother your plants and end up
with a few fatalities.
Gazza
What fatalities are we talking about here?
Some people don't half take their gardening seriously! :ohmy:
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Soooo relieved to find the dwarf pea plants (meteor) I planted yesterday, & left exposed, hadn't been munched by the local wood pigeons :). Watered & net-curtained this pm :D.
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It must rub off working for the NHS then Shopkeep.....Im used to working around dead things so it comes out in me chat......so no....I dont like to see me plants going belly up as well.... :lol: as for me being serious,,,,do me a favour Boyo,...... :tongue2:
Had a blindin day on the Lotty today,plenty of sunshine...got well roasted.
Got a few Romano lettuce in today and some salad leaves.
Started a nice fat pot of Basil" as its me fav"Got a few Paris Silverskins in as well.
Another 30 Autumn King carrots are now nestling in their Holes +I thickened our border
with some more Lovage between the Rosemary plants.
Sprinkled a few more Chives mustard and cress in me salad bed.
Seeded some Sprouts and Caulis+ a nice fat row of Kohlrabi and Filderkraut Cabbage.
All in all a bizzy day,luved it !!!!!!!!!!
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planted potatoes today and onions yesterday on my new allotment and it feels great to have somethink in the ground after all the weeks spent gettig rid of weeds but still a long way to go.
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Whizzed in....watered and wandered off. ;)
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Put the peas in the raised bed...2 rows,watered the stuff in the greenhouse.Did some more weeding and emptied a barrow load of chippings for path
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Tootled around on my scooter and managed to wield the hoe (on extended handle) to cover potato shoots and clear a few weeds.
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Planned evening on the lottie didn't happen as I had the offer via freecycle of a load of 150 year old floorboards that couldn't be reused from a builder doing a renovation job, so I rushed off out to collect them! Today they are going to be turned into some beautiful raised beds for my strawberries, herbs, salad etc :D
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prepared the beds for next w/e whan i will be planting out the brassicas watered everything thats in at the mo all in all a good five hour shift now its serious beer time :blink:
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went to the plot did an hours digging weeding and then went and chatted to the plot manager to see if there was a rotavator available - answer no- try a local hire shop. went to the closest £65 a day. a less local one quoted me for £55 a weekend or £37 a day, well I know who I will be going with. just got to book a day off work to get it done now at least then the soil will be of a diggable consistancy. at the moment its taking way too long to hand dig and weed - the digings not the issue its taking 3 times as long weeding the grass out.
Grendel
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Done another bit of rotovating today, that's it finished now. Will plant my potatoes tomorrow. :)
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Watered the lotty and our toms and chillies in the greenhouse,then sowed some coriander
and some more mixed lettuce in the salad bed.
home for a brew........... :)
Gazza
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Can't do much on the plot right now but weed, as it's really dry and the local parish council have cut off the water supply :(
Will plant some french beans in a minute though in the greenhouse :nowink: and water my seedlings in there...
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Met my brother and nephews & nieces at the allotment today. So lovely to all be out in the sun. Got my pea netting all finished today. Had a lovely time in the garden with my little boy, getting some more salads sown. All in all, a great day.
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Planted my potatoes, planted some strawberries and some chives that a neghbour had too much of, dug a new bed. I'm going to ache tomorrow, but it was a fantastic day to be on the plot.
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Admired, and watered the cuke, tom and leek seedlings in the greenhouse. Still no sign of the peppers but they always seem to take ages. Washed down the greenhouse as I could not do it in March due sprained ankle. Got a man in to spray the area which used to be a veggie bed but which went back to grass. He is going to dig it over for me in a couple of weeks (cannot do any digging myself until the ankle heals - it is so frustrating :( :( ).
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put some posts in for my pea netting, watered seedlings in the polytunnel some were very poorly due to the heat. Planted beetroot, turnip and swede, planted out the kale and chard. And I strimmed the apiary
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Amazing day - weather-wise, found a 4ft sq area unused, so in with a raised bed (aching like mad now). Planted out 4 sweet-corn, and got another 8 planted in paper tubes. There's a high risk in planting these out, I know, but can work on a 2-week replacement cycle to cover any frost-losses.
Last row of the main-crop into their bed and the brassica bed populated and covered.
The missus planted her melon seed into the greenhouse - been monitoring the mix/max temps in there this last month and she's convinced that now is the time. 2xplanting to allow for losses and plenty of seed in reserve.
2 Pepper plants into a grow-bag in the greenhouse, accompanied with a potted Aubergine, then set up a dripper system to keep them watered. I'm not convinced about this system, may have to consider a plan-B.
Back home for tea and salad / beer out in the garden, happy days.
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Planted out my beetroot. Weeded for Britain. Potted on the last of my squash, now in the greenhouse. Next step in the plot (with bell cloche if they need to go before the frosts ended). Checked my newly set up asparagus bed, all crowns producing spears (2 years to wait!)
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What a lovely day, took our new cool bag up to the allotment (including a nice glass of Rose!)
We (mostly Him not me) dug two more beds and we planted some chard (never grown it or eatten it!) some mangetout, more spring onions, carrots and Pak chox!
Put in some strawberry plants
i made a small bed next to the patio for some herb plants ( i'll need mint for pimms!)
Planted some sweet peas and built myseld a small trellis!
Lovely day!
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off to plant peas and beans later, asked the wife to split the seed into two one half for each half plot and soak the ones for planting today - well came back to two sets of pots, all soaking, and the second half plot isnt ready for planting yet so they will all go on the one plot today.
Grendel
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i planted some mangetout and dug up a large crown of rhubarb and it is now sitting on my plot split into two :), and some strawberry's traded the other way.
planted some rocket next to mixed salad leaf and put last of my strawberry runners into 6"pots
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i assembled and snail protected my new cold frame.......copper tape seems to work quite well along with slug and snail eating machines called rodney marjorie and muriel...(ducks) :D :D
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Started to set up the irrigation system, porous hosepipes set up, sprinkler in position, still a little more to do today.
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Attended the plot society monthly meeting, tipped all our inherited carpet and rotten wood or rubbish.
Dug two trenches for asparagus. I cannot WAIT to be eating all that yummy asparagus in 3 years time.
Repeatedly watered all the onions, garlics, potatoes and flowers, and then weeded the greenhouse borders (really hard work in the heat) and all of the beds.
Now we're sat with beers enjoying the rest of the afternoon. What a brilliant day !!
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Planted out a couple of rows of summer cabbage, rotavated ready for some blackcurrant plants grown from last years prunings, sown some salsify and hoed the overwintered onions and garlic. Now about to responsibley drink beer in the sunshine! :)
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went with the wife to the plot, she spotted some strawberry plants in amongst some lemon grass round the bottom of one of the apple trees. spent 1 1/2 hours following weeding them out, and planted a 3 foot bed of strawberry plants the full width of the plot. Then bought the rest home to pot up, there were hundreds of little strawberry plants yay free strawbs. planted a bed of peas, then another of runner beans and peas, and a last bed of broad beans and dwarf peas, run out of places to plant stuff now.
Grendel
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Sat about a lot :lol: Got some spuds planted, so that's one job out of the way. Weeded a bit. We have a fenced off area so that our dogs can come too instead of leaving them at home. hubby made a makeshift shelter for Cherry the lurcher when she got too hot. :D
(http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/12marg/allotment/10042011495.jpg)
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This weekend...
Burnt :) Love this sunshine!
Planted some comfrey kindly sent to me by a site member.
Planted Mange tout (spelling?) and asparagus peas - 5 meter row of each.
Got a lovely suprise to find my asparagus that was tony last weekend is eating size this weekend.
Now bbq number 3 of the weekend with asparagus and herbs from allotment!
Question.... How should I have harvested my asparagus? its 3 or 4 years old now, almost as thick as the stuff you buy in the shops. I didnt have a knife soI just pulled the stems until they snapped...is that ok?
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Planted 1 20ft row of rocket pots, 1 20ft row of estima, 2 20ft rows of charlotte, 4 20ft rows of maris piper and 3 20ft rows of desiree ( 5 more rows of desiree still to go in) Half the maris piper and half the charlotte were from T&M and the other half from Wilkos. The T&M were twice the size of the Wilkos so i will post again with the results. It will probably be a case of . You get what you pay for.
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went back and weeded my strawberry bed and watered all pots and seedlings :)
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Carried on with my forking out. 5hrs yesterday and 7hrs today. Got my ground ready for planting my parsnips next week. Peas came up lovely but the pigeons have taken their toll. >:( Onion sets and shallots are sprouting nicely. :D Some big radish i got from Lidl are starting to make an appearence. :) Loving the sunshine. Bit warm forking out today because the breeze dropped,but it was ideal on saturday. 8) 8) 8)
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Planted 11 x 10 foot rows of potatoes today, I done the lot when I had the chance. Consists of: King Edward, Maris Piper, Charlotte, Pentland Javelin and Duke of York. I planted them with the maincrops at the back, so that I can dig up the earlies easily and put something else in their place.
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Entered our Easter show. :)
First time ever!
Got a second for a tray of Caulis. :D
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I planted lettuce - rocket and red lettuce :)
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Planted 2 10ft rows of Pentland Javelin, put chives,corriander and parsley in herb bed. Sowed 3 types of sunflowers,dwarf french beans,blue lake french beans,trailing nasturtians. Had lots of coffee breaks and sat in the sun 8)
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I took my 2 boys up to plant our very first things in our new plot! We put in some nasturtiums to crawl up the fence and some carrots and spinach.
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cut in and weeded a 4ins border along a shared (by one old man and his dog) grass path, it was overgrown last June when i got the plot and another neighbour (who doesnt use it for access) had his hose running along making it impossible to keep the grass/weeds short, stapled some left over pond liner along the fence and into the soil then planted some forgetmenots salvaged from the home border, will finished with some lawn edging stuff ive seen in the shop, tidy!
planted a couple of red astibe and aqualisa's near new pond. the water is looking a bit red, discovered a brick in there! thinking i should remove some water and refill quickly before any frogs hopefully take up residence?
dug over bed for beans taking out even more mares tail so have decided a black liner will have go over that patch after I dig in some rotted compost from last year in the bottom and replace topsoil.
watered asparagus bed with marigold border and rasberries planted yesterday.
also watered potatoes and leeks in ground then carrots, spring onions and radishes all in containers, then all stuff in pots like sage, rosemary, chives and cut some for dinner with salmon in peking lemon sauce. Dinner mmmnn!! that made me hurry to get the gladioli, butternut squash and peppers watered and back in the greenhouse for the night.
must get them stawbs in pots from last years runners in the ground among their mates which are already in flower!
Must be time to go home for that dinner now its gone 6p.m. been down there since 10 with an hour off to nip home for lunch and forgot to take a drink this morning, Doh!
got the day off work monday but have to get some weeding done at my bungalow which i just moved into in snowy January and the painters want to paint my back door but will get back down to lotment later, must get some more sowing done in the greenhouse too.
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today i popped up the lottie with all my compostables, had a quick hoe around, sowed a short row of beetroot( boltardy) free in tescos with a newspaper, i gave every thing a good water as the ground is getting very dry and had my 3rd harvest of nice fresh rubarb.
Im new to all this and tend to find im spending alot of time up there, its so relaxing.
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Earthed up my three rows of Charlotte Potatoe's as they were beginning to show! No sign of the Kestrel's yet.
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Not today, but over the weekend - I planted the blackcurrant bushes that arrived on Saturday (they just look like sticks with roots on), weeded the strawberries, planted some gladioli bulbs (never done flowers before but they were free with the blackcurrants), tied the raspberry canes in (very late, I know) and did abit of general weeding. Came home with a couple of parsnips and some rhubarb.
In the polytunnel I planted some pumpkins and gave everything a good water. In the polytunnel at the moment I have lots of seeds just pushing through - beetroot, cabbage, broccolflower, leeks, lettuce, basil, spring onion, tomatoes and broad beans. No sign yet of my celery or cucumber.
I also had a go at doing the parsnip seeds between two damp pieces of kitchen towel - no success with that though. They are in the window in a really sunny spot as we don't have an airing cupboard but they have not changed at all. Am going to get some more seeds this week and just bung them straight into the compost filled toilet rolls.
Giving it a couple of weeks and am then going to start off some courgettes, beans and melons in the polytunnel, along with any other seeds ready for starting in April.
Am loving my polytunnel.
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Tried to dig up couch grass from my raspberries :(
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took some water down the plot to water in the strawbs transferred yesterday, now its raining.
Grendel
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I finished my wine bottle edge to my new herb garden!
had a donation of empty bottles from other allotment holders so no need to drink myself stupid getting enough for a path edge...ah well!
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started off some alpine strawberry seeds to go in all the milk cartons that i have saved up :) and watered the green house
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Planted out summer purple sprouting and calabrese plants. Earthed up the earlies as a chilly night is forecast.
As I was driving out I do a bit of rubber necking and saw what looked like climbing french beans planted unprotected against canes and on another plot six inch high sweetcorn under lemonade bottles. Interested to see how they fare over the next month.
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We planted more potatoes. I planted a white currant bush. I started weeding what will become our strawberry patch.
Allotment only 10 days old to us. (Much older in reality of course.)
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just had a look at the potato's growing and noticed the maris pipers are popping out just above the surface. cara's yet to come through. peas looking strong. just can't remember if i grew brocolli along with the cauliflower or mislabelled them as cauliflower :unsure:
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I harvested the second cut of chard this year. Successfully overwintered which was pretty amazing. Made a nice chard omelette with our own eggs too
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Yesterday - sowed sweetcorn and transplanted tomato, squash and courgette seedlings. Today - hope to do some general garden tidying up - edging paths and sweeping all the pathways. Lots of moss to clear from the paths also - now where is OH's wallpaper scraper. Oh yes - and if there is time dead-heading the hydrangeas.
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Planted some beetroots(boltardy) and cabbage(grayhound) which have grown in pots(in potting shed) out in the lottie covered um though u no what this weathers like
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Stuck another 2 rows of potatoes in.
Weeded around most of the beds (had both kids with me today so it was a bit of a rushed job!!!)
This afternoon im going to sow some french beans
Ive learnt though in future to sow peas and transplant. I sowed direct and hardly any have appeared, but i transplanted mangetout and that is doing great.
Presume im not too late to sow more peas so will do so and then transplant
Really happy though that for the third year at trying lots of parsnips have germinated - must have been the warm weather in early spring
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At the weekend I finally got around to putting up three compost bins. I also created a nice little barked area to sit down and do nothing 8) . Sowed some courettes seeds in the greenhouse too.
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Not enough!!
Planted sprout seedings and sowed beetroot.
Cleared up bricks/bags of sand/rubble that Chris yet again thoughtfully left on 3 beds for me to move :mad: :mad: :mad:
Moved all my bins out of the way ready for my new shed.
Weeded the strawberry bed
Planted 40 onion sets
Still to do...
Bed of peas
Move a huge pile of soil and nettles and weeds that Chris has kindly left right next to the shed and decide where to put it :mad: :mad:
Sow lettuce
Sow beans
Sow turnips
I wanted it all done today!
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Used the 4 kids I had on my hands to help me sow rainbow carrots, flamingo chard, canary chard and nasturtiums. Got told it'll be a multi coloured patch this summer if everything comes up and figured that would be fine by me!!! Thats all coz then they got bored. :wacko:
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Got some "living salad" from cheap shop ( not sure if we are allowed to mention names) planted under cloche in front garden - though it wd cut and come again until own lettuce is big enough to eat.
Has anyone used this? am I expecting too much from too little work? - probably but nothing ventured. :unsure:
I got a frown from mr aqua - more flaming Plants! ::)
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got nothing doneat the plot this evening, because I had bad hiccups and a stinking cold. when I get hiccups they can go on for days and with the added cold I was struggling to breath, as with a blocked nose and hiccups stopping me breathing every few seconds I was in no state to do anything strenuous. I did get a rotovator hire sorted for friday though so a slight something, and last night we got about 8 seed trays planted up with seeds.
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broccolli still confused which is which as the cauli and brussels new leaves all look the same :unsure: so mislabelled brocolli may have grown but sowed more of them just in case - bit late i guess but worth a try. will only find out when the head develops later in the year. :happy: brussel sprouts have grown their proper leaves so bit excited to see those! :tongue2:
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after watering,I planted the pea pods that had popped out from the plastic container filled with tissue paper....great idea mrs mumofstig..im well into that as you can see at a glance
"wots appnin" !!!!!!!!!!..and yes I was carefull not to snap off their spindly little growths.
sowed.........
50 parsnips in a large 2 foot deep plastic container full of a sand/riddled peat compost mix
heres hoping itll do better than lasts years "straight in mutha earth" disaster.... :nowink:
30 more autumn 2 carrot.
affixed trellis along 1 edge of strawb raised bed to grow sweet peas on and to use the posts for 2 x small hanging baskets for more strawbs.
mixed lettuce leaves in salad bed.
checked that the comfrey is growing nicely to make some tea with this season.
so,a few tasts sorted....and still plenty to do.
Gazza
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Just got in about 15 mins ago from the plot, me and my little lad had a nice bonfire and a real good clear up. I just chucked him in the shower and he is ready to flake out now.
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Built half of a 30 foot new fence to the front of the plot, Built new compost bin, emptied the old compost bin contents into new bin then dismantled and burnt old comp bin.
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After clearing a bit more grassy areas and weeding in the garden of my new home since snowy Jan, its been neglected a bit as a 90+ old lady used to live here, but lots of nice cottagey plants coming to life but i want to plant a few of my own. I went down to water last night but ended up digging a trench added some rotted compost ready to get the peas in which have been growing in newspaper pots sat in a mushroom box on top of some compost so nice roots on big plants, hope there not too big though for transplanting in the next couple of days.
Tonight after tea went down to sow some more veg but my 4 week old pond water looked very red, i had discovered a building brick in there a few days ago and it was bugging me,as there was no obvious life in there yet and the mains water had been turned on at the weekend, so I decided i'd bale it out with the watering cans and use to water the plot, I had an old flannette sheet i was going to use as extra lining under the pond liner but didint need so i used that to wipe off the red gunge around the pond edges and shelves, and put a new budle of staw in as someone told me that helps to keep the water clear, rinsed the oxegenating plants and refilled the pond. From what i could see in the darkness it looks a lot better and i feel much better too. cheeky robin came to watch me and had a little visit to the waters edge, hes not shy. The other day i was on my knees planting a rasberry a neigbour had given me and a blackbird scuttled along the onions and perched on a stone, had a little look around and directly at me, i had a visor on like a baseball cap but no cap, so i suppose he couldnt see my eyes, he had a good dip in and out enjoying himself, jumped onto the wooden edge and wiped his beak dry, it was amazing to watch, wished i had my camera down beside me but darent move to get it. i love my allotment, my little piece of this planet earth. i measured it tonight 31feet x 40 feet all for £16.60 for this year, heaven on earth!
moonchild
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The Gaffer & I managed to weed the plot and sow:
Final 60 potatoes - Mona Lisa, row of broad beans - feve de Seville; 3 broccoli plants and 1 cabbage plant (Lisse/Lesse?) added to the brassica row. Put some garlic to chit to replace the garlic the mole moved and which seems to have disappeared and put the sweetcorn to chit also.
Put extra 9 broad beans left into pots in case its necessary to replace any of the ones on the plot.
In the balconnaire at home managed to sow some 18 day radishes and assorted lettuces.
Guy who shares the plot went and watered last night for us - he has a pump to get the water from the river and use it with a hose pipe. :) 8)
Eli xx
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Very frustrating :( can't do anything yet .....
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Very frustrating :( can't do anything yet .....
Thrift - just keep reminding yourself that once your knees are better that you will be able to do so much more than in the past.
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Husband actually ventured up on Saturday to help me dig over the carrot patch, while I planted onions and shallot sets and sowed sweet pea.
Yesterday after work I sowed carrots, lettuce and radish and planted chitted charlotte pots.
Tonight I'll sow courgette, cucumber and squash seeds in cardboard rolls to start off indoors.
SarahM :tongue2:
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Very frustrating :( can't do anything yet .....
Thrift - just keep reminding yourself that once your knees are better that you will be able to do so much more than in the past.
You're quite right Springlands. I had a bit of a setback with infection but am back on course now. The doc was talking about doing the other one soon so it would be good to get it all over and then would really be superwoman next year. :D
Hope your pains are not too bad in this damp weather. Rosemary
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watered (everything was bone dry this morning) and planted some tomato seeds. Got to tidy the shed soon, I can't find anything in it! :blink:
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watered (everything was bone dry this morning) and planted some tomato seeds. Got to tidy the shed soon, I can't find anything in it! :blink:
Do we share a plot? :unsure:
Mine was watered four days ago by hand and now needs another splosh.
My shed is also in a muddle. ::)
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Very frustrating :( can't do anything yet .....
Thrift - just keep reminding yourself that once your knees are better that you will be able to do so much more than in the past.
You're quite right Springlands. I had a bit of a setback with infection but am back on course now. The doc was talking about doing the other one soon so it would be good to get it all over and then would really be superwoman next year. :D
Hope your pains are not too bad in this damp weather. Rosemary
Sorry to hear about the infection Thrift - but good that your are in the mend. Pains are OK except that I sprained my ankle recently and that is restricting me a bit - but getting better at last.
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yesterday put some maincrop spuds in and today put 3 rows of peas in, checked stuff in greenhouse and watered then did some more weeding. Was going to go back but am going to put my feet up ;)
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yesterday put some maincrop spuds in and today put 3 rows of peas in, checked stuff in greenhouse and watered then did some more weeding. Was going to go back but am going to put my feet up ;)
Sometimes just putting your feet up is good - you can think of all of the hard work that you have done so far. :)
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Peas,lettuce planted. Emptied my old shed and took it down. Had a massive 'new' one delivered (recycled garage) that Chris, his mate and me had to cut down an re-erect. Now decided to use my old shed as a potting shed as its only 3 years old and i just need to put another window in.
Roof on 'new' shed goes on tomorrow and woodburner installed :D
Shattered!
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Today I just went and sat on my bench and looked at my plot. :) :) :)
I did pick some rhubarb, cut off the leaves and shove them (the leaves) in one of the water butts to use for watering the cabbages.
I also looked at the shed and thought about tidying it. Then I went and sat on my bench again and thought about tidying it some more.
Maybe I will tidy it this weekend.............................
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quick visit, did some digging and had a quick hack at the weeds on the undug section, then home as the weather was just starting to spit with rain.
Grendel
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two more rows of spuds. bit more removal of weeds from future strawberry patch.
removed all the tussocks of grass from the allotment - only had it two weeks. Most of it still needs digging but when you can't see great big weeds it looks better
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Planted onion seedlings
pricked on tomatoes, chillis and peppers
Sowed Parsnips, Kohl Rabi, Carrots, Spring onions, radish and lettuce
Did some weeding - they are coming up so quickly!!
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not been on for a bit. Tbh finding it hard I work 50 hrs a week then have social time so at a busy period im rly not getting much done.
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not been on for a bit. Tbh finding it hard I work 50 hrs a week then have social time so at a busy period im rly not getting much done.
Go and have a very quick look to make sure it's still there ;)
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Last nite sowed beetroot, brussels sprouts, leeks and broccoli, watered, weeded, dug some more and had a cuppa and sat down and admired my evenings work.
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"Retired" old sage and thyme bushes and put in some new plants. Watered all the asparagus and mulched (no harvest this year). Sowed basil and kale in pots.
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Planted some oregano, curry plants, grapefruit mint, winter savoury and catmint in an old butler sink we found.
Earlier this week planted:
2 rows spinach
2 rows perpetual spinach
2 rows red (rhubarb) chard
1 row boltardy red beets
1 row yellow beets
Already have in:- salad pots in big containers, parnsips, onions, carrots.
Sowed:- cukes, cauliflowers, red cabbage, broad beans. peas for plants and for eating pea shoots, rocket, cavelo nero, toms, chillis, peppers, celery, shark fin melon, green & yellow courgette.
Job for today? give the pots in tubs a nice drinky then have a nice drinky of coffee myself and watch it all grow a bit more! ;)
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I had a go at the weeds and build a wigwam for my runner beans and French beans looked at the damage the mole had created and left in a huff as we have just tackled the rabbit problem by fencing off the plot so the next thing is getting rid of the mole.
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planted out the parsnips raised in paper pots, cos the roots were at the bottom.
Watered the peas which looked a bit sad, the soil is sooo dry here :(
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planted out the parsnips raised in paper pots, cos the roots were at the bottom.
Watered the peas which looked a bit sad, the soil is sooo dry here :(
Here too Mum, my water barrel is empty already and my spuds will start suffering if I dont water them tomorrow :(
Got half of the new sheds roof on
Made some permanent pea frames with metal mesh fencing and posts (much harder work then I thought it would be but will save yonks of time in years to come)
Cleaned up loads of rubbish - with all the building work going on, the plot looks like it did three years ago when I got it >:(
Netted and fed the strawbs (one job that was getting on my wick!)
Unexpectedly got 12 pallets delivered free for my compost area...yay
A very productive day :D
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popped down to check all was ok
saw 2 rows of 1st one row of 2nd and a row of late spuds have broken ground so well pleased with that
checked the peas they look ok
so a full day on sat down the plot is on the cards :lol:
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Went to the plot, saw a new infestation of horsetail, sobbed :( and went home to feed the kids instead!
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Kajazy, it IS a pain, but just keep hoeing and pulling and hoeing some more.
I have it too,and I LOVE pulling the nasty alien out. You will never get rid of it, but it gets less bothersone every year, I promise ;)
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Thanks peapod - you've cheered me up! It's so weird and creepy though... ::)
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yes bump to that i picked at the marestail in between the rows dont let it get you down i put all i can up put in my incinerator and every weekend i put a cup of petrol on it ignite it then dance and sing to the old 60s song fire fire
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Been on plot number 5 all day!!!, dug over all my raised beds, got rid of loads of fine tree roots. Got put off by a nasty busy body with nothing more better to do than scare monger telling me my plot historically grows nothing!. Then spent early evening breaking my old shed up and clearing other bits of rubbish before my skip arrives 8.30am :D
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Spent most of the day building/erecting front of plot fence (30 Ft). Fence now complete just needs a gate making and hanging.
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popped down to check all was ok
saw 2 rows of 1st one row of 2nd and a row of late spuds have broken ground so well pleased with that
checked the peas they look ok
so a full day on sat down the plot is on the cards :lol:
Wot???????? No beer???????????
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ouch hired a rotovator 8hp, and dug the rest of my 2 half plots, one neded quite a bit of work, picke the rotavator up at 81m, finished that site at 1.40, the other was quicker, finished that one by 3pm, took rotavator back and paid my £36.96 hire fee out of the £50 deposit, and came away tired but happy. the one problem I did havewas the handle height / position adjuster was broken / rusted in place which meant that when digging on the second pass with the deep dig, the handles were better suited to me walking on my knees , so I was bent double half the time, but still its done now. - no pics today as I forgot the camera, but hopefully tomorrow I will be there to rake up whats left of the weeds and rubbish so I'll try and get some then.
Grendel
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Planted the rest of my potatoes
Weeded around onions which are all sprouting nicely (Stuck a few more in where the birds had helped themselves!!)
Came home and sowed 150 peas into modules - i sowed some direct but arent having much joy so now on plan 2!!!
Received some new starbwerry runners through the post but wont have time to get them in this weekend - anyone any suggestions as to how to store them? Thinking putting wet newpaper round them?
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Took my son up to the lotty today, he loved it up there, he is only 9, looking for lady birds :D.
He helped me plant some more peas and we planted a block of french beans too.
Its nice to see all the carrots, parsnips,swede and beetroots have all broken ground already, all me spuds have come through again after earthing up the other day, think i will put all me sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflowers in tomorrow, that will free up a bit of space in the greenhouse, apple tree, strawberries and raspberries are all flowering too, garlic and onions are comming along nicely after a good feed the other week.
My boy gave everything a good water before we left, grabbed a few sticks of rubarb and off we went, im feeling pleased with it all as its my first year, im looking forward to the whole year :)
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popped down to check all was ok
saw 2 rows of 1st one row of 2nd and a row of late spuds have broken ground so well pleased with that
checked the peas they look ok
so a full day on sat down the plot is on the cards :lol:
Wot???????? No beer???????????
sorry i had a beer when i got home
marestail is coming on leaps and bounds but pick it evertime i see it
tonights beer is Londons Pride
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Put up an 8x6 greenhouse frame on my Dads plot, removed the last of the bits from the fire i had on Monday. Earthed up the potatoes and watched some new people walk all over other people plots. Resulting in buying fencing post first thing in the morning so we can help with some fencing tomorrow.
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Earthed up the spuds and fed and watered.
Dug a two foot bed ready for shed footings
Planted the dreaded BB plants (see GYO!)
Ate Greggs sausage rolls (YUM!!) while watching our friendly Robins eat the worms I had unearthed. Got some piccies too :D
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finished planted the spuds.
continued my - see a dandelion dig it now approach to the uncultivated part of our allotment (most of it).
Dug up the weedy looking leeks left by previous owner because they had dandelions growing up between them.
Took a photo of the brownbird who shares our allotment - her partner the blackbird seems to have had a day off.
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Earthed up the spuds again.... thanks Fox for giving me that job! :(
Set up the bath in its new position and filled it now that water is back on for the season.
Watered raspberries, beetroot, strawberries and spinach.
Hoe, hoe hoed....... those little weed seeds seem to be coping with one of the driest Marchs on record. ::)
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Some of my spuds are coming through so earthed up. Weeded between the onions. Dug out a blackcurrant cane in an area that has had problems with them growing dug down further and noticed a half slab I probably dumped ther years ago so dug it out the soil was clear after that so replanted and watered and watered some more fingers crossed it starts to take.
Covered the carrot seeds with some polythene we salvaged from packaging on our new two seater. The carrot seeds I planted in the raised bed as they have been in for a while now but where showing no sign of shooting probably due to not having enough sun however the leeks I planted with some polythene cover next to them are coming through so I am just experimenting now with the carrots as there is no where else to plant these.
Forked the main growing area ready for the root veg to go in next month? is that right?
Bill
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planted
14 brocolli
12 cabbages
5 lettuce
drank 3 bottles of londons pride
gave some brassicas to a new plot holder as a welcome present
earthed up all the potatoes
watered the peas
back on the plot tommorow
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Got 16 fence post knocked in and got paid with Cider how cool. Had a good tidy up of that bit behind the shed that we all have that is messy hahahah. Another black sack full of rubbish and a much better looking plot. The children all play so well there is not peace and quite when they get together.
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sowed- kale, cauli, rocket, Basil, salad leaves and beetroot
Potted on squash
planted out- dwarf beans (under cloche), beetroot
earthed up the potatoes
Had two really nice summer beers
Raining now, Just as well its been really dry- saves a job
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more seeds in trays, and built 4 shelf mini greenhouse for nothing with stuff around the house.
Grendel
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Planted me sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and planted out 2 courgettes, had a little weed around and a good watering, now im off for some fish and chips and a pint of ale. :)
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like the mini greenhouse
i have sown 4 rows of onions (1 red). did watering
Continued digging over the uncultivated area of the allotment.
water veg patch in back and front gardens. put some peas to pre- germinate.
froze the leeks I harvested (according to recipe on this site)
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Had to erect a Collie fence around the potato patch this morning. The little darling was caught clod-hopping, whilst hunting, all over the not-yet-through-the-surface potatoes yesterday! :nowink: Bamboo canes with tied twine, fingers crossed a small physical barrier will be enough. ::)
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I thought Id heard about every protective fence on a lotty, but never a Collie one :lol:
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Well there you go, that's my girl! ::)
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I like the mini greenhouse too. :)
Today my hubby made two brassica beds, also out of freebie wood and some plastic he got from work. Some sort of packing for items, it was going to be thrown away! We joined two together and made a bed out each one.
(http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/12marg/allotment/P1080215.jpg)
(http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/12marg/allotment/P1080225.jpg)
Took another water butt up there and laid it on a pallett.
Dug and raked the new beds and put weed membrane down till the plants are ready to go in.
Dug in some compost as we didn't have the plot last year, so didn't get the chance to dig in any manure.
Weeded and weeded.
Watered the potato and shallot beds.
Saw TWO potato plants peeping through the soil.
Made a sign with our plot number and name on and tacked it to the shed. (Everyone does this on our site).
Had lunch and a cuppa.
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worked really hard on a very small part of the lotty ( for my strawberries ) and i can feel every muscle and bone in my body!! soooooo many weeds!!!! :( :( :(
but what i have done today i dont have to do tommorow :D :D :D
Really enjoyed being outdoors along with hubby (who also can feel every move he makes!! :tongue2:) only another 6 beds to go !! :wacko:
plot hasn't been touched in 30 years, so there are a few weeds but we are so lucky to have it so not moaning
sowed beetroot, radish, checked potatoes and they are actually growing, onions doing their own thing but they seem happy enough, put grow bags in poly and had plenty of tea!!
love all the pics, well done on that saved packaging looks really good
P.S can do most things but computers not so good so sorry if this is in the wrong place or anything else
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Went down this morning to water up, made the new gate and installed, fence all finished now. Then onto the pub for a liquid lunch then to watch Hull city batter Donny.... :happy:
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A 5 hour visit today. :)
Mowed and edged the paths, trans-planted 40 shallots, sowed 2 rows of carrots and (although I guess it's rather late) planted 2 rows of onions.
Came home only because the shilling ran out at 9pm. :happy:
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today planted carrots, broccoli, chard, pak choi, rocket radish mixed and two rows of pink fir apple (cos Mr aqua really likes those).
removed the third of 3 yucca plants, trimmed back the overhanging leylandii and did more clearance.
planted some celery in pots.
not even a third of the way down the plot yet.
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Earthed up potatoes, then got a great skip find of blue water pipe that some builders were happy to give us. Took that home, then potted on courgette, aubergine, tomatoes, basil, oregano, and sweetcorn. watered all the seedlings.
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Glazed a greenhouse and moved a smaller one half glazed just and reglazed it put down some weed membrane and made a shelf up.
(http://pbc.codehog.co.uk/bhs/pics/200604/bee-fly_16apr06_640_10a.jpg) there is a Bee Fly at the window as i type this message
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that is pretty
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Well, we did more digging and more clearance. I feel like we're getting a lot done; like we're really getting somewhere.
Before (last weekend):
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q59/D-Dockings/Before1.jpg)
After today (our second weekend on the plot):
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q59/D-Dockings/After4.jpg)
And our youngest with the very cool slow worm that we found while clearing debris:
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q59/D-Dockings/Slowworm.jpg)
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Planted some beetroot, broad beans, pak choi and lettuce.
Wow Windsong, you guys are doing brilliantly there
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wow - you put us to shame
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Today at the plot i dug up two gooseberry bushes and moved them to the opposite side of my allotment near the plum tree.
My son planted some Kale, Chives and some Giant Sunflowers.
We also weeded and watered another plot as my friend is on holiday for two weeks.
I also had a discussion with another plot holder about the benefits of having a wildlife pond and some ducks.
Although the council would have to give us special permission for the ducks, so i don't think this will be possible any time soon.
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Been working, so just wandered across the river in my wellies, watered my strawberries and onions. Then into front garden to dig an cultivate my trenches ready for my spuds to go in :-)
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planted up about 20 seed trays with beans and peas, took a water butt up to the plot, and did some quick raking to get some of the weeds lifted by the rotorvator up.
Grendel
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Today I have mostly been pulling out bind weed roots. Man sized ones, as thick as my finger !
After filling 2 yellow 75ltr trug tubs I pilled them on top of yesterdays brambles and introduced the lot to my blow tourch :D
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Rotovated 2nd early pot bed and planted out 25ft of 2nd earlie (Maris Peer), planted out sweet pea,s, pricked out 12 tom seedlings (allicante) sown spring onion into 6" pots.
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And our youngest with the very cool slow worm that we found while clearing debris:
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q59/D-Dockings/Slowworm.jpg)
You are so lucky having sloworms as they are a protected species. Great for keeping down the slugs too! ;)
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Well, we did more digging and more clearance. I feel like we're getting a lot done; like we're really getting somewhere.
That's very good work 8)
now you can start growing stuff :)
had a look on sunday and the pesky slugs got in and ate the young shoots of the basil :mad:
hardening off the cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts.
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I feel very behind but have to keep reminding myself that it is only mid April and that there is still a chance of frost so really I am not behind!
Planted the rest of the potatoes this morning and got some strawberries, lettuce and radish in. Planning to go back mid week to get some carrots in.
Spent an hour in the polytunnel - put in some courgette seeds and a few more tomato seeds.
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I'm still digging the new veg patch. Double dug 36 sq ft of new beds on Saturday. Only about 90 to go. It's all been lawn until now so it's compacted like concrete underneath the turf.
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weeding, watering, earthed up potatos, replanted some onions that the birds had pulled up :mad:....dug over another bed (5 done, 3 to go). moved sprouts, courgettes, dwarf beans from windowledge to greenhouse. My back is hurting so off for a hot shower 8)
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just planted carrots in the front garden and watered front and back veg plots.
no visit to the lottie today
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Lots of weeding (even though it is so dry they haven't really got going yet!), sowed Red Alert tomatoes to go outside (the other 3 varieties for the greenhouse were sown a couple of weeks ago), planted out parsley (potted on from a supermarket-bought pot), transplanted my 10 remaining onion seedlings ( :tongue2: :tongue2: - at least they have some roots if not much else!), noticed my Pentland Javelin spuds just starting to break the surface ( :)), convinced myself after 3 weeks that my parsnips are finally showing ( :unsure:), and fretted about my sugarsnap peas which did great last year but are currently at about 2% germination ( :()
Picked a load of asparagus which I shall be merrily chomping on in about half an hour! :)
So, not a lot really! :lol:
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Me and a couple of big strong men went and shifted some of the rubbish piles we produced on the plot -about 3 tonnes. :blink:
Stumbled across another 5 slow worms in the process and saved a grass snake that was tangled in some plastic green mesh that someone else left behind. We're definitely going the leave the big patch of overgrown land alone. We were going to put weedkiller and black plastic down before we came across all the wildlife. We'll leave it as is now, though.
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Digging out the couch grass that is appearing and general weeding, put some weed fabric around the strawberries, I already have fruit appearing - can't wait!!
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Harvested my first cut of comfrey, into a sack and into a water butt. Earthed up potatoes. Weeded for Britain. Harvested some more chard. I'll have some of my own lettuce in a sandwich before the week is out.
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went to both plots and did some rakeing of the dried weeds, both have the water turned on now so tomorrow will be watering.
Grendel
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Went to plot could not be bothered to do to much, put some shelving together for the greenhouse sat ha lunch and that was about it. Tomorrow is another day last day off for a few days hahahh.
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transplanted some rasp suckers to fill a few gaps, sown sweetcorn, runner beans and french climbers. pricked out some cornflowers and some helychrysums. planted out lettuce in greenhouse, coated new fence with preservative.
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I popped down this evening before the kids' bedtime.
I weeded around my plants with a little fork, dug up weeds that have sprung up on the newly dug over plots (grr), watered everything did a victory dance at the little potato plants coming up :D and planted a couple of mangetout seeds.
It was lovely and chilled - wish I could spend more time there and less at work.
Ellen.
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Found a few shallots I forgot to plant before, so stuck them in on the off chance. Watered (could we have some rain soon please?). Scattered slug pellets, might water with nemaslug next week, and is certainly due for a dose of growmore. Spuds are starting to come up, althoughf first earlies are taking their time about it. Dug up the last of the purple sprouting, which I didn't really make the most of this year.
Refelted shed roof (or at least started to) then fell off the ladder. Then the roof started falling off. Allotment veterans came to assistance with cries of 'you don't want to do it like that!'. Roof is now secure and waterproof and all for the price of a few cans of beer. :)
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Rode push bike up to the lotty this morning, its beutiful again, just pulled a few weeds that started to pop through and gave everything a good drink, back home i got all me plants out of the green house so they could get a good dose of direct sunshine :) just like im going to do today :D
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Earthed up pots,more weeding,and painted shed :)had a cup of tea and enjoyed the peace. :happy: :happy:
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Planted in 10 new strawberry plants
Planted some carnations into the plot - hoping to get a good amount of different cut flowers this year
Squished a load of baddies on my Gooseberry bushes - that felt good!!! WIll nip back round later and squish some more as im sure to have missed some.
Loads of stuff germinated and doing well
Gave everything a real good water as its so dry - then just admired my hard work - must say my plot is looking the best since ive had it - just hope i can keep on top of the weeding this year when holiday season starts!
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I potted on aubergines, peppers, and chillies. I have a nice south facing wall these will go on with some old double glazing panels for comfy warmth. Not going out until June though. So the double hight heated propagator doing just fine. Now can't get into my green house as the floor is covered with Toms chillies globe artichokes and squash. Don't you just love it
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weeded, hoed, weeded some more! watered the shallots and potatoes. Put some more water in the water butt.
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dug weeded and weeded
watered
guess what I'm doing tomorrow?
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built a bit more of my shed this evening
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all the potato's are coming through. planted more sweet corn, 2 courgette seeds. cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower are growing nice and steady. can see 2nd set of true leaves appearing
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took the hose to both plots, filled the water butts and watered the seeds/seedlings, gosh the soil is dry - already.
Grendel
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Dug and dug some more, still trying to catch up!!! Cleared all the weeds and grass from under raspberry canes, sited another Dalek compost bin, weeded the plot and watered everything. Sowed lettuce under 3ltr coke bottle cloches... :)
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watered the lettuce then walked up and down pulling marestail out then noticed the neighbour had earthed up my 1st earlies for me :D pulled moremails tail out then watered the peas and went home and had a beer
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Sowed tomatoes, planted 'pretty pot' of lettuce and nasturtiums in the old gerbil 'cage' just donated to me. Counted hundreds of flowers on chili plants and ate ice cream. Earthed up first earlies. What a fab day.
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watered plot and noticed all broad beans are up and rocket is now showing also tomatoes coming on nicely in plastic greenhouse .
was going to apply for vacant plot but now have decided to keep the one i have instead and despite the shaded side keep persevering.
looked at the new shed to see how it will fit on my plot nicely the weekend :) and looking forward to a long weekend on the plot coming up
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started taking down a greenhouse at the in-laws to take to my plot about 200 miles away
(visiting for a few days)
was going well getting all the glass out with no breakages then on to the frame. Mixture of greenhouse bolts (square headed) that either shear or unscrew fine and some normal bolts that are rusty and spin in the frame making it impossible to get out.
after struggling for a while I went out and bought another angle grinder (got on at home ....about 200 miles away) and started removing the stuck bolts.
will finish it tomorrow
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It was lovely and chilled - wish I could spend more time there and less at work.
I was thinking the same thing only the other day
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It was lovely and chilled - wish I could spend more time there and less at work.
I was thinking the same thing only the other day
I think that every day. At least once a day.
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I'm so far behind this year I'm going to be catching up for awhile.
Yesterday..tended rows of new potatoes..doing nicely. Planted snowball turnips and beets. Spring fertilizer and new straw on strawberry bed. Four small clay pots of basil and parsley....and now its back out in order to earn my glass of wine in the evening.
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Just layed the last of the base concrete slabs before we stick judes dads freeeby 10x8 shed on it.
Got given some double glazing in a 4x4 frame so just knocked up a cold frame today.
Sowed another 30 beets.
Smothered our fruit bush bases with the fresh sea weed I got from me fishing trip at the weekend and put a few handfulls in a bucket of water to make some tea for use on our toms.
Chilled out for half hour as it was a bizzy morning.
Off to see me dad in hospital !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gazza
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After weeks in bed and hospital (stupid back) finally managed to plant the new spuds that have been ready to go in for ages then had to come home.
Several more raised beds have appeared in my absence thanks to OH so if I'm up for it tomorrow the parsnip, leek and carrot seedlings will be planted out.
What a beautiful day though :)
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Put 2 tubs of carrots in (Royal Chantenay Red and Autumn King 2), put some netting up for peas, put a fleece canopy up over carrots ( temp). Watered everywhere, brought a couple of barrow loads of wood chippings from bottom of site to plot, as did Bob for me ( thank you ).
Watered the greenhouse and coldframe stuff, got my shoulders burnt. In between all this lots and lots of sit downs and water ;)
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planted out some module raised cabbage, and planted out the onions grown from seed.
Watered the transplants in well. Spent about half an hour with the hoe!
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One row of parsnips, 1/2 row of spinich, half row of little gem. Two rows of onion. Mangetout (first row) in its raised bed. Four cabbage starts and two coriander pots.
...and now, after an absolutely gorgeous day here in West Cumbria, a glass of wine. :)
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Called at the plot to give the few things that we have in a drop of water.
Put a notice up on the notice board about the upcoming working party day for the environmental plot and the town in blooms plant swap day.
Headed to the committee meeting (I am the secretary for my sins) for an hours meeting where, as ever, nothing much was decided upon. ::)
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Watered seedlings and then spent the time tidying paths and cutting back the grass which is encroaching on them. Now have sore back and am going to enjoy a refreshing drinkies.
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picked marestail from betwwen the rows of spuds
collected a half barrow full
then i hoed the onions and shallots and more marestail
then i gave a drink to the 1st and 2nd peas and then i hoed the garlic
then i repotted the courgettes and then i watered or sprayed if you like the Christmas cabbages caulis peppers chillies lettuces beetroot
then i came home drank 3 cans of carlsbeg and made two egg and bacon roles and ate them as i ytpe this im drinking more beer and eating a bag of potatoe ring mmmmm
back in at work at 7 tomorrow then back on the plot tomorrow night
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Made a frame to protect emerging strawberries and blueberries. Sorted out frame for cucumbers to grow up. Emptied garden box of tools and stuff, found enviromesh and fleece that had been eaten by rats so had to chuck them out. Bit gutted really but looking at my lovely frames and the anticipation of harvesting fruit has cheered me up.
Think I will now follow the advice of the experienced members and have a beer. Cheers :D
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watered everything but carrots and now getting myself a can or two :D
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Seems like its beer night after a hard few days :D
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Planted out exhibition onions,
Started to bore holes for the exhibition carrots,
Started the compost mix for the exhibition carrots,
Did a bit of weeding,
Went to pick some nettles,
busy day tomorow sowing seeds :)
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got the greenhouse at the in-laws down and transported it to the plot after a 3 hr drive
looks like I have only cracked one pane of glass but will find out better once unpacked, which maybe a while as I needed to build a base for it and that will involve digging up 3 small tree trunks
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watered everything but carrots and now getting myself a can or two :D
Water... of course! :lol:
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About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I planted asparagus crowns, and yesterday I was GOBSMACKED to find little spindly asparagus spears growing though.
I was like a proud mommy, and took a picture of them on my phone. Best day ever....
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transplanted my toms into their final position in the big greenhouse, sowed another batch of spinach and watered everything. Again! :)
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back up to the in-laws to pick up the OH and our baby daughter and also got a free louve window/vent for the green house I took home yesterday.
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I was like a proud mommy, and took a picture of them on my phone. Best day ever....
Oh that's so sad ... you'd never catch me doing anything like that. :wub: ::)
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Fitted a new tap to side of Potting shed to make watering easier. transplanted 48 beetroot plants. general water up. erected 2 wigwams out of 8 ft canes for runner beans and some wax climbing beans I,m growing for the 1st time. Planted out 60 gladioli.
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other half has (finally) finished the fruit cage (well Strawberry Cage really) ;) even put some extra batons up for me to attach my milk carton strawberries too! Unfortunately batons not strong enough to nail to, so had to improvise and attach the milk cartons with s hooks, but all looking good and now have 70+ plants in a not very big space.. can't wait til harvest time :tongue2:
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Nothing today as working but the Wife has taken the kids away for a few days with her mother so im hoping to spend the whole weekend at the allotment
it will look great - so long as i can stop myself heading off to the pub!!!
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dismantled shed and moved it on to my plot, 7x5 t&g not bad for £20 tomorow i will lay the slabs for the base and renew a bit of he floor as i erect it on my patch :)
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Admitted defeat so went to Focus and bout 12 Strawberry plants full of leaves and planted them. mounded up the spuds role on tomorrow.
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Planted mine month ago and still no sigh. It had spears on them. Purple variety. Sob.. :(
About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I planted asparagus crowns, and yesterday I was GOBSMACKED to find little spindly asparagus spears growing though.
I was like a proud mommy, and took a picture of them on my phone. Best day ever....
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Yesterday, as I had a whole 2 hours to myself, I watered seed beds and newly transplanted plants, earthed up the spuds again (I do love foxes!) and then covered them with grass mowings.
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Planted Camomile, put more radish seeds in again as the 1st 2 lots have bolted due to heat, put netting over green house for a bit of shade, put up mesh for peas to climb up, watered everything else. Going back later to cut some chard and spinach to have with evening meal.
ITS SO DRY DOWN HERE IN ESSEX :(
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Sowed some more broad beans
Sowed ruby red sunflowers
Sowed dwarf french beans
Weeded between my spinach & chard sprouts, sprinkled a few of those organic slug pellets before they get munched
Planted tom plants into polytunnel
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base done and shed up just in time as the thunder is starting , mind you we could do with a good downpour, just need to renew the broken window and im sorted also might have a greenhouse fingers crossed
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Spent ages watering the plots. Just as I was winding up the hose - THUNDER, RAIN!!
It might have been worse, I might have been fishing and a carbon-fibre rod is not something to be holding in a thunderstorm. It reminded me of Lee Trevino, the golfer who said that the way to cope with a thunderstorm when out on the course was to walk along holding a 1-iron above the head, because not even God can hit a 1-iron. Now sitting and watching the rain fall. It isn't much, but it is encouraging, may there be a lot more to come.
Tomorrow I turn 60 and I am doing absolutely nothing after walking the dog, seeing to the ferrets and watering the greenhouse. I shall sit outside if it's hot and inside if it's raining and I'll lift nothing heavier than a glass of something and do nothing more strenuous than getting up out of my chair to fetch another bottle.
May all your flowers, fruit and veg be getting some natural water soon.
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Have a good one Ferreter51. Could you open a bottle on my behalf, please. Working tomorrow :(
Eli xx
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Yeah happy birthday for tommorow Ferreter
Today i squashed yet more sawfly off the gooseberries so decided enough was enough and bought some spray and enjoyed watching them after that!!!
Gave some things a good water - came home and decided what to transplant tommorow and then cracked open the few of many beers for the evening!!
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Checked on the new strawbs we transplanted yesterday, hoed, and transferred the contents of one waterbutt to the other, so that o/h can fix the leaking tap tomorrow
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cleared another bed ready for the runner beans, so many weed roots but another one done :D :D
Very hot today whole of the country was heading to sunny hunny for the day, fortunately we were heading in opposite direction to lotty so didn't get caught in traffic woohoo !!
watered everything as they were all flagging badly those that are growing and not a sign of anything from seed so just wait and see.
will be heading there again tommorow for another day of looking at the sky hoping for more than a drop of rain :)
oh and happy birthday have a great day :D :D :D
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cleared another bed ready for the runner beans, so many weed roots but another one done :D :D
Very hot today whole of the country was heading to sunny hunny for the day, fortunately we were heading in opposite direction to lotty so didn't get caught in traffic woohoo !!
watered everything as they were all flagging badly those that are growing and not a sign of anything from seed so just wait and see.
will be heading there again tommorow for another day of looking at the sky hoping for more than a drop of rain :)
oh and happy birthday have a great day :D :D :D
One good thing about lack of rain is at least the weeds are not so busy growing. ;)
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One good thing about lack of rain is at least the weeds are not so busy growing.
But when I hoed today the top is a dustbath :(
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cleared another bed ready for the runner beans, so many weed roots but another one done :D :D
Very hot today whole of the country was heading to sunny hunny for the day, fortunately we were heading in opposite direction to lotty so didn't get caught in traffic woohoo !!
watered everything as they were all flagging badly those that are growing and not a sign of anything from seed so just wait and see.
will be heading there again tommorow for another day of looking at the sky hoping for more than a drop of rain :)
oh and happy birthday have a great day :D :D :D
One good thing about lack of rain is at least the weeds are not so busy growing. ;)
Hottest weather ever for April!?
weeds' seeds are dry and flying, be prepared when rain comes!
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didnt get to the plot today, we did pot up some tomatoes from the seed trays, watered the greenhouses and de caterpillared the goosberry plants. then a nice BBQ before heading back indoors.
Grendel
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Well, we were going to go to the allotment today and were only a matter of yards away but then...
We had a BBQ in the glorious sun today before heading indoors, then after letting dinner go down we decided to walk to the allotment with the dog, there had just been a light shower and we thought that was all, just a light spring shower. But as we were approaching the allotment, the clouds drew in, lightning lit up everywhere and the rumble of the thunder was getting louder and closer. So we headed home in the what was at the time light rain, after only a few minutes of getting in the rain started to hammer down, within a few more minutes the sides of the street were like swollen rivers, It was blowing a Gail out and bolts of lightning struck down from the sky. So all in all a lucky escape, and too think, we were going down to the allotment to water the plants :lol:
So, I didn't get to the plot today as you have just read, and i probably did just waste your time
PP. :D
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Boiling hot down south today.. Got to the allotment around 2 and spent half an hour or so attempting to dig out some more bindweed that has appeared :mad:
soaked in sweat after that so watered most things and had a chat with another plot holder before heading home
At home we sowed lots more seeds (me fruit and veg and the other half sowing flowers), watered all the new grass and i even managed to dig out the stones on the bed by the garage.. took a few hours and now have 8 heavy sacks of stones to take to the tip!
Great day though and got a lot done. have now had a fry up and some beer and im sitting in the conservatory waiting for the meteors ;)
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Tidied the path at thr front of the plot, weeded and watered everywhere, and sowed two half barrels of carrots. Also, got thoroughly sunburnt in the process...
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Built an Ark in readiness :lol:
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No lottie yesterday but going today to supervise my teenage sons do some digging for me.... hopefully (as long as I can drag them out of bed!)
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Well this morning i manned the shop! thoroughly enjoyed it too, i got to gossip with all the old boys, (even if they do hold a conversation with my chest...) I got to dish out some advice to some newbies (hehe!) and I got to sit in the shade - far too hot to do any hard work on the plot, and even the weeds are sulking so all is good!
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Well this morning i manned the shop! thoroughly enjoyed it too, i got to gossip with all the old boys, (even if they do hold a conversation with my chest...)
Are you quite a tall lady? :unsure: The reason I ask is that some OB's probably have stiff necks thanks to old age and years of gardening and can't look up as well as they used to (think I've already joined them; good excuse anyway!) 8) :lol:
Going to get down on my hands and knees later and sow my chitted sugarsnap pea seeds one by one to replace the ones which failed, and then make a late decision whether to go with the barbie or not because there's a very oppressive feeling developing in the (now very hot) air............ :(
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Well that was a full 6 hours at the plot
A second row of spring onions in
Transplanted two rows of little gem and lollo rosso salad
Weeded the whole plot (Three years ago that would have taken 6 weeks not 6 hours!!!)
Tidied the paths
Had some good chats with fellow plotholders, got home and enjoying a glass of beer!!!
Oh and the rain has just started so no doubt the weeds will be raising ther ugly heads any day soon!!!
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Myself and GH took our 3 yr old nephew to our plot - he loved it !
While I got on with planting last of the chitted potatoes (picasso), GH had him collecting stones to see how high they could build the pile. Then I asked him to help water everything (he has his own gardening equipment - very keen :D), while GH started weeding/digging over more of the plot.
Also planted marigolds and nasturtiums.
Starting to come through are: onions & shallots, charlotte pots, sweet peas, radish.
Back at home, potted on tomatoes and calabrese, and planted up one of our hanging baskets with impatiens and fuschias.
Phew, what a busy day - time for a cuppa me thinks :lol:
Hoping for rain now, as I can hear the thunder in the distance. Not holding my breathe though!
SarahM
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Hoed, weeded, lit a bonfire and got rid of our rubbish. Took a home made cake and, once word got round, ended up sitting with other lotty "neighbours" sharing it and a cuppa in the sunshine. It was very continental and great fun. :D
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Started to remove the old soil from the greenhouse - have spread in the holes that the hens dig in their run. Still have more to clear and will then replace with a mixture of manure, compost and soil - just ready for my toms and cukes.
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Spent most of the day at my daughters cutting back and down bushes and Ivy.
sowed some peas and planted out the Runner beans. Earthed up the spuds with a load of soil from other area of the garden also found 4 spuds coming through by the black berry bush which must have been the remnants of some spuds I chucked away last year was a surprise to see them so transplanted them in with the other spuds.
And watered the whole garden / veg area.
Cleaned out the chucks then sat down to take in the work and plan my next step.
Bill
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Emptied 4 daleks, lovely stuff inside, spread it in the fruit cage. Put the roof on the fruit cage 7.5 mts x 5mts. made it myself out of 4x2 timber and a roll of debris netting. needed to close it today to keep the birds out now the strawberries and gooseberries are nearly ready. Dug over an area of 10mts x 4mts to prepare for the runners and french beans. Got home and slumped in the chair with a long cold beer and watched Millwall smash Preston. What a great end to the day.
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Too hot to go to the lottie yesterday, so when it cooled down I double dug a small new border(can definitely see where it gets it's other name from). Today went to lottie & put 1/2 of Lady Balfour spuds in. I had intended to put the rest in on the top plot but had forgotten it was covered with black membrane & a load of slabs,bricks & some rubbish to weigh it down.So I relaid some membrane for a path near the fruit bushes followed by the slabs on top so I only had to move them once.Then I dug out some mares tail & after that it was far too hot for me so I came home. Later on after a long sit down in the shade & a visit from a friend I potted on lots & lots of tomatoes,aubergines,& some cabbages.
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went down late to both plots, watered and weeded, paths were hoed to remove the weeds. potatoes growing, my first beans are about 5" high now.
Grendel
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Dug over and rotovated small 13ft * 4ft raised bed another one to do on Mon, ready to plant MC potatoes next Friday
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Visited our beach with my partner and youngest daughter for the afternoon ,god we are so lucky to have a beach so close, but all the time , sorry some of the time i knew i had to get to the lottie to water stuff , so if on cue the breeze picked up and a couple of shudders produced the right reaction from close parties so i managed to get down for an hour to water the stuff , ie toms and cucs in g/h spring onions in a bed, snips , carrots under cloches , all the onions (spanish i think , reds and shallots ) spring cabbages , about 8 left greyhound type , you know them pointy ones. and watered the last dozen leeks from last year. :)
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Planted 30 paper-pot sown broad beans (2nd lot).
Cut the paths with the hand mower (peaceful and easy)
Hoed
Watered
A nice evening 8)
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(Yesterday) we:
earthed up the container spuds
planted out 1st pea & broad bean plant sowings
re-sowed some self blanching celery (1st lot was a miserable showing)
sowed some purple sprouting broc for next year :blush:
We literally saw the sweetcorn I sowed about 6 days ago growing in the hot sun yesterday; first thing there were 2 then by the end of the day, 11!!
Cut grass.
I was VERY hay-fevery in the night, pollen must have been quite high yesterday.
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At home today, so potted on 20 sweetcorn, some tomatoes, lemon coriander, moonbeam squash, parsley. Tidied up the pots and seed trays and watered the plants well.
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An absolutely wonderful day here in West Cumbria:
Weeded the main garden plot. Planted cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage in my starting experiment in the main bed. Planted radish, pak choi, white radish, spring onions and kailaan. Started more brocolli and cabbage in the greenhouse along with a few small clay pots of coriander and parsley.
Was wonderful to see my row of Snowball beets peeking through for the first time. The first hint of what's to come :)
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planted more peas from the tray to outsside and forgot the water them :wub: things growing well.
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most of the seed trays we planted last week have now got little shoots in them, some will need potting up maybe tomorrow. everything is just loving the warm weather.
Grendel
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We've spent quite a bit of time on the plot over the last few days.
Lots of weeding, our plot was abandoned about 6 or 7 years ago, so we'll be doing lots of weeding this year I reckon!
On Friday saw that our early spuds (Rocket) have finally started showing. And now some of the maincrops (Arran Victory) - that were planted 2 weeks later - are coming up too.
Carrots coming through, as are the first lot of mange tout.
Moved a lot of raspberries that had spread throughout the plot to create some raspberry fences, a temporary measure to give us a bit of a border. Also panted a gooseberry bush. Not really expecting to get much fruit off them this year, but you never know - they are growing well. Also want blueberry, blackcurrant and any other fruit trees/bushes we can find.
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most of the seed trays we planted last week have now got little shoots in them, some will need potting up maybe tomorrow. everything is just loving the warm weather.
Grendel
[/quote
Not wanting to teach you how to suck eggs and not being an expert myself, but shouldn't you leave the shoots to come on a bit more and start to grow their true leaves before you put them into bigger pots. Please correct me if I'm wrong
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the tomatoes were about 3" tall when we potted them up.
Grendel
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Weeded the garlic, onion and brassica bed, watered everywhere, sowed some spinach and said hello to all the new asparagus that's come up from when I planted the crowns 3 weeks ago.
Without wishing my life away, I can't wait for the next two summers when I'll be steaming my own grown asparagus
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On Sunday:
- basked in the afternoon sun's heat
- hoed and used a soil-miller to keep a few little weed seedlings down (coughed in the dust!)
- put canes in around the peas and joined then together with strings
- cut spinach.... (that I must remember to cook on Monday when I've time)
- watered when it was cooler
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MJS, those moonbeam squash sound very exotic! and Irene, did you soak your beet seeds before sowing? I sowed some last week and have only just noticed that maybe I should have soaked them before planting???
Easter entertaining of the in-laws yesterday so no gardening just showing off our garden 'aplotment' :)
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Spent a fantastic weekend at the plot. Onions and shallots are coming on a treat. Potatoes are coming through as well,fingers crossed we won't have a frost but i think that's wishful thinking!!!!. Put a hoe through the weeds so the rows look nice and neat now. Still got a patch of ground to fork out for my parsnips. Couldn't get to the plot last weekend due to work commitments so a busy time. Fellow plot holder has let me use an unused patch to put my courgettes and butternut squashes on. Hadn't been dug for 6 years and the ground was like iron and full of stones. Wrists are hurting a bit this morning!!!. Good fun though. :) :) :)
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Yesterday I moved some courgettes for the second time, am sharing the plot with my next door neighbour who wanted to put something else there They seem OK in their new home.
Have potatoes growing in bin bags and gradually adding soil to cover the new shoots. Gave them a darn good watering. They are looking good so far!
Weeded again, once a day doesn't even seem enough in my garden, I'm sure they pop up again as soon as I go inside!
Looked at the seeds I'm growing in propagators and willed them to hurry up, I'm so impatient!
:)
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well spent most of the morning and some of the afternoon planting more seeds,our 2" tall beans were moved from seed trays to troughs and put up on the shelves on the fence to get a bit bigger before they go out to the plot.
Grendel
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Actually walked to the veg garden ( with crutches ) and watered it !
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well done Thrift!
went to the plot and got VERY dusty!!! loads of weeding - will go tonight and water. Unbelievably hard, dry dust - can't call it soil! :(
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we will be off to water the plots in a moment.
Grendel
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I've just earthed my spuds up with concrete clods, rather than soil.........it's that bad.
Either concrete lumps or dust.....nothing in between :(
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Not a lot. Just watered. Both plots are all set up and rarin to go when the time is right!
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Actually walked to the veg garden ( with crutches ) and watered it !
Well done Thrift - but try not to over do things. Hasn't this weather been wonderful.
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Watered and risked planting out a couple of courgettes (I have a few more held back just in case). Planted some purple dwarf beans. Met two nice Polish ladies who have just started on the plot next to me. Pondered where my parsnips and runner beans had got to - the parsnips I know are quite slow to start but at least one runner bean sprout should have appeared by now!
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Actually walked to the veg garden ( with crutches ) and watered it !
Well done Thrift - but try not to over do things. Hasn't this weather been wonderful.
Fantastic weather Springlands, although much cooler today. The warm weather has been a mixed blessing as I am stuck with the horrid surgical stockings :tongue2: Oh well, four weeks down .... two to go :lol:
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weeded around the garlic & shallots, watered and now praying that my non-greenfingered mum can keep it all going while we are away for a few days :tongue2:
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I have planted beans. watered. dug out some more of the undug area. put a frame up for my beans.
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Discovered the magic of a hoe :) - why dig out the weeds when you can just chop their heads off in 1 easy movement! accidentally de headed a spear of asparagus and a garlic plant!
Borrowed a kind persons rotivator and had my husband turn over 2 patches in 10 minutes - would have taken me days by hand!
Dug op all the strawberry plants I could find through the weeds, must have been at least 70 plants, neatly planted 24 of them through weed membrane so they shoudnt get over grown again. The remainder I will swap / sell / give away.
Watered, watered some more, then a little more again.
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watered and earthed up spuds weeded several beds , planted some comfrey that was given to me by my kind neighbour and swapped some debri netting for a greenhouse , bargain :tongue2:
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put my colly seeds in and also some carrot seed , finally raked the last bit of my plot and burnt the last of the elder weed into oblivion ... muahahahahah . overall i am getting there , slowly
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I attempted to dig,and I can tell you,that fork was not going in...even with a substantial amount of weight behind it :D what to do? can't plant seeds in concrete?....and the flippin' weeds still manage to grow !!
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Potted up 30 Chrysanths from 3" upto 5" pots, Prepared Chrysanth bed, and put up the wires. Sown some beetroot.
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I attempted to dig,and I can tell you,that fork was not going in...even with a substantial amount of weight behind it :D what to do? can't plant seeds in concrete?....and the flippin' weeds still manage to grow !!
pull the weeds out and plant your plants in the holes left from the weeds!
Grendel :-)
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I attempted to dig,and I can tell you,that fork was not going in...even with a substantial amount of weight behind it :D what to do? can't plant seeds in concrete?....and the flippin' weeds still manage to grow !!
Give the ground a good soak - leave for 30 minutes and go back and try again.
It should make life easier. :)
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learner-that was my usual technique but even that wasn't working last night :(
Grendel,I might try that ::)
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Chillies and Toms in their final positions in the green house borders
More dwarf beans planted out. Also planted out some squash under plastic bell cloches. Like Wombat t's a fingers crossed situation and the bulk of the plants are still under cover. Thinned out the lettuces and had these in a sandwich and a pint of beer. What a weekend
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planted hardened cabbage, cauli and brussel sprouts outside. next door who has retired from allotment kindly gave some long netting and covered peas and all from birds. compressed soil around brussel sprouts as hard as i could so hoping 1st year with these looks promising.
sweet corns area worry, only 4 out of 14 have grown :unsure:
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Boarded and felted the new shed roof
Planted leeks, cabbage, calabrese.
Earthed up the spuds (just in case)
Only full bed left to go is swede
Back to work tomorrow :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
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Decided to chill yesterday, just went up to water everything.
Also worked out where the new greenhouse is going to go - got a 8x6 foot freebie!
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last day before kids back to school, so took fleece off sweetcorn and courgettes, watched shrek, did homework, sorted out uniforms and pe kit, made sandwiches, had tea, had baths and just put fleece back on. Poor patch, not much attention today.
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Just back from hols, so set straight to work with the hoe as weeds have been loving the weather :wacko:
Watered everything well as ground bone dry 6" down!
Dug over a new patch that was sprayed with glyphosate before hols.
Had a look at the potatoes just starting to appear above their ridges. Red Duke of Yorks are easy to spot as they are such an amazing colour. Not grown them before so it was a bit of a surprise!
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90 minutes watering and off again.
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Over the long weekend we….deep breath…..
Hoed and weeded onion bed.
Direct sowed beetroot, lettuce (2 varieties), spring onions and planted some potatoes we won in a competition (5 spuds in all!).
Watered EVERYTHING as it really needed it.
Dug over the Legume bed ready for the peas/mange tout/beans & forked in some muck.
At home we sowed into pots, sweet corn, courgettes, gherkins, French beans (climbing and dwarf) butter-nut squash and another little squash variety.
We also potted on, sunflowers, marigolds, statice, pak-choi, brussels, cabbage, cauliflower, romescu, tomatoes. I’m still disappointed with the celeriac (the are only 2 tiny leaves and have been in ages!)
All in all our patio looks like a garden centre, maybe I should flog them 3 for 2 this weekend!
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Planted and netted my Couldbe's today planted sweeds in the polytunnel and planted the tomatoes in the grow bag in the mini greenhouse.
Bill
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Swede won't like the heat in the poly Bill, best get it outside and into the ground asap :)
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Swede won't like the heat in the poly Bill, best get it outside and into the ground asap :)
Thanks for the info will move the polytunnel now
Edited Have moved the Polytunnel over the beetroot and netted over the sweeds.
Thanks MOS.
Your gonna tell me the Beets won't like it now aren't you? :D :D :D :D
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Planted Sante maincrop today and continued the battle with horsetail, tomorrow the Desiree go in (post-workday energy levels permitting) then finally get the fruit canes, fruit trees and hops planted on friday.
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fleeced what needs....... forecast of frost tonight.
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strimmed the paths and watered.
Grendel
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Just lots of watering today.
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Planted out Main Crop Potatoes (desiree), sown some spring onions and radish in pots to plant out later (stompy,s method). pricked out a few corn flowers.
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Basked in the sun, watered all that needed it (including me), weeded and fleeced the potato rows as frost is forcast for us tonight, weeded the beds and added sand to one of the beds that is currently full of clay blocks to help that break up a bit.
In the next few weeks, I plan to get mange tout and sweetcorn in.
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Door on new shed
Had a chat to my new neighbours (who asked for the stack of flags we have on one of the beds....will have to keep an eye on these lot! ::))
Watered and watered more.
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A quick nip to the plot with weed-killer for that stubborn patch where the old compost heap once stood....but the breeze decided the couch grass could stay a little longer. (I don't want to upset my neighbours with drifting weed-killer!)
Watered and evaporated left.
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Transplanted chillis, sweet peppers and toms into bigger pots. Watered and admired all my little seedings. :)
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Yesterday I transplanted all my onion seedlings,some garlic that I had forgotten about & broad beans. I dug out a load of couch grass from along the side with the grass path hoed the winter onions & garlic & hoed the bed where the brassica's will go.Had a few cups of tea,but nobody to chat to really only the woman that never stops if she starts so I avoided her :tongue2:
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Potted on leeks. 10 to a nine inch pot. To go in when the newpers are out. Chitted runners (polestar). Watered around. Glad we are in for a bit of wet this weekend.
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Transplanted beetrooted and lettuce. Feel like I'm making progress! Got soooo much to do this weekend! :)
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Planted out Calabrese, and summer cabbage. Took a cut of comfrey, put it bin to make comfrey extract. Gave some support to carnations.
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Not much. Just picked and ate my first 4 strawberries - v happy and v delicious :D
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Watered my peas which are about 3inches high, resowed the 10 that havent germinated out of 354 so quite happy with them.
Weeded my strawberrys and gave them a feed of my comfrey tea as i have loads of the stuff , got carryed away making it this yr :D
And while i was working gave a lot of thought to starting the sweetcorn chitting, a week or so longer yet i think.
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Potted on my aubergines for the last time. They will be out against a south facing wall at the end of May. Pricked out a batch of lettuce (Little Gem)
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Did very little again.... just not enough time. :(
Earthed up the potatoes yet again - I really don't like foxes! Why can't the cubs play on someone elses plot for a change? Just because mine has lovely fine soil.
High point of the visit:- Discovered my 2 rows of carrots are through :happy: and the beetroot is romping away.
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Yesterday I moved 3 dalek compost bins & their contents Phew. Then I put the rest of the broad bean plants in ,sowed some more seed direct,transplanted the beetroot,Sowed peas & mange tout & watered them all in. By which time I was done in. So Round to my son's to help plant a large wisteria that was in the middle of the lawn. Then home for a bath & cos I couldn't face cooking a chinese.
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put my runner plants in more weeding more watering
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Nothing but at home planted my potato for the local annual garden show. I rocket seed potato to see who can grow the most to be judged before the show on 16th Aug.Bit late going in but better than last year when I forgot. :blush:
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new posts supports brayed in for the raspberries............blackened a thumb nailing staples to secrue the wire :mad:
roll on harvest time :) :) :)
bit of weeding........again...its a lonely place at the end of a hoe
last of the new raised beds filled and now ready for may time sowing
happy days ;) ;) ;)
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Ended up spending the day watching bits of the wedding and building a 10foot trampoline! My son(s) seem to love it! 8) Just got to build the enclosure for it tomorrow morning then will be heading to the plot!
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In the greenhouse..... sorted out the tomato plants to give away to friends and family putting my own to one side.
Last year my parents gave away some of the varieties I'd wanted to grow on. ::)
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Yesterday I watched the wedding and then transplanted lots of seedlings. More seedlings to transplant and water today. Need some rain cos the ground is too hard to dig. Oh yes - and swept up the grass after OH had strimmed the edges of the paths.
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Planted peas, more onions. Watered. A very warm wind blowing in West Cumbria today and everything is a bit thirsty. Beets are now showing...as are several other items. Taking a break then will go back to the garden.
Someone previously asked me if I had soaked by Snowball turnip seeds. I apologize for the late response but "No". I didn't even know you could or should. Mine have always done quite well just packet to ground.
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In back garden planted some tumbling toms in upside down planters,hope they will do well and wont get frozen ( is it safe now or still risk of frost??? ).
Planning to plant out patty pans and courgetts tonight or tomorrow ( again,is it ok? )
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are you sure you are frost free now? :unsure:
Any hint of frost and they'll be goners :ohmy:
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No,I'm not...thats why I'm asking. :blink: According to my notes last year we had frost
between 1st - 3d of May.
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This exceptionally warm dry spell does not necessarily mean we have seen the last of the year's frosts even down here in the sunny south or in the warmer cities. Although it looks unlikely the weather can fool us all. A sudden dip and one over-night frost could lead to great expectations being dashed.
Take care with planting out tender things unless you have either back-ups to replace them with or excellent frost protection to hand.
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today i built sand castles with my son, put up the bean canes, showed littly the onions and garlic (he was very impressed) and tried to disuade him from eating the very green and very hard tiny just set strawberries.....
I also peered very hard at the 5 rows of parsnips I should have and realised that i have only 2 or 3 seedlings. I hate parsnips :tongue2: and they hate me. Love to eat them though. :D
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spent all afternoon in the garden, tomatoes were planted up nder coke bottle cloches, stuff is ready to be transplanted to the plot tomorrow.
Grendel
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water the beans . watched my husband build the compost bin. planted my strawberry roots. no much I have a streaming cold :tongue2:
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Absoloutely loving going to the plot at the moment, and soaking up all the glorious weather.
Dug over a patch of clay that I've not touched so far all year, and tomorrow I'm going to introduce a bit of sand to help soften it up a bit.
Watered everything, and then came home and sowed squashes, courgettes, mange tout, sweetcorn and some indoor and outdoor cucumbers.
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Tied the 2nd line of twine on the snap peas, watered the parsnip seedlings and the one raspberry and one strawberry that are struggling after transplanting earlier in the year.
Filled the water butt up from the hosepipe, have to keep it topped up form now on, incase they suddenly announce a hosepipe ban :nowink:
Tried to earth up the potatoes a bit more, but the soil is in great clumps like concrete so it's not worked very well :blink:
In the greenhouse I potted up some more seedlings and watered everything that needed it, including the cat who didn't, but she got splattered anyway..oops! :D
Put netting over the peas in the garden cos the sparrows are pecking them to pieces :(
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Yesterday I went to the allotment and made 3 paths from weed membrane and bark chippings- they run down the sides of my raised pallet beds.
My sister helped me to dig a trench around my peas and beans and put bricks in the trench (2 bricks high)
We also weeded and weeded and weeded- so much mares tail on my allotment at the moment :(
All my plants got a good drenching with the hose pipe, and the kids dug a hole in an unused bed to make a wildlife pond- although they have dug in the wrong place-so i filled it in when they went home!
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popped up to the plot this morning to visit the plot shop, bought 12m of 7m wide netting (£27.60) and planted a tray of cherokee beans. watered and weeded by hand and then came home.
Grendel
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nothing my cold :tongue2: is rubbish.
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Almost broke my back weeding.........the couch grass in my raised bed is a nightmare!
Oh and my plot neighbour told me he had sprayed my plot with weed killer this morning!!!
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I put Wigwams up on both plots in anticipation of planting the Runner Beans and climbing French Beans later on this month. They are currently being Hardend Off.
The Cape Gooseberry were potted on in the Greenhouse and Tomatoes planted.
Took a chance and planted two Courgettes outside but protected.
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Built a base for my shed out of pallets, and have some impressive splinters to show for it. Now all I need to do is get a team of willing volunteers to lift the shed onto the base and I'm sorted. :happy: Shed tidied up and lots of junk thrown out (including voles nest, sorry voles) so everything will be ready for the move.
Other than that, watered, weeded, and had some cucumber plants donated by the Lithuanian in the plot next door. Too windy to spray elderly apple tree for downy mildew unfortunately. Tayberries and gooseberries making splendid progress should be a cracking year for them. Next job - tidy edges and go along the paths with the strimmer.
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At long last I had tim to put a new lock on my shed.
It's a neat little device rather like a Yale lock so I'm hoping to avoid the attention of the local thieves who have bolt-cutters. Last visit they sliced through the hasp ignoring the padlock altogether. :tongue2:
Planted broad bean plants, tiny beetroot and a row of lettuce. And then it got far too dark to see. :(
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nothing my cold :tongue2: is rubbish.
Sorry to hear about that. Have you tried honey and lemon? Tastes nice if nothing else.
A swig of single malt whisky is wonderful for relaxing out of a cold. ;)
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nothing my cold :tongue2: is rubbish.
A swig of single malt whisky is wonderful for relaxing out of a cold. ;)
77Or two.............
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ached a bit this morn,as we ..................
re dug the soil and made a teapea frame and planted our butter beans with dwarf beans in between the poles.
earthed up 3 rows of spuds with some of last years compost
1 row ive covered in bladderwrack seaweed, then composted over just to see what effect the weed has on the tatter growth after reading so much about jersey royals peeps use of seaweed.
Replaced 2 panes of glass in GH after NE winds decided that it would be OK to blow em out.
Sowed some more peas in paper tubes ..... :)
sowed some more kenya beans incase of late frost..... ;)
sowed some more Gherkins as the 1st batch didnt germinate.... :(
sowed some more physalis as all other batches have refused to germinate..... >:(
sowed another 30 beetroots.... :)
Gazza
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Weeded Strawberrys and surrounded in straw to keep the now quite big green strawbs of the ground built a small frame round them and netted.
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7.30am, down the plot, planted beans, a few tomatoes in a sheltered corner plus a few strawberries, watered and was home by 9am.
Grendel
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7.30am, down the plot, planted beans, a few tomatoes in a sheltered corner plus a few strawberries, watered and was home by 9am.
Grendel
I did the late evening shift and you did the morning shift. :lol:
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Well i just popped up the plot to make sure all was well and give a drink to all the plants( we havent had rain for over a month now).
When i got home i was greeted by a neibour that had bagged up 5 wheel barrows of old well rotted horse poo, loverly, i took it all up the allotment to show the old boy who told me my ground was dead and his face went green with envey :D, so heres a question, Can i put this well rotted horse manuar on my plot now to liven up the ground, will it do any harm? ive put a couple shovel loads in a hesian sack and hung that in my water tub.
A very happy boy today i am :D
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you may wish to test your soil for Aminopyralid, unless you are sure that it came from a herbicide free source.
here's how to do the test
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/321/testing-for-aminopyralid-in-manure/
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A strange one this.............. Helped to identify what was left of a dead bird, feathers mainly! The conclusion was that it was a Pheasant.
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was up at the crack of sparras, went to muck horses out, brought some fresh poo back to do a hot bed......i am now shattered and half way through digging out and turning compost heaps, came in to have a drink before off back out to crack on again! oh and sowed some more successional salads and stuff! :D
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Sowed parsnips and cucumbers (gutted that there were only 4 seeds in packet!!! First time doing them, did I expect too much for more seeds?). Earthed up potatoes, put chilis into mini greenhouse to allow for more windowsill space. Planted out mange tout plant son bought home for school project.
Proper last day of holidays so now subjected to High School Musical 3 as had promised kids a movie.
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hoed all the weeds, sown Beetroot , cleared all the path oh yes i do have one :) put lettuce out to harden off, watered again :happy:
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Planted my swede seedlings
Thinned out the beetroot seedlings that have survived being walked over many times by my OH when putting up the shed and flagging :)
Prepared another bed that my OH and his mate cleared for me....room for more stuff YAY!
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got very very very very dusty!!! (http://bestsmileys.com/sneezing/1.gif)
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planted out strawberry's (hope i wasn't too late with these ),
sowed some onion sets,
gave apple and plum trees a good drink.
put some more compost into borders :)
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Weeded, watered, planted main crop King Edwards and dug and dug some more! Oh and cleared the huge pile of Blackberry bush cuttings (ripped arms to shreds....) :mad:
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Watered everything, a bit of hand weeding around onions and moved my jerusalem artichokes from a temporary pot into a bed.
Leeks, chard, beetroot, spinach, lettuce, peas and broad beans all showing. Potatoes went in a bit late but are starting to show.
Planning to bake a rhubarb sponge with custardy creme anglais filling this evening.
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Planted my courgette and butternut squash plants. Forked out some ground and put up some canes for my runner beans which i will be starting this week. Finally sewed my parsnips albeit in a gale force wind but most of them went in. Hoed all my onions,shallots and broad beans. Hand weeded my beetroot,carrots and peas. :)
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Watered everything, did a bit of weeding and covered the spuds with fleece as there's a chance of frost tonight
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In the greenhouse I sowed runner,dwarf,yellow climbing beans & swiss chard,poppies,nigella, chrysanthemums,daughter sowed 2 types sweetcorn,mignotte,french marigolds. Then potted on rhubarb seedlings,chilli's,tomatoes,cauli's,cabbages,coleous.Then had to move everything round to fit it all in.
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Skipped the plot today and went to Alton Towers instead!
Back to work tomorrow :(
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Skipped the plot today and went to Alton Towers instead!
Back to work tomorrow :(
A sensible break! ;)
Remember the tv programme: "Wish You Were There"? (A holiday travel programme)
Sometimes I'd just like to hop on a bus and go somewhere different for a few hours but chance would be a fine thing. ::)
My plot's the next best thing :)
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Planted out this years chard. Last years has finally decided to run to seed- this hot weather I guess- Chickens love it. Sowed the runners. Harvested lettuce, baby carrots and radish for lunch
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Weeded, and dug and weeded some more! Flippin Bind Weed :mad: Beloved other half doing me a favour rotavated it all into tiny pieces and it is now cropping up all over the place Tis true satisfaction digging up great big knot of it and knowing at least that bit won't be back next year. Another 10 years i might have got it all!!
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Planted out this years chard. Last years has finally decided to run to seed- this hot weather I guess- Chickens love it.
My chickens love this too!! Mine died/rotted with the severe cold period during the winter. I have just potted on my seedling this morning so I have plenty for this year again.
I have also potted on Kohn Rabi. I have also transplanted young autumn calabrese into bed at allotment.
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Took shed and new (much bigger) greenhouse to the new plot at the weekend.
Will be building the shed tonight and building the greenhouse base at the weekend.
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Watered everything. Carrots, raddish, peas, sweetcorn, kale, beets all coming along. Spuds flying up. Going to have to bank some up at the weekend. Did a bit of hand weeding. Erected some CD's on canes and twigged an area to protect from birds.
Then promptly fell asleep in a deck chair whilist listening to 96.7FM.
I dont want to go back to work.
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On the plot yesterday, i weeded and then weeded some more, i am sure them dam weeds were waiting until i had finished then decided to pop up just for the fun of it. Thined out the beetroot and lettuce, planted some runner beans and planted the Maris piper. Sat back and enjoyed the view, then watered and finally went home.
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popped in after work tonight - ground like a dustbowl, watered all the plants, earthed up the potatoes on that plot, both plots done now, planted some beans and infilled some peas into the pea bed. weeded some then watered in the new plants. then came home.
Grendel
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covered the potatoes with some polysheeting as the ground was too hard to do much earthing up :(
Also covered the earlies in the garden and the PFA in the tubs. Fleeced all the toms and courgettes in the greenhouses, but brought the aubergines and peppers indoors. It was already getting cold at 7pm :blink:
down to 5C now!
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Planted arbo potatoes into newly cleared area, hoping they're not too late. Weeded strawberry bed and fleeced seedlings to keep the cats off. Looking forward to some much needed rain, forecast for thursday. :)
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At 8pm, having listened the the BBC weather forecast, I belted back to the plot to cover up the potatoes (again.....blessed foxes!). I'd only just arrived home too from cooking dinner for my parents. ::)
The potatoes are now nicely snug under grass-clippings and as much of the soil as I could drag back in place.
I can't decide whether I'll be happy if the BBC got it right or not. Their interactive thingimee-bob on the tv suggested no frost at all with a low of around 6oC over-night. :unsure:
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i have pricked out and potted up 60 calabrese plants......i live on my own do you think thats enough? :D also did curly kale, caulis, cabbages, psb and sprouts! ive planted some comfrey out i have been growing on (bought some inch long roots in feb) and although i was doubtful all have romped away, also put a buddlea in my neighbour gave me, i think thats about it and i have factor 50+ on and can *still* feel it burning! 8)
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At 8pm, having listened the the BBC weather forecast, I belted back to the plot to cover up the potatoes (again.....blessed foxes!). I'd only just arrived home too from cooking dinner for my parents. ::)
The potatoes are now nicely snug under grass-clippings and as much of the soil as I could drag back in place.
I can't decide whether I'll be happy if the BBC got it right or not. Their interactive thingimee-bob on the tv suggested no frost at all with a low of around 6oC over-night. :unsure:
No frost. ::) Blinking weather forecast!! All that belting up and down like a yo-yo and then there's no frost. >:(
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we had some frost here in kent, throughout the allotments there are tufts of blackened potato leaves sticking up, mine included. planted peas constructed a post and string frame for them to climb up.
watered everything.
Grendel
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we had frost here in Ripon North Yorks too, some blackened potatoe tops, thankfully i kicked some soil over some newly spouted tops in a later planted row last night, as i had left the tools in he car, then earthed them up tonight. covered them in fleece tonight so their snug, also did same to the strawbs as a few flowers got blackened. i had bedded out butternut squash at the weekend in a frame I made from pallets coverd with plastic from spare polytunnel plastic i used for the wooden greenhouse i and some friends put up in autumn, but the frost got to them too :( i snipped off the fried leaves but the crentres seem to bo ok so have coverd them in fleece for the night under the polythene hopefully Jack wont kill them off now
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I panicked too
I bugged my son to take me tothe plot at half time in the Man U match (I dont drive)...and bless my baby boy, he did :)
Im calm again now as my spuds are earthed up (it was ALL Learners fault :tongue2: :tongue2:)
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Made a swift visit to the plot after work today after hearing about more sheds being broken into :blink:
My plot was ok but appears the frost last night has turned the tops of the potatos black! Luckily most had been earthed up! Should I cut the black ends off and let them get on with it ?
Watered the onions, garlic and peas that are now growing well.. 2nd year apple trees also covered in little fruits. I know most will fall off but im hoping its a sign of things to come! Loads of strawberries and raspberries starting to form too!
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Made a swift visit to the plot after work today after hearing about more sheds being broken into :blink:
My plot was ok but appears the frost last night has turned the tops of the potatos black! Luckily most had been earthed up! Should I cut the black ends off and let them get on with it ?
I'd let them get on with it.... they should recover. Chopping them back won't help them any.
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I panicked too
I bugged my son to take me tothe plot at half time in the Man U match (I dont drive)...and bless my baby boy, he did :)
Im calm again now as my spuds are earthed up (it was ALL Learners fault :tongue2: :tongue2:)
Now then, now then... It was the flipping BBC's fault with their dodgy weather forecast. :wub:
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The moment has finally come. I have started the hardening off the bulk of my courgettes and squash. After 5 Days or so theywill be going out when the 5 day forecast is good I will have a few in reserve.
Tally Ho
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Cried, we had a frost and as I had been lulled into a false sense of security I hap put out my french & dwarf beans.
Oh well still time to get them going again.
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LilacSandy,
You can probably get some pretty well advanced french and dwarf beans at a local garden centre. Sow up some more yourself as well and "Bob's Yer Uncle."
Same with other stuff if the eagerness has "done for it" courgettes, tomatoes. On the website there are lots of folks that have lost these self sown crops because they've nipped by a late frost.
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Created impressive dust clouds by hoeing, ( :nowink:) weeded the parsnips, started to feel a bit concerned about the shallots (some leaf-yellowing; probably the drought even though they've been watered - bet they run to seed sooner rather than later) sowed courgettes and Winter Festival squash in pots, and Cosmos and Zinnia in the prepared flower borders.
Oh, and took the Hozelock reel apart as the internal hose connector decided to come apart (as it is wont to do from time to time!) :)
Hot and humid now, so off to exercise my democratic thingummy shortly! ;)
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Gave everything a good drink up the plot again, a couple of weeks ago i thought i would risk a courget and a cucumber plant on the plot, they have been fine so far i have spares just incase, i happened to notice that my cucumber plants on the plot and in the greenhouse have both flowered :) feeling pleased with myself.
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Thanks Robster,
I will try re-sewing as I hate to waste money by buying ready grown, but will if I have to as still cheaper than buying the stuff the supermarkets pass off as fresh.
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Popped over for 1/2 hour to hoe the transplanted onion seedlings in the hope if it rains it will soak in & then decided to give them a long drink as they were looking a bit sorry for them selves. I go away on Sat for 10 days so I might go back up tonight & water everywhere thoroughly to save me doing it tomorrow night.
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planted red cabbage, kale and brussel sprouts. watered.
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went to the plot after work, planted up peas and put up the supporting frame from some conduit scavanged out of the skip at work.
Grendel
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Well I've done alot on my plot over the last few days....Only just got home from it as had a big fire to get rid of...so made a mini party and cooked some sausages with a few friends!
Constantly battling the mares/horse tail, but will eventually win the fight! Strawberries are doing really well considering its their 1st year, plenty of fruit and finally got round to putting the straw under them!
I think I cut my raspberries down when I didnt need to. I think they may have been a spring variety, but I didnt know when I took over the plot in Jan so cut them all down. But the one or two I left as a test have started flowering! so oops!!
Onions, garlic, raddishes, letttuce, broccoli, cauliflowers and beetroot are doing really well! But my bigest surprise and happiness from the gamble is my sweetcorn! I planted out 18 'Earlybird' sweetcorn at the beginning of April just as the glorious hot weather hit and they've survived the 2 "frost nights (3c)" we were meant to have and they are about a foot high!!! So some early crop to be had there! Have some more 'Earlybird' to put out and I've just started chitting my other variety of sweetcorn.
Peas, runner beans and french beans arent up yet, but hopefully soon. Just have to feed everything tomorrow and dig where the fire was for the swetcorn!
Plenty of fun!
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Made a swift visit to the plot after work today after hearing about more sheds being broken into :blink:
My plot was ok but appears the frost last night has turned the tops of the potatos black! Luckily most had been earthed up! Should I cut the black ends off and let them get on with it ?
I'd let them get on with it.... they should recover. Chopping them back won't help them any.
Will do just that.. and earth up up more.. if possible! Thanks :)
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im so far behind than usual,i hope i can catch up when im back on two feet.i put up a polytunnel down the plot before i went in,it now has weeds four foot high in it :(
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im so far behind than usual,i hope i can catch up when im back on two feet.i put up a polytunnel down the plot before i went in,it now has weeds four foot high in it :(
don't worry dave, you'll catch up eventually. Hope it's better soon :)
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We have measured up the land for the spacing of the raised beds going in tomorrow ( weather dependent!). I'm pretty sue it's due to rain tomorrow as Wickes arrive on the site with 40 planks of decking and the rest of the sundries to make the raised beds! LOL
I will have 10 2x3m beds to make tomorrow!
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Weeded around parsnips earthed up pots.OH dug over last bed for cauli and brusselsprouts,planted more beetroot,and lots of weeding around garlic and spring onions.
Spied the first buds on an elderflower tree and watched the robins swoop down for the worms on the freshly dug over beds :) lovely day. :)
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give all greenhouse plants a drink, never bothered wityh the plot and good job as it is now lashing down :)
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Watering and weeding - must get stuff planted if I could find the soil for the weeds!
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I got out the onion hoe and nipped carefully through the shallots and onions up close to remove the smaller weeds that I missed with the swoe the other day.
I handed weeded half of the rows of carrots and watered but hope for a down pour during the next two days.
Even the potatoes are beginning to look thirsty. :(
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realised just how hot it was today when I went out for lunch at work! 8)
Popped to the allotment after work to splash some water about..
And now its raining :D First time in weeks!
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Got to the plot for an hour between storms! Weeded the broad bean patch and sowed a row of beetroot.
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Nothing... stayed at home and left the plot for the rain to sink in. ;)
(Weeded yesterday. :) )
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The rain had hardly touched the plots
We went for it................... Cabbages are in, PSB's and Cauliflower too. To be honest they were ready to go in due to the seasons weather so far. Fingers crossed!
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well i was sort of productive yesterday, picked a few raddish and a couple of spring onion, threw the hoe around a bit and tied in some raspberry canes, spread my straw around my strawberries and netted them, could not resist eating an almost ripe strawberry - big mistake! it wasn't that ripe and tasted pretty grim - oh well...
Today I have done nothing, sat in the sunshine watching everything grow after the rain overnight (WOOO HOOOO!!! :D ) drank my coffee, listend to my little robin sing, and the others answering him, watched a pigeon strut around the plot like he owned it, relaxed, oh i did weed a couple of 'rows' of parsnips, although out of 5 rows about 6ft long i have manged to germinate just 7 parsnips.......
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totalnovice, give your parsnips another couple of weeks, they can be notoriously slow to germinate.
Had a long but brilliant afternoon, strimmed the paths, tidied up the edges and did some weeding, thinned out all my autumn/winter brassica seedlings, got rid of a very unproductive rhubarb plant, earthed up the spuds, did a few bits of digging, watered (since we didn't get that much rain). Sadly nobody around to help me move my shed, which I have built a lovely level base for. A lot of the usual suspects stayed away from the plot today, I'm not sure why.
The only realy problem is that my elderly apple tree is badly affected by downy mildew yet again. I have sprayed it with fungicide which hasn't made a lot of difference. Think I'm going to summer prune half of it (to improve the air circulation) and winter prune the other half (so I get some fruit next year) and also prune out any badly affected shoots as I spot them.
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earthed up potatoes for what seems like the millionth time already. Weeded, weeded and weeded. Looked longingly at baby lettuces but resisted picking any leaves yet. Watered all with nettle tea.
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watered the transplants and the newly sown french beans.
Hoe hoe hoed 3 beds. Tied the next lot of twine along the pea rows, and hand weeded them. Sowed 16 pumpkins/squash ::)
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weeded the fruit cage, started weeding out the legume bed and the bed where flowers for cutting will be going
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After the rain... today hoed the strawberry bed and covered with netting as they are beginning to ripen (already!). Lifted the last 3 remaining leeks and forked through to ready for the chrysanthemums to go out. (Amazing how dry the soil is in parts despite the rain).
Hoed a lot again. ;)
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Potted on the toms into bigger flower buckets, and then sowed some last minute dwarf toms.
Planted out the lettuce.
Watched the carrots germinate in front of my eyes after the downpour we had.
Planted a hosta.
Put some more string to support my exhibition onions.
Potted up 120 white begonia.
Cut down dead tulips and tied up the daffs.
Sowed some more last minute peas in guttering after none germinated from the earlier sowing.
Planted spring onions out.
Trimmed the hedge.
Sowed some more speedy salad, radish and rocket.
Put up runner and french bean support.
Turned the compost heap.
Earthed up spuds. (again ::) )
A good days work :D
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I weeded the roots beds, then the cabbages. Then I did some more general weeding followed by some weeding and a bit more weeding.
Did I mention that I did some weeding? :)
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raked in some BFB and chicken pellets for the sweetcorn, to go in over the next few days, watered it in.
BFB and trod the brassica bed to firm it for transplanting soon. hoed the earth paths and watered peas, pulled up some more bindweed >:(
Tidied up the shed a bit (again :nowink: )
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Harvested the last of my greenhouse carrots and replaced them with tomatoes. Planted out cauli's. Planted out globe artichokes, can't wait for my first crop 2012!
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not down the plot tonight, was picking up my ebay non runner rotovator costing £5.
Grendel
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Weeded between my carrot and parsnip rows, weeded between peas, sowed some more spring onions in the spaces where they have failed ::).
weeded oinions/shallots and earthed up potatos and covered one lot with what fleece i had left as worried about frost this week.
planted out 30 sweetcorn plants....fingers crossed i am wrong about the frost :unsure:
dug over a 12 x 12 patch as its been too dry to even try recently, ready for future planting...(only one patch to go! yippee :D)
came home and watered my toms and seedlings in the greenhouse.
Shattered! off for a long soak in the bath and an early night 8)
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Had a busy morning down the plot, transplanted some cabbages, PSB, cauliflowers, broccoli and broad beans. It's starting to look more like an allotment now
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Managed around 30 mins this evening before having to pick the dog up from the vets with father
Planted out sweetcorn and put down chick pellets
Hoed a couple of rows but by that time it was time to go.
Grabbed that news letter from in the green house where some one had left it for me and off i poped. Hoping to get down tomorrow but i doubt it. :lol:
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Planted 30 chrysanths out, trimmed back two grapevines were getting too big for their boots (or the greenhouses at least)
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watered greenhouse and noticed how fast the weeds come with the rain
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Planted 30 chrysanths out, trimmed back two grapevines were getting too big for their boots (or the greenhouses at least)
Snap... Well, almost. :)
I planted out 20 chrysanthemums (as I couldn't get any more boxes in the trailer in one go), cut the paths with the push mower, trimmed the edges, planted the (4 ::)) parsnips and belted off.
Quite pleased with the results of my 2 hour free slot this afternoon.
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Not a lot, got an upset stomach so dont want to chance it :(
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my first full day since that F^%$$$£G frost my spuds are making a come back as you all told me thay would
so first of all i put the kettle on and made the neighbours tea and coffee then went hell for leather at the maretail that was around the brassicas then had a breather
filled the HONDA Water Pumps WX10 with petrol and then proceeded to fill the neighbours water butts while that was pumping away i weeded around the pak choi late spuds and italian peas ,just then a new neighbour said hello so i said hello and enquired which plot and water butt was hers 20 mins or so later she had 2000 litres of water sitting in it :D
after that i planted a test courgette and a red hot chillie pepper
out to see how they fare the rest can go out later
after that i packed away took the dog to tescos and now im tying this with a galss of yep you guessed right a pint of london pride
next time up the lotty will be friday when i will go for the marestail on the rows of spuds enjoy the rest of the week peeps :D
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my first full day since that F^%$$$£G frost my spuds are making a come back as you all told me thay would
so first of all i put the kettle on and made the neighbours tea and coffee then went hell for leather at the maretail that was around the brassicas then had a breather
filled the HONDA Water Pumps WX10 with petrol and then proceeded to fill the neighbours water butts while that was pumping away i weeded around the pak choi late spuds and italian peas ,just then a new neighbour said hello so i said hello and enquired which plot and water butt was hers 20 mins or so later she had 2000 litres of water sitting in it :D
after that i planted a test courgette and a red hot chillie pepper
out to see how they fare the rest can go out later
after that i packed away took the dog to tescos and now im tying this with a galss of yep you guessed right a pint of london pride
next time up the lotty will be friday when i will go for the marestail on the rows of spuds enjoy the rest of the week peeps :D
Good to hear that you are more positive this post. Hope all continues to go well. Like the idea of planting test plants - might try that myself.
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No visit today... I was intending to go but cleaned the other greenhouse ready for tomatoes to go into place.
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Not a lot - working nights. Did water everything, come on rain, water butts looking rather depleted. Added some nettle tea for a treat!
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spent an hour at the plot, watered and weeded about half the beds.
Grendel
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Planted out four feet tall runner beans that were sown in nine large pots on 31st March. Goodness knows what the people in vehicles behind were thinking as I was driving to the plot with a car load of triffids!
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Limed 6 beds and dug them over, then painted shading on some of the greenhouse
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Sown 2, * 5" pots with radish, and 2, * 5" pots with spring onions, Topped all 9 water butts up, and watered allotment for two hours while horse pipe was out. Planted out 8 wax beans. and then had a fire to burn a little rubbish.
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not been for 2 days, was sick this morning and been in bed most of the day and now cant sleep :( ( thanks Bob for doing my greenhouse)
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not been for 2 days, was sick this morning and been in bed most of the day and now cant sleep :( ( thanks Bob for doing my greenhouse)
Make the best of the peace and quiet at this time of day.... no one around to call for you or ask you to do something. Time for yourself. :happy:
Sorry to hear you've not been feeling too good. If you can't sleep try picking up the last book you put down unfinished. Always works for me! ;)
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Cheers learner, think I will take your advice cuppa and a book :)
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Started off Beetroot, Parsnips, Carrots, Onions, Leeks, Spinach, Cauliflower, Turnip, Swede, Lettuce, cabbage & Courgette all in seed trays at home.
Potted on my second sowing of tomatoes (Maybe over done it as I have 38 plants in total!
I did get rid of some of the weaker seedlings (It hurt though :( )
Thinned an earlier sowing of carrots, earthed up my spuds growing at home in buckets, sowed some flowers in my front garden (now the tulips have all finished) and finally did a bit of watering!
Bit of an epic session really but I'm all caught up now. I think I've left it a little late sowing some bits but nothing lost apart from a handful of seeds.
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Potted gherkin & cucumber plants into larger pots. Watered the raised beds and the greenhouse. Planted some freesia bulbs in pots. Then picked some salad leaves, a few radishes and giant spring onions - may have left the over wintered spring onions in the ground a little too long.
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planted out some red cabbage, watered transplants.......a bit of hoeing.
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Just watered the Greenhouse and potted on the Cape Gooseberries!
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Spent a wonderfull couple of hours down at the allotment with my two grandsons, where we performed the annual ritual of planting out three pumkins for our (one for each of us) where the three of us enter the cut throat buisness of the biggest pumkin competition. We all sportingly shook hands before each pumkin was planted, niceties over may battle commence. :D :D :D
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Just a quick half hour visit.
Took the fleece off the strawberries. Quite a few fruit forming. Harvested a bag of rhubarb. Fed potatoes and peas with diluted bokashi liquid and dug the bokashi bucket contents into a bed. Hoed between strawberries.
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hour and a half, planted more peas and runner beans, watered them in and weeded some more.
Grendel
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A bit behind .Seeded Patty Pans,pumpkins,okra,Khol rabi,celeriac,leeks,sweetpeas,celery,courgettes,Barlotti beans and Amaranth...thought I'd try some fancy seeds this year! :D put cherry tomato plants into big pots.Went up to the lottie for the first time in ages and planted 3 rows of potatoes,finished the last row just as it started to rain!hurriedly put netting over strawberries,spotted nearly ripe one yesterday but bird had eaten it when I got up tonight >:(
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hoed a hell of a lot :lol:
Attempted to save my corn which had been blown over by making a make shift shield.
Strawberry are looking good though :D
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More chrysanthemums planted, in went the broccoli (Marathon) as well as a short row of red cabbage. Watered and went.
Why must everything be such a rush these days?
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Yesterday I thinned out the parsnips and made a new row from some of the thinnings (it works fine on my sandy soil because it's easy to extract them without damage but I wouldn't recommend it on heavier soils.)
Today, weather permitting, I'm going to plant out my leeks which are getting a bit crowded having grown twice as well as last year despite using exactly the same technique (even the same packet of seed!) ::)
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Yesterday I potted on my indoor cukes to their final position, potted on sweet and chilli peppers, put lots of plants outside to harden off and then brought them back in again, started to weed the bed for the squash and courgettes (weeds are nice and crispy after being glyphosated). Watered all of the seedlings. Today - will continue to weed the squash bed.
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looked lovely at everything it all looks so much better after the rain and picked some more strawberries before the slugs came out!!!
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Not been down for over a week due to sprained ankle and tonsilitis - slightly panicky that rain = slugs and everything I planted last Tuesday will now be gone. :(
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The (second hand) greenhouse base is now nearly in place, the overwintered senshyu onions have been hand weeded and used the wheel hoe between the rows of parsnips beetroot and salsify.
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Over last ffew days, Weeded, weeded amd weeded!
Planed out tomatoes and Aubergines,
fiddles with irrigation system as have lost seedlings due to heat and dry
S need to plant more cabbages and sprouts
Nothing has really come up because of the heat either - need to sow Carrots, beans, butternut, spring onion, radish etc
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I have put my peppers and aubergines in the border soil of the greenhouse. It's in a nice warm spot. Planted out Kale, Parsley and some more lettuce. Eating well out of the patch now.
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Dug a bit, rested a bit, dug a bit, rested a bit ------------------------ slept well last night. :D
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planted the last lot of peas.
aubergines and peppers are growing nicely.
4 sweet corn seeds out of the 14 did not germinate so put some more in.
broccoli planted outside and covered up from birds
courgettes growing nice and strong with true leaves.
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planted some leeks, done alot of weeding and gave everything i bit of a feed/water with horse poo thats been stewing in a butt of water for the past week.
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picked another half punnet of strawbs :), and laid down yet more slug pellets and coffee grinds to try to stop the damn slugs eating them before i can
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On the way back from the bi-annual visit to the opticians I went to see what the plot looked like.. :)
Watered... and weeded and wondered why there were so many crops missing :wacko: I'm sure I had more planted out this time last year! :unsure:
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Planted out some Kale, and put a few spare sweet pea,s and canes in a few large pots, and generally spent the rest of the day supping tea and putting the world to rights with some of the other lads an lasses... :D :D
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Got lots of weeding done and put some lettuce out , watered again :)
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So far.... very little :mellow:
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nada............ :nowink:
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watered, watered, watered & Oh yes, watered.
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Put my French beans out, made the classic cane frame all lashed together very expertly with my 50 year old boy scout skills. Also planted out leeks and some more beetroot. Sowed second lot of dwarf beans and basil. Gave away spare chard and kale plants.
One of my friends gave me some of her honey in exchange. That will be turned into mead
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I've filled the greenhouse with 10 toms, 2 cucs, 5 aubergine and 5 peppers. Was tempted to plant out sweetcorn, courgettes and runner beans but it was bucketing it down, so I decided against it
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Nothing at all was at City Square watching FA Cup Final CTID :)
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Re-felted the shed on our first plot, cut the paths and have started to harden of the first of the Sprouts!
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Started with a spot of weeding followed by planting out some peas, lettuce and caulis.
Planted some seeds - Radish, Cress, Rocket and finished with an hour battling the couch grass in one of my not quite in use beds!
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So far.... very little :mellow:
Still very little nothing on the plot but I did manage to trim two jasmine hedges and prune a massive nectarine down to 8'. Piled all the trimmings (small branches too) onto the cycle trailer to take home and shred.
All shredded ready to use as a mulch or add to the compost heap.
Swept-up, packed away and tidy so a good afternoon. :happy:
Although I didn't make it to the plot.
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watered, potted on 60 tomatoes, watered, uncovered courgettes, watered, picked strawberries, watered.
Please, please rain!!
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Moved the shed, finally! That left the last untamed corner of the plot ready to be converted into a wildlife garden. Spend most of the day clearing couch grass and nettles. It tried to rain a couple of times but everything is still bone dry. Got given a set of shelves for my newly positioned shed.
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Finally got the last of the spuds in - which took 2 hours due to bindweed removal :mad:
Did a bit of weeding & watering
Tidied out the raised bed ready for the cabbages and caulis to go into in the next couple of weeks.
Tied in some raspberry canes onto their supports
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Gave away spare chard
thought you had said "gave away spare child" there for a moment
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Gave away spare chard
thought you had said "gave away spare child" there for a moment
Now there's a thought that might catch on ;) :ohmy: :lol:
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planted out 23 French beans.
Watered everything, picked some rhubarb and lettuce.
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Yet again....nothing!
But planted up the 10'x4' greenhouse with tomatoes and a cucumber. Potted on (becuase they are late) all sorts of squash and outside cucumber plants.
And enjoyed not cycling anywhere all day.... although back out again this evening.
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Watered, planted some more spuds (bit late I know), watered and yet again tried to battle the slugs - they're loving my new strawberry bed just a bit too much for my liking!
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popped along knowing there was weeding to be done and was loads to do :mad: :mad: if only the veg was as easy to grow :(
when finished looked really good so really pleased however it was so windy when i got home i felt i had just finished a marathon!!! if you stood up it would catch you and almost knock you over :wacko:
went again today to water and it was really still, this weather is really odd!!!
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A little weeding. Then planted chive, marjoram and thyme plants.
Planted a courgette or gherkin (bought it at car booty for charity, supposed to be a gherkin but when i got it home saw it was labelled a courgette) ::)
Lifted the lid on french and Italian beans to start hardening them off as I'd like the frame for my tomatoes in a few weeks.
Have spent some time shredding up waste paper for composting.
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I put out a couple os squash plants, forecasted to be cool on Thursday so holding most back. Watered everything
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Watered (and then it rained overnight). Spent most of the day digging the area where my shed used to be - there are some champion nettles in there and the ground is rock solid, so very hard going. Bemoaned rather pathetic peas which have not really taken and I think have been shredded by pigeons. I think I will give DD's method a try as I am very impressed by the results, especially compared with mine.
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I added homemade Brassica collars to all my Brassicas. Made them out of pizza bases poly type and various shiny cardboards. Placed them shiny side up. It looks weird but was free
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Only had about 30 minutes to spend in the garden so planted out some cucumbers and peppers in the greenhouse border.
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finally got my greenhouse frame onto my plot today :)
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It rained all day yesterday, but I finally got out about 7pm, amongst the drizzle! It was actually lovely to be out there, really refreshing! I put some more soil in my potato bin bags, collected some lettuce and fed the strawberries before it got too dark to see them!
THe neighbours must have thought I was nuts! :)
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Just a flying visit between showers :( but managed to do some weeding and also checked on a neighbours plot as she's in hospital with a broken pelvis...poor thing.
Then came home and my new easy fill hanging baskets had arrived and it was a pleasure planting them up as they're so easy to do. They're now hung in the greenhouse to fill out till the danger of frost has passed by.
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It rained all day yesterday, but I finally got out about 7pm, amongst the drizzle! It was actually lovely to be out there, really refreshing! I put some more soil in my potato bin bags, collected some lettuce and fed the strawberries before it got too dark to see them!
THe neighbours must have thought I was nuts! :)
Which part of the world are you in? Your profile doesn't show this? :(
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Weeded half the plot \9im well on top of them this year so it only took about 30 minutes)
Planted a final row of peas - reckon about 150 plants
Planted 24 cabbages - i wasnt going to grow any this year due to cabbage whites but a friend gave them too me so i thought id stick em in.
Planted another row of raddishes
Im quickly running out of room now - not sure where sweetcorn or dwarf beans are going to go yet......
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Moved a belfast sink ready for when I make a herb garden and sowed a few carrot seeds to fill in the odd space where some had not germinated
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picked 3 courgettes - yes, that's right - 3 of them! ha ha summer is here :D
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Planted three courgettes, three squash, 7 out door toms and two rows of beetroot which had been started in modules. Was really surprised at how dry the soil was after all of the rain we have had recently so gave everything a good drink of water.
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weeded watered.
Grendel
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Last night i weeded, watered, thinned out the beetroot and generally admired how well we have done. Our Strawberries are as big as golf balls.....
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picked 3 courgettes - yes, that's right - 3 of them! ha ha summer is here :D
I thought summer was here too until I saw the weather forecast this morning, says we might get ground frost tonight. Typically I planted my sweetcorn and runner beans yesterday so I'll pop down later and throw some fleece over them.
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nothing today but built the greenhouse base and frame and the shed on sunday.
The greenhouse looks huge :wacko:
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So - it was you that had that 99p one!
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So - it was you that had that 99p one!
???
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not been today yet but yesterday put in Runner beans, French beans, Dwarf French beans, some sweet peas and put some nasturtians near the beans. Put netting over my carrots. Got saturated in the process :(
Why is it waterproof clothing gets your clothes as wet in condensation, twice yesterday I had to get changed :mad:
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Chanced my arm and put in extra Tomatoes that will not fit in the greenhouse, also Winter Cabbage seedlings.
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Cleared a bed of couch grass and planted out 30 sweetcorn plants. Back aching but feel that it was worth it. Water, watered and watered again.
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So - it was you that had that 99p one!
???
Have a look at this tread ;)
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77091.0
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Surveyed the extremely lush looking privet hedge surrounding my 100' garden > felt very grumpy > had a cup of tea > felt better > recharged one of the batteries on my cordless hedge trimmer > had lunch > went out into garden with hedge trimmer > felt grumpy again > chatted to neighbour for half an hour > felt better > started trimming hedge > grumpy again > battery only lasted for about 50' of hedge > felt better, so had a cup of tea and another chat with neighbour before using second battery > second battery nearly flat > felt extremely happy (until tomorrow!) :)
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Potted up my tommies into final resting position planted some kelvedon wonder and now im getting ready to put a base down for a shed thats been here since last July....im determined to get it done before 12 months is up :lol:
this is at home not at the plot.
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Watered, watered and watered everything :( :( :(
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I finally netted the tall peas, sowed a short row of dwarf green beans.
Filled in the gaps on the bean frame with new Fasold plants and sowed some purple podded climbing beans at one end.
Covered all new sowings with netting to stop the pigeons getting them >:(
Netted some red cabbage before the pigeons finished it off ::)
Did some watering and ate a couple of strawberries and some sugarsnaps :) Yum!
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Watered quite a lot picked up a free pot large plastic terracotta type which I'm going to grow rhubarb in at home
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Today I weeded the raised beds and removed 3 buckets full of grass and mares tail.
I collected some French Beans off my friend Colin which will be planted out tomorrow and had a chat with Dave about the allotment competition.
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weed weed weed and water :tongue2:
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Weeded two rows of onions and two of carrots, watered (as you do) and at long last finished the bean frame. All completed in a 2 hours visit.
Then off to cook the evening meal. ::)
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This morning I planted some french beans, cabbages and sweet peas in my pallet beds.
I sprinkled on slug pellets and re netted one of the beds.
I also hung up a new bird feeder on the elderberry bush.
Had a chat with Nathan (next door plot holder) about no dig potatoes and greenhouses :)
Oh and I weeded again!
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ate my first strawberry a good couple of weeks too early It was so sweet
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Yesterday planted calabresse and broad beans seedlings in the beds, planted an apple and a cherry tree. Mowed between the raised beds and strimmed along the fences. Watered the strawberries, parsnips, carrots, leeks and various onions with water from the half-dug pond which was full of water. All water butts now full and rain forcast until at least Tuesday so hopefully the peas will make an appearance. On the whole most things look healthy albeit smaller than in other allotments apart from the carrots and leeks which I may have to re-try. Very few weeds in the beds - a little chickweed and the odd dock or thistle. Can't wait to start harvesting :)
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hoed down horsetail while muttering "photosynthesize now, you rapscallions!" under my breath, watered and made comfrey tea. my second rows of carrots and posh stripy beetroot have just germinated too!
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Today I wielded my hoe, and planted some more pepper plants. Oh, and watered and watered and watered..... :D
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What a day tidy up of the greenhouse planted out lots of bits weeded some other beds sowed some more runner beans and peas even had a strawberry hehehehe it was a great day.
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I had a good sort out in the greenhouse.Took out the mini greenhouse with a cover on & then moved the french & runner beans into it to harden off + the celeriac.Then potted on some cauliflowers,calabreese & chinese lanterns my sister gave me,they then went on to the shelves of the mini greenhouse without a cover on,to grow on until I have a space for them.Then pricked out 1 lot of leeks that were alot bigger than I was expecting so some had to go in loo roll middles & the smaller ones into some new modules I brought back from my holidays. :)
Hopefully I will get to the lottie tomorrow.
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06.30...watered....gave new shed(2nd hand) a second coat of the DIY shops best anti rain gear.
Sowed 12 Filderkrauts
Completed my 3 sister set up by surrounding my 28 sweetcorns and 6 babybear Pumpkins with 18 bushes of Sprite bushy type French Beans.
Transplanted 3 sweet banana peppers into a grow bag inside our zip up plastic cloche.
Picked the 1st of my Early Nante 5 carrots albeit silth like but the most important thing is it had grown about 8 inches .....6 inches longer than the derisory stumps I got last season......hooooo bluddy ray..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Weeded hear and there,but most importantly took home the 1st 2 strawberrys for jude and me to enjoy before the other plots kids rape and pillage our fruits.
and they were .delicious !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gazza
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Another 1 hour dash...
Planted out: - Weanie Beanies (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article110621.ece) as a trial
- Climbing French Beans (purple podded ones)
- Runner Beans (standard length ones)
Weeded, watered and rushed off. ::)
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don't know if this counts, but I've made a cake to take to the allotment fundraising coffee morning. (today 10-12) :D I shall also be planting out leeks, brocolli and beetroot. Oh, and watering, weeding etc etc........ :lol:
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MJS, i would count :D
I didn't do much today, i know it's a shame, but got some "toys" for farming :)
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Went up to plant out the brassica seedlings only to discover the labels have washed away :tongue2:
Planted them into raised beds anyway but no idea what is what...they all look the same apart from one which has prickly leaves...there are kale, cauli, sprouts and 3 types of cabbage. Never mind I'll soon find out :)
Built a support for the broad beans just in case they need them..they were given to me so no instructions...and strong winds are forcast.
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The parsnips have germinated! (Well mostly). This is no mean feat.
We have strawberries coming on well too, will net them tomorrow.
Planted the sweetcorn and the second wave of runner beans and climbing French beans, hoping for no frost now. Weeded and watered.
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Today was grass cutting day. I had help from my sister and her boyfriend and my brother.
My sister also planted Spinach and Cauliflower and netted them as we have pigeons nesting in the tree next to our plot.
All the grass went into the compost heap :)
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About six hours on the plot today in perfect weather. Dug, weeded, tidied, planted out leeks, spring onions, nasturtiums, tomatoes. Put in one of DD's pea arrangements since the traditional version isn't working out that well. Also tried a 'three sisters' bed with sweetcorn, peas and pumpkins. Need to net all my fruit tomorrow, the birds are already making inroads.
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After a difficult start to the day....
("What only one day off this week instead of two afternoons? :( And you wait until 11a.m. to tell me when I'm already here!!")
So... off to the plot and the OH came too for the first time this year as we see so little of each other these days...
- We picked our first crop of broad beans (Had those for dinner!)
- Picked the second helping of strawberries (so sweet no sugar needed!)
- Took home bunches of Sweet Williams and long stemmed roses to share with friends and family.
- Pulled our first five beetroot as they are so dear in the shops and nowhere as sweet.
Home tired but more relaxed.... awaiting the evening phone calls: "Are you coming up?" ::)
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Weeded about an eighth of my plot. Still some to get to grips with, but managing to keep control of those areas already done. I am picking peas but like the strawberries, not many are actually getting back to the house!
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Just popped in to check on things. Harvested some rhubarb, spinach and one radish :D. Squashed a caterpillar I found on my gooseberry bush.
Some serious weeding needs to be done.
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Foggy morning here, but already gave water to seedlings(second batch of broccoli and some specific local beans).
Shared some strawberry with big black ants >:(
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some specific local beans).
Specific to where? ;)
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some specific local beans).
Specific to where? ;)
Updated. :D
Fixed trimmer and started shaping tea, but rain :blush: Well, on the good side i will have time to check the engine of FH-220. I think i should make some photos of FH-220 and post into "Equipment" :D
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Yesterday i sowed my runner beans and borlotti beans (late i know but hey ::) ) and picked 1.5lb of super sweet bright red seriously juicy strawberries (most of which we have already eaten). I also erected another bean wigwam for some more borlotti beans and hoes everywhere. Sowed a couple of little rows of raddish, spring onlion and beetroot and had a good old gossip with my neighbours!
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and today i have run out of room on my plot!!! Hvae sown some swede, planted out some cabbages, caulis and some broccolli, sown some more borlotti beans and harvested some more strawberries. Have allocated space for PSB and Kale and winter standing caulis and cabbage and sweetcorn. Now need to find enough space for red cabbage, savoy cabbage, leeks and salad leaves, not to mention squash cucumbers and herbs!
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Planted two wigwams of Runner Beans and one of French Climbing. The Atlantic Giant Pumpkin is now in too ;)
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after making to the allotment thru the crazy wind, we started to dig as today we planted the first things we have grown from seed in the greenhouse, courgettes and pumpkins, we dug them a lovely bed and put them in - hoping the wind does kill them!
we celebrated with a strawberry (our 2nd) and cut some salad leaf for tea!
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did plenty of deweeding,
everything is out now, no space left. fingers crossed all goes well this summer ;) all we need a regular spot of rain minus the horrible winds
planted sweet corns outside. they were growing quite tall in pots so taking risk of planting them outside. grown 2 more to use up the spare space.
dad planted some beans and he's not sure what beans they were ??? so lets see what they turn out to be.
4 courgette plants are outside too.
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planted the first things we have grown from seed in the greenhouse, courgettes and pumpkins, we dug them a lovely bed and put them in - hoping the wind does kill them!
That's sad - what did they do wrong :(............. :D
All I did today was carry watering cans ::)
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A kind friend brought me some runner bean plants but didn't dare plant them until these gales have abated. ???
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Haven't been on allotment for few days but yesterday in my back garden planted out 8 cucumbers, put an old greenhouse frame on top of them to let them climb later ( if they're climbing >.< ) , covered with bottle tops. They seem to feel OK but I'm worried about my aubergines, we have such a horrible wind. I tied them to a cans but leaves are flying around like mad.
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Went today to assess the damage after being broken into....... >:(
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Went today to assess the damage after being broken into....... >:(
Hope it wasn't too bad!
Weeded ( that seems to be all I write recently - the weeds don't mind the dry weather!)
Did then add a pop hole to the outside of the hen run to extend into an electric fence area for when we are here but not outside.
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just glad to see my roof is still on my shed :)
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put some more carrots and beetroot in the back garden. left the lottie to enjoy it's rain.
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Rain, rain, rain :D Broccoli looks happy :D Me too - can have kinda day off
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Harvested a catch crop of turnips. constructed runner bean frame and planted out (polestas and white lady) Planted out courgettes, some more lettuce and leeks. Sorted out the green house tomatoes. Now have little pea sized tomatoes. Thats exciting. Had a bottle of home made ginger flavoured cider to celebrate
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Watered weeded and planted three sweet potato plants through black plastic and under a poly tunnel hoping that they flourish
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watered watered and then watered some more! Still no rain :(
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Watered, hoed, planted some bargain lettuces I found in the reduced aisle at homebase :-), planted out a courgette - though the wind got the stem and it split so am not hopeful :-(
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Discovered the black army on the broad beans, but not on the tops, all amongst the flowers. A quick spray should do the trick.
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watered. :D
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planted the first things we have grown from seed in the greenhouse, courgettes and pumpkins, we dug them a lovely bed and put them in - hoping the wind does kill them!
That's sad - what did they do wrong :(............. :D
All I did today was carry watering cans ::)
oh god the grammar police have got me! it's a fair cop! i correct to .....hope the wind DOESN'T get them!
...
my final post due to grammar bullies
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Sun shine, sun shine raggie :D
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planted the first things we have grown from seed in the greenhouse, courgettes and pumpkins, we dug them a lovely bed and put them in - hoping the wind does kill them!
That's sad - what did they do wrong :(............. :D
All I did today was carry watering cans ::)
oh god the grammar police have got me! it's a fair cop! i correct to .....hope the wind DOESN'T get them!
...
my final post due to grammar bullies
Personally I'd ignore them or go out of my way to make sure I put is some errors just to annoy them :tongue2:... not that it's hard for me ;)
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I think from the smilie face it was said jokingly, but I don't mind people picking me up on typo's, makes me think a bit more next time! :D
my fingers and brain work at different speeds, you wouldn't think I was a secretary for 25 years would you? :lol: :lol:
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Absolutely Grannie, it was tongue in cheek but...
It's nothing to do with grammar Mick ::)
It's a question of meaning - does and doesn't mean completely the opposite. Both ways are perfectly good grammatically.
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Both ways are perfectly good grammatically.
shouldn't that be 'Both ways are grammatically perfectly good'? (split infinitive?) :D
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planted the first things we have grown from seed in the greenhouse, courgettes and pumpkins, we dug them a lovely bed and put them in - hoping the wind does kill them!
That's sad - what did they do wrong :(............. :D
All I did today was carry watering cans ::)
oh god the grammar police have got me! it's a fair cop! i correct to .....hope the wind DOESN'T get them!
...
my final post due to grammar bullies
Personally I'd ignore them or go out of my way to make sure I put is some errors just to annoy them :tongue2:... not that it's hard for me ;)
Good idea!
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Last night i harvested our first spring cabbage, and picked at least a dozen strawberries, some as big as golf balls - YES they were delicious. More watering and just a little bit of weeding. Will it be ok to pot on some Brussels into the biodegradable pots and them plant them when space permits?
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hoed a load of weeds
Picked Asparagus
Pinned down weedproof membrane that got loose in the wind
Dug up 6 stray strawb plants and made a hanging basket for home with them
Today I think I will plant a huge patch of sunflower seeds - its probably to late in the vear but will give it a go anyway,
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Personally I'd ignore them or go out of my way to make sure I put is some errors just to annoy them ... not that it's hard for me
They don't annoy at all ::).............they just sometimes make us laugh, and it's not meant to be unfriendly, just lighthearted ;)
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Both ways are perfectly good grammatically.
shouldn't that be 'Both ways are grammatically perfectly good'? (split infinitive?) :D
Shut it love ;) :lol:
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Watered hoed and chatted
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Put 6 cougettes in 3 Romanessco and 3 Black beauty, tried to move stuff out of greenhouse to make way for my toms ( you do need a bigger greenhouse 6 x 4 at moment)
Running out of room to plant stuff out now, think I will have to take some of this weeb membrane up :ohmy:
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picked and watered sugarsnaps.
Cut 3 holes in the weed membrane at the end of the plot and fixed down 3 short open ended tubs for the pumpkins, filled them with a mix of compost and soil.
Tried to convince the tall peas to stay on the netting and canes :nowink:
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Planted 3 cucumbers out and made them cloches out of squash bottles. Sowed some more spinach and lettuce. Watered, watered and watered, though the forecast is for rain tomorrow :D
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Planted out cauliflowers,we haven't had any proper rain but they are getting leggy.
Had a furtle and will harvest some spuds at the weekend,picked some broad beans. :)
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On Sunday I
1/. Fitted the borders to the 3/4 glazed 8ftx12ft greenhouse (which amazingly survived the gales unscathed :happy:) and dug over the borders so i can add the multi purpose compost on Monday and plant the Tomatoes/chillies/peppers and cucumbers.
2/. Began putting out the squashes/courgettes/callabrese/sprouts and purple sprouting broccoli to begin hardenning off for around a week prior to planting out on Monday.
3/. Marked the positions for the fruit trees, plum Opal and Victoria, cherry Stella, apple Discovery and Grenadier and pear Williams Du Commice,which are being grown as espalliers in buckets at home at the moment.
4/. Marked out where the coldframes are going to go and put the corner posts in.
5/. Went home a little tired and had a bath :happy:
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Down to the plot to water and hoe... simple but happy to have got there before the day began. ::)
And, last thing this evening, planted up 3 wall-baskets for my parents and cycled home for dinner at 9:30pm. Another long day.
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removed maretail from ten rows of spuds by hand hoed hoed and more hoeing
2 cans of london
4 cups of tea for the neighbours
erected 2x 20 foot flag poles with usa flag and union jack to go with my help the heroes and other union jack flags
ps im so impressed with my dutch second earlies after being hammered by that bas£"$d last frost
hope you are all well
regards
flitwickone
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Watered the greenhouse, hoed a little, stood and glared angrily at the jungle that s my next-allotment neighbours plot....hey ho, they're soon to be evicted and hopefully someone who'll love the plot will move in.
Either way, I really want a fence or some sort of barrier up to separate me from them....people keep mistaking theirs as the other half of ours!! I even got the eviction letter before the board realised their mistake!
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Could no do anything yesterday - the weather was just too windy - would not risk even going into the greenhouse. Much calmer today so hope to do some work.
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Trimmed sides of tea bush. :D In the futher corner found some "visitors" footprints. Wild pigs sneaking around, looking for bamboo shoots >:(
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had a willow tree partially collapse yesterday on to the plot so had a quick look - luckily my peas weren't touched but might be bad news for some carrots and lettuce.
Picked yet another load of strawberries (they seem particularly delicious this year) and some lettuce for later.
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Trimmed sides of tea bush. :D In the futher corner found some "visitors" footprints. Wild pigs sneaking around, looking for bamboo shoots >:(
Vit, you have a whole different class of pest than us in the UK! :)
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aelf, it is. But good thing - they are eatable pests :D
Day ended by fighting with weeds :wub: and planted rest of peppers on the place after lettuce. Cloudy again, so less watering :D
Thinking to build a roof above strawberry bed or just give up on it - too much rain last month, so most of strawberries rotten :blush:
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Put sweetcorn and some sun flowers in last night, but ran out of daylight to plant anything else.
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Replanted a courgette outside that just died
Thinned out perpetual spinach and regular (will use thinnings in pasta dinner tonight! ;))
Planted out my cavelo nero
Potted on purple sprouting broc - not sure if they will appreciate being root disturbed but I haven't got enough mesh to plant them out yet, and they are still delicate.
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potted on my asparagus seedlings - so happy they germinated.
going up to the lottie to do some carrot, beet etc sowing.
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Went to the garden center and bought some enorma runner beans, i spotted a half barrel planter around the side not being used anymore so i asked what they were going to do with it and they said take it if you want it :) my beans are now planted in it and im feeling a bit smug for getting a free barrel :happy:
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I potted on a pumpkin last time before its final home in the potato patch and potted three rhubarb seedlings give them six weeks then will plant them in the tub outside someone donated at our allotment
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Danced for joy....................... It was raining :D :D :D
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Danced for joy....................... It was raining :D :D :D
I'm with you Nige2plots.. been raining on and off here most of the day :) :) :)
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Danced for joy....................... It was raining
I'm with you Nige2plots.. been raining on and off here most of the day
had some good rain today :-)
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with the previous posts, rained today so not much to do(except get wet)
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we have rain!!!!! if only showers and looks like its going to rain again any minute :D :D thats a total of 4 heavy showers today :D :D
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It hasnt realy stoped raining today, only stopped within the past 2/3 hours :happy:
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finally been raining today which is good as everything looking abit parched, though weeds seem to have jumped back to life, have taken load of cardboard to lay down on saturday which should help. i hope
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Not on the plot, but at home-
-potted on all tomatoes
-sowed chives and 3 kinds of basil
-sowed a tray of peas for pea shoots.
-sowed chilli 'Cilegia' which is supposed to be early but might have left it a bit late for a crop.
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Not on the plot but at my parents place:
Completed clearing and planting summer bedding along their drive then stood back in the garage and watched the rain fall for a full 20 minutes. :happy:
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Had a bit of a weed around, chomped on a few strawberries :) dug up a few early pots, gave everything a bit of a drink then went home, back home i picked my first 2 peppers and had a lovely cheese and pepper sandwitch :D
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I have planted out some purple sprouting broc and some more kale. I have sown carrots beet salsify and spinach.
i weeded and watered. tied in my beans ( did not have my scissors so they are connected to each other like a chain gang until tomorrow.
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Went to both plots, only left them alone for a week away and OMG the weeds, looks like a busy weekend ahead.
Grendel
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A quick bit of weeding, tried to fix the hedge where the fox comes through with some branches woven through the bushes. Probably pointless, but I tried :nowink:
Picked most of the snap peas for freezing.
Fixed the greenhouse window and the auto opener after the wind blew it out.
Potted on some Shirley toms, it's not quite warm enough at night to put them out, and they were getting potbound.
Tied up all the toms in the greenhouses and nipped out the sideshoots.
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Not on the plot (again.... almost forget where it is! :blink:) but... planted up the remainder of my parents front garden with:
- pelargoniums (geraniums) all red
- dwarf marigolds (mixed)
- red salvia
- ageratum (blue 18")
- lobelia (fountains)
- petunias (mixed colours
I just hope I have the final heights right in my mind or it will be an interestingly different display. :lol:
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Looks like rainy season started here :blush:
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Looks like rainy season started here :blush:
Some of that wet might be meant for us... Blow it this way please (just a gentle puff ;))
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Yesterday i planted at the allotment 15 runner bean plants - got about same again to plant in another few weeks.
Weeded everywhere - (amazed how quickly i can do the whole plot now - first year it would take me a week now i can do it in an hour or two)
Todays plan is to plant 10 climbing french bean plants
Plant 15 sprout plants
Decide what im going to do with some swede - sowed them in modules and know they arent meant to like being moved much - might stick em in - might leave em a bit longer
Noticed mangetout where flowering - not that high though - not sure if this is right?
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Not a lot yesterday. I did walk through the site on the way to the pub last night!
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Not a lot yesterday. I did walk through the site on the way to the pub last night!
hah! so I'm NOT the only one who does that after all! :nowink:
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today i created a sort of 'hot bed' in a one ton builders bag,with fresh horse muck on the bottom then some turf upside down, i was given, then some nice top soil. it is for my pumpkin we will see! whatever happens it will be nicley rotted down for using next spring! 8)
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Not a lot yesterday. I did walk through the site on the way to the pub last night!
hah! so I'm NOT the only one who does that after all! :nowink:
::) ::) ::) It was not Fursty Ferret I was drinking though Plum :ohmy: :ohmy:
Started on the Health and Safety project!
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Not a lot yesterday. I did walk through the site on the way to the pub last night!
hah! so I'm NOT the only one who does that after all! :nowink:
::) ::) ::) It was not Fursty Ferret I was drinking though Plum :ohmy: :ohmy:
Started on the Health and Safety project!
Heard that one before :lol:
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potted a few things on. not much. pruned my mum's fruit trees.
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Picked a few cucumbers for tea last night and some swiss chard for dinner today :D
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Put small sunflowers in, gave everything a liquid feed, sowed some more beetroot and caned cucumbers.
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Just home for lunch and picked up more plants from the greenhouse them back to the lottie after i drop my wife to work.
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We planted out the leeks and celery. watered the veg. weeded.
Dug some more plot (only two and a quarter beds to go and we have done the allotment over once for the first time).
managed to buy a comfrey plant of farmer's market - been looking for some.
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planted up some beetroot i sarted off in modules, planted up some lettuce for the slugs to eat ??? solved my space problem and hoed like mad - oh i also thinned my raspberry canes and scattered some chicken poo around for fun too! prepared the ground for my little boy to come and help tomorrow planting up some of the brassicas, toddlerproofed my completely dangerous allotment and tried not to get blown off my feet.
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Well I've watered, harvested two lettuces, planted two sweet potato plants in the greenhouse, thinned out carrot seedlings and my son picked mint leaves which we spread over the carrots to distract the carrot fly. :tongue2:
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weeded, weeded and planted some french beans.
Grendel
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Weeded strawberry bed and dug up volunteer potatoes. Weeded maincrop potatoes (PFA and Arbo).
Was really glad to see my peas and broad beans were still there after the gales.
Planted another bunch of chives. Sowed a pot with carrot and onion and also a pot with a Stargazer lily surrounded by anemones.
Harvested some spinach and 4 radishes.
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Planted more stuff out potted on my melons,sown more cucumbers and beetroot watered all the plot. Picked up the children from mother inlaw and having a nice evening doing nothing.
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sorted out the shed, organised everything into boxes / containers to give me more space on the shelves, tried not to stress about the beans that have been ravaged by the wind, and made myself feel better by picking another pound of strawberries :D
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Harvested the last of my spring greens. Harvested red onions to make way for the brussel sprouts, calabrese, cauli and swedes that I planted in their place. Watered everything. Weeded my brassica bed before putting the nets over again
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:D rain stopped :D happy happy!!! didn't do much, played with chainsaw little bit. one すぎ(kind of cedar) is down and "sliced" in 4meters.
all crops growing well - first batch of potatoes have lots of flowers ;) and some small(they have to be big ones), cherry size, tomatoes on the plants. i didn't use any vinyl houses or polytunnels, so maybe little bit late for first harvest, but it's "open field" plants and all of them chemical-free.
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Nothing, the rain has done it all and I'm off to work till 10
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nothing not stopped raining yet and looks like its going to be like this all day :mad:
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weeded a 2m wide strip across the end of my plot, cut the hedge back, and planted up the pumpkins and butter nut squash plants.
Grendel
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Did quite a lot today - dug out a new bed ready for planting, mowed the grass area (only dug around half the plot so far), earthed up potatoes a bit. OH planted some peas and sweet peas. Watered, bit of weeding, tidying...tired now but well worth it.
Lucky to have decent weather on a bank holiday for a change :)
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Removed the dead cukes from the greenhouse and replaced them with tomato plants. Could not do much else - after a promising start it rained and hailed all day - with some thunder thrown in for good measure.
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cut the grass
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What plot? :blink: Where? :unsure:
I really must stop waiting for the almost-rain to clear and get down there tomorrow for a couple of hours between shifts. ::)
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Tried to cheer up my poor wind battered beans with some seaweed food, and planted some more seed in case that doesn't work. Took the plastic bottle cloches off the celery and sweetcorn now the wind has finally died down. Weeded a bit.
Noticed one of the cabbages has been got at by a slug so put down some sheep poo anti slug stuff. Another is all puckered, I think that is supposed to be mealy aphid that causes that, but couldn't see anything on it. So sprayed with the garlic spray.
Came home and noticed my carrots in the patio barrel seem to have the carrot fly already, boo hoo! Will cover up the ones at the allotment tomorrow.
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Tomatoes, peppers and cukes all out in the greenhouse border - so I expect a frost tonight ::)
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ever the pessimist Lardman ::) :D
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Put the roof on the new shed, made up a couple of raised beds ready for the soil delivery tomorrow, got the family painting the shed before rain stopped play.
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Attacked the bindweed growing with the potatos and strawberries... Weeded between the onions and dug out a few of last years potatos that are growing
Had to pick loads of small apples from the 2 2 year old trees as they had loads and all the branches are bending down.. left a couple though and happy to see how many they had!
Dug loads of nice compost into a bed and will plant some of the leeks out next week.
Got soaked so went home and sorted out some of the chillies and tomatos.. quite happy to see the rain all day! :)
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Had to pick loads of small apples from the 2 2 year old trees as they had loads and all the branches are bending down.. left a couple though and happy to see how many they had!
Apples? Looks like you from down the equator :) kiwi?
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Had to pick loads of small apples from the 2 2 year old trees as they had loads and all the branches are bending down.. left a couple though and happy to see how many they had!
Got soaked so went home and sorted out some of the chillies and tomatos.. quite happy to see the rain all day! :)
I think I may have to thin the fruit on my plum trees too. My dwarf plum tree is getting "dwarfer" under the weight of little plums. ::)
"Got soaked"!!!!! Only just enough rain here to dust off my rain-coat. :(
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Tomatoes, peppers and cukes all out in the greenhouse border - so I expect a frost tonight ::)
So that is why I woke up to a frost this morning :tongue2: :tongue2: :lol: :lol:
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I weeded out my fruit cage. First I pulled up all the big stuff, the I barricaded off the gooseberries leaving the raspberries on their own. Then I shut my 5 chickens in there. They did a good job. Well done girls. I wont be doing that in a months time though!
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Due to all the rain, I didnt get there till late Evening,put some flowers in, watered the greenhouse and put some Moneymaker Toms in tubs. Started to rain again so called it a day
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Picked my first courgete this morning, dug up some early spuds :D, i had to drag myself off my strawberries as they taste so good there wont be any left for the family, all my toms are going great guns on the plot with 2 trusses of fruit set and the last 3 breaking into flower, cant wait to taste the toms.
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lots of weeding...isnt it nice (almost) when we've had a lot of rain they just seem to glide out! i also cut up a load of blue water pipe and made hoops for my debris netting for my brassicas, and planted out some lettuce and my pumpkins, and chopped the horseradish a little, although it's been in about 10 yrs and over the years been v well behaved bless it! :D
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Sorted greenhouse out and put stuff in cold frame, to make room for toms and cucumbers.
Weeded beds, put some webb lettuce in and sowed some more radish. Just come home for some food then I will be going back to water plot ;)
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It is amazing what a bit of rain does :ohmy: :ohmy: There suddenly seemed to be weeds everywhere, hence I spent 1/2 hour hoeing and watered the greenhouse.
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I weeded. put some pea plants in. sowed some more carrots. sowed some more pea and french beans.
cadged some comfrey off a neighbour - so no need to torture the planyt i bought on sunday.
pulled up my first lottie produce - some (~no surprises here) radish - but they are the multi coloured ones.
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Weeded the brassicas and pulled out my first unsuccessful batch of peas which have been mostly eaten by the pigeons and put another lot under sticks and twine. Picked my first strawberries and raspberries. They're unbeliveably better than the supermarket ones. :D I also have a blackcurrant bush starting but the fruit is sparse and rather unpleasant tasting so may be for the chop this year.
For once didn't need to water, hurrah. 8)
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weeded the strawberries.
Grendel
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A very quick zip there and back:
- put in more canes and planted French climbing beans (purple podded)
- watered
- planted out the last box of chrysanthemums
- hoed a little
Then cycled off at top speed as my 90 minutes was up. :(
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Rain again :blush: , so will have time to play around shelfs and tools :D
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Nothing I had to go to work
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Monday the 30th,
Dug over the new greenhouse borders and added 4 bags of sharp sand and 4 bags of wicks multi purpose compost.
Planted the toms and cucumbers in the half glazed greenhouse.
Planted the squashes and courgettes out on the plot.
I'm hopeing to dig over the 2nd bed this afternoon.
Now we've had some rain the ground has bocome workable.
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Just about to disappear down there.... ;)
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Ground is like feathers! We had a very good rain few days ago.
On Sunday planted out rest of tomatoes, 15 x sweet peppers.
Weeded potatoes. Noticed few pods on broad beans. Weird but overwinter sowings are OK,but these from a garden centre are covered with black aphids :(
Planted out french beans also.
1 spear of purple asparagus is flowering :) Second one is growing. I wonder how many spears we will have in total from 2 crowns ( I know about "not picking from first year" thing )?
Are they growing back when cut or?
What else...picked 2 bags of strawberries so far. And there are still alot ripening. This is second year crop,some of them were runners - so its first for them. Berries are huge. Will they be smaller and smaller year after year,right?
Tomorrow we are going to build a frame with very fine mesh for cabbages and finally plant them out, purple , winter and regular one. Maybe will buy some off garden centre.
6 for £1,99...meh. Or big one for 70p. Could be worse though, but I like cabbage. I'm making an awesome Russian beetroot soup with it. :)
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Dug some new potatoes and picked some (confused) raspberries!
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Not today but yesterday
Planted 30 sweet peas against the mesh fences
Planted marigolds dotted here and there
Planted squash and pumpkin out (ooooerrrrr :unsure: )
Planted more peas to fill in gaps
Potted up two toms in final pots then ran out of compost for the rest
Tied in the BBs as they are straying on to the path (stupid me for putting them there)
Weeded everywhere
Was all on my own,it was so blnkin peaceful, until the new nosy and very competitive neighbour came to 'chat', so that cut my visit shorter than planned :blink: >:(
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Not today but yesterday
..............
Was all on my own,it was so blnkin peaceful, until the new nosy and very competitive neighbour came to 'chat', so that cut my visit shorter than planned :blink: >:(
I periodically have a similar problem - it's not that I don't like a quick chat now and then but, these days, I simply don't have the time.
Note to me: Get some of those spare marigolds to the plot. (Thanks peapod ;))
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No problem, Ive got a spare tubfull if you need more :lol:
I love to chat away, but as soon as Chris told him I was a teacher he seems to try to bait me all the time. He's only been there 2 months, but constantly tries to tell me how/what/where/when to plant.
I was polite at first but told him yesterday he talks C%$* after he informed me that he had planted a tomato seed within a seed spud last year and the spuds had produced tomatoes ( :lol: :lol: :lol:)
I could go on and on (and did last night, the guy is a nightmare)
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Hand weeded hoed and watered today was over 100 in the greenhouse so opened the door
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No problem, Ive got a spare tubfull if you need more :lol:
I love to chat away, but as soon as Chris told him I was a teacher he seems to try to bait me all the time. He's only been there 2 months, but constantly tries to tell me how/what/where/when to plant.
I was polite at first but told him yesterday he talks C%$* after he informed me that he had planted a tomato seed within a seed spud last year and the spuds had produced tomatoes ( :lol: :lol: :lol:)
I could go on and on (and did last night, the guy is a nightmare)
I have the same problem - one of my neighbours keeps telling me how wrong I'm doing everything - grrrrr...this may be the case but I am experimenting with lots of different techniques picked up from here and will know it's wrong when it doesn't work! Still no sign of my peas but everything else looking good :)
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Finally completed the full circumnavigation of my garden with the hedge clippers (only got to pick it all up now and "lose" it all wherever I can - the recycling truck crushed my green bin last August and "they" won't give me a replacement!) :mad:
An hour on hands and knees weeding (mainly chickweed!) :mad:
Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!) :lol:
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planted out celeriac and watered peas and bean seedlings
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nothing today i say misserably been shopping all day sohad a change would of prefered but had to do other, yesterday i weeded inbetween my parsnips wow couldnt believe how many were appearing as its only my 1st year, was going to plant out my rocket but i have a bout 5 leaves on each plant would this be ok not sure how big they have to be when planted out xx :D
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Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!) :lol:
Pictures Jays avatar jumping up and down on an orange bucket :lol:
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Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!) :lol:
Pictures Jays avatar jumping up and down on an orange bucket :lol:
Pretty unusual for an orangutan (they're not known for wasting energy but then again this was no ordinary sort of bucket!) :lol:
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weeded a bit more - hoed at the large ara of loose rampant weeds to keep them a bit at bay.
Grendel
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Today I laid three paths and put bark chipping down on them.
I planted some lettuce and two squash plants.
I put some taller canes in next to my peas plants as they were starting to fall over and put string across them.
My boys helped to pick up slugs and put them in the compost bin where a giant spider lives
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i planted some perpetual spinach. watered and watered. hoed and dug a patch of unclaimed territory. looked wistfully at the other allotments.
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I listened to an old GQT podacast and a question about ailing rhubarb came up. The only answer they had was its probably a bit dry. Mine (2nd year) doesn't look too fancy so I gave it a very good drink. Then I watered everything else. I think I saw a very very small pepper in the green house, but could have been mistaken
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i spent a whopping 7hrs at the plot today. had a truck load of wood chipping delivered at 8am so i almost broke my back spreading that along my paths.
put in my sweetcorn, and some cabbages that my lovely neighbour gave to me and put some straw under the strawberries - some of them are huuuuge! (couldnt resist nibbling them!) :D
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Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!) :lol:
I have a black bucket probably from the same chain store and it too had a handle that fell off regularly upon use.
I bent bottom ends of the handle in closer together and that appears to have solved the problem and saved 99p ;)
Sorry JayG.. a bt late that news by the sounds of it ::) :lol:
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Planted out a couple of dwarf french beans and did some weeding and watering. Loads of bindweed appearing with the potatos!
Spent a while spraying the apple trees as the leaves are completely covered in green and black flies.. and ants and caterpillars etc >:( Looks like i may be loosing all the apples as they are starting to go bad too..
Then found that the black patches on the neighbours potato plants had spread to my potatos that were nearest (see other thread.. please!) so feeling a little disheartened today.. picked lots of strawberries again though so definately jam time soon!
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Nothing :( quite heavy rain yesterday and today.
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Dug over another bed and removed alot of couch roots, even after i had glyphosated twice :wacko:
Prep'd the greenhouse border a little more for the chillies and peppers that'll be going in in the next few days.
Sat down and took in the fresh air and the sound of nature :happy:
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Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!) :lol:
I have a black bucket probably from the same chain store and it too had a handle that fell off regularly upon use.
I bent bottom ends of the handle in closer together and that appears to have solved the problem and saved 99p ;)
Sorry JayG.. a bt late that news by the sounds of it ::) :lol:
Tried bending it both in and out - seems like the design is such that when the handle flops down it tends to force it out of the not-very-deep slots. Good riddance! :tongue2:
(Sorry folks for going on so about a 99p bucket; at least for me it was a temporary distraction from pondering about whether or not to plant my tender crops outside.) :unsure: :lol:
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Finally jumped up and down on my 99p orange bucket from a well-known DIY store and chucked it in the bin (it's been annoying me ever since I bought it as the handle falls off every time I use it!)
I have a black bucket probably from the same chain store and it too had a handle that fell off regularly upon use.
I bent bottom ends of the handle in closer together and that appears to have solved the problem and saved 99p
Sorry JayG.. a bt late that news by the sounds of it
Tried bending it both in and out - seems like the design is such that when the handle flops down it tends to force it out of the not-very-deep slots. Good riddance!
I bought a brand new black bucket from Wicks for £1.30ish and its far better than the 99p ones.
The handle is firmly held in place and it is very strong.
Sometimes it's more frugal to spend that little bit more for a better quality longer lasting product (only sometimes though) ;)
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Yesterday - I supervised the guys who were digging over the new veggie area and supplied them with tea and biscuits ::) ::) . Then lots of watering of my other patches and the greenhouse.
To-day - have to remove another cucumber which has died on me - only one left of the five that I planted - it still looks OK. Am going to sew new seeds to-day - if the weather stays fine they should soon germinate. Then lots of hoeing and watering.
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Weeded, watered, weeded, watered, weeded and watered. Fed everything with nettle tea for a treat.
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made a compost area and whacked my finger with the hammer yesterday :ohmy: weeded down adjoining fence and generally pottered about in between coffee breaks :wacko:
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planted a row of rocket seeds. watered. checked seeds.
planted some nasturtiums in a big pot - put near wild zone (not my allotment - officially wild ).
cut back over hanging branches from next door (i have the end plot next to the fence) .
cut down all the brambles on the last bit to be dug.
dug out the last undug bit before we take on the bit with the brambles in it.
marked out where the shed is going to go.
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more watering and weeding.
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ditto :) :) two beds worth
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ditto & ditto, twenty pole worth, getting muscle but don't want it.
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ditto but without getting muscles :lol:
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Screamed at the chick weed that wasn't there last night when I weeded ! Then refilled the comfrey pipe, there doesn't seem a lot that needs to be done at the moment. :unsure:
Leave the buckets alone you want some Gorilla tubs (not the cheap clones). I've only killed 2 even with all the work I've been doing. :D
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Not been boo hoo
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Chickweed seems to have really took off this year :mad:
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Watering and weeding, and planted out some cornflower and pot marigolds round my old apple tree. Bindweed seems to be my big problem on the weed front this year.
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Weeding, weeding and more weeding..........don;t know whats going on as most of my swedes havn;t shown and beetroots are shy????? :(
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Today i put a net over my peas and broad beans as I'd seen some pigeons lurking on the shed roof.
I planted four purple sprouting broccoli plants I'd been given, and one tomato plant that I've grown from seed, and netted them as well.
My boys want a wildlife pond, so I've dug a 3ft by 4ft hole. It's about 2ft deep, and tomorrow I plan to buy a liner for it and some pond plants.
I also laid another path, and covered it with bark chippings.
I cut down some more grass underneath the blackcurrant bushes.
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One hour on the plot (better than noting at all):
- planted a row of gladioli
- hand weeded the carrots
- watered
- picked broad beans and peas (ignored the strawberries as there wasn't time) :(
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No rain today and weather forcast sounds promising for weekend :D, so have to finish bed for edamame and plant seedlings. hopefully weather will allow to plant second batch of eggplants, tomatoes and broccoli :blush: crossing fingers for that
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Yesterday actually.
Planted out the last of the sweetcorn, managed to get 65 viable plants from 100 seeds eventually.
Sowed winter brassica seeds in modules.
Broadcast 4,000 carrot seeds in a 10 by 3 foot block.
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water water and more watering soon be running out as i am reliant on rain plus one of my butts burst with the ice this winter need
to replace it would the public transport allow me on with a water butt under my arm lol need to get my sweet corn in 100 %germination this year with baby pop 1st time growing
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checked the greenhouse temp at 10am today......off the scale!! :ohmy: quickly opened door, window and chucked water on the floor. Will need to get some shading up, so disorganised this year :mad:
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Put in some more runner bean plants, watered of course, and swore at the birds for taking every single one of my black currents, that will teach me to peg the netting down properly. >:(
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finished the weeding on one half plot.
Grendel
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Just back from the plot.
Planted out Peas, Runer Beans, Tomatoes, Basil & a few left over sweet peas.
What I believe to be Blackcurrant bushes are looking ready for their first pick of the year!
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Closed the greenhouse door where the tomatos are planted and admired my brassicas
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Planted courgettes and pumpkins, and a dozen globe artichokes. Watered, then my wife came from work and we had dinner - cheese and tomato quiche, potatoes and salad, with a bottle of Rioja. Then number 2 son, wife and grandson came down for a while. Lovely evening.
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Planted out some sturdy tomato plants that sprouted where I had my tomatoes last year. I'm not sure what the fruit is going to be like, but the plants are much less weedy than the ones from the cold frame and it seems a shame to waste them so I'll give them a go.
Otherwise, lots of watering and weeding, and a sneaky dose of miracle-gro all round. It has been quite windy here today and the soil is drying out fast.
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not been up in 48 hours until just now, been too busy baking for bff's 40th tomorrow. Went down to find 2.5lbs of strawberries ripe for picking :ohmy: and the weeds in the path have gone nuts... now wondering what on earth possessed me to buy strawberries at the supermarket today for my individual pavlova's ?!?!?!
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Just in from work, after a 14 hour shift, and managed to place new black composter in garden. It's massive!!
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took my kids up the plot to pick the strawberries ive had in a fruit cage, some thieving person beat my kids to it and took the lot >:(, this was not birds.
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That's dreadful :ohmy:Do you often get things taken? Is it other plot holders or can other thieves get in?
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That's dreadful :ohmy:Do you often get things taken? Is it other plot holders or can other thieves get in?
The only time ive herd of anything being pinched was a pot of money from the locked shed that some of us paid into for a bulk delivery of soil conditioner, nobody knows who done it but it was a plot holder, if theives want to get in for something they will, but why the strawberries? my kids were so dissapointed, there were 3 good courgettes right next to the cage.
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sorry to hear that richie :( where are you BTW.?
i weeded/watered and planted some sprouts in their cage. at home i watered and harvested some strawberries, banched some peas from the lottie and have spent the last hour keeping two hedgehogs from killing each other on the patio :ohmy:...they even have separate feeding bowls now but they still fight like cat and dog! :(
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That's dreadful :ohmy:Do you often get things taken? Is it other plot holders or can other thieves get in?
The only time ive herd of anything being pinched was a pot of money from the locked shed that some of us paid into for a bulk delivery of soil conditioner, nobody knows who done it but it was a plot holder, if theives want to get in for something they will, but why the strawberries? my kids were so dissapointed, there were 3 good courgettes right next to the cage.
Why the strawberries? Just go to you local supermarket and compare price for strawberry and courgettes :wub:
Sunny day today, so will be back after sunset :D
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Went blood doning for the 20th time and......fainted! :ohmy:
Nurses calmly said, "We've had quite a bit of that today because it's so hot and stuffy in here."
Anyway, was under strict orders not to do anything physical for the rest of the day, so settled for picking some strawberries to aid my recovery ;) and noticing a whole load of mystery radishes growing on the mounds where my potatoes are. I didn't plant them but they seem to be doing well so, bonus! :D
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hi operaBunny,
it is quite sunny and stuffy out there. Guess in this weather we need to wear a lot of whites to stay cool and hats. hope you recover well ;)
did a lot of watering.
spinach has bolted which is no surprise. bit pee'd off really but i'll let them grow on and reap what i can.
pea's producing lots of flowers, cabbage doing well, brocolli is bit slow to grow but i was late sowing them :blush:
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Staked up the tomatoes in the greenhouse (they're getting very top-heavy with foliage and flowers :) ), general pottering about - pulling weeds where they were found and topped up the water butts whilst it was quiet.
Everything appears to be in the rudest of health. Happy days :)
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Loads of weeding, planted some leeks out and sowed another row of carrots and lettuce.
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Potted on another 6 tomatoes into final pots, that makes 20 large plants in pots and 15 smaller planted out in lotty, should now have enough to make pasta sauce to take us through the year again, just hope the peppers perform this year again.
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I pulled up weeds (never ending job) and watered everything. None of my carrots and parsnips have taken, i planted them 6 weeks ago. So I have to re-do it all tomorrow. I have put my French Beans in today as well.
The ground is just too dry for anything to grow no matter how much I water it. I need it to rain, but I don't see that happening.
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Prepared compost for hanging baskets that some of the 60 tomato plants will end up living in. Emptied beehive composter into new darlek. General tidy of patch, chopped off old leaves etc. Picked 2 strawberries that the snails have been kind enough to leave us today Watered and weeded. Put tomatoes into playhouse for the night to begin hardening off.
Counted 15 courgettes so far on plants, sooo want to pick them.
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I put the Dwarf French Beans (which were grown in toilet roll tubes ) in and Sweetcorn.
Cape Gooseberries were also transplanted.
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planted out celeriac seedlings. watered. explained to 15 yr old stepson why throwing water is not the same as watering and is harmful if you are small and plantish. ::)
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Weeded bed of chard and beetroot. Watered tatties and peas. Cleared patch which will become grassed seating area. Harvested spinach and radishes.
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Five hours of planting, weeding and watering... dark when I got home at 10pm. ::)
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Weeded the whole plot yesterday as had a weeks holiday - weed central!!!
Planted 10 french beans (climbing)
25 sweetcorn plants
4 courgettes (have another 6 in pots waiting to transplant but no room - may just give these away)
Ate a few mange tout raw and hopefull when i go today there will be enough for a meals worth with Sunday dinner!! First time ive grown it and im really pleased with them - not a bug insight (Yet......)
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Harvested onions and broad beens. Planted out yet more french beans celeriac and fennel. Weeded the asparagus bed. I am growing some runners in some bags (that were given to me for growing spuds in) up 8 foot canes.
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Weeded the whole plot yesterday as had a weeks holiday - weed central!!!
Planted 10 french beans (climbing)
25 sweetcorn plants
4 courgettes (have another 6 in pots waiting to transplant but no room - may just give these away)
Ate a few mange tout raw and hopefull when i go today there will be enough for a meals worth with Sunday dinner!! First time ive grown it and im really pleased with them - not a bug insight (Yet......)
ah that was me last week- weeded half the remaining weeds this morning while watering with a directional spray and just finished as the rain started - typical.
Grendel
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It's time to pick up ume :D
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picked matestail from the spuds again lol sowed more peas
tidied up the shed
picked some lettuce and peas
sowed some more caulies and rocket
and had a beer
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Watered a few things, did dome weeding and cut half of the grass, the rest can wait for tomorrow as cricked my neck down there and in pain
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be careful above :(
i planted out sweet corn and calabrese. watered. dug a bit more unclaimed land. hoed. Helped OH destroy the top half of a forsythia.
Only only one bed to de dug over and our once over is complete. It is the hardest one though.
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Finally decided to take the plunge and planted out the first sowings of runner beans and sweetcorn (more to follow in a couple of weeks.)
Sowed 2 short rows of Autumn King carrots and one of Nantes Frubund (which I have not only never heard of but can't remember where the seeds came from either!) Sprinkled with organic slug pellets and covered with enviromesh on wire hoops.
Sowed rocket and cos lettuce, both of which I had forgotten about so far, despite cos being my favourite lettuce! ::)
Made threatening gestures to my greenhouse cucumbers; the one growing on the floor looks pale and miserable even though it has produced a flower, the one on the staging looks a bit happier (albeit not exactly delirious!)
Was completely ignored by a female blackbird who was desperate to start looking for food as I watered everything in (I think the drought has made life quite hard for them.)
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I stayed at home and got on with the kitchen hoping the rain would amount to something useful. ::)
"Sprinkles" of rain seems a good adjective :mellow:
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Did the edges of both plots, all neat and tidy now 8) 8) Apart from that, generally pottered!
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Got a 2nd (half) plot :)
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Today I picked up my greenhouse and moved it to my allotment.
My husband helped me to put it together, it's now up. It just needs fixing onto wooden planks and a good clean and i can start growing in it.
It's a good size- 8ft x 6ft and green, with polycarbonate panels in it :)
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Today I picked up my greenhouse and moved it to my allotment.
My husband helped me to put it together, it's now up. It just needs fixing onto wooden planks and a good clean and i can start growing in it.
It's a good size- 8ft x 6ft and green, with polycarbonate panels in it :)
Id really love a greenhouse but the neighbour kids end up smashingg them all up - not good at all - such a shame for people that have spent time and money on them
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i did all those little jobs i have been utting off for ages, tied in my raspberry canes, tied in my green house toms, de-side-shooted my toms, hoed between the rows of raspberries, weeded between my tatties, tidied up the shed, sharpened and cleaned tools, re pegged some netting, sprayed the apple tree ( :Pwooley aphids :tongue2:) and rounduped the path ( :Pcouchgrass :tongue2:)
All in all i feel like i really made an impact today, also planted up my kale (they are so mini!!) and my brussles, picked a few strawberries that i missed yesterday, i swear i was going to take them home.... but they were soooooo ripe and juicey and warm from the sinshine. :tongue2: 8)
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Good weather today, so will play with my lovely chainsaw :D
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Ate some Swift spuds, Derby Day cabbage, peas and broad beans for tea. Scrumptious. Then watched the lovely rain come down.
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Yesterday planted out rest of my peppers and toms, marigolds between the toms, second batch of courgettes. Bought an apricot tree and planted it woohoo! Dug one more patch of second plot. Hopefully we will clear it up this year, plus we need space for melons and watermelons.
I dug into the soil two frames with nets to make a house for brassicas. Two more to go to finish a row, then two on top, staple gun the enviromesh to it and then my babies can finally be planted out! Woohoo!
Picked more strawberries. It's finishing soon >:( But raspberry is starting!
Had really good rain yesterday evening, can relax for few days with watering. Need to stay on top of weeds though,they will go wild.
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Nothing today and won't be doing anything cos the rain is here!!!! :D
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Cut the rest of the grass a bit of weeding and some more watering
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our first propper rain since the beginning of the year, so nothing much getting done, but even so the rain is very welcome :)
I can always potter in the greenhouse
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Today I planted my runner beans - Moonlight.
Also planted spinach beet, beetroot- wodan, spring onions, american land cress and 5 courgettes and a marrow plant. Sowed another short row of radish.
Am soon going to be suffering with a lack of space - only got a couple of rows left unoccupied, but plenty to put in them. I am finding that I am having to use more containers at home to put in the garden there for smaller veg.
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Watered toms peppers and chillies in the greenhouse
Watered newly planted fruit trees and brassicas.
Still hopeing for some rain :(
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Went to check on my toms today as havent been able to for the past 2 days, my god they have grown about 6 inches and are now standing 3 - 4 feet tall with loads of fruit hanging off them, my cougettes are looking more like marrows, cucumbers are about 5 inches long, chillies and peppers have set fruit and the weeds have had a good old growth spurt too :ohmy: feeling a little bit happier after my recent strawberry theft which left my kids with none.
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Planted out 33 tomato plants. NO space for any more and still have 20 seedlings to sort out, always run out of room!!
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Picked some broad beans and onions, dug up more spuds and beetroot :)
But we desperately need rain,the ground is so dry.
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Planted two more tomatoes outside - that makes 15 outside, three inside and three more to plant. Also planted out two row of beetroot which had been started in modules and about 20 flower plants for some colour. Hoed between the sweetcorn and courgettes and the rain came on to save me a job.
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sowed swede, turnip, radish and rocket. moved tomatoes up to the allotment.
watered and weed (as usual)
ordered two compost daleks - to make 3 compost bins.
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Got the quote for FH220 parts. No, no, my old Honda rotovator working perfect :D, it's for newer model. Helllll, i should write sort of report with photos on this messageboard, why i would never ever buy late models of tools and machines >:(
Anyway, another dry day and my chainsaw waiting for me. See you all after sunset :D
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de-weeded and then watered the plot last night. think it might rain today in the afternoon but knowing the met office they may get it wrong.
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Today 0500 I harvested redcurrants to put on my meusli. I came back in doors and had a cup of coffee and watched the birds.
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Today 0500 I harvested redcurrants to put on my meusli. I came back in doors and had a cup of coffee and watched the birds.
At that time of the day I should think you woke the birds up! :blink: :lol:
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Watered all plants and nipped out the side shoots on the toms.
Began digging another bed for the peas and beans.
Mulched around the fruit trees with grass cuttings.
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Watered all plants and nipped out the side shoots on the toms.
Began digging another bed for the peas and beans.
Mulched around the fruit trees with grass cuttings.
I steadfastly refuse to nip out the side shoots on my greenhouse tomatoes. :closedeyes: I know it says I should on the packets but for the last few years I haven't and the crops have been wonderful. :happy:
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I pant my toms 12" apart so i have to nip them out as i don't have the room between them to allow the side shoots to grow and i also do it to allow air circulation around the plants.
I still get 5 or 6 trusses of fruit off each plant and almost all of them ripen.
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I’ll be in trouble soon for hi-jacking (again!!). :ohmy:
That makes good sense but I’m quite used to pushing through the undergrowth in the greenhouse to find my cherry tomatoes even if they are grown close together in ring-culture on top of grow bags.
Works for me. (Greedy devil!!) 8) :blush:
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Gave everything a liquid feed, got some chippings down on some of the paths. Got given a crate for a compost bin :)
Picked 2 huge baskets of strawberries (guess whats in your packed lunch today kids).
Need to get my cucmbers out of there small pots and into bigger ones but reluctant to disturb them as they are doing so well :wacko:
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Stuck the last of the runner beans and climbing french beans in.
Drenched calbrese in soapy water - got some white fly on - this is supposed to work but they have had a few waters so far and doesnt seem any change?!
Did a bit of hand weeding and the odd weed growing on the paths
Really wish the council would put a new person at the side of me - its full of weeds all flowering so im in for joy later! Council do it June to June - no idea why they dont do it Jan to Jan instead
OH - and picked some mangetout for a prawn stir fry tonite along with some baby turnips
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Tonight I'm doing plot inspections :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
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weeded a bit and picked a handfull of broad beans we will be having for tea, plus a minute potato weeded from the pumpkins, imagine my surprise when the weed had a 1cm round potato on the roots.
Grendel
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Went to work boo hoo
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Rainy morning, but waether forcast sounds promising. If so, will continue to play with chainsaw :D
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I was given a packet of cucumber seeds I was not going to grow any this year. But just felt the need to sow a few. Also sowed more french beans and carrots in pots. A general water of the greenhouse, revealed first chillies a cm long. That's exciting
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Puddled in brussel sprouts. Made some scary plastic bag things to hopefully kep pigeons off!!
Sowed some more carrots. Picked loads of nettle heads for feed. Tidied up around patch and looked longingly at cougettes which are SOOOO nearly ready to be picked. Came in for a cup of tea and found reciepe for cuorgette quiche.
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Puddled in brussel sprouts. Made some scary plastic bag things to hopefully keep pigeons off!!
You'll be lucky ::) :nowink:
Planted all the pumpkins/squash and the last of the 'too many' tomatoes :lol:
Tied up stuff that was blowing about in the strong winds, watered in the greenhouses.
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Puddled in brussel sprouts. Made some scary plastic bag things to hopefully keep pigeons off!!
You'll be lucky ::) :nowink:
Planted all the pumpkins/squash and the last of the 'too many' tomatoes :lol:
Tied up stuff that was blowing about in the strong winds, watered in the greenhouses.
Yes, just back from school run and pigeons in there already :mad:. So added NHS Pension Plan DVD for good measure.
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all I did today was take down about 8 bags of garden compost to add to my bins at one allotment.
Grendel
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Again at work but can go tomorrow for a few hours :D
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Puddled in brussel sprouts. Made some scary plastic bag things to hopefully keep pigeons off!!
You'll be lucky ::) :nowink:
Planted all the pumpkins/squash and the last of the 'too many' tomatoes :lol:
Tied up stuff that was blowing about in the strong winds, watered in the greenhouses.
Yes, just back from school run and pigeons in there already :mad:. So added NHS Pension Plan DVD for good measure.
Hope you'd watched it first. does it make the mud any clearer?
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Picked our first cucumber today, it was like nothing me and my son have ever tasted before, we had a shop bought cucumber in the larder so we compared tastes, it was no match for the home grown cucumber, we also made ratatiue with our home grown garlic, onions, peppers, courgettes and all my own home grown herbs, we had to buy the ingredients that we`re not ripe yet but wow what a taste useing home grown fruit and veg makes to a meal, i dont know why i didnt start growing fruit and veg years ago.
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Put straw under strawberries and netted from birds. Transplanted 2 kinds of lettuce and some brassicas offered by neighbour
Bought a pack of labels, poppy and wallflower seeds.
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Sowed corriander, Mooli radish and potted on some chard. Need to find someone to give it to now. I transplanted some little spinach seedlings to fill out the rows. Had a weed and tied up the tomatoes in the greenhouse
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This morning hoed both plots. I just made the mistake of travelling during the school run!
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Did some hoeing between the brassicas, watering and planted some Autumn King carrots in a tub and chatted with fellow plot holders
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chatted, fed and hoed the onions.
chatted some more, planted some pumpkin and butternuts.
chatted a bit more, pulled up the finished early peas.
Moaned that the birds have eaten the tops off the emerging beans :mad:
Came home to sow some more in pots, eneded up chatting with neighbour :)
It's been a busy morning :lol:
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After watering, I met up with the resident (last of the summer wine) twosome and chewed the fat about anything and nothing...Baz makes a sterling cuppa on his gas ring...so had another coffee and chewed some more....put the world to rights then realised ive got 1 hour to sort the plot before heading off in a min(2pm) for me wayfinder shift for the NHS.
Anyway,I legged it to me plot and pulled all me wintered Garlics and Onions and have layed em out in my shed to dry.
Put in 50 Prizetaker Leeks and watered the holes with me recommended fluid of 2 parts butt water to 1 part Bladderwrack Seaweed water...it seems to work really well when im transplanting
or Folia spraying young plants.....duno why....just does.
Picked a dozen Strawberries to have with me snack this afternoon.
Ran out of time,so off to work till the morrow.
Gazza
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my red onions didn't do well, local alotement owners said feb is too early to grow them hence they went to seed and hardly a good sizable bulb. they said around now is still ok to grow them so will take their word for it. went for a walk to wilko's and found a bag of white onion sets for 15p - what a bargain! 8)
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I'm sorry, but they will not make much planted now.
They'll hardly make any growth before the longest day, after which onions start to bulb up. There won't be much to bulb up!
As for the red onions, they are notorious for going to seed at the best of times, the dry weather is more of a factor than when you planted them.
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Thanks DD. they just sounded so confident. think its just reds that are the issue. i planted white onion sets as well at the same and they have not gone to seed so they look ok.
could i keep these sets until Jan next year provided they don't start growing shoots or could i grow them over winter? any advise, growing onions not been me speciality... yet
they are turbo onion sets
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They won't keep.
Best you can hope for is to stick them in and get some mini onions.
It does annoy me when so called "experienced" gardeners come up with tosh like this.
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with me being young and them being quite senior in age to me i always tend to believe the elders :happy:. i'll stick to white onions next time ;)
thanks Digger Dave
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You best bet is to ask here first!
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Transplanted cabbages, caulis and courgettes. Sowed cauli, 40- and 90- day raabs, turnip, rocket radish and broccoli. Then it started hailstones and rain and i got soaked >:(
Things are looking good down there but i've filled all the available space and need to get more cleared to put in squashes and lots more peas and beans. Hoping to have a really good store of winter squash, tatties, dried legumes, garlic and preserves. Plus leeks, cabbage, carrots and jerusalem artichoke in the ground.
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A bit of hoeing and weeding, no need to water today. Dug up my first new potatoes, harvested my first small beets, a crop of gooseberries, a good sized punnets of strawbs and some raspberries most of which were unfortunately squashed on the way home.
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You best bet is to ask here first!
Let me shake your hand :D
By the way, what do you mean "nearly organic"?
Today is calm and cloudy. already watered seedlings. Waiting for pH meter to do some soil tests. I think i will start thread after that, how to check soil - correct, simple and easy, because on the web lots of confusing and wrong information.
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installed the two new compost bins (a frog has already moved into one).
planted out some more beans. watered.
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Dug up a couple of earlies spuds but they were so small I buried them again. :(
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Cant wait to get down the plot today, had a good drop of rain so no too much waterering to do i hope. Going to plant out my Caulis grown from seed and have 4 more tomato plants to plant. Space is getting short... do i need a bigger plot????
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Weeded around cauli's and cabbages.
Dug up somemore amaroza spuds and some beetroot,then rain stopped play. :) :)
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Beautiful morning and planted out some A Cosse Violette plants from where the potatoes came out yesterday. Was able to reach from the grass path but couldn`t do anything else as it was too wet from last night`s almost a third of an inch of rain. Not that I`m complaining.
:D :) :D
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filled up all the neighbours water buts and cans 600 gallons in all
weeded the caulis and brocolli and cabbages
made ;oads of tea and coffee planted more beetroot and squashes and watered the main crop
dug up my 1st pots of the year will have them tomorrrow with some picked peas and then generally weeded
whilst drinking some strong dry cider
im home now to get ready for a barbque
let the fun begin will be back on the plot tomorrow
p.s picked and ate some straw ::)berries
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Got some more big boys toys. Heavy rain was today, so nothing to do "on the field" for a couple days :blush:
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Harvested some salad turnips that were getting enormous; still delicious though.
Covered the pepper plants and courgettes in case this frost tonight happens.
Stared forlornly at my non existent potatoes; at least they haven't put their heads out just to get bitten by frost on their first night.
Wondered if I would ever get the hang of 'succession' planting as we try to cope with the Pak Choi glut.
Wished that I had a real allotment rather than my cacophany of raised beds in the front garden.
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Well we went to Matt's plot and he cooked us bacon sandwiches for breakfast (all profits to our Association). :tongue2:
Then down to work, we finished assembling another raised bed, planted it with Kale (Nero di Toscana), red cabbage and cabbage. Netted it with the free debris netting from the scaffolding company. Planted a row of radish. Watered a lot, ground very dry, still not much rain. Still terrible wind blowing most of the time.
Peas and broad beans coming along nicely. Runner beans and french beans still look a bit yellow and straggly. Onions doing nicely but leaves a bit bent. Had a rootle in the potatoes and both the 1st earlies (Tuskar) and 2nd earlies (Edgecote Purple) are coming along very nicely. Another week I think. All in all a good day. ::)
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Was at work until 4.30am so been relaxing at home before a night shift so not been able to go today
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my neighbour lent me his fantastic hoe that made light work of my weeds and I didn't want to hand it back!planted Okra,amaranth,fennel ,mustard and butternut squash.Cleared a lot of glass that keeps surfacing and black recording tape of all things!watered and watered.
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..and it's my birthday!had to put that somewhere :tongue2:
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..and it's my birthday!had to put that somewhere :tongue2:
Oh! Happy Birthday
I hope you've had a lovely day then :D
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Planted French beans.
Fed the brassicas spuds onions...
Oh and helped out digging up some little weeds called Japanese Knotweed....only had to dig about 3/4 of a ton of soil and root out....im now partaking of some liquid painkillers :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2: to the JKW.
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I actually got to the plots and........
- Lifted: garlic and elephant garlic to dry (I need the room and they've just about finished)
- Planted: butternut squash, tri-colour & Jemmer courgettes, oriental salad, spring onions & spinach
- Harvested: beetroot, broad beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, Sweet William and roses
Then it grew rather dark :blink: ... 10pm! Had a lovely day out for a change. :happy:
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Yesterday. Took down old gate and put up some new fencing using parts of thin pallets. Weeding and planted some "teddy bear" sunflowers next to my French beans.
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..and it's my birthday!had to put that somewhere :tongue2:
Oh! Happy Birthday
I hope you've had a lovely day then :D
thank you!I did :D
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I have Just battened down the hatches as the storm approaches.
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Went up to water the greenhouse and then tidied up the shed. I must admit the plots looked far more happier with the rain falling. The sound of rain on the greenhouse roof was sublime.
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yesterday was half way through weeding the cabbage bed and the heavens opened, by the time I got the netting over I was drenched >:(
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my neighbour lent me his fantastic hoe that made light work of my weeds and I didn't want to hand it back!planted Okra,amaranth,fennel ,mustard and butternut squash.Cleared a lot of glass that keeps surfacing and black recording tape of all things!watered and watered.
Is the amaranth as an edible crop or as a flower?I've got some as flower seeds & wondered if you can eat them & if so how?
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Harvested first earlies. sprinkled chicken manure around ready for leek transplanting next weekend.
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planted corn, tomatoes courgettes and butter nut squash.
Grendel
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Managed a couple of hours at the allotment in the rain this afternoon. New waterproof jacket seems to work well :tongue2:
Planted out around 70 leeks but still have the same amount at home.. maybe i can get them into the ground when the first potatos start to come up.. Will need quite a bit of space! Checked the courgette, squash and cucumber i planted out yesterday.. cucumber looks pretty happy but the others all soaked and wind beaten.. hopefully they will recover soon!
At home rehoused about 10 tomato plants, a couple of cucumbers, chillis, peppers etc and staked all the tomatos.. some were bent right down from the wind.. hopefully they will be ok!
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oh and dug up an early potato plant (pentland javelin).. Quite a few small potatos but some quite large and a lot of them.. Absolutely gorgeous boiled for a few minutes and covered in butter.. was perfect with the mackerel the other half picked up 8)
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Netted brassica bed, cleared half a bed of weeds. Harvested our first strawberries, some spinach and corn salad.
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rained the whole day yesterday and some sightly strong wind. checked the plot after rain stopped the all the peas were weighed down by the rain and falled to one side :(
had a new water butt put in thinking 100 litres is enough from this roof and by morning 10am it was full :blink: and ready to over flow. didn't know couple of trickle of drops would fill it up so quickly! :blush:
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spent whole day in the garage :blush: previous people doesn't do much there, just piled up junk timber. Now it's almost rotten and eaten by termites :blush: Now i am pretty sure - i will have enough room for my lovely "toys".
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didnt go at all yesterday at all due to non stop torrential rain, and today BT are coming to install new internet and can come up to 6pm so may not get there today also :wacko:
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I went to admire that amount of watering that I won't have to do for a few days. Also picked a lettuce
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Installed 4 recycled drums as huge waterbutts, planted beans where the 1st earlies had been (this website is soooo useful for a beginner like me!!) and did some "pottering round the garden" in the rain
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Harvested yet more ginormous Pak Choi for tonights meal :blink:
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Potted on cukes and courgettes (to replace the ones that either died or look like they are going to). Sowed more lettuce (for us and the hens), and some more spring onions. Then weeded and watered the greenhouse. And then sat in the sun for about an hour - its a couple of weeks since it was warm enough to do that. :)
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planted out another dozen tomatos.
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It was actually yesterday - did test of soil next to eggplants. pH is about 5.5-5.7 :blush:
Today picked some broccoli, leek and radish.
Keep burning junk timber - will get rid of junk and get some ash.
Nice day, have to do weeds, but no time :blush:
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did a bit of weeding and stood looking at my flowing potatoes :D
watched a robyn follow me round the plot in the lookout for tasty morsels.
it was bliss today.
so love my allotment . :nowink:
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Haven't been since last Wednesday and noted lots had grown! Last night picked salad and new potatoes for the evening meal. Looked a the amazing amount of weeds that also sprung up since the rain that I have to get round to sorting out over the next week..... :tongue2: I think i spy the first courgette coming on the strongest plant (the other 2 are still in survival mode it seems). The tomatoes (all outside), despite the cold nights seem to growing (i'm stunned).
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I put my pumpkins outside today still waiting for the space when the first earlies are dug up
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Finished me volunteers shift at the hos about 4pm,went home and picked up me new toy.
Mantis Rotivator that id just brought from my plot neighbour had its 1st session in anger.
Talk about make it easy on me back....no bending...well apart from removing the buried stones that it had removed in cultivator mode....what a difference.
Soon had a reasonable area to a fine tilth,so in went the 20 Ruby Swedes that have been loitering on my greenhouse bench.
Loosened the soil on a spare patch from under the carpet tiles and after removing the few weeds,in went the heavy armour(Rotivator)and soon sorted it out.
Made 40 broom handle holes ( no bending ) and dropped in me Mussleburgh Leeks and watered em in.
Pulled our last few Elephant Garlics.......they smell beautiful !!!!!!!!!! :)
Gonna be up with the lark tomorra and Rotivate our empty Onion/Garlic raised beds and stick a few salads and winter greens in (Offenham 2,s)....hopefully without tearing the raised beds apart as the Roti is quite a handful..... :(
Brought home some Fresh Garlic and Basil to go in our Butterfly Chicken Breasts with some Buffalo Mozzerella and Tomato paste then wrapped in Proscutto ham and whacked in the oven with fresh Steamed carrots and new spuds and spinach.
Judes just rung.....so its sign off and on with me chefs hat.
I luv me Lotty...... :)
Gazza
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Tied up the peas a bit more they had got a bit battered in the recent winds, also the sweet peas were escaping from the frame :) Picked a bunch to bring home, plus a cabbage, an onion some finger carrots, a few more 2in caulis :lol: :nowink:
Planted a few beans, started in modules, to fill the gaps in the direct sowing on the frame
From the garden I picked some strawbs for jam tomorrow, and dug up a few more PJs. Cut some more salad.
Sowed another salad tray, watered the greenhouses.
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Watered, picked stuff and chatted. I have no idea where the two hours went. Gave everything except the spuds a sneaky dose of Miracle Gro. I have got one of the plot elders on the stuff now as his plot is slow to start off this year. He usually wins plot of the year, but this year I may be in with a chance. :D
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Planted 50 leeks - pencil thick and lovely - now waiting for a splash or two of rain. :happy:
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Spent a lovely hour clearing weeds, digging in bokashi and raking in 6x for my second sowing of peas, broad beans and french beans.
Finished off with a lovely picnic with baby daughter and brought the hose home so I can wash the car while she sleeps later.
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Weeded and watered, and watered and weeded. Then removed two of the courgette plants that have succumbed to the winds and our frost of last week. Going to sow some radish for now while I am waiting for the replacement plants go grow big enough.
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Dug over 2 beds, one for some brassicas, in the other we've put some courgettes in.
Hope they are OK, our peas were attacked by pigeons, so we had to hastily erect some protection too!
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Just watered today that's all
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got a new camshaft for my rotovator engine, fixed the rotovator then took it up the plot and rotovated the weeds, I will pick the weeds out as I plant up the remainder of the plot.
planted tomatoes, broccoli , water melons and butter nut squash.
Grendel
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went up to the allotment after work, had a cup of tea, had a chat with the neighbour and came home again!!!!
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Planted Climbing French Beans, Borlotti beans, Greyhound Cabbage and another row of lettuce.
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went up to the allotment after work, had a cup of tea, had a chat with the neighbour and came home again!!!!
Now that sounds lovely... just what plots are for ;)
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"Sliced" sugi trunks in 3 meters length, removed some brunches, burned organic rubbish.
Picked up some broccoli, leek, green peas, warabi(sort of furn).
grendel, just wonder, what is your rotovator model?
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Got to the lotty to find bazza waiting with a hot brew and a lump of bread pudding,so after consuming that I got down to Rotovating 2 raised bed areas.
After clearing the stones and smoooothing the earth I planted some early onward peas for an autumn harvest.
The other bed had some Offenham 2,s for winter greens.
My stone pile is certainly growing ""is it just my plot that is full O the soandsos".!!!
Watered and did some Hoe work around our fruit bushes,bad news is our raspberry canes look lifeless and on closer inspection (after snapping) the canes insides are brown and dead.
These are new canes from a reliable dealer who will be getting said canes just to see what is said..!!!!!!!!!!!!..... >:(
Yet my old canes are happily flowering and fruiting......O well
Bent down to undo my hosepipe and felt my back go into spasm....aaahhhhhhhh... :(
Not good today,and am grateful him upstairs has decided to water our plot for us... :)
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Did lots of hand wedding some watering and plenty of chatting
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nothing on plot as rain has stopped play!
Sowed some more romanesco cos the blinking sparrows have eaten the first lot to stubs and all my baby citrus thyme were gone as well >:(
I thought the modules were safe on the table away from slugs *sighs* :(
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has anyone else noticed there seems to be a hell of a lot more sparrows than normal about. Eating everything in sight >:(
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Yes and avid vegetarians!!
I have huge numbers of sparrows and have to have almost everything covered. I will never grow peas again as they love them so much that no deterrent is up to the job. I can only surmise that they are burrowing in under the netting as each day I secure it thoroughly but each evening a sparrow is in there munching away >:(
One of the sad things about the sparrows is that they have seen off my colony of house martins. They simply took over their nests. I really miss them swooping over me as I watched my garden grow and seeing the youngsters peeping over the nest edge :(
Today I have sown some more carrots and Pak choi as well as some salad leaves and rejoiced at the appearance of my potatoes :D
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Yes and avid vegetarians!!
I have huge numbers of sparrows and have to have almost everything covered. I will never grow peas again as they love them so much that no deterrent is up to the job. I can only surmise that they are burrowing in under the netting as each day I secure it thoroughly but each evening a sparrow is in there munching away >:(
One of the sad things about the sparrows is that they have seen off my colony of house martins. They simply took over their nests. I really miss them swooping over me as I watched my garden grow and seeing the youngsters peeping over the nest edge :(
Today I have sown some more carrots and Pak choi as well as some salad leaves and rejoiced at the appearance of my potatoes :D
What a shame sparrow are just that bit too small to cook. :( :lol: :lol:
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Yesterday i lugged all the slabs, sand and cement i needed to make a sturdy shed base up, took three car trips cos it was so heavy, unfortunatly the drop off point is 100m away from the plot, i was crippled when i went into work for the evening! :wacko:
and today I put the base down, luckily my neighbour Norm was there to show me how people who don't just have to rely on book knowledge do it before i lost my mind!
the instruction to ensure that your dry cement mix and slabs are 100% flat and even is up there with the "I've found a way to solve the fuel crisis, all we need is some sort of tablet that dissolves into water to make petrol!!! " line!
i also gorged myself on raspberrys, strawberrys, tayberrys and did a bit of hoeing,
i'm glad i have tonight off!
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"Sliced" sugi trunks in 3 meters length, removed some brunches, burned organic rubbish.
Picked up some broccoli, leek, green peas, warabi(sort of furn).
grendel, just wonder, what is your rotovator model?
its an old Norlett, pre-cursor to the beaver powerspade and built a lot sturdier, its similar to the landmasters that have a long drive shaft with the digging tines at the end, the driveshaft is driven directly by the engine so the rotors are going all the time.
Grendel
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I just popped in to see if we had more strawberries- 6 nice ripe ones. Also picked some salad leaves.
Did a bit of some weeding and labelled the stuff I put in yesterday.
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Got to the plot a little after nine, weeded planted and found some runner beans growing hehehehehe the first two. then it started to rain about 11.30 am done nothing since.
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Been to work boo hoo. Lottie's been neglected
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Been to work boo hoo. Lottie's been neglected
And I have a sister who thinks it's my job 7 days a week to look after our parents as she is busy with "other commitments" >:(
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On the farm - nothing. It was rainy. But made geiger counter :D
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well the last few days after work has been raining heavily - so finally at 7.30am this morning they were planted out, as was some chard. by 8am I had finished, just needing a re-visit to put up some netting over my broccoli chard and courgettes. OK then, lets plant out the rest of the bits up the other half plot - back home - pick up netting and more trays of plants. up the other plot by 8.30am - worked through until 10am planting up tomatoes, water melon, more chard and some ground cherry tomatoes, did some more rotavating, still space up there - about 1/3 of that half plot left, weeds that were rotavated need raking. rotovated the new 1m strip under the hedge, boy do the roots there wind themselves around the blades, stop every few minutes to clear them.
Then back up the first plot to deploy the netting, posts put in with cross bars, netting deploted and weighted down around the sides with old conduit. finished just as it started spitting. got home - unloaded, was just standing in the conservatory when the heavens opened. perfect timing.
Grendel
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well the last few days after work has been raining heavily - so finally at 7.30am this morning they were planted out, as was some chard. by 8am I had finished, just needing a re-visit to put up some netting over my broccoli chard and courgettes. OK then, lets plant out the rest of the bits up the other half plot - back home - pick up netting and more trays of plants. up the other plot by 8.30am - worked through until 10am planting up tomatoes, water melon, more chard and some ground cherry tomatoes, did some more rotavating, still space up there - about 1/3 of that half plot left, weeds that were rotavated need raking. rotovated the new 1m strip under the hedge, boy do the roots there wind themselves around the blades, stop every few minutes to clear them.
Then back up the first plot to deploy the netting, posts put in with cross bars, netting deploted and weighted down around the sides with old conduit. finished just as it started spitting. got home - unloaded, was just standing in the conservatory when the heavens opened. perfect timing.
Grendel
Grendel - I am tired just reading your post ;) ;)
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Weeded, planted some carrots and swiss chard seeds, dug our first harvest of potatoes. "
2 1/2lbs of Home Guard, which we will be having for dinner with plenty of butter! :D
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Picked all the leaves affected by rust off my raspberries :(
harvested some more Pak Choi and thought about standing in the street and giving them to complete strangers!
Ate my first carrot and planted some more.
Got excited about a new raised bed that I am planning :D
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Much too wet today, sat in the greenhouse planting any spare seeds I could find and taking cuttings of Lavender and current bushes for our Open Day
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Started a takeover of the front garden!
Have run out of space in my allocated space in the back garden and we have a silly front garden with a bit of grass about 4 foot wide by 20 foot long, which tends just to get strimmed a couple of times a year.
Wife foolishly said Something about would the pumpkin plant I was looking for a home for fit in there? 10 minutes later I was out with the fork!
Cleared enough space for the pumpkin and dug in a load of manure and BFB, if the plan works he can grow and crawl along the path under the window, that leaves enough space for some rescued sweetcorn plants from Focus that may or may not come to anything and the rest of my leeks that all seem to have germinated!
Looks like a busy day of digging tomorrow! :ohmy:
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Started a takeover of the front garden!
Have run out of space in my allocated space in the back garden and we have a silly front garden with a bit of grass about 4 foot wide by 20 foot long, which tends just to get strimmed a couple of times a year.
Wife foolishly said Something about would the pumpkin plant I was looking for a home for fit in there? 10 minutes later I was out with the fork!
Cleared enough space for the pumpkin and dug in a load of manure and BFB, if the plan works he can grow and crawl along the path under the window, that leaves enough space for some rescued sweetcorn plants from Focus that may or may not come to anything and the rest of my leeks that all seem to have germinated!
Looks like a busy day of digging tomorrow! :ohmy:
You're lucky "we" are debating whether or not I could shrink the back lawn a little, move a flower bed forward and make room for another lean-to greenhouse.
I have until Sunday to persuade as the "out of season" 10% off sale finishes then. :blink:
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I know Learner, very lucky! ::)
I'm thinking of it as an early fathers day present as the pumpkin gets grown for our sons Halloween pumpkin (the rest will just accidentally get put in whilst shes shopping tomorrow ;))
Have my name down for an allotment now as I realise there is only so much space I can "negotiate" on!!
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At work again and now its raining so two days without going I'm getting withdrawal symptoms
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We too had a silly bit of front garden which is now a raised bed heaven; I have just ordered another one and cant wait.
There are no allotments available so it was the front garden or nothing. Fortunately husband is all for it although I am not sure that the postman agrees!
How many raised beds do I need to get to a proper allotment size? So far I have
One 2 foot by 8 foot which contains the asparagus
Second is 6 foot by 4 foot and contains things that like lots of water; Pak Choi and my turnips
Third is 4 foot by 4 foot and contains spinach, onions and beets
The newest one will be 8 foot by 4 foot....oh and I have 40 containers
I should have taken a before and after picture ::)
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up the plot by 8.30 am, quick rotavate under the hedge and then planted up the swedes in the shade, then I stopped the rotovator and couldnt restart because it had flooded, ah well more carb adjustments needed then.
Also planted some quick broccoli out then down to the shops for 10am and a fathers day card for my dad. trip to my dads, got given a big roll of netting for the plot.
Grendel
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being fathers day today i wanted to cook something for my papa and i couldn't resist digging up the maris pipers to see what's under there and use them for the breakfast. they were small new potato's but strangely no big ones :blink: and yield was very small. had a little taste and very potato like :happy: so can't complain really
wait for the Cara next and see what's happened there :unsure:
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Spent an hour crushing asparagus beetles and their disgusting larvae :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2:
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Finished off the edges on Plot 20 and dug up all the infested Onions, hoed both plots and then harvested several types of veg for dinner tonight :)
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Popped along with the kitchen waste for the compost bin, picked a cabbage and some sweet peas :)
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Sweet peas for me too :D
Also grubbed up a few spuds and carrots, a courgette from the little poytunnel and some broad beans.
Nice for dinner tonight :D
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First furtle of the year - still at least 2 weeks early i think, but there were some pretty huge arran pilots to take home.
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Today on the allotment we finished digging the pond, lined it with sand and put the lining down. I got Logan and George to fill it up with water from my water butt.
So far we have no leaks, I hope it is still full tomorrow after school!
We are collecting some flag stones tomorrow to put around the edges and will put some plants around the edges for wildlife to hide in.
I will take a picture tomorrow and try and upload it on here :)
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:(
Got back from spending the night with friends to discover that our site has had a vandalism problem this weekend. Group of youths broke in via a fairly insecure old fence that borders the local school and had set fire to some pallets and some broad beans on another plot, stole some plants and damaged fences. My plot not affected, but not a good feeling.
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:(
Got back from spending the night with friends to discover that our site has had a vandalism problem this weekend. Group of youths broke in via a fairly insecure old fence that borders the local school and had set fire to some pallets and some broad beans on another plot, stole some plants and damaged fences. My plot not affected, but not a good feeling.
Sorry to hear about the problem on your site... hopefully it is a one off.
In my 90 minute visit this evening I weeded like a mad man then stopped to lift the first lot of potatoes.
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Bit more front garden dug and sweetcorn in then potted up and planted out a few herbs I treated myself to.
Courgettes given a supper of nettle tea and loads of side shoots pinched out of Toms, finally broken gazebo frame dismembered and struts used for cucumbers to climb up!
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Did some hand weeding some greenhouse watering and harvesting a lettuce
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After being away on holiday (thankfully it had rained here but not where we were), had a mammoth weeding session. Still no signs of pea germination so planted fine green beans in the bed. While away my carrots have disappeared...literally...no sign of them, no holes, no dead leaves :unsure:
Also my red onions have bolted!! Can I cut the heads off them and hope they continue growing? They are not ready to harvest yet.
My brassica bed is still a surprise, they are beginning to look different from each other but still no idea what is what ::) I'm sure I'll get better at this eventually lol
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mostly did some harvesting:
broad beans
courgette
cabbage
carrots
beetroot
blackcurrents
strawbs
rasberries
:)
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Thinned out and replanted the beetroot, swedes and sprouts.
Tied up the broad beans to the support canes as it was quite windy up here.
Weeded like a madman - got a compliment from the neighbour about how weed-free my growing beds are compared to his :)
Picked 2lbs of gooseberrys for workmate and g/f's workmate
Picked and have eaten with 11 y-o son and his mates who came over for tea - turnips (Golden Ball and Milan), beetroot (detroit), butterhead lettuce and first plant-load of International Kidney spuds.
Not a bad effort for Fathers Day!
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Dug my first new potatoes for tea, and yesterday pulled a lettuce and spring onoins lovely .............
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painted the shed while it is still flat
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Planted out about 70 leeks, sowed more beetroot and beans. Watered everything - ground was quite dry even though we had rain through the night.
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Painstakingly cut out the netting from the gooseberries.
I had put it on in a hurry to save the birds eating all the berries, without thinking ahead to the amount of growth the bushes would put on.. straight up and through the netting. ???
Took me two hours to release three modest sized bushes. :ohmy:
Won't be doing that again -- proper fruit cage for next year :D :D :D
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made a growing frame to support my tomatoes.
Grendel
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Went up after work and watered the Greenhouse. After that I spent half an hour sat on the bench in my own little world watching the wildlife on the site. Ain't life grand :)
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dropped daughter at brownies and went up the lotty to water my toms in the greenhouse and then got soaked picking my strawberry's oh well who ordered the rain then :tongue2:
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me :lol: but I didn't order this much ::)
I think they duplicated the order...a computer glitch I think :wacko:
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maybe the wind everyone is talking about has blew it up here :lol:
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found white rot on some onions >:(
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found white rot on some onions >:(
I'm not that convinced the wet weather is doing my shallots a lot of good either :(
A good burst of warmth might help.
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Planted out kale recently. Watering and weeding like Billy O now that we have had some rain here. Harvesting lots of stuff at the moment, including my first little batch of dwarf french beans. We call these squeeky beans on account of the sound they make when you eat them. Lightly steamed and a little bit of good balsamic vinegar
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Yesterday i've got some black currant plants :) They are in the pots, so can plant them when rain will stop and soil become soil.
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Admired how well it looked after the torrential rain last night and watered the chillis and peppers
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Picked my first courgetts and raspberries.
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finished rotovating the under hedge area, found a vertical metal pipe so I now need to straighten the rotovator shaft bolt.
planted cauli, broccoli and cabbage and put a cane cage over it.
Grendel
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Hobbled up to water with a broken toe!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ouch :( :(
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Hobbled up to water with a broken toe!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ouch :( :(
Ouch :ohmy:
Rebuilt the brassica cage which had blown down in the wind and killed a few more asparagus beetles. :tongue2:
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Dug over the recently cleared patch at the end of the allotment again - might sow some phacelia there to improve the soil structure a bit. Watered, weeded, had to chuck a cabbage which was covered in caterpillers >:(. Redcurrants are soooo close to being ready, will give them until this weekend before harvesting and then it's strawberry and redcurrant jam time.
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This afternoon myself and my boys weeded around the beetroots, cabbages, courgettes and onions.
We planted cauliflowers and courgettes, and netted them to stop the pesky pigeons eating them.
We also had a look in our new pond, and noticed that we have maggot looking things- which we now know are Drone Fly Larvae :) Apparently they are good and are a type of hover fly!
We watered the runner beans that have popped up in our greenhouse, and attached a trellis for my melon plant to grow up.
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Planted out 17 outdoor tomato plants onto the plot.
Sowed spring onions, chard, beetroot and some own saved carrot seed.
Picked chard, and the very first broad beans and peas.
Whispered sweet nothings to the very slowly developing runner beans.
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/trevor3457/DSC00647.jpg)
On viewing the photo I`m now going to have to go back tomorrow and deal with the black army I hadn`t noticed. :(
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Planted out 17 outdoor tomato plants onto the plot.
Sowed spring onions, chard, beetroot and some own saved carrot seed.
Picked chard, and the very first broad beans and peas.
Whispered sweet nothings to the very slowly developing runner beans.
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/trevor3457/DSC00647.jpg)
On viewing the photo I`m now going to have to go back tomorrow and deal with the black army I hadn`t noticed. :(
So that's what runner beans look like when they are growing!! I was beginning to forget. :(
I had planned to go and cut the paths but just as I had the time the rain swept in again. As soon as I was due to set off to cook the evening meal the sun came out. :tongue2: ::)
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fight weeds with 21cc blade (yes, blade, like on mitresaw, not string) trimmer. a bit weak machine for something thicker than weeds, but i shouldn't complain - i've got it for 2000yen secondhand and it started from 3rd pull ;) planted some sweet potatoes seedlings - it's time to do this here.
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Having moved 1 too many bags O compost in me boot last week and knackering me back, Ive had 5 days off till last night, but on arrival as good as it was to see plants flourishing the local
"oiks" had paid our plots a visit.
One fella lost all his chicks having had the door ripped off and the poor chicks legged it till our resident foxes did the inevitable.
Another guy had his metal shed smashed up,me,well I had 2 panes of glass smashed in our GH
covering me Tommies and Peppers.
They ravaged our shed,pulling shelves down and breaking glass in a seed cabinet obviously looking for summit of value.....but thankfully we dont keep anything of value other than
well used gardening tools.
The site rep did report it to the local police and the council and you can bet the 8 or more plots that got hit will be "on guard" this coming weekend.....including me..... >:(
Sorry I wanted to report good things but I just AINT in the mood...... :(
Gazza
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it's getting terrible isn't it >:(
I went to the plot to weed bed and dib in leeks but rain stopped play before I got to the leeks :(
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that to me at my old plot senseless not only broke in to the shed broke glass up set my seedlings even stamped on the water butts taps and broke them so we moved nearly gave up 8 times it happened i could rant on more >:(
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Sadly these things happen so often.
On our site few people lock their sheds to avoid the doors being broken when they are forced open by vandals :( :( :( :(
Did masses of weeding (from a position seated on the ground) and then got soaked to the skin as I started to harvest some of the autumn onions that have bolted so beautifully :lol:
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wend and did a little weeding, picked beans for tea and dug some potatoes for tea too.
Grendel
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Combination of night shift and rain showers prevented any lottie fun today
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Dodged the showers and weeded the paths-trying to catch them before they go to seed.
In the process dug up some remaining docks with huge roots. A dig, a gentle pull and they all came out with nothing left behind :D
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Sowed some chinese broccoli, pak choi and some frre seeds that look like rocket but are another chinese veg for stir fry. Hung up 4 hanging baskets of flowering tomato plants. Tried to mow the lawn, got half way and the heavens opened, looks strange but will take half the time on saturday :lol:
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Sowed some chinese broccoli
i wonder chinese knows about this broccoli :)
last night was foggy - too much moisture in the air and no wind :blink:
oh, yesterday filled up old bath tub with water. today it will be nice and warm to sit in it at lunch time :)
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In my hour off this afternoon I cycled like the wind (against it actually ::)) towing the mower in my trailer, cut the paths (not discovering Livingstone which was a surprise), trimmed the path edges, lifted some beetroot as well as more Arran Pilot potatoes, cut some baby-leaf spinach and a lettuce.
Then pedalled off again. :)
Perhaps it's my imagination that the wind is always against me? :wacko:
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Dug some more early spuds so I could plant out the third sowing of runner beans that were started off in bags in pots on the 1st of the month. Also sowed a few runner seed for a November harvest. ::)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/trevor3457/DSC00653.jpg)
Special offer exclusively at Morrisons Weston-super-Mare.
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got the leeks dibbed in before the rain started :)
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More weeding --- on top of this now for a day or two
More asparagus beetle squashing-- not on top of this :tongue2:
and celebrated the arrival of some parsnip seedlings from an end of April sowing ???
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ooh I had given my parsnip seeds up and was going to use the space for something else.
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Don't mention blooming parsnip.... I've been spending the afternoon weeding errant parsnips from all the beds - reckon someone got frustrated with em and flung the seeds to the four winds. Our most prevalent weed at this point are parsnips. To rub salt into the wound, most of the neighbouring plots complain they can't grow parsnips.
Also, Planted yellow mange-tout in the old 1st-early bed, as recommended on here.
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Finally planted a pumpkin where the first earlies came from. I can already see small pumpkins on it. Also two hours of weeding
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weeded a bit, netted the strawbs (a bit late I know) and dug some potatoes.
Grendel
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had a look yesterday evening after a really dodo day at work. made a choco cake for my dear friend for her birthday and couldn't even leave in time to see her and give it :( and a software product solution fix didn't even work after so many hours spent on it, really hacked off >:( :mad: :mad:
yesterday evening something brighten my day and saw all my cauliflowers have started to develop the white bulb in the middle. 1 looked 3in wide others were 1in big. cabbage have started to bulb up in the centre. haven't got high hopes for brocolli but i did sow them late.
the weekend is coming now :D
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and a software product solution fix didn't even work after so many hours spent on it, really hacked off >:(
One of the reasons, why i gave up on computers while ago :)
My lovely potatoes coming soon, i guess in about 1 week, as planned to get them right after rainy season :D
Experiment with tomatoes going ummm say ok, thinking to get my own seeds, but i know they are hybrid ???
Ordered fuel tank for trimmer - my mad skillz(using pet bottle as fuel tank) doesn't looks robust enough ::)
And i have problem.... i can not get beetroot seeds here :ohmy: at all.
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Are beetroot not grown there usually then, Vit?
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Surveyed my veg plot this afternoon after a week away on holiday - carrots, Florence fennel and Little Gem lettuce all germinated, most other things outside pretty much standing still (apart from one of my 3 courgette plants which apparently decided to walk off the plot altogether!)
The 2 Sweet Million tomato plants in the green house now absolutely dwarfing the 2 cordon varieties in both height and spread. ( :unsure:)
Weeds have had an absolute party whilst my back has been turned; looks like a large part of tomorrow will be spent on my hands and knees. :(
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The 2 Sweet Million tomato plants in the green house now absolutely dwarfing the 2 cordon varieties in both height and spread. ( :unsure:)
Hi JayG - it is amazing how much changes on you plot in a week. According to Marshall's sweet million tomato plants are cordons however just like you my plants are taking over the greenhouse like triffids - they are growing upwards but also outwards. I have never seen leaves as big on a tomato plant. I am thinking of cutting part of some of the leaves off as they are really over crowding each other but am not sure if this is a good idea.
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Nothing! :( i've been stuck doing split shifts al week >:( . last went down on monday, built a shed :) and loads of raspberrys were nearly ready for picking. when this run of dreadful shifts is over i'll probably get down to find nothing but happy birds, too fat to fly away!
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shifted a ton and half of muck with a fellow plot holder, weeded brassica's n tatties planted some beetroot...need to see to the greenhouse crops after tea as the Tomatillo's and sunflowers are taking over the tomato's and im not having that. :closedeyes:
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Planted some swede, more turnips and some pak choi. Noticed that the runner beans have recovered from their cold / wind battering, the seaweed feed seemed to do them good. Now have flowers - yippee!
Mr. B. started digging out the ground for another raised bed. For once the horsetail although there is not a complete knot - this is the bit of the allotment that was under the dreaded blue carpet, so it must have had an effect once.
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Did some weeding, then some more weeding and just for a change I then did some weeding. I think that someone once said that the men painting the Forth Bridge started at one end, worked their way to the other, then went back and started all over again. Weeding my veg and flower beds is a bit like that. Just when I was finishing, the rain started and it's been going on for about three hours now which the weeds will love! Time to have a bath, try to straighten out my back and go to the pub for a pint or two. Cheers!
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planted some purple sprouting and raked over plot ready for som sweet corn
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As im still on pain killers for me back probs the lotty has been on "lets grow more weeds" alert knowing I cant bend to sort the soandsos...ok...itll be done when im more able.
Got to see a sight I aint seen in years and years,a bloomin great big Stag Beetle landed on me neighbours plot so I legged it over and took this piccy just as it was opening its wings to bog orf elsewhere............
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GetAttachment-1.jpg)
sorry bout the file size and quality but it was on me phone......stunning little critters.
TODAY..........
Arranged to meet me plot mate bazza as although hes retired and a daily regular over the Lotty hes always looking for little jobs,so I tasked him to Rotovate a bit of dirt and stick some Filderkrauts in for me as I wanna make some proper sourkraut when theyve grown.
That job done we had also arranged for Pa(my Thai lady neighbour) to bring us over some O her Famous Thai Chicken curry for bazza and I to try this lunchtime.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/curryday016.jpg)
Pa dishing our lunchtime curry as bazza chills out .
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/curryday022.jpg)
Pa,s 2 children joined us for lunch ....and boy.....did I need the cold lager ....the curry was spicey with a proper kick....but very tasty........Thanks Pa.... ;)crackin day today sharing a few larfs with the plot neighbours and enjoying their cooking skills.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/curryday011.jpg)
Took a few quicksnaps of certain things growing on me lotty,this is our Borage plants,so far I have sneeked a few pettles off and added em into salads...but Im told if you steep them with the leaves you can drink the cold concoction to help settle dodgy tummys....after that curry I might just have too..!!!!!!!!!!!
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/curryday009.jpg)
Jude(me mrs) brough this lovely thistle in Norfolk a couple of weeks ago.....looks great.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/curryday028.jpg)
I also took this today on me neighbour wallys plot......WHAT IS IT FOLKS..???????
I missed it in its stunning mauve colouration but he has said I can have some seeds from it
to try and grow next season,like I said....dunno what it is....but very pretty.
Gazza
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Skatenchips thanks for sharing the photos with us. :) Your site look a lovely community place to be. ;)
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a stunning looking plot have you interplanted your flowers with vegetables because i would like to grow more flowers over there with perannual vege
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Yes Learner,it is a good but very small community of mixed race locals that seem to gel quite well.
Theres me,being half German(dads side)
I am trying to grow (this is our 1st proper season) things like Filderkraut and Kohlrabi.
Then theres Pa(Thai) whose plot you saw us sitting on who is growing Laos Basil (which I can only describe as delicious) all the way from Thailand and an assortment of other Thai herbs and chillies that defy me to spell em as I cant blooming well understand Pa when she tells me....sorry Pa..... ::)
Then we have an Indian gentleman who has planted various Asian veggies(writes note to self)
get over there GAZ and find out more....correction eat some freebies if hes offering... ;)
Im surrounded by 4 plot holders with different chick types so am always doing veg for egg swaps..... ;)
And of course the home grown English Tallent that makes up the spine of our Plot and to be fair they have helped Jude and I in this our 1st proper season with seeds and cuttings and """ere Gaz,try that""" freebies !!!!!!!!!
and yes Brown Thumb,her site is very mixed with veggies and flowers interspersed....but if you can get yours like that big glass house(eden) just down the road from you WOW......im still sweating from our last visit there ..its so bloomin humid.... :ohmy:
Gaz
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Well we went for Saturday Breakfast on Matt's plot, cooked by Paul. Bacon and tomato butty this morning for me, and bacon and mushroom for Mr. B. £1.25 each, all profit to the allotment association funds. We have now bought a petrol hedge trimmer with the profit already.
Took some spare red celery plants and distributed those to the neighbours. Wandered down to see what is happening on the school plot (school next door has taken 3 vacant plots). They have just erected what looks an industrial size polytunnel frame. Wonder what they'll put in it.
Then to work. Mr. B. continued to dig out the next raised bed, removing horsetail by the bucket load. I started off some comfrey tea now it has finished flowering. Then I harvested the first of my Navet de Nancy turnips, which look sooooo good and some more first early potatoes. They are Tuskar, I grew them because they are blight resistant, they seem productive, but the taste is nothing special, so won't grow them again.
Took the tops off the broad beans that are filling out nicely now. Then it started to rain more heavily and we came home.
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I have just sown some more Pak Choi and turnips; trying to get the hang of succession planting ???
So envious of the social side of your allotments. What a fantastic experience to have produce from such a multicultural group. My husband, the enthusiastic chef of the family, would be in heaven!
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Planted out some spring onions and leeks that have been growing in a seed tray (for probably a bit too long). Did a bit of weeding and constructed a pea net/fence type thing for the peas that we planted about a month ago.
Had an unpleasant surprise in the form of a couple of infested broad bean plants - from reading up am guessing blackfly, one was particularly bad so pulled it. First case of pest problems, everything seems to have been doing well so far..hopefully the rest of the plants will be okay :(
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Skatenchips, that looked just fabulous and sums up with lottie life should be about imho :D :D
and me today, well I thinned the raspberries in the drizzling rain, while Mr Sunny harvested all the autumn sown onions :)
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Nothing. Rain prevented play all day. :tongue2:
(After getting soaked last Saturday I decided not to repeat that experience)
Roll on tomorrow!
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Tied up my Jerusalem Artichoke to protect against the wind
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Dibbed about another 100 leeks in, planted a second sowing of sprouts in
Went round all the brassicas with soapy water - infestation of white fly is increasing - i think its going to be another really bad year for these down our plots - last years where awfull
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Half an hours pottering. Weeded around french beans, harvested some strawberries. A wee furtle beneath the tatties revealed... not a sausage. Well, 4 tiny spuds. They did go in late though.
No sign of June drop on the plums, will need thinning.
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Made some frames with posh netting to go over all my brasicas , sat and drank coffee , got sunburn, drank more coffee , picked strawberries to go with my lunch , sat and ate my lunch and washed it down with a nice coffee ( all my coffee is decaf ) , weeded as much as i could , then the dodgy back said no more , so i sat and drank a coffee . then came home to a nice chinese takeaway :-)
Back tomorrow for some more of the same :-)
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cor if i could get my hands on one of edens domes all i would need is a camp bed and a kettle no one would ever see me again :ohmy:
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O,yes! We've been there last year. I envy them sooo much,their plot is perfect!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/651/cimg2678.jpg/
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Weeded the onions and cut the grass and general weeding
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cor if i could get my hands on one of edens domes all i would need is a camp bed and a kettle no one would ever see me again :ohmy:
I dont think we are allowed greenhouses that big on our plot!
Grendel
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Lots of weeding and watering. Inspected the bush toms that I grew from seeds - lots and lots of baby toms, if we just had some sum they would be ready soon. ::) ::)
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Nearly melted when I opened the little polytunnel :ohmy: :ohmy:
Brought some beetroot home to roast for dinner
Sat in the sun and shelled some borad beans
and cut a big bunch of sweet peas
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Nearly melted when I opened the little polytunnel :ohmy: :ohmy:
Lucky you - it has been foggy, cloudy and windy all day here.
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We had our Middle Summer meeting on site in and around the Chalet.
After, I just enjoyed the plots in the glorious sunshine and warmth!
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Really hot day, did a bit of weeding.Cut some more comfrey and put into my 4 inch metre long pipe to rot down.Picked beetroot,turnip,peas, broad beans,Pentland Javelin pots.Red goosberries,raspberries and the final few strawberries.Had a barbie with a bottle of wine and relaxed in the shade.Wonderful day. :)
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Very warm and humid today, so probably not a good day for digging out a new raised bed and tackling the wilderness at the top of the plot. But that's what we did.
Did a bit of weeding, harvested some more potatoes, the first pea pods and yum yum, our first strawberries.
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A bit too hot and sticky to get much done, but I strimmed the grass, did a bit of weeding and picked a few raspberries and strawberries before giving everything a good soak. Harvested some broccoli and planted out a few sprouts in between my (almost ready to harvest) cabbages so they can get started for the autumn.
Various soap opera dramas going on in the background, some local kids are using one of the sheds as a den, and one of my neighbours was sleeping off a hangover in his this morning. Plot pest and plot rep are at loggerheads, so it's all fun and games.
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dug and weeded for four hours
dug up some spuds picked courgettes peas and strawbs
now im having a beer CHEERS
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Weeded amongst the runner beans to try to get rid of some more bindweed in that bed
Eyed up the celery plant to try to decide on string & brown paper or just let them grow ???
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planted my peppers into grow bags (think I'm too late to expect anything off them...)
picked a big bowl of strawberries (and foraged among them for the mean little slugs that are eating into them!)
mowed the lawn
weeded out about 3000 tiny niger plants from underneath our bird feeder!
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Tidied up some pots and disturbed a frog. Spent the next half hour building him a new (and improved) home!
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far too hot - even at 5pm after work - did some light weeding and hoeing, but not a lot else.
Grendel
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Weeded this morning, planted out butternut squash until the shade went at 11 am..
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Not much last few days - heavy showers. Now sunny and all that water around in the air :blink:
Got the quote for complete soil report. Finally :D
Picking up blueberry little by little.
Watered(yes, watered after rain) cucumbers with ash-water mix :)
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Picked a cabbage and some Pentland Javelin, first time i have ever grown potatoes, watered and weeded then went home and we had them with the cabbage and sausages - ummm they were delicious. Didnt realise what i have been missing all these years.
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cauliflower is getting bigger :happy:
sweet corn are growing healthy.
potato foliage has started to die down from the bottom-up.
garlic should be ready to pick come july
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Dibbled in 59 leeks (should have been 60 but I broke one :( )
Trimmed strawberry plants and set out three runner-plants to replace some dodgy ones
Cut huge bunch of coriander and my usual ration of sweetpeas :D
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Weeded, haven't been able to get on plot cause of all the heavy rain in the last week.
But am really pleased that sweetcorn is fighting back and rest of veg is okay. :)
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Dug over an area ready for some more pumpkin plants that we have in the back yard.
constructed a shelter for some tomato plants that were getting too big for their pots, and put those out too - never grown toms outside before, but they were cheap from a garden centre!
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Just got in from plot...."Theres beena murder" (in scottish accent) ala taggart....yep Im afraid
the local slug population are now - about 40 x 5 inch big brown * less than when I started at 21.20 tonight.
I also saw off some snails that were munching their way through my 2 remaining cape gooseberrys that ive been gaurding with my life after all the others pegged it at some stage or another.
Him upstairs had watered earlier and it seemed the "anything that slithered" brigade were out in force.
same again tomorrow night. ;)
Checked on me neighbours fence building progress and hes got the posts up now, just got to attach our new fence panels hopefully tomorrow.
Gazza
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+28 in the shadow, nice and sunny :blink: Playing with weed eater today. Break at lunch time, thinking to setup new mailbox. Maybe will prepare some posts for fence(can do that in the shadow :D)
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+28 in the shadow, nice and sunny :blink: Playing with weed eater today. Break at lunch time, thinking to setup new mailbox. Maybe will prepare some posts for fence(can do that in the shadow :D)
Your day started nearly as early as mine it seems!
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Planted out the last of my courgettes and tomatoes last night - these ones outside as there's no room left in my greenhouse, so let's see if they produce anything.
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Apart i am GMT+??? :D
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went to allotment planted swedes and cauli's. had a bonfire to get rid of the woody stuff, rotovated where the pile had been, then weeded - my peas are finally starting to grow, I thought they never would.
Grendel
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weeded my large patch had to replant some lettuces as my pumpkins taken over about 6 foot :ohmy:talked to my squashes, courgettes and runner beans lol im nuts i know :tongue2: but my 1st yr and loving it going back lata to weed second area where i have all my brassicas :wub:
xx
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Apart i am GMT+??? :D
Learner might live in a GMT zone but he operates at different times to the rest of us, I've found :lol:
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rotavated my new second plot in prep for next year
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Harvested a huge carrier bag of Broad Beans and some sweet peas
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Cut some lovely spinach which we have just eaten with lamb in redcurrant jelly and LC tatties :D
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Arrived at the plot to find me neighbour Bazza barrowing loads of horses doins around the allotment....."want some ",he beckons....yes sez I ..only youll have to unload it cos me backs still twitchy.
3 loads later,Im supervising the delivery as hes using a mate to do the hard work and hes bloomin hopeless with a shovel.....still its for free so cant grumble.
Watered me GH and Glass Cloche stuff and as Him upstairs had done plenty of watering I was finished......so what to do next.
While things were flowering on the plot I decided to grab me camera and the following are a few samples...............
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers043.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers033.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers025.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers042.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers032.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers023.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers049.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers041.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers031.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers021.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers040.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers030.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers047.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers027.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers045.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/plotflowers026.jpg)
got a bit carried away,but nice to see the plot in bloom.
Gazza
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Planted two rhubarb plants and watered them in well
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Lovely photos, Gazza :) :)
Planted out my module sown beetroot and carrots. Carefully unravelled any carrot roos that seemes crunched up at all. Covered them with fleece.
Weeded inside the winter brassicas cage, round and round the sprouts, PSB etc :D
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Nice pictures Gazza, i've got to figure out how to upload some, cos i'm sure everyone wants to see a few blurry shots of my thumb... ;)
anyway, this evening i chopped off the flowering stalks of the chard thats bolting, hope it works, they look very sorry now, but they were getting taller than me!
did lots of weeding
gave myself collywobbles cos i forgot to take a tub down for picking raspberrys so i scoffed them all!
first signs of climbing i've ever seen in a borloti bean and whats even better is they're all from a leftover bag of waitrose organic cooking beans i planted just out of curiosity, and got a 100% germination rate! 500g of seed for 99p? ace!
christened my lovely new shed by sitting in it with a bottle of beer and did a load of tidying and planted out some tomatos in a fit of optimism.
nicest evening i've had in a while!
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skatenchips, you know what?! do you know?! i'm <censored LOL> jelaous :D
Another nice day, already trimmed weeds on the driveway and going to rotovate some "virgin" soil for 3rd batch of tomatoes and eggplants.
Picked up some blueberry, don't want to share them with birds, and some ummm it's local version of peppers.
Need another watering with ash - plants looks much better after that
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jet sprayed all the cauliflower, sprouts, cabbage leaves with water underneath and top to get rid of the white flies and their eggs. nice to know its got rid of the white marks for now. ordered yellow fly traps.
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Harvested another two rows of onions and one of shallots, put in a row of blue solinase? leeks and another row of carrots. Oh and watered and watered and ..... ;) ;)
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Planted out four courgette plants to replace the two which were destroyed in the high winds and late frosts. They look much healthier than the remaining original courgette plants. :) :)
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Arrived on the plot around 4pm but both taps are in use so just watered GH and Glass Cloche.
Will have to go back over once ive made judes dinner,pulled a few more salad bits and bods
for the table................
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT010.jpg)
Red Baron/Spring onions french brekkys and a couple of Bolthardys that are boiling as I type.
+ a few french beans which Ill steam and serve cold with some lettuce in olive oil.
Took a few snaps of the plot also.............
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT008.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT007.jpg)
Greenhouse is really slow to be honest,other than being an ideal drying area for our onions.
The Toms and Peppers are barely crawling up the canes with no signs of flowers as yet.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT002.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT001.jpg)
Plot is taking shape with some things benefitting from the extra rain,especially the weeds....and weeds....and weeds.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT004.jpg)
Added some new winter veggies walking the planks to extract the young weeds that have sprouted full on this last couple of days.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT006.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/TODAYSPLOT005.jpg)
From other end looking back at GH and shed that got smashed up by the resident
"oikes",but hey ho....wont put us off and to be fair its our first damage thru idiots since we took the plot on last feb.....so I guess weve been lucky.
I saw my neighbour walk past today that lost 15 chickens that were let out...he didnt look a happy bunny and all I could hear was him ripping the coops apart....shame.
anyway,enjoyed being over there today watching it all grow.... ;)
PS,I forgot to hoover the carpet tiles so youll just have to accept it dirt an all !!!!!!!!!!!! :D
Gazza
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lovely photos
I watered toms and courgettes. removed a lot of weeds. planted a row of turnips. Put up some sort of pole type thing for my bolotti beans (i forgot they wre climbers). they have been coping but they will be happier now.
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Lots and lots of watering in both greenhouses
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Gave up on the peas so puled them up and planted butternuts instead.
Weeded
My son sowed, carrots, radish, lettice, beetroot, kohl rabi - Meant to be successional growing, but I have not planted any for about 4 weeks!
Admired my pumpkins which are coming along, biggest being the size of a football :)
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Gazza, looks tidy even without vacuuming :D About neiboroughs... :blush: it's kinda lotto.
Well, short rain destroyed my plans to finish plot for next batch of seedlings, hopefully tomorrow will be sunny.
Don't really want any rain for a week - potatoes coming soon, so i'd prefer dig'em out of soil, not mud.
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Been down for an hour or so... only one down there for most of it. Dug out and seived half the contents of a pallet box, which has been left for a year - filled the wheelbarrow with beautiful compost, which I then piled round the courgettes, marrows, tomatoes and cucumbers. Next lot will go round the runner beans!
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Went down there and grabbed a few large swiss chard and cabbage leaves to carry on with my idea of Dolmades without the vine leaves. I love 'em when in Greece, but the bitterness puts the memsahib off a bit. Cheers, Tony.
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spent just an hour or so there - not much to do really - little bit of weeding but im so happy how well i seem to be able to keep on top of them this year.
Gave the peas a bit more support and covered all brassicas with soapy water
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arrived stupid O clock this AM,watered any and everything and just as I finished bazza arrived to felt our shed...so let him get on with that, I nipped out and brought 2 x large containers of
Forrest green paint for the fence.
So,whilst me and jude will be visiting rellies in their caravan @ selsey sat/sun he can splash some paint on the new fence.....its ok....hes little back hander is Boooze or baccy.....so when we come back from Cyprus later this month we,ll be weighed down with his payment.
Gazza
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Pulled my first carrots today, look better than last years effort.! And what i thought was a courgette is a marrow huh.!
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We harvested out first cucumber today- that was 10 mins ago kids wanted to try a bit and lets just say there isn't much left to put in the fridge for later :)
Also pulled some kestrel tatties out day before yesterday they were yummy with olive oil home grown thyme and garlic last night :)
and we pulled some of the curly cale leaves off the day before that which saved me a trip to the shop which is always a bonus in my books
Caroline
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Dug lots of Rocket spuds, picked Rhubarb, peas, radish, lettuce, courgette and cucumber oh and did some watering
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Prepared the plots ready for judging on Sunday.
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Harvested large bag of 'Rocket' spuds, pulled all the garlic and the autumn planted Onion and also the Shallots. Put in another 2 rows of leeks, a bit weedy still but they should be OK for late winter. Sewn some 'Angela' Sweed. Oh and of cours watered and watered and watered ...... :)
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Lovely sunny morning :D so see you in later
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Returned to the plot last night as we have a few thousand travellers decended on the area,and straight away....defenses go up.
3 of us sat whiling the evening away,only excitement was a big Ol dog fox being chased around the plot by bazza thinking hes the great white hunter.
The fox just kept going to ground then sneaking out for another sniff around,probably thinking silly sott thinks he can catch me.
Although we did larf when another plot holder turned up late to water and found his hose had been stuffed behind some broken wood that bazza had shoved it hoping to disturb the fox.
The fella,didnt know whether to grab it or not incase the fox jumped out....priceless moment.
The usual driveby friday night oiks stopped to look at our parked cars incase they could nick summit,,,but 3 x 1000,000 candle torch beams soon had em scuttling away.
Lovely nite to sit nagging till midnight really,and no grief which was pleasing.
Gazza
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just spent 3 hours up the plot, watering, planting Kale, parsley and sprouts, chatted with the neighbours. offered to strim the path up to my half plot alongside my other half plot owners, and was accepted as he doesnt have the tools to look after that bit (no wonder he gave up my half of the plot with hedges down the side and across the end).
now all I have left to do today is work on the second rotovator I picked up yesterday to see if its workable.
Grendel
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Took the kitchen waste up for the compost heap, watered the squash/pumpkins and picked some peas.........which were eaten before I even got to the gates :D
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Spent ~3 hours this morning simply pottering on my plot, bit of watering, then sat in the sun reading the 30-minute allotment book, cup of coffee in hand. Lovely.
Eventually went home to find missus donning her gardening get-up, so about-turned and went back down, via the greasy-joes for a hot panini.
A bit of debate with said missus, and we consolidated the various fruit bushes into one central area, followed by a chat with anyone we could meet re. the best design for a fruit cage. Drank the only cold drinks we could find in the shed (a couple of cans of pre-mixed G&T :) ).
Just got home now... pounding headache... not sure if the G&T, dehydration or sun-stroke. Just realised I've been out 7 hours in the sun today, and - apart from the head - feel great for it.
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Just a bit of weeding, thinned out my exhibition carrots, some of them are over a foot long allready, with 2 to 3 months growing time left :D
Harvested some lettuce and sald for the barbecue, planted out the last of my bedding plants (Pink impatience, white begonia, and mixed petunias) just dotted around the flower beds.
And of course, in this weather, watered everything :D
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Weeded, weeded, then weeded some more. Made two hoop netting cages for cabbages. dug over a couple of beds for cabbages and swiss chard.( filling gaps left by potatoes.).
harvested a baby swede, brocolli spears, cabbage, shallots, and lots of potatoes. :D
got a lot done, but there was only one other allotmenteer to chat to, so that's probably why. :lol:
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A bit of weeding; dug up the garlic, picked some rhubarb for a crumble tomorrow and a lettuce too.
Ate some peas.
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Cleared away all the remains of the cut and come again salad planted in March, and rescued the french bean plants that had gotten swamped by them
Nice little handful of beans for dinner too :D
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Noticed the first of my blueberries are starting to colour up, so decided it was time to net them against the desperate and persistent blackbirds.
NOT MY FAVOURITE JOB AT THE BEST OF TIMES! :mad: :
Engage in fight to untangle netting, break 2 canes trying to get them into the unyielding soil, can't find the empty tonic cans I use over the cane tops to protect the netting, decide the single piece of netting will cover everything then find that it's about 6" short no matter how hard I pull it, perform "netting origami" with all the folds using last year's plastic wire-ties until I run out and then can't find the reel of new ties, can't find a suitably small piece of netting to fill the gap so will have to wrestle with another larger bit and a pair of scissors; can't do that now because I'm running late to go round to a friend's house to re-mortar her "rustic" garden border edging bricks (because according to her my original effort "should have lasted more than 20 years!") :mad: :wacko:
Luckily, mixing mortar and slopping it all over the place is very therapeutic I find! :mellow: :happy:
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Jay , my chimney stack needs re-pointing .When can you come round ? i will have plenty of tea on the go ;)
Nothing done on the plot today as we spent the day in Norfolk , choosing our puppy from the litter :) 3 weeks time we will have a new Doberman bitch called Mabel , who will be taught to come to allotment and not tread on all the vunerable plants , like our Dobe Izzy , who we lost 6 weeks ago :( .She would always stomp on the most delicate plants :ohmy: But we still loved her :)
Sorry to go off thread , but i am excited about our new girl .
Mark
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Cut the paths with a push-mower and trimmed the edges, tied up the two rows of chrysanthemums, planted more climbing beans and squash, picked first round courgette, cut a lettuce and broccoli then home... :happy:
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early start - watered, then planted bamboo in a tub, planted some odd beetroot, then weeded one bed of peas, home just after 10am, just as it started getting really hot.
Grendel
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my first year on a lonely allotment opposite my house. there is another lady who comes sometimes, but i hardly ever see her; there are vacant and overgrown plots. however i weeded and weeded and watered and watered. was very pleased to see my peas at last. :) i picked some lettuces but they went droopy so i put them in a bowl with some water to revive them when i got in. im getting abit fed up with my lettuces now, however my arran pilots are tasty and huge, so i picked a bag for my stepson and his family.
i managed to put the fork through loads , is there a knack ?
back home i watered my tomates in grow bags, and left the hosepipe on my droopy roses.
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watered the brassic seedlings and the greenhouse crops and tied in all the toms. Noticed another aubergine has set a fruit :) fingers crossed it stays put and doesn't drop off :ohmy:
Encouraged the gherkins to grow on the canes and tied a wandering pumpkin to a cane to make sure it grows in the right direction ;) and fed them all.
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discovered my shallots have got that awful white rot and that my carrotfly resistant carrots are infested with carrot fly, i was a bit sceptical mindyou.
put up shelves in my nice shiny new shed, picked raspberrys, tayberrys and black currants, dod loads of weeding and watering and got sunburn
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spent 4hrs sorting out my plot today and really enjoyed myself ,,i have weeded my poppy bed and tidied all the bottom area.
:)
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Picked some carrots and going to weed and put leeks in today,................. all done ! Oh and picked a few rasps
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put up a couple of hanging-basket hooks in the wall on which my lean-to greenhouse leans, and transfered my chilli plants into the baskets. (only to be told by my wife that she had plans for the hooks and baskets...first come, first serve, I reckon :tongue2:)
other than that, lots and lots of watering
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Picked some green beans. Tonight is heavy rain, so not much to do tomorrow :blush:
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Yesterday we spent an hour wrestling with netting and canes, just like JayG, to make a rather cobbly cover for our blueberries.
Lots got caught in the netting and pinged off :( :( :( :(
(Work today, so haven't been down -- seems odd :ohmy: )
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I went to the plot yesterday for the first time since we got back off holiday on Friday.
My dad had been watering the greenhouse (etc) whilst we had been away,
Ohh my god, the tomatoes were out of control with side shoots 18" long.
Anyway, 2 hours of chopping and winding onto strings and all is well if not a little stragly in the greenhouse once again.
The weeds on the rest of the plot on the other hand, well im leaving them for one or two or three or four nights after work through the week.
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yep week nights are nights :blink:
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Weeded, and watered and weeded and watered and................. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Harvested a bag of rocket potatoes and planted a pumpkin and watered everything well
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Almost forgot planted some rainbow carrot seeds
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Shared first tomatoes with birds >:( Going to buy air rifle :D That blooming bustards waited - yesterday i was away whole day, came back quite late and rain started. This moring found my lost. They also tried to eat some eggplants >:( Thats little bit changed my plans what to plant above the house :blush: arrrghhhh
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Succumbed to the never ending lack of rain and put the sprinkler on for an hour or two, water butt verging on empty again and had just run out of steam to fill and lug any more watering cans, carrots look a lot happier this morning!
Removed covers from parsnips now they are big enough for the birds to leave them alone and potted on latest sowing of lettuce/salad bits
Looked at the jungle that is my Raspberries and vowed that next year I will wire them in properly so they don't all fall over.................
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next year I will wire them in properly so they don't all fall over.................
Thats what im saying already too,
Next year i'll do it differently :lol:
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next year I will wire them in properly so they don't all fall over.................
Thats what im saying already too,
Next year i'll do it differently :lol:
Next year I should have week-ends free so more time... I hope.
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went to weed. came home with french beans and potatoes.
Grendel
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Watered toms, chillies and peppers in the greenhouse.
Harvested 2 cougettes and did a bit more weeding before giving up.
Getting the strimmer repaired this week for use at the weekend.
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sewed my debris fabric together to make a wider bit. need to do some planting tomorrow.
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Spent time painting our new fence panels,then me neighbour bazza requested my help putting
in some more posts on tuther side of our plot.
Took a break then watered any and all,only stoping to pull weeds and helping the french beans
up their canes trying hard not to break the growing tips.
Decided to make mum up an early harvest festival tray.....well its good fun taking summit around
that they both enjoy eating.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/harvestfestival0042.jpg)
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/harvestfestival0052.jpg)
Consisted of our 1st seed grown Kohlrabi that survived the attentions of slugs,french beans/early onward peas/Bolthardy Beets/Perpetual spinach/Rhubarb/Amsterdam Forcing carrots/Jewel of Africa Nasturtium Flowers/White Onions/Red Onions/Shallots and a few french brekkies for me dad to munch on.
+ I managed to snaffle 2 dozen eggs off me neighbour for nixies....okok...I traded a few
cold tinnies that were loitering in our fridge.....well...hes happy....and ive got a hard boiled brekky.
Gazza
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Cut the biggest bunch of sweetpeas I've ever had, plus a huge bunch of marigolds too.
Car smelt good on the way home :D :D :D
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Watered both greenhouses
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Got the strimmer going for 5 mins and did 1/4 of the plot then it stopped again :mad:
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Nothing - whole day raining :blush:
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planted cabbages and cauliflowers. watered the beans courgettes and tomatoes. repotted some chillies i got cheap.
bought a fully fruited tomato plant from homebase for 50p. put it in the greenhouse i thought the chemicals from the ripening tomatoes would assist mine. It is a yellow one called Totem. Has anyone heard of it?
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Down the site just after 6.30 so I could strim the paths leading to my plot when no one else was around.
Picked the last of the first sowing of broad beans. They have taken a full five months from sowing to harvest. Cut off the plants at ground level as I went so no pods were missed and laid the stalks beside the row so my shoes didn`t get muddy.
Hadn`t been home long when the heavens opened, so good timing. Now about to start shelling.
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loads of weeding today (where do they all appear from??) sowed a few more rows of spinach, rocket and swiss chard. pinched out the tops of the runners, started some comfrey manure, repaired the compost bin and put some runners down on the strawberry plants.
certainly no need to do any watering.... it lashed down for hours in Dorset lastnight.... was seriously considering making an ark out of old pallets! ;)
harvest today of french beans, peas, swiss chard, kale, carrots and some parsnip thinnings....oh and courgettes of course!....right, now off to the kitchen! :)
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Hoed, dug over compost heap o and i ate lots of peas, yum yum
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Disappointingly pulled out two rows of carrots due to carrot fly :(
Brought home another bagfull of peas (I used to enjoy podding peas - not anymore!!!)
Pulled out the remains of the mangetout plants and dug the roots etc in - is that what your supposded to do?! :unsure:
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Sieving through bags of soil I aquired.
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Harvested more peas, some red salad onions and my first courgette (Thank you fairy
:)) ate a handful of raspberries ;)
Watered the greenhouses and the stuff in pots at home.
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Watered the greenhouse, planted out two new cukes into the g/house which left two and I planted those outside. They are really indoor cukes but I had no more room so I will see what happens. Hoes some of the patches, and cleared weeds from under some bushes - am now tired but pleased with what I got done. Oh and some hand weeding around the sweetcorn which is beginning to grow taller in the slightly warmer weather.
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went to the plot - picked beans and weeded the peas, then went to th other half plot, and picked beans and weeded a little.
Grendel
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Was at work all day boo but will go tomorrow yay
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Good weather today, so see you in the evening :D
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picked all the shallots onions and garlic before white rot got at them all
well chuffed with what i harvested considering i lost 40% to the dreaded rot
now its beer time leeks go in tomorrow
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picked all the shallots onions and garlic before white rot got at them all
A very good move.... I think I'll join you and oik mine out while the going's good. ;)
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Realised when I got home that I had left the hose running on the fruit bed :tongue2:
Back in the car :lol: :lol:
Twit!
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Today i skived to the max! took a good book with me and spent most of afternoon and evening sat on an empty upturned bucket of chicken pellets in my shed doorway, flask and sandwiches next to me. Bliss.
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<censored LOL> weeds :D spent whole day to do that kinda endless job. On good side found tomato size watermelons :D Played around tomatoes - side brunches will become another plants. Today another lovely day, already did some watering and planted(finally :wub:) basil. Will plant some more tomatoes, capsicum(paprika or sweet pepper you choose how to call it ::) ), dig out first batch of potatoes. Need few more days without rain, so can start to build one more temporary(for a couple years i guess) retaining wall above the house and prepare soil to plant beans, eggplants. So see you later :D
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Helped a fellow plot holder repair his Greenhouse.
I was then given two envelopes by the secretary one informing me that I was the winner of the Best Gents Plot award 8) 8) and the other, for the the wife as the winner of Best Single Bloom for 2011. The plant was a Red Hot Poker.
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Well done to you Mr Everything In Twos! :D :)
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Well done to you Mr Everything In Twos! :D :)
Thanks Lorna :) :) :D
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Just think if you win again next year, you'll have to get a third plot! :ohmy: :lol:
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planted 101 leeks and they were thicker than pencils :tongue2:
harvested 30 kilos of hispe cabbage to blanch and freeze :D
drank 3 cans of stella :blink:
picked 21 radishes for my bro in law ;)
the mother in law weeded the chillie bed
the wife made the communial teas and coffees
now we are off for a pint ???
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Watered the greenhouses and cut some grass.
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Hacked down and took two car fulls of blackthorn to the tip. Weeded and watered my tiny bed and looked proudly as my emerging seeds, each no more that two leaves and some that may possibly be weeds ???
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Did a bit more on the front garde, watered and weeded the plot, picked a bit of fresh prduce for tea :D
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tidied the back garden in preparation for some short term decking from pallets, while waiting for a bunch of paving slabs to come up on freecycle so I can patio it.
Grendel
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Helped a fellow plot holder repair his Greenhouse.
I was then given two envelopes by the secretary one informing me that I was the winner of the Best Gents Plot award 8) 8) and the other, for the the wife as the winner of Best Single Bloom for 2011. The plant was a Red Hot Poker.
Congratulations :D
Another sunny day - weather forcast looks accurate 8) Piked up some blueberry and made last warning to the birds - new toy is on the way :wub:
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Yesterday I did a bit of cathining up as I had a day off... :happy: At 10 pm I decided to come home having weeded and planted through lunch and dinner time. ::) I'd still be there but it was just too dark!
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My dad came down yesterday with my new/old rotavator and his strimmer as my strimmer still won't work.
We strimmed the whole plot and i rotavated three quarters of it and then watered the greenhouse and the squashes and courgettes.
I still have loads to do to get the plot anywhere near managable (keeping on top of the weeds, finnishing glazing the greenhouse and getting the shed roof re-felted (etc etc etc) but im getting there.
Slowly :happy:
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Here is what I have growing at the moment .....
Lamb lettuces
Some other lettuces but don't know the name and some rocket.
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Here is what I have growing at the moment .....
Lamb lettuces
Some other lettuces but don't know the name and some rocket.
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My dad came down yesterday with my new/old rotavator and his strimmer as my strimmer still won't work.
We strimmed the whole plot and i rotavated three quarters of it and then watered the greenhouse and the squashes and courgettes.
I still have loads to do to get the plot anywhere near managable (keeping on top of the weeds, finnishing glazing the greenhouse and getting the shed roof re-felted (etc etc etc) but im getting there.
Slowly :happy:
"Gently" is the way to do it. ;)
You don't want it to become just another job but something you enjoy so set yourself *manageable targets. (*Hell's teeth... that sounds too much like work!! :tongue2:)
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Trashed me way thru some last minute weeds today before we leg it off to Cyprus in the morning,sorted out me watering instructions to me mate bazza.....water it all and eat what you like...simple !!!!!!!!!
Re arranged the GH with all the chillies on deeper shelves just incase they decide to grow
whilst were away,and our 2 sole surviving Cape Gooseberries are coming along nicely albeit no flowers as yet.
The plot is throwing beans and tatters at us left right and centre,so picked a large bowl and left it by the gate....."elp yaself" was the cry.
DearSlugs
Please leave us summit to return to..!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(
Till later
Gazza
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popped in weeded a litte, picked beans - broad french and runner, picked up a couple of apples that ad dropped - they should cook ok, and then came home to try and help the wife figure what meal you can cook with beans and potatoes.
Grendel
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Just noticed youve got 2 plots on the go Grendel,now thats just plain "ardwork" mate...hats off to you for creating the time each day to keep em going.
Me mate does the same,but divides his tween chickens on 1 and veggies on tuther.
Gazza
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well in fact its 2 half plots so only 1 whole plot in total, its just that thy are each a mile from the house and a mile from each other, I generally pop in alternate evenings. or just leave one until the weekend. I do now have 2 identical rotovators (£5 and £10 respectively) but of course can still only use 1 at any time.
Grendel
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well in fact its 2 half plots so only 1 whole plot in total, its just that thy are each a mile from the house and a mile from each other, I generally pop in alternate evenings. or just leave one until the weekend. I do now have 2 identical rotovators (£5 and £10 respectively) but of course can still only use 1 at any time.
Grendel
I bet you have to have a very good memory (or a note book) to remember what you've planted where! Sounds an awful lot of cycling walking travelling.
I think I'd try for a swap with someone on one of the two sites.
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i8ts funny, both allotments are on my way home from work, so if I pop in after work, I dont clock up additional mileage, as for notebook, every visit I take the camera and take pictures, so that I will know where what is planted. its funny the soil and conditions differ between thetwo plots, we are finding things that dont do well at one - thrive at the other and vice versa, so its not all bad.
Grendel
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Shifted around some sugi trunks with mini-tractor. Old good machine made by Iseki, just love it. 5HP 4stroke, 6gears forward, 2 back, separate clutch for each whee, head light, tow clampl. Awesome :D
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Yet more blackthorn taken to the tip. And planted three cherry tomato plants left on my path by a plot holder who had too many growing in pots...
Also did a lot of talking...
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I've left the self-watering system running set to go off sometime today by the look of those clouds. ;)
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Lots of weeding and hoeing, some watering and planted three rows of carrots
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Put in 60 leeks and pick this lot today. Wife will be happy
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Picked the last of the peas and cleared the plants. Took down the canes.
Bad organisation on my part means I have nothing ready to go there ::)...I'll have to have a look in the seed box. I'll get the timetable right one day.
*wanders off shaking head*
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Had dinner and cycled off to water....
There was lots to water as the promised rain didn't arrive so I was a little bit late home... to make up for this I:
- cut round and almost straight courgettes
- picked sweet-peas, chrysanthemums and long stemmed red roses
Now I need to find a vase the right size and plonk the flowers in some water.
A nice evening as the sun went down. ;)
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I was getting over the knee op very well and then suffered about five weeks of tendonitis which was worse! >:(
However, yesterday I was back in action tackling the weeds. Also I dug the first carrots and some baby parsnips which were delicious.
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Monkey business most of the day. Picked some cucmbers, green beans, warabi. Got the new toy - birds stay away from here :D
Oh, finally picked up few tomatoes.
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Cleared the last of the blackthorn (yay!) and packed it ready to take to the tip. Now to start on dogging the roots and levelling the corner ready for the shed...
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dug up 3 wilja 2nd early and was rewarded with 36 potatoes :blink: considering how maddened i was after what the frost had done to all my spuds so i immediatley went to the beer fridge and got my self a can of dry cider and toasted the crop
pulled up 8 more cabbages and they are chopped and bagged for the freezer
I then sprayed a certain substance on a 50 metre square patch of marestail and weeds
picked more peas
planted 12 sweetcorn i know its late but they germinaed so i thought why not
now im having a beer
have a good day everyone cos im singing
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Picked my first cue and my carrots are great this year
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Yesterday I did a bit of cathining up as I had a day off...
Please tell me what cathining is.
I did a Google search and found that Cathine is an amphetamine. :ohmy:
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At last, My plot finally looks like an allotment, after getting it 3 months ago it was so overgrown all I seem to have done is DIG DIG DIG!
Anyway, veg is now all in and things are growing......Think i deserve a nice G & T.
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congrats and make it a large one :D
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Watered lots and harvested some veg for my parents
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weeded and picked potatoes and beans for tea.
Grendel
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I picked 3 mini cucumbers (from the greenhouse).... exhausted I am! :lol:
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beans and potatoes integrated into a shepherds pie for tea.
Grendel
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Hopefully destroyed a wasp nest that was in amongst the potatoes. It had brought a halt to digging after one of the little blighters stung me behind my knee.
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Hopefully destroyed a wasp nest that was in amongst the potatoes. It had brought a halt to digging after one of the little blighters stung me behind my knee.
You were lucky!
We spotted a huge nest in the bushes along the track leading to our garage. As it was unlikely to be disturbed or a nuisance to anyone we left it there.
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Bug spray or fire always working well :D No, i am not cruel, just wasps not welcome :D
Looks like rainy season finished - +29C in the shadow and no rain for the last week.
Now phase of "weeding" will be replaced by phase "watering".
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Bug spray or fire always working well :D No, i am not cruel, just wasps not welcome :D
Looks like rainy season finished - +29C in the shadow and no rain for the last week.
Now phase of "weeding" will be replaced by phase "watering".
we had one in our girls' play house and I used nearly half a can of fly spray... felt a bit sorry, but it was them or us :( :unsure:
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As a result of a very busy day at work, I only had time to water the Greenhouse.
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Absolutely nothing ... :nowink: I said to my OH, I want to go to the plot and he said "why, we went yesterday". Well, that's done it.... I'm spending a few hours tomorrow night before the rugby comes on the telly .... even if I end up going on my own! :happy:
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Actually, watered the lettuce in the mini-greenhouse and the carrots and parsnips in the tubs in the back garden, and the blackberry, herbs and the lone strawberry basket that hasn't produced anything yet (unless the dreaded birds have had them :tongue2:). :D
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Absolutely nothing ... :nowink: I said to my OH, I want to go to the plot and he said "why, we went yesterday". Well, that's done it.... I'm spending a few hours tomorrow night before the rugby comes on the telly .... even if I end up going on my own! :happy:
Good for you.... it's quieter and more relaxing that way. ;)
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Watered and weeded the greenhouse, also watered the squashes.
Had to re-plant the biggest squash plant as it had been dug up by i assume a fox >:(
Tried to lay over the first leg of an espalier Victoria Plum and snapped one of the branches off :nowink:
Hopefully the other ones will go ok on the other trees, i stopped after i had snapped that one ::)
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Yesterday, i tranplanted 35 leeks, thinned out the carrots "Autumn King", sowed more carrots "Autumn King", weeded and watered. Harvested broad beans, lettuce, carrots "Nantes", courgettes, rhubarb and more b****y potatoes, lol, thats the end of the Pentland Javelins! Tomatoes not quite ready yet, guess they still need a bit more sunshine.
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OH watered everything whilst I had a fight ..... with about a bazillions caterpillars on the PS broccoli and cabbage in the tunnel! :mad: Valuable lesson learned here .... Cover those brassicas! :wub: Some of those little beggars were big suckers too :tongue2:
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Watering, watering and watering. Some weeding, but not much. Played with "table saw" and firewood.
Today already did some watering and checked tomatoes brunches. I left them in the bucket with water few days ago. They have roots now and i will plant them in a couple days. The way to multiply hybrids :)
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I'm singing and dancing in the rain..... :wacko:
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Nothing it raining biblical proportions here
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Ordered some plants for a sunny border :D
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Yesterday I spent the afternoon watering - and then it rained all night. :ohmy: :ohmy:
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Yesterday I spent the afternoon watering - and then it rained all night. :ohmy: :ohmy:
:lol: :lol: That's the sort of thing that happens to me too often ::) :lol:
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got soaked picking up the carrier bag FULL of blackberries that I picked last night then left in the shed overnight on the lottie.
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Inbetween the rain managed to go and water the greenhouses. Like to go if just for a short while. Will be a few days before can go again due to shifts
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Between the rain showers - weeded and then planted six tomato plants which were grown from side shoots. If they produce fruits, good, if not, well it just took a couple of minutes to plant them.
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Went up late yesterday after a rather difficult day. I just pottered and let the worries of the world melt away. Ain't the plot the perfect place for that!
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Went up late yesterday after a rather difficult day. I just pottered and let the worries of the world melt away. Ain't the plot the perfect place for that!
Oh, it's the best place ever. A lovely cuppa with all the sounds of nature around you (even the planes flying over the plot to land at EMA)! You can't beat it. :D
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Went up late yesterday after a rather difficult day. I just pottered and let the worries of the world melt away. Ain't the plot the perfect place for that!
This is so true... A haven from the madness and mayhew.
Once through the gates life is altogether different. :happy:
I wonder if heaven has an allotment shed for us all?
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Potatoes french beans and cabbage pulled and in the pot now, I cannot believe how many spuds you get from 3 small chit potatoes from Wilkinson's :ohmy:
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Managed to sow this weeks cut and come again lettuce leaves, some cos lettuces and thinned out my radishes (planted the thinnings back in some bald patches of the row). Also pulled out a couple of the larger weeds before the rain came back and I headed home.
On the plus side my beans and spring onions are coming through.
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Today, We harvested some more sugarsnap peas, lifted some swede that wasn't doing too well, picked another 4 courgettes, made another compost bin, and started to fill it with the bits and pieces that were put aside as the other composters were full!
Hopefully we also stopped the cucumbers mountaineering their way around the greenhouse!
Put in a support for the alderman peas.
Harvested the pickling onions and a cabbage.
Cheers
Losty
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I moved lots of tomato plants from home to allotment. Planted these then spent time harvesting peas, mange touts, radish, onions, spuds and salad.
I also picked a handful of rasps, but they weren't the prettiest; i think the bushes are past their best.
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Planted another pot of radishes, and a short row of beetroot.
Spent about an hour tidying up the plants in the lean-to to see if I can encourage a bit more fruiting, as I'm a bit frustrated that the outdoor courgettes and tomatoes are doing FAR better than the greenhouse ones. So lots of tying, pinching, removing of dead leaves, etc.
Started clearing up the strawberry patch - picked the last of the fruit, and started plnting some of the runners.
Other than that, a bit of damage limitation on the lawn which ended the day on Sunday very flooded!
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Sowed some sweeds in cells on Saturday and sprayed the peppers and chillie plants with dilute fairy liquid over the weekend to try and controll the green fly, it seems to be doing the trick.
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popped up and prepared a bed for leeks, strimmed the access path, and planted weeds, got wet, picked some peas and beans, then came home.
Grendel
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popped up and prepared a bed for leeks, strimmed the access path, and planted weeds, got wet, picked some peas and beans, then came home.
Grendel
I already have too many without planting more :ohmy:
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Harvested some veggies and handed out flyers for the forth coming Fish and Chip Supper and Gentlemans Cake Competition on Saturday week.
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Whoops I meant I planted leeks, I too have enough weeds
Grendel
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Got soaked to the skin ! :tongue2: I had taken the day off work, baby was in nursery and there was no way I was letting a little matter like rain put me off ! I tidied up the greenhouses, planted out the capsicums, chilli plant and watermelon that I was given yesterday, thinned the grapes, made a cradle for the galia melon, gave the cukes & toms a good going over. I also moved the okra plants in the hope that they perform better in the other greenhouse.
Outside I had a good weeding session and planted out my romanesco & PSB. I bought some tuscan kale seeds yesterday and sowed 10 of those. Also tidied away the last of the small pots into the potting shed ready for next year.
By the time my husband picked me up I was covered in mud and my clothes were so wet they were sticking to me ! I had the BEST bath ever when I got indoors :D
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fed my peppers. let God sort out the rest.
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Watered the green house. Pretty much a daily chore now. Harvested french beans. Pretty much a daily pleasure.
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Stood and admired yesterday's handywork, watered the greenhouses, watered the newly planted out brassicas, sowed out a row of carrots then had to abort mission as the baby that was sleeping soundly when I drove onto my plot decided to wake up ::)
Then bumped into one of the allotment committee who has a plot behind me and made some waves about getting the unused plot next door to us :D
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fibilou....where are you? ???
It'd be so good if you showed this on your profile as I'm wondering how you had such good weather for gardening.
Far too many down-pours for me to get to the plot again today and I'd so like to harvest the brocolli before it's blown. Also running out of spuds and beetroot. :(
Lucky you though. ;)
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Been working on front garden, been cementing down blocks as edging for the lawn, hard manual labour but i love it :D :D :lol:
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planted several hundred leeks, though it felt like several thousand.
Grendel
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Being totally mad (and pushed for time) I was the only one on the whole lottie site this afternoon. It was lovely...as well as wet. :lol:
I dug some potatoes (dry soil a few inches down below the foliage), cut some whoppers of broccoli, bagged the big-round-courgettes (one football and a few tennis balls) then splashed about with the swoe slicing the weeds.
It looked better and I felt wonderful for the fresh-air, exercise and escape from routine.
The "greenness" was gorgeous.
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Storm ended, so i was busy counting lost :blush: Easy to say, what wasn't damaged - chilli peppers, the rest is ummm still ok, but not as good as before.
And the main news - i've got beetroot seeds :D
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:D @ vit and his beetroot ;)
I picked the last of the peas and the first of the green climbing French Beans, the puple beans have yet to start flowering :unsure: This is the exact opposite of last year....very strange!
Picked a few more onions struck with white rot, so more chopping for the freezer this after.
Tried digging up another one of the roots from the unwanted hedge and the fork handle cracked :(
Loads of weeding to do.......but left it for a drier day (well I can hope can't I?)
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Watered the greenhouses harvested two lettuce a handful of radish and spring onions and some rhubarb
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Rain again. Well actually not rain, it looks like water dust from waterblaster :wub: At least not so hot now.
Cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers waiting to be picked :D
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just finished prepping 4 1/2 lbs of beans for the freezer.
Grendel
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Not a thing and the grass paths keep growing.. :ohmy:
Push lawn-mower will be taking a rest and the petrol strimmer unearthed if it doesn't soon stop raining.
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Found another lost after storm - quite a lot of persimmon fruits is on the ground now :( On the good side - pulled out first carrot :D
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Learner, I'm in Eastbourne. We are having patchy weather but the rain isn't bad enough to stop me gardening :D
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went down the plot today and took the wife mother in law and daughter, while they picked beans and chatted to the neighbours, I crawled under my big net and weeded round the courgettes, butter nut squash, melons chard and broccoli - got a good lot done in quite a short time really.
Grendel
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Finished work at Dinner Time and went straight to the plots. I managed to cut the paths to both plots and my neighbours, weed and contain the pumpkin which was running amok on plot6b. Up again later to water the greenhouse.
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I managed to get 2 more hedge plants out before I broke the shaft of the all metal fork, that I'd taken to the plot to replace the wooden handled fork that cracked yesterday :mad:
There must be an easier way.*sigh*
Weeded the leek bed and the strawberry bed, found quite a few rooting runners :)
Watered/fed the squash/pumpkins and 'helped' with pollination a bit found a few fruit already set on the Uchiki Kuris and a good few dark silks on the sweetcorn ;)
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Oh, strawberry bed, i gave up for a while on it ::)
No rain and sun shining, so see you in the evening :D
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Yesterday I lifted a few turnips, planted some more peas and broad beans (hoping for a late harvest) and watered all my beds and did some weeding.
Then I tried out my new push lawnmower (which is pretty awesome) and ran it round the plot like a wee kid with a new toy.
Then I tucked into some sweet gooseberries straight off the bush before I left. Perfect day.
Lots of tidying up and digging to do today, but it's a lovely sunny afternoon, so I won't mind so much.
Might earth up my maincrop potatoes a bit more.
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my weekly "full weed" of the plot.
Picked tomatoes from greenhouse, lifted one of my shallot varieties, a load of dwarf beans, some courgettes and some more broadbeans. Then came home for a pickling session with the produce.
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I managed to get 2 more hedge plants out before I broke the shaft of the all metal fork, that I'd taken to the plot to replace the wooden handled fork that cracked yesterday :mad:
There must be an easier way.*sigh*
You'll be wanting a mattock then. :nowink:
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tried to tackle the jungle of weeds that has popped up since i have not been able to get down for more than half an hour a week over the last three or four weeks. it was a nightmare! got it all under some sort of control, the weeds which looked closest to producing seeds were removed first then i started at the front and worked back. Dug a few new supd (goodness me they taste divine) picked a hand full of raspberries, ate a hand full of raspberries and then went and did a two hour stint in the lottyment shop. all in all a productive morning.
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Brought home a whole crate full of Maris Peer and Red Duke of York :D
Plus the obligatory courgettes and sweetpeas, some cylindrical beetroot (already cooked cooked them already :lol: ) french beans, little gem lettuce and yellow tomatoes :D
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I finished levelling out the corner of the plot ready for the shed, which involved removing lots of buried carrier bags, glass (bottles and lots of broken) and lots and lots of blackthorn root.
Also weeded my one bed, possibly damaging a seedling of two... Then planted out some more cut and come again lettuce, cos lettuce, chard, beetroot, carrots, spring onions and radishes...
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Managed a couple of hours at the allotment today.. Got another 100 or so leeks into the ground.. Got about 200 in total :ohmy:
Picked another cucumber and the first courgette! Took home some nice fat potatos for jackets, a few runner beans, a few raspberries and the first apple from the new tree. Sadly my son has hidden it since i presented it to him on arriving home so cant comment on the taste quite yet! ::)
Ransacked the unused areas of the allotment next to mine and took home loads of blackberries and a few more apples.. Made jam with them this evening and now hoping it will set! Strained all the pips out so hoping it will be nice!
Also noticed my big pumpkin plant now has a butternut squash growing on it... hmmm :nowink:
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Time to pick up edamame :D
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Forgot to say that yesterday I also found and unintentionally disturbed a nest or ground bees as I was clearing the edge of the plot... They were not happy... :ohmy:
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Picked some more courgettes ::)
Also, found the smallest of the butternut plants has a female flower/fruit on it, but no male flowers to polinate as yet.
Watered the cucumber/toms/squashes/courgettes/sprouts/calabrese and purple sprouting broccoli.
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Nothing to harvets, unless you count two yellow tomoatoes! So a lot of weeding: under the bird feeders (where a forest of niger seeds had sprouted!), flower beds, and then part of the land on the other side of the fence where I hope to plant some fruit trees.
And rather optimistically planted some more peas! (More as a way to occupy our girls than anything, but you never know!!)
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Caught up with some of the weeding and general tidying.
Also surveyed my several rows of extremely sparse carrots ....... wonder why the germination is so minimal this year? :(
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Watered. Will go back later for a fire, weeding and harvesting :)
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some weeding, and edge trimming. chucked in a few late runners on a piece of freshly cleared plot....they've got 2 chances ;)
Potted on some thyme plants and watered in the greenhouses :)
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Dug up two rows of second early spuds despite having not much rain
I got 45lbs off 20 plants with some very large one in the mix.
they are Kestrel I will certainly plant them again.
They also make very good chips & roasties
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Harvested rocket spuds and watered the greenhouses amd carrot seeds
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harvested spuds, beans peas and chard, was going to weed but didnt have time as I was too busy picking.
Grendel
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Sewed more carrotts, lettuce and Turnips. pegged up the tomatoes, picked my French beans, chard, Kale and more potatoes
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Picked first runner beans and courgettes
pulled carrots and beetroot
dug some very big potatoes
and helped saw a 30ft tree down which was over hanging our fence
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Did some weeding around the brassicas, watered the greenhouse and de-side shooted the toms (again) ::)
Sprayed the chillies, peppers and cucumber with soap solution to get rid of the afid infestation, it's working well nearly all the afids have gone.
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Yesterday watered the greenhouse and discovered that I had a major aphid infestation on my sweet peppers - really, really bad, and I thought that I had got on top of it. So bad that the leaves on the plant are turning yellow and the developing fruits are misshapen - how could that happen in so short a time.
I took the plants out of the greenhouse as I did not want the infestation to effect the chilli peppers which seem to have escaped the onslaught. I then sprayed with soapy water - and could not believe the number of critters that fell of the plants on to the soil in the pot. Next I sprayed with plain water, then re-sprayed with soapy water and finally another spray with plain water. I am now leaving the plants outside hoping that the local blue tits might help me get rid of the last of the aphids. I really think that I have nothing to lose leaving them outside because they really looked as if they were going to die anyway. I have never seen anything like this.
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Nothing - it's rainy. Already 2 days :blush: Thinking to build solar powered invertor for electric fence
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I also discovered a massive aphid infection in one of my raised beds protected by insect mesh.
I had sown some Pak Choi and turnip seeds and was concerned that very few were germinating and those that were didn’t look too good. When I put my glasses on I found that the wee seedlings were completely covered with aphids. None have survived they were just too young.
I am tempted to leave the mesh up so that my blue tits can help with the next sowing but then there are the cabbage whites...
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picked beans - broad french and runner, picked a courgette, picked plums apples and pears and a small handfull of blackberries.
Grendel
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Went up after work and chatted and chatted and chatted................Did manage to water though ;)
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Sat in the sunshine and did nothing (except water the greenhouse). Really enjoyed just relaxing for a change.
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I harvested the small red onions. planted some winter radish. got home started pickling the onions.
felt a little bit proud of myself
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Yesterday evening i went up our allotment with my partner and daughter.
While my partner and I had the great jobs :tongue2: of weeding and watering my daughter went and made a den in a tree at the top end of the allotments. oh to be young again.... while i enjoy getting out on the allotment sometimes i would like to be able to make a den :lol:
I did pick 7 courgettes as well though.
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well really angry mood :mad: so took myself off to the allotment on my own!!
some people should be put in cages and kept there!!! i'm calm, calm thoughts, back to the allotment, all is well...
absolutely beautiful evening even though chased by many a wasp and bee (but still calm) took it out on the weeds and looked at the plot ....... what a beautiful place to be......
watched the baby, think swifts ( not sure, but have had a nest in next doors shed and he is a complete birdy although i am but not as extreme. staked it out and the rest, wish i had the time) and for me i saw one of their first flights, how amazing!!! been watching them since spring.
the funniest thing was that the mum or dad when i first arrived kept coming over as she /he always does to watch us etc. but today she/he kept calling and sat on next doors line, not on guard but as if to say here they go .... and off they went, soooooo tiny in the evening sky but amazing!! 3 of them aaaahhhhhh..
thanks to my bad mood or i would have missed that, now doesn't that lift the spirits .....
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Yesterday I helped the old chap on the next plot weed an area where his potatoes had been as he'd had THE letter. He's been there over 20 years & is now 83 & not well as is his wife. They write to him this year 'cos he's not kept on top of it but next to my other plot, that I've had 5 years,with 2 neighbors who've never done anything with their plot,they're still there & so are their weeds.It makes me cross.
Anyway I was looking for somewhere to plant out 2 courgette plants & 4 butternut squash plants, so I suggested to the old chap that I put them on his plot so that it looks like he is doing something until his case is reviewed in October after he has seen the heart specialist.
Then I did some weeding,harvested potatoes,swiss chard,beetroot,courgettes,runner,french &broad beans&red onions.Oh & my friend came up for a cuppa & a chat.
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Yesterday I cut my first ever bunch of sweet peas which I gave to my Mum as part of her birthday pressie ... it was like giving away a first born child!
Luckily she appreciated them , she loves the smell almost as much as I do :D
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Took a hundred or so lavender cuttings in the hope to get about 30 plants :D
Harvested quite a bit and planted some more sweetcorn.
Cleared up all the peas and broad beans after a dismall harvest.
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Pottered about. The eldest daughter came up and hoed :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
It must be the fact that she has now finished Uni and is now a qualified teacher. From student to adult :lol:
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And the gardening "bug" often doesn't kick in 'til the age of 30! :lol:
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Built a cage for my winter cabbage and kale.
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went and picked beans, another 6 lbs into the freezers today, thats 17 lbs of beans frozrn so far.
Grendel
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Went to have look some land sections in the area. Now thunderstorm started. :blush:
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Today, I will be down the allotment weeding, picking and watering, as I will be off on me holidays tomorrow. Going here http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/
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Lucky you.Will you be going to the Eden project & Heligan.If you've not already been well worth a visit,& if you have I'm sure you'll be wanting to go again
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welcome to sunny cornwall you wont be far from me as i am near the eden project and if you havent been its worth a visit but go early in the day to avoid any qs
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cut 2 courgetts 2 spagetti squash and 1 large butternut squash not sure if i should have cut the butternut but did'nt want it to get any bigger.
picked french amd runner beans and the last of the peas.
also found a swede that was big enough to eat but found taste to strong to eat when cooked.
4 purple kohl rabi had to come home with me to and my first outdoor tomatoe
oh spent all morning turning compost in 4 bins (he watched monty don last night)
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went to the plot and picked plums, beans and a couple of courgettes.
I had picked half a dozen plums and lrft the rest to ripen, when I got there there were only 20 plums left on the tree, where there had been at least 100, I think I've been raided - reported it to the committee, as they were there at the shop, then found out someone else had lost all their goosberries, hmm.
Grendel
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Too hot to do much! Watered and harvested.
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Looked out of the window at the unfinished greenhouse and wondered 'where can I get those extra panes of glass I need to finish it???'
Had breakfast... 'phone rang... one of my mates told me about this big pile of greenhouse glass behind his uncle's shed, and how much do I need! :D
Having had breakfast, ran out of milk, so down to the shops. On the way back met someone who owed me £20. So £20 in pocket went to the pub :D Just in time to meet another friend just back from holiday, so caught up on news, as you do. OK, I thought, one more pint then back home to dig compost into the beds for the new greenhouse. Well, four pints later (I know, you never saw THAT coming :tongue2: ) and the pub's chef came out with a big carrier bag "Want some plums?" Oh, yes! "Oh, and by the way we want to re-do the herb garden" - that's worth a few pints for some cuttings and digging :D
Finally got home from the pub, and there's a nice stack of glass beside the gate. What a day :tongue2: Still no compost in the greenhouse beds, but an evening of jam-making awaits instead.
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Ate some French beans and strawberries, before filling the bag up with some French and dwarf beans, the last of the peas and some of the best strawberries I've eaten.
Did a lot of weeding, sowed some turnips and swede.
My chard has bolted and the plants are about 5 feet high.
The weather was glorious.
Did some brambling on the way home.
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the Heritage Salmon flowered peas have just poked through in their modules _ so I'll have to keep an eye on them and plant them out soon :)
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Watered, weeded, cleared a row of spuds and dug the ground over, thinned out a bed of cabbages getting hit by downy mildew due to overcrowding, then re-netted to give them a bit more space at the sides. pulled up the last of the broad beans which were looking very sorry for themselves. Cut back some of the nasturtiums which are in danger taking over the whole plot (at least you can eat the flowers!).
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Strimmed the paths, hoe-hoe-hoed, watered and harvested.
Oh... and I stopped to make coffee (the 1st I've had time for this year on the plot!) :happy:
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Picked some tomatoes and cucumbers.
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A bit of watering and picked some more beans,
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Planted Tundra winter cabbage, put up debris netting over it, hoed a bit, then watered and fed squash/pumpkins :)
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Watered, watered and watered some more. ::)
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9 hours on the plot yesterday... relaxing :happy:
Weeded lots, watered and tinkered. Even had time for a chat while getting someones petrol strimmer working. ;)
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Cleared a long overdue corner where ivy and brambles were encroaching ........ discovered a completely forgotten gooseberry bush, poor thing.
Lots of raking required now to clear paths of laurel leaves. They are an absolute menace as they shed all year round and blow into gutters, drains and corners everywhere!
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Sat in the sunshine watching the butterflies and dragon flies, thinking of what to plant now that all the first earlies are out and there are spaces left where salad has been eaten.....
lovely morning :) :) :)
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Due to illness I have not been to my plot for over a week now, still feeling under the weather but will have to go up soon. Thanks Bob for looking after it
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Sat in the sunshine watching the butterflies and dragon flies, thinking of what to plant now that all the first earlies are out and there are spaces left where salad has been eaten.....
lovely morning :) :) :)
Ive been having the same dillema, i supose its not the worst problem ever :lol: :D
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Yesterday I was determined to get the second crop spuds in if it killed me.
They are in. And I was dead by the time I finished digging over, raking and sieving the ground :blink:
Kosh
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got very very very VERY hot!
not going back till late this evening...............
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A (bicycle) trailer load of onions lifted, late row of Autumn King carrots sown as well as another patch of baby-leaf spinach in.
Now ready for a good watering. One morning's worth of rain will be fine then a very late row of leeks can go in where the new potatoes were ;)
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Picked all the broad beans, just have to spend a couple of hourse blanching them now. Didn't think i would get THAT many beans from just a dozen plants. Replaced a few leeks that had given up and frazzled away. Harvested, courgettes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce and rubhard, a good evenings work in just a couple of hours.
DID NOT have to water, repeat DID NOT, as we in Milton Keynes had PLENTY of rain with more on the way.
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arrived back from the coast a 8am ive been to selsey
went to the plot in the pouring rain :D then stipped out the sheds contents an the carpeted the shed
then picked lettuce beetroot carrots and came home to have a beer :blink:
tomorrow hopefully it will be a bit dry
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Fed the tom's today.
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Just watered the greenhouse :) :) :) No need to water outside ;)
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arrived back from the coast a 8am ive been to selsey
Selsey is pretty near to me! (A very busy road though :()
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I was just wondering, as a complete beginner and novice....what are people planting out now? I am harvesting our onions and potatoes tonight, also our peas that didnt make it so will have quite a bit of space free.
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I was just wondering, as a complete beginner and novice....what are people planting out now? I am harvesting our onions and potatoes tonight, also our peas that didnt make it so will have quite a bit of space free.
This thread should answer your question :)
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=81355.msg909969#msg909969
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Planted some Ulster Classic and Beauty of Bute seed spuds in barrels for Christmas pulled two iceberg lettuce and watered both greenhouses
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Mowed and strimmed the plot (had left it a bit too long, was getting a bit overgrown). Uncovered and dug over a new bed, watered, and sowed some Florence Fennel seeds (suspect I might be a bit late but thought I'd give it a go - not tried them before). Still quite a bit of the plot that needs cultivating but getting there slowly - had our first produce recently (second earlies, spring onions, broad beans and beetroot), very rewarding :)
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(Not too late for Florence Fennel, tonel :) )
Spent three hours taking stones out of two of our raised beds -- looks good, but I bet when it rains they will still look full of stones again :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hope it helps the carrot shapes next year ;)
Also came home with yellow flatpod beans, runners, tomatoes, courgettes (of course), broad beans, loads of yummy raspberries and sweetpeas by the dozen
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Found that someone eating my tomatoes in the night time ???
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Planted last of the calbrese - hoping to get a fina crop before the end of summer.
Planted some PSB
Weeded around the beds - having said that with the dry weather hardly any weeds at all.
Back home sowed some spring greens and caulis
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Nice damp day so planted out some more caulis and cabbages, and put all the pea top growth into the compost bin
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Weeded the plot, fed the tomatoes and had a fire. I also, in my stupidity, ate a whole chilli off one of the plants in the greenhouse to see if they had a taste to them yet :tongue2: :ohmy: :wacko:
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Weeded the plot, fed the tomatoes and had a fire. I also, in my stupidity, ate a whole chilli off one of the plants in the greenhouse to see if they had a taste to them yet :tongue2: :ohmy: :wacko:
I guess it did then :lol:
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Only popped by to water the tubs, but I ended up digging up the spuds, about half of them had slug damage and I think if I'd left them in I'd have lost the lot. Interesting how it varies from variety to variety, will try kestrel next year as I've heard they're very resistant.
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I am actually having a day away from the plots :ohmy: :ohmy: I'll pop up tonight to water the greenhouse but to be honest I'm at that point where I could not be bothered. I think we all feel like that sometimes!
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Continued weeding then emptied out the compost from the bottom of the bin.
Whoever designed that silly little shutter to extract compost from the bottom of the bin .... I can tell them it doesn't work! The only way is to tip it over.
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Continued weeding then emptied out the compost from the bottom of the bin.
Whoever designed that silly little shutter to extract compost from the bottom of the bin .... I can tell them it doesn't work! The only way is to tip it over.
I couldn't agree more. The only way is to tip.
(I've been putting off doing the one in my parents garden - now the problem will be putting the compost round closely growing plants)
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I spent most of this afternoon/evening hoeing, weeding and muck spreading
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6:30pm to 9pm.... lovely and peaceful.
Picked lots of beans (runners - ordinary long ones and a very short broad variety that are doing well, purple french something-or-others that go green when you cook them), courgettes (longs and rounds), and one red cabbage.
Then I took a peek at the potatoes.... and didn't like the look of the foliage... so to be on the safe side chopped all the tops off. ::)
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Tidied up the rampant growth of the cukes and s.f. melon, defoliated some toms, planted out some purple sprouting broccoli and protected them - then watched the weeds grow with a nice coffee!
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:ohmy: OH has just rung me to say he has been to the lottie and picked so many runner beans that it has completely covered the work-surfaces in the kitchen!!! :ohmy: What on earth am I going to do with them all, as they really don't freeze well!!??
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sowed winter caulies and hoed all over the plot picked beans etc
then i edged my secong allotment then i had a beer
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:ohmy: OH has just rung me to say he has been to the lottie and picked so many runner beans that it has completely covered the work-surfaces in the kitchen!!! :ohmy: What on earth am I going to do with them all, as they really don't freeze well!!??
We have a spare "summer" fridge lined up for next year to help keep produce fresh. This year we happily give spare to friends and neighbours. ;)
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With the help of my fella and Dad, we did this:
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That's a very impressive building Kimberley.
Big for an allotment shed. :unsure:
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It's a cross between a Summer house and a shed - it's a summer shed!
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It's a cross between a Summer house and a shed - it's a summer shed!
BIg enough for a wood-buring stove and lodgers. :)
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It's a cross between a Summer house and a shed - it's a summer shed!
BIg enough for a wood-buring stove and lodgers. :)
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Fabulous shed/summer shed there :D
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room for a pony? :)
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well everything else is up to date, harvesting more veg than i thought would be possible in the first year so really pleased!! (especially since a few old boys scoffed at us as it hadn't been used in 30 years!!)
even a 50p sale pumpkin plant that has a massive pumpkin (well you never know??) and getting bigger by the day!!
Now making a start on the paths as we didn't have time to make them flat and even, will be glad not to twist my ankle evnetually!! :D
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Like everyone else, harvesting loads, beans toms chillies and squash, cabbages and caulis.
I have planted up lots of potatoes in boxes for autumn harvesting. I also have reserved four of my first early Arran Pilot to go in for Christmas potatoes
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Weeding, harvesting salad leaves, and more weeding.
Also trimmed some side shoots on my cherry tomatoes. As they were given to me I have no idea of the variety so am not sure if it was the right thing to do or not...
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Weeding, harvesting salad leaves, and more weeding.
Also trimmed some side shoots on my cherry tomatoes. As they were given to me I have no idea of the variety so am not sure if it was the right thing to do or not...
Variety shouldn't make too much difference and a trim won't hurt. ;)
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Chopped down the weeds again and covered.
Watered/weeded the squashes and brassicas for it to then rain for hours and hours and, you get the idea :nowink:
Removed side shoots from the toms and nipped out the growing tips on the Cherry red and Sungold toms as they have now reached the roof, each plant has around 6 to 7 trusses.
The Cherry red has litterally hundreds of flowers and small toms forming.
Also chopped back the Roma leaves as they were encroaching into the Chillie Cayenne's air space.
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Took seven builder's bucketfuls of stones out of the bed that is next for the carrots. Dug in two huge bags of 'recycled' old compost.
Sowed two ten foot rows of carrots (Early nantes and Autumn King) and covered them with my new environmesh cloche tunnel I bought last week :D :D
Reserved the giant marrow from the Age Concern plot next door, so that the children at school can take it to the Autumn Harvest Day at Newbury Showground in September.
They can't enter it in the competition - which is for pumpkins anyway - but they will enjoy being able to have it there
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weeded...put soaked comfrey fertilizer on newly weeded bed...just need to decide what to put there
thinned carrots - rabbits loved them
Harvested white onions, red onions and shallots...not sure what to do with them all now lol - and some broad beans
put some more comfrey pellets to soak
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harvested cherokee beans (large shopping bag full) apples (medium shopping bag full) courgettes and pears (another medium bag) and filled the plastic trug 6" deep with runner beans. now to chop and freeze.
Grendel
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dug up spuds and sowed turnips and bunching onions
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Just been out to shut greenhouse up thought I would take a peek at my cauli's not looked for a couple of weeks and pulled back the leaves and all 4 have nice white curds on !!!! re-covered and left them as they are not that big at the moment but they are there :) :D
My broccolis are the size of dinner plates !! going to harvest them tomorrow before they go too far :blink:
harvested cabbage dwarfe green beans and broccoli yesterday for tea also picked more tomatoes a cuc and a big mixing bowl full of blackberries
got given some rhubarb so made crumble with that an apple and some of the blackberries
Caroline
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Be careful, if you can see the curds, they won't get a lot bigger.
Leave them too long, they'll "blow" and you'll end up with yellow flowers!
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Be careful, if you can see the curds, they won't get a lot bigger.
Leave them too long, they'll "blow" and you'll end up with yellow flowers!
I had to uncurl all the leaves from around it to see - they are about 6cm from one side to the other then when I let go the leaves went back around them as tight as before - should I get them up now ? don't want them to flower ha ha
new to this grow your own lark :wub:
Caroline
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Wait until you can peep into the plant and see them without pulling the leaves back. They be OK of a couple of days, but bend/peg/tie a large leaf over the curd to keep the sun off.
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Wait until you can peep into the plant and see them without pulling the leaves back. They be OK of a couple of days, but bend/peg/tie a large leaf over the curd to keep the sun off.
Brilliant
Thanks DD :)
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Leave them too long, they'll "blow" and you'll end up with yellow flowers!
That explains what I thought were weeds. I`ll dig them up tomorrow. Quite nice yellow flowers though. :)
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Weeded my leeks. Watered everything. Sowed lettuce 2 types and mooli radish
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Watered, watered and watered some more before my weekend away :unsure:
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Last night played some tunes for night visitors, so all tomatoes on it's place :D
Today shaped tea :blink: lucky wasn't very sunny, but drunk about a bucket of water. :blink:
Tonight going to play more tunes :D just small pocket radio, tuned somewhere on MW keeps little bustards away from my plants :D
Sorry, no tunes, baseball game tonight :D
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picked more beans, and a few tomatoes.
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sowed Pak Choi, Autumn King carrots and Red Russian kale and did a bit more weeding, of course ;)
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Planted some more radish, trimmed back some leaves on my GH tomatoes, and tied up some of the trusses on the sweet millions - they are really long (more than two feet long) and getting heavy. Now all we need is more sunshine to help them on their way. Picked six sweet millions, 2 cukes, two sweet peppers and lots of salad onions. :)
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sowed Pak Choi, Autumn King carrots and Red Russian kale and did a bit more weeding, of course ;)
You bin followin' me MoS? --- that was zackerly wot I did yesterday :tongue2:
Picked loads of beans this evening ready for the morning's blanch-fest, and took an old bench from the garden down to the plot on the top of the car, to rest my weary limbs from time to time :D
Large pot of raspberries too MMMMMMMMMMMMMM :D :D :D
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:lol: great minds n all of that! (none of my rasps made it home :lol:)
I got some freebie trellis for my 3 new clematis this evening
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Today will pick cucmers and tomatoes. Tomatoes! :D
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Went to the allotment in pouring rain and did some harvesting.
Looked around the plot in despair at the weeds that are taking over.
The plan was to strim and rotavate as an ongoing regime this year and remove the weakened pirenials next year as they emerge in the beds that im going to build over the winter.
The weather has been so bad lately that it's too wet to rotavate and on top of that my strimmer still refuses to start :mad: :mad: :mad:
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I haven't actually been to the plot since Tuesday evening when i had my first big bumper harvest, however last night i pickled my first batch of beetroot. I cant wait to try it, it looks lurvely. :D
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Re-attached the shed door and informed the local police of the the items that had been stolen >:(
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Disengaged my 7 foot high, semi-collapsed, half dead row of sugarsnap peas from the adjacent asparagus ferns (they weren't adjacent when I sowed them!)
Snipped off all the string attaching the pea netting to the canes (what sort of maniac uses that much string? :blush:) , and eventually managed to extricate the canes.
Dragged the whole pile of tangled peas and netting onto the lawn and wondered how the hell I was going to separate the one from the other. Decided I couldn't face it today.
Contemplated having a large whisky (managed to resist.)
Vowed not to grow any variety of pea next year which grows to 7 feet and requires pea netting for support! :mad: ::)
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weeded round my ghurkins that I just found again, weeded round tomatoes and butternut squashes - from progress so far, probably only 12 hours more weeding to do.
Grendel
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Dug up the enormous roots from our wildflower border alongside the plot, whihc has now shared seven years worth of seeds with my neighbour as well :tongue2: :tongue2:
We all learn :wacko: :unsure: ::)
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Nothing :ohmy: :ohmy: I have only just finished work and it's to late to do anything :(
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well! have spent hours cutting blanching and freezing!! absolutely shattered now. need a snifter..........ooohhh me aching back!
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Trimmed the melon, cucumber and tomato plants. Thinned out the beetroot/turnip/chinese cabbage and some general weeding in the tunnel. Was nice listening to the bees buzzing around whilst it was chucking it down outside. :D
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2 JayG use steel wire instead of mesh.
Spent this morning at local shrine - tomorrow will be local festival :D
Going to pick up some tomatoes from now
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A quick nip to the plot:
Stuck in dwarf and ordinary size kale plants (late I suspect).
Picked another pile of tatties from the surface (thanks foxes)
Watered & weeded
Then cycled on my merry way.....
JayG I didn't know that peas could reach that height :ohmy:
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Re-attached the shed door and informed the local police of the the items that had been stolen >:(
OMG! Really s to hear about that. :(. I hope the blighters didn't get away with too much. :tongue2:
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Been & dug up 2 Kelsae onions for heaviest onion in the local show ( 1 weighed 3lbs) & 1 long runner bean.Took them to the show,I've lost the longest runner bean class already as I put it next to one that was at least 6 " bigger but egged on by my sister & my plot neighbour I went back to the plot & got 2 more onions to add to the 1 left behind at home for the 3 onions as grown class. Also entered a sock monkey into the any other craft item. :happy:
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Re-attached the shed door and informed the local police of the the items that had been stolen >:(
OMG! Really s to hear about that. :(. I hope the blighters didn't get away with too much. :tongue2:
Our local police came to mark tools (especially power tools) with our post code in ultra violet and gave us stickers to display on our sheds. It helped, I hope.
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Just picked the fruits of our successes 8)
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Just picked the fruits of our successes 8)
Good for you. I hope they were many. ;)
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FInished weeding the tunnel, took out the rotting broccoli :tongue2:, sowed some Chinese stem broccoli in it's place, weeded the rest of the brassica cage, weeded the bean/sweetcorn/squash bed. Fed and watered everything - then cooked chilli with home grown goodness! 8)
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happy happy! rain started, so don't need to do watering :D i was worried of water shortage
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Cut back the squash plants, harvested the last of the red epicure broad beans, took out the old rocket, and dug over the bed.
Removed 11 buckets of stones from it (Only 2m.4m by 1.2m :ohmy: :ohmy: )
Picked loads of raspberries and just over a kilo of blackberries form the hedgerow :D :D
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Strimmed, took down alderman peas to make room for PSB plants, squashed loads of catapillers, watered and weeded chinese radish seedlings, stood on a row of salad radish just coming through while weeding carrots. Swore alot :mad:. Picked beans and ate raspberries.
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No plot visit for me today... nice day weather wise though. I have just 50 minutes free and would never make it there and back. I so wanted to do a spot of watering and weeding and relaxing too. :mellow:
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Today i picked about 8kg of plums and 1kg of runner beans, and a bunch of sweet peas to go in the new vase on my table.
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Pulled all the onions this evening, got enough to see us through till the new year :lol:
Had a good walk around the plot and a little chat to fellow plot holders and headed off home :)
Started planning what's going to be planted next year and how were going to shape the plot up :)
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Planted PSB where the peas were, dug up a pink fir apple potato plant and got 4 lb 2oz of spuds - fantastic! Weeded, watered and covered newly germinated Autumn King carrots with fleece. Planted chard seedlings where potato was. Gave the key to my friend who will look after my plot for the next 4 weeks while I'm in France. It'll be fine I'm sure *gulp* :unsure:
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Went down and checked the "girls" were still flying. Continued building the new fruit cage till I ran out of wood...........Louise and I picked all the french beans that were left. Then I dumped the rubbish, hoed the areas on my plot that are bare soil to keep the weeds down. Also hoed over part of the half plot next to me coz the lady who rents it's husband has had a stroke and she is up to her eyeballs with looking after him. Picked more tomatos from the polytunnel, made sure everythingin the tunnel was watered and checked over the Pepper plants we have growing there as well.
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Been & dug up 2 Kelsae onions for heaviest onion in the local show ( 1 weighed 3lbs) & 1 long runner bean.Took them to the show,I've lost the longest runner bean class already as I put it next to one that was at least 6 " bigger but egged on by my sister & my plot neighbour I went back to the plot & got 2 more onions to add to the 1 left behind at home for the 3 onions as grown class. Also entered a sock monkey into the any other craft item. :happy:
I got 2nd prize for the 3 onions as grown class,then won coffee & biscuits in the raffle & then won the lottery albeit £10 it was very welcome & all on my birthday. So a very good Saturday for me. Hopefully time to garden this week now my sister has gone home.
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Picked more salad for work, finished securing the thick grating over the shed windows with one way screws.
Once I have practised with my new mattock at home, that will be coming down the plot with me to get up some tree roots that have claimed two forks already.
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weeded the leeks before they were lost under the weeds, again ::) watered beans and seedling rows
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Planted 10 nicely chitted Lady Christl seed potatoes.
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ooooh Good Luck :)
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Thank you. :) I actually meant to get them in a couple of weeks ago ::), but having heard mention of them already being in the ground way down south there, I thought! :ohmy:
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Spent two hours taking stones out of a section 1m by 75cm, then sowed some chervil and re pak choi under debris netting so the pigeons won't eat the seedlings as soon as they germinate.
Picked a big bowl of raspberries, more runner beans and courgettes, lots of tomatoes and sweetpeas.
Looked at my aubergines a lot and smiled. Had to prop the biggest plant up with a stick :lol:
Weeded under my new carrot tunnel -- carrots just beginning to germinate
Transplanted some khol bari that were too close together
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Picked a big bowl of raspberries, more runner beans and courgettes, lots of tomatoes and sweetpeas.
You followed me today, then :lol
Looked at my aubergines a lot and smiled.
I gave mine the evil eye...still nothing >:(
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Picked a big bowl of raspberries, more runner beans and courgettes, lots of tomatoes and sweetpeas.
You followed me today, then :lol
Looked at my aubergines a lot and smiled.
I gave mine the evil eye...still nothing >:(
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I shall tell mine not to look in your direction :lol:
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weeded, picked beans and a squash.
Grendel
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I did nuffink................I hurted too much :(
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started to dig the last part of the plot that has been put off since october :(
managed to do more than i planned and continually reminded myself our motto back when we first started
' whatever has been dug today is less to dig tomorrow'
towards the end this was through gritted teeth and my smile was disappearing as have loads of couch !!!!!! :mad: but a quarter of the way there :D
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Put some more red and white spring onions in, weeded a bed and put some Kale in under netting, cut a lot of the sweet peas down that had been damaged in last weeks high winds.
Need to get the tomatoes sorted in neighbours greenhouse (Bob) before I go away on saturday, Day of the triffids spring to mind!!!! sorry Bob ;)
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Dug some potatoes and surveyed my extremely late beans. :(
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We had that torential rain here in Wareham yesterday so, I went to the pot this morning with a bit of trepidation not knowing how the "girls" had fared. I need not have worried though :) The "girls" were all out flying and coming back with lots of pollen:) So, I picked a few pounds of beetroot and carrots from the plot and about 5 pound of tomato's from the polytunnel...............With the way the tomato's are ripening I will get another 30 pounds of them by the end!! Might also get a few Bell peppers and Chilli Peppers in about a months time as well:)
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Dug some potatoes and surveyed my extremely late beans. :(
I did the same thing, don't think they will come to anything, purple ones are fine though.
Watered the seedling rows and picked some more raspberries :)
Started to dig the newly cleared bed, but it's so dry that the top is sand and the bottom layer is like concrete :ohmy: I think it will have to wait for some rain...I spose we will get a good downpour sometime :unsure:
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Today I:
Prepared a path to lay some grass seed
Turned two beds into one
Fed the tom's
Ate some plums and rasberries :)
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picked some toms and weeded half the leek bed.
Grendel
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Pulled up a beetroot, picked some french beans and laid some roofing felt between beds to use as paths.
Chatted to my new plot neighbours, they are the saviour of the jungle that was the plot next door.
Oh and beamedc over my daughter's first pumpkin. It's coming on well :)
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popped down for the last time as away for a week :unsure:
my dad is popping down for us but the weeds :mad: i know it will be bad when i get back but hey ho what can you do??? :)
off to cornwall hows the weather looking for us??? not worried but would like some dry please if you could fix it but understand you also need some rain for all the lotties.
would it be possible to have the rain in the evenings ?? many thanks to all (we'll enjoy it whatever the weather :D :D )
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I am also away for a week, so tucked my plot up for it's week without me... picked beans, sweetpeas, raspberries and courgettes.
Just ready to leave when my plot neighbour gave me 6 well grown perpetual spinach plants, so had to stay and settle them in nicely :D
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Picked Courgettes - going to make some courgette & ginger jam. Picked Tomatoes - strange year for tomatoes, they are ripening "out of order" varieties that normally ripen early are later and vice versa, watered everything I could.
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Going to pop down today and get some roof felt on the pathways between beds. Then it's a cas of weed, weed, weed!!
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Cut the paths and then it rained.
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Dug up a row of the P.F.A's amazed how large some have grown, and they were all quite clear of holes etc. Not at all like those trendy fingerlings the T.V. cooks waffle on about. Also dug up a few Salad Blues, these were quite 'corky' on the skin, but they will still cook up. Was quietly amazed at the size and number of the squashes I planted. I've forgotten the variety, just hoping for more sun to ripen them. Found a cabbage had 'blown' and as always, hope they all stay out of view of the 'borrowers'. Cheers, Tony.
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Got wet.
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We dug 3 rows of roosters and two of picasso spuds and had a bonfire, great!
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weeding, weeding and one more time weeding. :D last night was rain, so today will spend in the garage :D
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Not much as I was out picking blackberries and making jam for most of the day. Did a bit of watering, picked a few raspberries and harvested my first sweetcorn, but tomorrow will be my big plot tidying day.
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Today I weeded inbetween the french beans, dug up some tomato plants that were dead and picked plums.
I also cut the grass as it is so high- again.
I got home and made plum jam- it's my first attempt and I can't wait to taste it :)
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Weeding and strung some onions up
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tried to cover up my cabbages again, will be building a bigger cage for them tommorow, turned 1 manuar heap and ate some sweetcorn with my daughter, yum yum.
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I'd not done any weeding for ages so spent 4 hours weeding, clearing up dead pea plants etc.
Picked some beans and carrots, grazed a few strawberries and raspberries.
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Dug up a load of black thorn roots with my new mattock. Got a lot done, but I feel broken...
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Finished laying the roofing felt on the pathways.
Picked enough french beans to feed a family of four (and they did, later on) and pulled up a beetroot. Going to get three more tomorrow I think and pickle them.
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everything was wet after rain, so half day spent in the garage, so now i have spare weed eater, which starts from the first pull :D
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On holiday, so I had the rare pleasure this morning of going down and opening up the greenhouse and admire the plots on the site.
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Popped down yesterday and took off some mildewed leaves on the pumpkin.
Had to pick of a few rotting baby butternut squashes.....how do I stop them rotting away?
Got a big tub of woodstain to paint the shed with....now to find the motivation.
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weeded a lot picked some ghurkins carrots weeded the pea beds and found a few pods ready for next years planting.
Grendel
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rain had washed away last weeks sowing, so did them all again, but most in modules this time!
Tis evening I noticed that the tub of PFA spuds had died back so i just tipped them out...1.42 kg of lovely spuds, some a little on the small size, but welcome just the same :)
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Picking a carrier bag full of runner beans every other day at the moment. Friends and family are reaping the benefit. I had warmed up runners for breakfast and more with the home made curry tonight. :)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/trevor3457/DSC01037.jpg)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/trevor3457/DSC01040.jpg)
Picked more purple sprouting and green calabrese, the real success story for this year, none of it netted, and actually found and destroyed the first caterpillar for the year.
I do not have room for a compost heap, so a hole was dug to bury a load of spent sprouting and lettuce plants that had been cut off a few days ago and allowed to wilt.
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rain had washed away last weeks sowing
What did you sow last week mos? :unsure:
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I found the the post for you :nowink: ::)
as you can see - Sunny did the same
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=70165.msg917178#msg917178
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i picked the last of the runner beans took out the canes and composted the rest and dug it over,,
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i picked the last of the runner beans took out the canes and composted the rest and dug it over,,
that's a bit early m1ck - what happened to them? :unsure:
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Walked up, marvelled at the neatness from Mondays work. Stroked a plant then left. ;)
Full day tomorrow.
Some pics from the other week of what me and my mate are doing on our patch of the planet. 8)
Facebook link deleted by Admin.
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Some pics from the other week of what me and my mate are doing on our patch of the planet. 8)
Sorry, like quite a few members I don't do facebook so can't see the pictures. Best to post them in another way. ;)
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Oh have you tried the link...i thought non members could view also :unsure:
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Oh have you tried the link...i thought non members could view also :unsure:
Tried it yes, doesn't work (temporarily unavailable/may have expired/no permission.)
As Ice says, there are better ways of posting pictures on this site. :)
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Ok thanks.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/175751_2252865811266_1536921815_32540016_165302_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/192934_2252861811166_1536921815_32539995_925853_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/257106_2067581459273_1536921815_32350922_7684064_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/266893_10150229108950805_656680804_7319377_3879255_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/271709_10150229107820805_656680804_7319344_6347055_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/272277_10150229108290805_656680804_7319359_292954_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/272369_10150229108145805_656680804_7319354_5877928_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/278206_2173295262052_1536921815_32425942_3800493_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/288178_2252864531234_1536921815_32540009_2055765_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/288560_2252858091073_1536921815_32539977_3154439_o.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/289454_2252865491258_1536921815_32540014_7010118_o.jpg)
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And when we got it at the end of April.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/squareback76/218427_1934537453256_1536921815_32166177_7990692_o.jpg)
8)
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Love the bomb shelter shed - looks well. Also the way that you are using re-cycled materials for paths etc. Looks like you really enjoy your plot. :)
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as a fan of the 40's and 50's it looks great, thank you for sharing those with us :).
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Thanks. It helps having a 40s tractor too ;)
Well today has been rain since the early hours...so no allotmenting today :(
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that looks brilliant well done you :D
we have been away and came back yesterday so popped there not long after we got back. rain all day today so not been down but really happy as this means we can go down (hopefully ) tomorrow and dig those paths and make them flat :D
don't know how many times i have tripped over coz of all the lumps and bumps :mad: but as its clay soil have to wait for the rain as a little hard to dig without it :D
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Wow! Plot looks amazing Budgetbus. You've done a great job - look forward to more photos on your FB page. Can I add you as a friend? ;-)
Mandy
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Just popped to the lottie to see the effects of the last 2 days rain & picked the rest of the pears & a few beans & 2 small courgettes before they grow into marrows by tomorrow.
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Well done, budgetbus :D Where is your tractor now? Can't see on the new photos ???
Lazy day was for me after heavy rain last night. Just burned some chopped bamboo and old timber. Have very strong feeling, that autumn coming soon - not that hot anymore, days little bit shorter, tomatoes slow down. On the good side cabbage looks better and soon will time to plant carrot, beetroot(hell yeah!!!), onion and broccoli :D
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I hoed leeks and parsnips, then lifted brassica netting and weeded under there and put down some chicken pellets.
Fed the pumpkin/squashes, pulled lots of mildewed leaves off them. weeded under the climbing beans the best I could :nowink:
Picked raspberries, green beans and the purple podded, lots of chatting, and put the world to rights :lol: got home just before the rain started :)
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Wow! Plot looks amazing Budgetbus. You've done a great job - look forward to more photos on your FB page. Can I add you as a friend? ;-)
Mandy
Yes no worries. :)
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Well done, budgetbus :D Where is your tractor now? Can't see on the new photos ???
Lazy day was for me after heavy rain last night. Just burned some chopped bamboo and old timber. Have very strong feeling, that autumn coming soon - not that hot anymore, days little bit shorter, tomatoes slow down. On the good side cabbage looks better and soon will time to plant carrot, beetroot(hell yeah!!!), onion and broccoli :D
The tractor is my mates and we have the plot between us. We did some work on it yesterday as the weather is wet :lol:
Todays allotment work consisted on watching Gardners world on Iplayer :lol:
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popped down between showers, was expecting some tomatoes to be ripe, picked a bowl full, some chard, and a winter squash, plus a big bowl of raspberries, stopped off on the way home and picked up merangue, cream and ice cream, just sitting enjoying the fruits of my labours mmmmmh.
Grendel (who now has no raspberries left)
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Cleared out all the old tomato plants from the mini polytunnel, picked 7lb of raspberries (been away all week) and a carrier bag of runner beans.
Dug up what I thought was going to a be a kestrel potato plant, only to discover it was a volunteer congo black from last season.
Last season they had all been very small and disappointing -- had two that were over five inches long and loads that were 2 to 3 inches. Wow!
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the paths are done :D :D :D
alot of hard work but well worth it
whats next you might think as always something, well, the front is pretty plain and boring and so much space but have to have room to park. need to think and plan which i enjoy so looking forward to next bit :)
let alone the crop rotation plan :lol:
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got to allotment today not been able to get there since wednesday. rain and thunderstorms yesterday.
picked 12 sweetcorn some cobs ok others not pollinated very well but 4ish cobs per plant
4ib raspberries now in process of making raspberry jelly vals recipe
1 very large pumpkin by accident cut the wrong stem as i was cutting back side shoots oops!
cut 2 butternut squash only small but look ripe
shut myself in shed half way through picking raspberries as had very heavy rain for about 15 mins so made a cuppa and looked out of window pleading for rain to stop as was running out of time
picked a carrier bag full of french beans again we do love beans but you can have to many
will have to try and get there again tomorrow weeding needs to be done
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Checked on Jessica's pumpkin - looking good still!
My new plot neighbours have given me their old guttering for my shed as I had none - very kind of them (and if you're on this site THANK YOU!!!)
:D
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Not done any weeding for almost 3 weeks due to holidays etc and pleasingly only took me about 4 hours - which aint so bad as it included doing all the paths
Chatted loads - found out ive a new neighbour - not there yet but their plot has been rotavated - hopefully they will keep the weeds down!!
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Always good to meet the neighbours gazza :D
Picked another couple of pounds of raspberries and some yellow courgettes, dug up some enormous kestrels (2nd early spuds) took the tomatoes out of the big cloche as they have now been struck with blight - just the ones at home in the green house now), weeded the newly emerging carrot, spring onion and spinach seedlings, took up the last of the carrots which were riddled with carrot fly grubs, and bagged them up to dispose of.
Cut up loads of stuff for the compost bin, which I really enjoyed in the sunshine :)
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Dug out three more big tubs of blackthorn root (some were thicker than my arm), pulled some mutant sized radish (a mixture of being away for a week and back successional sowing), gave away a carrier bag of salad leaves as I have more than I can eat, and roughly weeded.
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picked and dug
spuds
runners
beet
courgettes
squash
for a fdriend to have
weeded the giant winter cabbage (savoy) they are measuing 63 inches across from leaf tip to leaf tip and show no signs of bolting etc the heads are the size of footballs or bigger
went home baked bread pickled beetroot and am now having a large one as per normal
and i am in the course of cooking stuffed chicken with bacon and salad for the wifes dinner
have fun
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went to the plot, picked ghurkins, courgettes, chard, beans (for seed) and pulled the remaining cherokee bean plants out.
Grendel
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Watered the polytunnel as the cucumbers are still going strong
Picked my one melon ( 2ins in diameter :lol: )
Picked another kilo of raspberries
Admired my germinated spinach :D
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Off to the compost bin went
Chard
Lettuce
3x Courgette plants
Spring onions
beetroot
Sweat peas
dwarf French beans
3 x Californian wonder peppers.
Digging things over its dry down to a spades depth :(
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Gathered an armful of runner beans and a box of raspberries.
Thought long and hard about whether to start digging up my maincrop potatoes, but the foliage is still good and green on lots of them......... :unsure: :unsure:
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Dug up four rows of Potatoes (Maris Piper) which are now in store. Today the next three rows :ohmy: :ohmy:
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Have not done any weeding for a fortnight because have had a chest infection - so lots of weeding to do today. Yesterday - just watered - we have had very little rain recently and the ground is very dry (but this has not stopped the weeds growing).
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pulled up my pea sticks and weeded where the peas were, ready to dig the area on Monday.
Grendel
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watered/fed everything that needed it and did 10 mins weeding, before my back started complaining ::) so had a chat instead ;)
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I didn't do anything at all .... got home from work and started tea, then (by the time I sat down to eat it) it got dark all of a sudden.... :tongue2:
Guess a trip down there tomorrow will make me think about what I need to clear in the tunnel to make way for stuff to overwinter.... :unsure:
Mandy
PS - I love to chat too Mum.... :lol:
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Had really good intentions of weeding the garden plots - OH dragged me out for a long walk and then I was too tired for gardening. ::) ::) The walk was really good though - a lovely mild day.
No watering needed to day - the sky sprinkler did it all for me. :) Much too wet for any weeding.
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Put up a poly tunnel. Today I plan to go and build the raised beds inside...
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Over last week i built a 109 SQ FT chicken run & moved the girls in. Put up a new shed, moved some Raspberry canes & Rhubarb & dug over the bottom plot. Need to sort out the compost area & make room for another fruit tree & an area for having a fire :)
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well since I wont be able to get to the plot for a week and a bit after today, I popped down the plot and rotovated all the bits that had been cleared from potatoes, beans and peas. 2 hours to do both plots, also picked tomatoes, raspberries, a couple of squash, and a few courgettes.
all done and looking tidy while I have a break.
Grendel
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Beans still going strong so cleared around them & removed pea supports.
Straightened the paths on both sides & cut the grass on the path next to mine as the plot holder doesn't do anything to his. ( Can't understand how he's allowed to keep it!)
Turned the soil with the Mantis (Great bit of kit :D ) & put 2 different Cabbage seeds in. Hopefully they'll grow for next spring.
Spring onion seeds going in next.
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Hi
Ive got one of those green webbed greenhouses,disaster today the metal zip fastener snapped,the teeth are only plastic and after a bit of use dont fit together properly.
Its been very windy here today and had to botch up the door with duck tape to try and keep the wind out,hope its still there tomorrow!
Made a coldframe from wooden crate,(free from fireplace shop),and some glass window frames (free from glazing skip).Only had to pay for some screws and wood preservative.My time was free as well.
Carl
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Added two whole dustbinfuls of pond weed to our compost bin, and mixed in plenty of shredded paper as a 'brown' ingredient.
Also picked a pound of raspberries :)
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Picked some tomatoes, runner beans, beetroot for pickling, and, sadly, the last of the onions some of which have white rot. Fingers crossed for the leeks right next to them. Oh! and a good punnet of strawberries.
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Went down this morning to check-up and feared the worst. However, the new poly tunnel is still standing despite the howling winds:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ft5wd385hQE/TmXPMNUyGII/AAAAAAAACE0/6NcJuq253Y0/s400/IMG_20110906_081852.jpg)
Carrot cloche didn't fair so well:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LTIXsTA-5Gk/TmXPjN7587I/AAAAAAAACE8/grkoOKFD5Ds/s400/IMG_20110906_081737.jpg)
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tried to count things taken by storm, but had also some other thing to do, so...
anyway, keep smile and thinking to move to "livestock" category
P.S. i think i need some of those poly-bla-bla-bla things for coming winter
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went to the plot and found that my 6-8 tons of manure had been delivered :D and i have taken 3 different samples from the heap and planted peas in the pots and i have mixed with my own soil
then i heard a crack and turned to see the wind snapping the canes on my runner beans so i picked as many as i could and have repaired as far as poss
im waiting to pick more
bagged up 150ish kilos of spuds i dug up yesterday
ive just boiled and mashed afurther 40 kilos that would not have stored well and now im off up to the MIL to put them in our freezer also im having a pint of snakepint while i type this :tongue2:
hows your day been?
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Really windy today,went to see if polytunnel was still there,luckily it was.
However tomato poly greenhouse had been bashed about.Fixed guttering on sheds
that had come off.Did a bit of weeding but got fed up being battered by wind.
Carl
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dug for 5 hours as conditions were perfect ready to rotavate later in the year
potted 18 runners (strawbs)
picked runner beans and some cooking apples
came home and moved the cold frames now im a having a cold beer
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cut off the peas leaving the roots in the ground ;) spread some manure about checked on my pumpkins and squash (felt very proud, if not smug) still no sign of any broccoli florets yet :( harvested the last of the peas,french beans,still a few more runners yet, pulled up some beetroot, dug up some not so new potatoes, loaded up my bike and wobbled home (not me my push bike under the weight of my pickings) :D
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I think you sent all that wind to Denmark. Heavy rain yesterday and storm winds today made everything hard work. Trying to hold raspberry canes still while picking, and making sure the container didn’t blow over isn’t easy!
But took home parsnips, broccoli, carrots, beetroot, courgette, few beans, leaf beet, rosemary, thyme, red onions, ordy onions, shalllots and garlic (all those from basket behind shed)........and raspberries. Hope the wind ceases soon! (And the rain!)
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In the garden today, so cut all the herbs back, some are tied up for drying in the back porch..the house smells Greek now ;)
Picked another few bowls of toms from the greenhouses and gave the plants another trim of the brown furry bits >:( Picked the last 4 peppers - 3 red, 1 still green..but everythings getting Botrytis now, so I've given up the battle with the peppers....I think the last few toms will just about ripen before the tom plants give up the ghost :)
I binned one of the courgettes which was withered, but left the other one as there are a few babies on it...they might just make it :)
Had a bit of a tidy up of mildewed leaves on the pumpkins and sweetpeas and plants blown over
and filled 3 binbags to take up to the plot later.
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Not as much time as i had hoped for but still got pleanty done. Dug the last but one row of potatoes, picked most of my runner beans, picked the french beans that were ready, picked a couple of kilos of raspberries ??? and hoed around my brassicas, collected the windfall apples, watered and fed the toms, weeded around my parsnips and foun the one last carrot - which was a whopper! woo hoo!
refixed the netting over my brussels and gave them lots of love and attention, told my PSB off, as i don't think it is performing as well as it could, cut back some of the old raspberry canes from earlier in the year and weeded around one set of raspberry canes ready for cutting back later in the year.
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Just wandered up to take the kitchen peelings for the compost bin, and saw there was delivery from the stables, and it was going as fast as it was off-loading ::)
Spoke to the owner she said the horses are only grass fed at this time of year and the bedding is wood chips, and she uses no weed killer on the fields - so it shoud be ok, but I'll test before it goes on the beds ;)
6 barrowloads later....I'm now home waiting for the bath to fill :lol:
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Just cut the paths and trimmed the edges on both plots. Now looking neat and tidy.
Made a mental note of where to start clearing the plots and winter digging.
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Picked courgettes, French beans, beetroot, last sweetcorn, few raspberries and blackberries. Tomatoes & cucumber from the greenhouse. Everything seems to be slowing down. It's been too dry this year overall
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Live in Lancs and its been windy so spent some time putting in extra guy -type ropes onto my runner bean canes which were leaning at a precarious angle. Still lots of beans and didn't want to lose them. Warning that there is very windy weather coming on Tuesday so strapping everything down!!
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Hoe hoe hoe! Sprayed the middles of the Romanesco as mealy bugs had started munching the middles..this is the 2nd year they've done that :mad:
Clouds of whitefly on the winter cabbage, but couldn't sea any mealies on them.
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Weeding, harvesting a carrier bag of runners (only just started cropping properly), eating raspberries as I work. Another 6 Courgettes (I think i went a wee bit mad with these) Carrots for tea (The ones I have had tast great but not that many) Pulled the last lot of onions for drying.
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Restaked the runners that came down again - can see them being a goner tonight/tommorow so picked what i could,
Weeded 3/4 of the plot - which was hard work - havent been able to get there too much lately.
Had a chat....................
Came home and having a beer 8)
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Hand weeded all the curly kale and the most recent of the khol rabi sowings.
Picked a box of raspberries, some beans, couple of courgettes for DIL, who came to see ho we were geting on.
Watched Mr Sunny dig up a crate full of pink fir apples (all from 5 tubers :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:)
Ate our lunch in the shed as it was raining and then all went home.
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:) Tied the french beans back down, emptied the water in the wheelbarrow into the pond... picked courgettes and french beans, had to bring home a small pumpkin as his plant has vanished??? Then I weeded and despaired at the mess... so I came home and joined here ;)
Baking courgette cheese and chilli scones :D
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Nothing - far too wet and windy. ::) ::)
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Picked a red drumhead for dinner. :)
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went down and picked 20 sweetcorn, a savoy cabbage (for tea) and the last of the runner and french beans, really chuffed.
weeded, although not much as i think we might be winning the war (don't worry i'm touching wood :D ) mind you the hours we have put in we should be winning!!! :tongue2: :tongue2:
sadly the kale has been totally ruined by whitefly :mad: :mad: (or am i wrong??) it has took the worst of it although sprouts have been done over aswell :( but i'll learn for next year plenty of tips on here many thanks to all :D
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long time no see :D i think it's time for me to shift into a "large scale" category - leased about 2000sq m of flat sandy stone-free land. it's time to study about suitable machines ???
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Dug up some potatoes (don't remember the variety), a savoy cabbage, a swede, a courgette that had been missed previously and is now a marrow and some red cabbage for pickling.
Pulled out - Carrots all got by root fly, sweetcorn too late (rubbish weather) and tomotoes with botrytis.
A weekend of mixed fortunes.
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Went up worried about wind damage but the runners were not really lush enough to form much of a wind break.
Harvested about 3 kilos of Gardeners Delight - a couple of green peppers and checked the sweetcorn.
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moved some more muck, and dug up the Red Hot Poker plant that was by the shed...I'll put some sweetpeas there next year :)
Picked some bean seeds for saving
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dug up 30+ sweetcorn plants that had been eaten by something???? however, harvested 10 of my 2nd batch of sweetcorn that has been left alone ::)..for now!
dug up my axona spuds, a little scabby(i should have dug them up by now) and not a great yield, but look ok, i am yet to taste.
came home and cleared up all my diseased tomato plants at home and cleared out the wood store for the delivery of new logs tomorrow......winter is coming :(
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Brought home three more turks turban squashes and a largish orange one.
Picked a box of raspberries, a big bunch of dahlias, some courgettes and several James Greave apples that had bird pecks in them, the last few of the conference pears, a few runners still nice enough to eat and one single strawberry (another one all on its own :lol: )
And ten luscious radishes :)
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Pulled out the dying cucumber plants which after a bad start have done really well this year but they did not like the cooler temperatures in the GH. Pulled out a dead courgette and found a small marrow :D gave it to a friend whose OH likes courgettes. Removed the stalks of the sweetcorn plants that have been eaten - still have about a dozen to go - and weeded where cleared.
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What did I do on the plot today?
Picked up my drying spuds & onions then ran away as it started thundering & lightning! :ohmy:
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dug up 30+ sweetcorn plants that had been eaten by something???? however, harvested 10 of my 2nd batch of sweetcorn that has been left alone ::)..for now!
dug up my axona spuds, a little scabby(i should have dug them up by now) and not a great yield, but look ok, i am yet to taste.
came home and cleared up all my diseased tomato plants at home and cleared out the wood store for the delivery of new logs tomorrow......winter is coming :(
sweetcorn - check for ants around.
yeah, winter is coming, thanks for remind me. i have to shift firewood into the shed
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Weeded and dug over three of my raised beds, then cleared a bit of wasteland, not much but its an all day sort of job for one just to clear that one bit.
My courgette plants had died so I just salvaged two small courgettes picked some french beans, these have nearly finished now and have been wind battered.
My green manure seedlings are coming thru. :happy:
Picked a biggish pumpkin, its tallish but a nice colour so I hope it lasts for halloween. Put straw under the little ones.
Worried about the sweetcorn. (looks small)
put some comfrey into my stink tank.
Got quite a bit done today three hours worth.
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back from holidays, 8 hours driving towing the caravan - visit to the 2 half plots scheduled for tomorrow.- too tired to do it tonight.
Grendel
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Picked tomatoes - cropping well now. Weeded 3 of the raised beds. Picked courgettes, cabbage and started to dig up the maincrop potatoes.
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half a bucket of tomatoes, a bucket of courgettes squash and broccoli, and a good casserole dish of raspberries, all picked between showers.
Grendel
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Checked on the plot, didn't do much other than turn compost bins. Then went home and emptied out the dalek there which was full. Pretty tired out now :)
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Out with the climbing French beans
Out with the runner beans
The bed was bone dry and completely lifeless, not a worm in sight.
Started to dig up the path to put in some anti-badger measures as the old bloke next door refuses to do anything about his "fence". In the 10ft I managed to dig I removed 12 complete house bricks, 2 roof tiles and a complete concrete building block :ohmy: No wonder the grass was finding it hard work.
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Finally dug my last new potatos :wub:
Dug over the whole of the potato patch, I can't beleive how much better the soil condition is, and how fewer out crops of bindweed root i have compared to when i took it over three years ago. Feeling very happy about that!!!
Picked about half a pound of strawberries, about a pound of raspberries, frech and runner beans, swept the path, chatted with my lovely neighbour who gave me a whole tomatoe plant (vilma i beleive, they are tiny tiny little cherry toms that are so flavourful they hurt after about three or four) He struggles to harvest the hundreds of trusses/vines so gave me a plant, we halved the harvest and i still have enough to smother in olive oil, roast then puree with tonnes of roast garlic. :D
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Don't have a lottie as yet just a small garden but harvested last of the potatoes (grown in bags), picked all greenhouse tomatoes (all ripened when I was away last week), picked the last of the yellow courgettes I've grown. Moved lettuce, rocket and radish into the greenhouse to give warmth and hopefully continue growing. Sown broad beans to overwinter - hopefully. Detached strawberry runners from main plants.
Also dug over the small plot I use for veggies. Busy day. Loved every minute in the garden today.
Jenny
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Yesterday i planted out 50 onion sets, 50 spring cabbage, grown from seed. Managed to dig over 1 bed ready for garlic. Cleared remaining tomato leaves in the hope that the green toms will ripen. Picked runner beans, last of the courgettes (won't plant so many next year!) and a few carrots. Brussels and Cauliflower are coming along fine. General tidy up, a bit of re-construstion to make a seating area, and planted 20+ daffodil bulbs in various pots. Not forgetting the odd chat and cups of coffee,oh and visit from daugter and good lady, all in all a day well spent.
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found out, that big(half inch) black ants finished my attempt to grow sweet corn at my place >:(
on the good side - my lovely tomatoes made some seedlings for me. now i need vinyl house :D
suddenly rain started
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tomatoes got blight, so they got pulled up this evening, got 2 buckets full of not so great green tomatoes. and a pile of stalks that need burning.
Grendel
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Picked some more beans & tomatoes, cut the grass, moved the compost heaps, moved the Tayberries & made space for a fire & made a new plot number sign.
Whole plot has now been done, just got to clean the chickens out this week.
Must be more to do as I love it up there!
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Picked last courgette. :(
Hacked off all the flowering shoots on my Florence Fennel (the solution to early bolting? - I don't think so but it made me feel better!)
Checked my leeks for the umpteenth time since I read about the leek moth moving north (not here, at least not yet!) :)
Told my second batch of sweetcorn (the cobs are looking much bigger than the first batch :)) that they are in for some warm sunshine for the next few days (didn't tell them what would happen next if they ripen well, or that I am probably lying about the weather!) :wacko:
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Carted off the sweetcorn stems to the communal dump.
Pulled up the beans for drying and took the whole plants home to dry off properly -- too much dew now for them to dry completely now.
Picked 2lb or so of raspberries, couple of courgettes
Also managed to pick another pound of sloes from the hedgerow --more sloe gin coming up for pressies later in the year :D :D :D
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yesterday very strong storm striked the area. lucky, no damages to the house(but have to cut some broken trees and tidy up roof), just no power for about 20hours and roads been blocked. So.... spent whole day with chainsaw, spade and wheel barrow, but can go to town now :D
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Removed old courgette plants - found two small marrows hiding under leaves. Started autumn/winter digging. Picked and pickled enough hot peppers for two jars with lots more to come.
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hoed around seedlings, pulled old brassica leaves off. Fed and watered pumpkin I found hiding under the leaves ::)
Picked a few skinny leeks for lunch, a red cabbage (the top was going slimey - but inside was fine) and a bowl of raspberries.
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Removed old courgette plants - found two small marrows hiding under leaves. Started autumn/winter digging. Picked and pickled enough hot peppers for two jars with lots more to come.
Me too! There's always a couple sneaky ones hiding away. Gave the grass a goodstrim as well. Might be the last cut of the year.
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pulled down the runner beans and weeded round the sweetcorn
Grendel
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Just got my 1/2 plot yesterday! I've been and cut the grass and weeds in half for digging in on Saturday and have discovered that the last person has grown roses! Will try and get these out Sat too....
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Cleared our remaining carrots - riddled with wireworm and rootfly damage
Dug up Maris Piper maincrop spuds - riddled with wireworm and scabby
Dug up Desiree maincrop spuds - riddled with wireworm and scabby.
..... bit of a theme developing here...
.... still, there's always next year
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Next year, following a scourge on those wireworms and some envrinonmesh I guess, Kell :D :ohmy: :nowink:
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barrowed 60 lots manure with 3 tonnes to go
now having a beer
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Managed to reach from my trusty scooter to pick a few beans. Looked at the happily thriving weeds and, frustratingly, had to leave them there.
Give me a few weeks and they'll be hoed into submission! :)
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More Autumn digging - a little bit at a time. Found some worms - really pleased as when the new veggie patch was opened up in spring there were none. Strange what makes us gardeners happy. :) :)
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I'm glad you've got some worms now Springlands. :)
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digging and cleaning .picked some strawberrys and we have loads of pears still lovely ones :nowink:so apple and pear crumble :D.
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dropped off 3 buckets of rotten apples for the compost, and strimmed the paths to keep them neat.
Grendel
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Finished clearing and digging plot for next year's spuds. Now deliberating whether or not to sow green manure on it.
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Moved another 4 barrow loads of manure..the squash will enjoy it next year I'm sure ;)
and happy day! I found a butternut that may just get big enough to eat by the end of this warm spell :D
Hand weeded the carrots and spring onions. Watered the Pak Choi which looked a bit sad in the sun.
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Dug up all potatoes. There were lots and big.....but many were green because the rain (cloudbursts) had washed soil off them, and battered the earth so it was like cement. Frustrating! Also the worms were having a feast. So I had to sort good from bad, and drive the rubbish to the tip.
Also harvested last broad beans, and parsnips, leeks and parsley. Do broad beans usually last from June to late September? Lovely weather, so I also sat in the sun!
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trod the bed where the Winter cauli plants are going. Raked it and gave it a good watering to settle it as it was dry as a bone :( Decided to put the transplants into modules rather than plant in this heat...so will do that in a minute :)
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My plot is my garden (still waiting for a lottie). So the pyracantha hedge was trimmed today. Also tidied the garage and the shed. Found my Dad's old and rusted billhook. Dont know how to dispose of it. I could get some strange looks taking that to the tip.
Jenny
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Harvested a three foot long marrow with three of the children from school, who had never been to an allotment site before.
They loved it :D
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Tomatoes, courgettes, cabbages, broccoli, ..... Autumn digging, etc., etc.. Surprised myself with a few strawberries :)
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watered toms and peppers in g/house, picked a few more raspberries, ate them ;) and then did a bit of hoeing :)
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My garden (= plot) includes a pond which today I decided to get down on hands and knees to clear out as much as possible as the water was still quite warm.
Heaved out what once upon a time was a little potted waterlily from BQ (but now resembles something from another planet :ohmy:) at great risk to my back, disturbed several frogs which were even less impressed by the proceedings than I was, and finished up with a huge pile of "stuff" which appears to be bigger than the entire volume of the pond (it will all eventually finish up in the compost heap.) :unsure: :)
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following a full days gardening at home, went down the lottie for a couple of hours this evening....dug in lots of compost from the home compost heap, harvested a sackfull of carrots, some japanese type spring onions, and planted some broccoli plants that i (cheated) and bought from the garden center ::)
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Polished blades on my F200 by tilling new plot :D
Found some beetroot plants come out. Hell yeah!
This morning found out, that i have another pests - wild rabbits. Bustards ate leaves on sweet potato plants >:(
Also big black ants now trying taste of okura >:(
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Spent an hour on the allotment in the evening sunshine 8), and came back with a veritable haul:
Apples
Raspberries (quality and quantity reducing now on the 'Autumn Bliss')
Courgettes still going strong
Beetroot
Spring Onions
A Savoy
Austrian Cooking Radish
Sweetcorn - the last cobs
and
some small florets of calabrese.
::)
Must do some digging tomorrow evening, weather permitting.
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JayG....i took inspiration from your post and decided to clear out my water feature (also known as the frog pond ::))....they were not too happy, but i have been waiting all year to reclaim it after seeing all the frog spawn in there in the spring and monitoring all of the tiny frogs all summer........enough is enough!!!! i wanted my water feature back :lol:
after a days hard work of sorting out and the replanting around 'MY' water feature and replacing all of the stones beautifully, i sat, covered in mud, with a glass of wine and enjoyed the fruits of my labour :)..........ten minutes later, i see mother frog sitting in the water feature...which is now acting as frog jacuzzi....giving me the evils :lol:
edited to add....they have their own pond in the wildlife part of my garden that they seem to think is beneath them :nowink:
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I've finished pruning back the hawthorn hedge (150 feet of it) to a manageable height and now I'm building some cold frames out of old doors in readyness for the spring, also making some sturdy moveable netted frames for the cabbages.
Fresh pears off the tree for breakfast this morning! mmmmm :)
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i think I'm going to collect a pine double bedhead I saw dumped on the way into work and make a pair of shelves for breadbaskets of empty pots... :)
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Still digging :lol: bit hot to do too much 8) I'm hoping the heat gives my sweetcorn a boost but I will have to pick it next time I think it's finished but the cobs are so weedy. Picked some cabbage (soaking the slugs off it in the bucket now) *shudder*
My goji berry plant has arrived so I'm following the advice that I should keep it in the house now until spring, its bigger than I expected and might survive the winter but its best to follow the advice.
Going to buy my winter planting onions going to do loads so things look busy up there (because of my inspection)
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Unreeled my long garden hose and nozzle from their winter hibernation places ( :ohmy: ::)) and watered the garden. I think this may be a "first" for me at this time of year, especially in shirt-sleeves because of the heat and having to do it before 1800 because it gets dark so early. :unsure:
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Today was a mainly tidying day. Had a go at chipping the weeds away on the outside of Plot2 so now have a piece of clear ground for delivery of some manure.
Continued digging over and clearing this plot as well removing dock roots by the dozen. At least some progress could be seen. About a quarter of the plot to go! :tongue2:
Cleared the chard and peas but not before I had collected a load of dried seed ready for using next year.
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JayG....i took inspiration from your post and decided to clear out my water feature (also known as the frog pond ::))....they were not too happy, but i have been waiting all year to reclaim it after seeing all the frog spawn in there in the spring and monitoring all of the tiny frogs all summer........enough is enough!!!! i wanted my water feature back :lol:
after a days hard work of sorting out and the replanting around 'MY' water feature and replacing all of the stones beautifully, i sat, covered in mud, with a glass of wine and enjoyed the fruits of my labour :)..........ten minutes later, i see mother frog sitting in the water feature...which is now acting as frog jacuzzi....giving me the evils :lol:
edited to add....they have their own pond in the wildlife part of my garden that they seem to think is beneath them :nowink:
Don't be so greedy :) more frogs=less insects=better for plot. Also what is the summer without croaking frogs and cicades ;)
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Winter digging until it started to persist down with rain (and has not stopped since the only thing that changes is the intensity). :wacko:
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I took the next door neighbour up the plots with me so he could help me to lift the Atlantic Giant pumpkin. His family are having it :) :) To hot to do any Winter digging :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:and besides the ground is like concrete!
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Digging and weeding today - turned over some empty plots and spent a lot of time digging out dock seedlings (one bed was particulary bad, full of the things) - wondering if there is a better tool for removing them other than digging them out with a hand fork?
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More tomatoes(http://)
Next year I'll have to grow fewer plants, the freezer is full, chutney is made, and there's a good lot of tomatoes still on the plants to ripen. A really good crop of Pink Brandywine - absolutely delicious!
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Cleared out the mini tunnel ready for winter lettuces --- could only do 10 mins at a time as I nearly melted with the heat.
Cut a big bunch of dahlias too :D
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Prepared the bed for onion sets, garlic etc once the weather cools down, cleared the last of the weeds where the spring cabbage plants are being planted out (ditto)
Mr Sunny replaced the path in the mini tunnel, and built raised beds along bit side and across the back to stop the soil cascading onto the pathe when I water things.
FRom the weather forecast, I shll be a-plantin' next week :ohmy:
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More digging on Plot 96/97, still on the case of the dock roots. At least I can see some progress, and have reached a point where it has been cleared beyond where I intending planting a gage tree (Oullins Golden Gage on order from Agroforestry Research Trust) and creating additional strawberry and asparagus beds.
Lifted a few tatties, and now have planted up the space with some overwinter spring onions and garlic.
And boy was it warm out there today! 8)
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Pruned the (elderly, disease-ridden) apple tree back, dug up the dahlias in advance of the frost, picked a load of tomatoes most of which are splitting and only good for passata now, ate a nice handful of raspberries (managing to avoid the shield bugs which are all over them and not that nice to take a bite out of), dug in the mustard on the old spud bed, put in some forage peas donated by the nice Polish chap in the allotment next door, dug a few beds over and cleared some of the dead flowers, making sure to harvest the seeds. Five hours of work on a simply brilliant autumn day, followed by a nice cold beer. What a shame the nights are drawing in so fast.
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Built two new raised beds and discovered that, following the addition of some seaweed a few weeks back I have a compost bin half full of some rather lovely looking compost. Will be adding the to the new beds next weekend :D
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Cut down and harvested some blight hit second crop spuds (so much for Christmas), build and placed two bed edges (eight by sixteen) and then dug, weeded and levelled the paths between them.
Also harvested some salad, beetroot and carrots that would have been in the new path.
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planted winter garlic (cleopatra)
dug some stinging nettles out ???
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Tidied up all the poles/canes so I could get at the shed to paint it.
Emptied and cleaned the smelly water butts. Gave the shed another coat.
Moved 4 barrows of manure....picked the dry purple bean pods - seeds for growing next year :)
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Cannot do anything - the ground is just too wet from all of the rain. One bucket has about six inches of rain water in it - just shows how bad it was here at the weekend.
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Sorry to hear that Springlands. Just shows how things are in different parts of the country. I was watering for 2hrs this afternoon bone dry here, was planting Spring Cabbage and Foxgloves and could not make a hole to plant them as the sides of the hole kept falling in .(just like Skegness beach)
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Yesterday almost finished reframing shed, did some job around tea farm. Today will go to the new plot, hopefully will finish till soil(about 500sq m left).
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Yesterday almost finished reframing shed, did some job around tea farm. Today will go to the new plot, hopefully will finish till soil(about 500sq m left).
Vit - I would be interested in hearing more about the tea farm.
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Vit - I would be interested in hearing more about the tea farm.
Feel free to ask questions. It's a small farm, giving about 30kg fresh leaves each season. That amount ended as about 6kg of green tea. Processed on the local small tea factory.
Yesterday failed to finish till soil - problems with fuel. I noticed it few times(and name of network gas station as well), when their petrol sits in the canister for a couple months, it changing quality. Let's say car(or whatever with few cylinders in engine) is ok or less sensitive, but cnainsaw, tiller, scooter. Harder to start and engine working not that smooth. So now i have to check carb and sparkplug of my lovely Honda F200. :( Reason to have some stock of petrol - when you have few trimmers, tiller, chainsaw etc and using them regular, you have "to have". Another reason - to choose gas station from few, i have to drive about 15km one way. :blush: So time to time, when i filling up van, also filling up 20l can. What i can say - i really miss quality of BP's fuels :wub:
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planted out all the strawb runners as they were getting pot pound such a lot of root for a tiny plant
when people say strawberries are hardy they are not wrong
i ripped ouyt my 5 year old bed forked it over and then used my rotavator on it,and my rotavator is a biggun and hey presto 3 weeks later all these runners started to pop up :blink: they are as hardy as rhubarb me thinks
beertime
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I agree, round my strawberries, all the weeds are turning brown and dying off, the strawberries however are still green, so to weed I just pull all the brown dead stuff out.
finally got to burn my blighted tomato plants now bonfires are allowed again. weeded and pulled up my sweetcorn plants.
Grendel
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yep, strawberrys are as nails my planters were encased in a soilid block of ice for about six weeks last winter and i swear they looked healthier for it when it thawed!
Anyway today i harvested borlotti beans, tried and failed to put up a solar shed light cos i couldn't find a knothole big enough to get the wire through (must get a cordless drill) and had a nice bottle of ale in the shed while the sun wen t down. Winter tats are, after a roaring start looking very upset :( , they've got the blight plus a bunch of other symptoms i've never seen before, time to get the books out
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a nice bottle of ale in the shed :D
this man is a man among allottments
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Dug up the last of the main crop potatoes, autumn digging the plot. More tomatoes! Why did Monty Don pull up his tomatoes (because there are only going to be a few to come). How many tomatoes each week do you need? I would be much happier if I could get a pound a week all year than ten pounds a week for five weeks :happy:
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Still digging and clearing the docks although the end is now well in sight after a couple of hours digging nigh on every day for the last 10 days.
At least now I have dug everywhere that I need, ready to plant the plums, blackberries and strawberry plants when they arrive.
As a break, lifted a couple of metres row of tatties. 13.5lb later! :tongue2:
That now means I have lifted 137lb so far this season with about 3 metres of row left to go. :)
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Lifted all the tomato plants out of the greenhouse. There was too much mould and if it was good enbough for Monty last night on Gardener's World then I am happy to go with it. A couple of plates of green ones to ripen on the kitchen window. They have been such a dissapointment this year but there is nothing I can do about the weather. :blink:
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Our site just had a delivery of compost/leafmould ...and a fair few twigs in it :nowink:
Just carted 4 barrows of it, as i've only got one dalekful of compost which won't go far.
Ive mulched around brussels and leeks. If there's any left tomorrow I'll put some around the raspberries as well.
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Put onions sets in, built a new frame for spring cabbages to go in, dug a bean trench and filled it with compost, turned manuar heap and moved some leeks.
Harvested some more tomatoes, two cabbages, a few leeks and a few good carrots that were not hit by the fly.
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Dug up some celeriac, leeks, celery and parsnip for tonight's meal. Put four sacks of sand on polytunnel floor preparatory to laying weed control fabric before pea-gravel goes on top of that. Tomatoes are still looking OK but picked half a dozen that are nearly ripe just in case mildew spoils them. Threw aubergines out as something has bored holes into them.
Made a resolution to forget about aubergines and melons next year. I've never had any success in the greenhouse and now in the tunnel
Took runner-bean wigwam down and harvested a large washing-up bowl of beans to be podded and used up.
Dug out a couple of sinister looking clumps of nettles and buttercup.
Got feet thoroughly soaked by wearing old shoes rather than more sensible wellies
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I bagged up 6 compost bags of seaweed off the beach and then piled them up on the allotment. See what happens. Hoping to use it well rotted on potatoes next year.
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I bagged up 6 compost bags of seaweed off the beach and then piled them up on the allotment. See what happens. Hoping to use it well rotted on potatoes next year.
Welcome to the messageboard :)
Today going to pick some chestnuts and persimmons. This morning saw another pest in the forest behind the house - wild deer.
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(yesterday) planted some broad beans, checked my onions hadn't popped out of the ground (if i hadn't gone they would have done) and did some MORE DIGGING..
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I've just dug a parsnip :)
I know its a bit early but i need one for some soup. :)
Thing is, i go on every year about sowing parsnips late so I will do again. :wub:
Sown this year on 19th May, and it was last years seed.
Not a show stopper but good enough for me. :happy: I know, i cut the root off 'cause i couldn't be bothered to get the fork :wub:
(http://i55.tinypic.com/5eep00.jpg)
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Did as planned plus fixed "new toy". It's and Iseki tiller 2HP 4stroke mounted on the frame with driving belt. Tomorrow will give it a chance :D
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took the strimmer down the plot, strimmed the nettles and weeds around the site stopcock, strimmed around the rest of the plot until I snagged some nylon line after which the head wouldnt turn - fixing time I think.
Grendel
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Finally put up our shed! At last somewhere to keep my stuff, hide from rain and make tea. Aaaaahhh! :happy:
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A quick visit to the allotment today just to check on it.
Lifted a few more beetroot and turnips
Managed a helping of Calabrese. (which went down very nice steamed with spuds and homemade cheese sauce for dinner)
Lifted a good bunch of Spring Onions
and
a small pick of the landcress
with an eyeful of raspberries (They really have finished now ? :tongue2: )
:)
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Played whole day with new "toy"(Iseki KC-20) :D . Ummm 2HP is not enough, especially engine is not in perfect condition(looks like previous owner/s never changed oil :blink:). One day more to finish plot. Autumn potatoes finally come out :D
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Having been away in Pembs for a week, yesterday I had to harvest a big box of Gardener's Delight toms. Thought I would have plenty of green toms this year but all have ripened. My Rainbow carrots have been badly flyed; my Autumn King barely touched.
Harvested the squash - good crop of "Squashkin", and some good Blue and Pink Bananas and a couple of nice "Invincible".
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Popped down before work to water the poly tunnel. Was surprised how dry the plot was so watered that as well...
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Watered the cucumber plants in the mini tunnel, grazed on the last few raspberries, picked some courgettes and then stood and looked at everything for ages.
Then thought a lot about where to plant the roses we are being gevn very soon and how i could fit more dahlias in next year without sacrificing any veg space....Hmmmmmm
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went and picked a few courgettes and some broccoli. hoed a few weeds.
Grendel
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I went and checked that the netting was saving my new cauli babies from the pigeons and that they hadn't dug up any of the newly planted onion sets. The foxes had dug a hole in the strawberry bed though! Why, I dunno...just cos they felt like it I spose ::)
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Removed the last of the outdoor toms from the bed beside the house and did some hand weeding - left the last courgette plant because it is still fruiting. Looked at the new veggie plot - totally flooded after all of the rain that we have had. Had a talk with the gardener who is going to cut down some trees for us and I am going to get him to re-open the drainage system that used to be on the plot many years ago before it got overgrown.
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Done with plot. Making blacklist of gas stations >:(
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Done with plot. Making blacklist of gas stations >:(
Explanation please :unsure:
Done with plot, does that mean you are finished for this year or you're never going back :unsure:
Blacklist of gas stations, why, have I missed something. :unsure:
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No, no, no :D for this year just beginning. I just finished till soil and remove roots of weeds - plot was not in use for about 3 years, but owner looked well after, so no bushes around :D It's time for garlic, cabbage, carrot, onion and maybe will do wheat(yes, that video on youtube). And it's definately not done for this year, because i will take one more plot, not sure about size(2000sq m or so), but it's neiborough's, so don't need to drive around.
Yesterday, on the way back, visited one shop, selling secondhand agricultural machines. :blink: Looks like scrap yard for me, but prices :blink: Looking for small rice harvesters, which, i believe, possible to harvest wheat. Very strange place. For Honda F200 old and rusty one they want more than for Mitsi or Iseki with 3.5HP engine on the frame and separate rotary in better condition :blink: Well, i know some places with better prices and this weekend have to pick up 5HP Mitsi with rotary :D
About gas stations - these days oil companies selling something called petrol, but it's obviously not - too much additives. No problem to burn that liquid in the car engine, but one cylinder small engines quite sensitive to the quality of the fuel, especially old ones. Don't you think, that %brand-name% designed 20 or 30 years ago specified to run on today's fuel? Not really. Well, the fuel is according to standarts, but still quality is slightly different. I noticed it while ago and didn't paid attention first, but now. Main issue - you CAN NOT store fuel for a long time. Seems one month is long time now - fuel changing color and smell. Not every company, but some of them. That's reality. You can make an experiment by yourself. Lucky if you will not meet such a thing. Not as advertizing, but the best fuel i had chance to use made by BP :wub: Unfortunately i can't get it now :(
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There you are Spana.
Moral of the story: choose your petrol carefully and use wisely :)
Best of luck with finding the rice harvester Vit. ;)
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Not so much a 'On the plot today' but more 'In the conservatory'.
Sat shelling peas that have been dried, ready for sowing next year.
Now got plenty of three varieties of pea in stock! :D
Also ordered some more garlic. Since Music is often praised on here, here goes with my trial of it.
:)
Hopefully the forecast is correct for the weekend, so it will be allotment here we come, once I've recovered from the last night shift tonight.
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Heavy rain whole night and this morning :blush: lucky, i put my machines in the garage last evening ::) maybe will drive around some scrap yard, chase cheap harvester, otherwise nothing to do outside
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Heavy rain whole night and this morning :blush: lucky, i put my machines in the garage last evening ::) maybe will drive around some scrap yard, chase cheap harvester, otherwise nothing to do outside
Rice harvester? ;)
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Managed to get a couple of hours in today - strimmed all the grass down, tested out the new digging hoe on a new bed I'd had covered for a while to kill off grass/weeds (worked very well, broke up the ground nicely). Plot looks fairly tidy now, although a bit empty (just leeks, small amount of winter radish and kohlrabi and some florence fennel left now, other than green manure). Guess I should start thinking about planting garlic..
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Back at the allotment for an hour today. Is it really Mid October cos it doesn't feel like it, padding around still in shorts! 8)
Tidied up the strawberry bed, now looks like someone owns it again!
Top dressed the rhubarb and cleared a patch where the red cabbage were.
Harvest Time :
Lifted some leeks. I fancied some leek & tattie soup!
Cut a lovely Savoy. They have done much better this season.
Picked a few more courgettes
Picked the last of the apples
And guess what.....
more raspberries.
Surely they have finished now!!!!!
:)
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Frost! So that was that summer! Spread manure from the riding school which is only ten minutes away. Cleared up the frosted plants and put in the compost....and sat in the sun. 9 degrees C but wonderful in the sun as there was no wind.
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Cleaned out one of my greenhouses, Harvested a basket of chillis. Mended a puncture on my wheelbarrow.
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took down bean canes, and dug compost into that bed. weeded around brassicas.
Pulled a few more leeks with moths :(
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Rice harvester? ;)
It looks like this
NJAXzl41-3wand suitable for both rice and wheat or barley. But i prefer this design with treshing unit
wwTE1t6ds94this is attachment to the mini "walk-behind" tractor.
And local mini machines looks like this
uHLAheoeDiI
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Amazing machines Vit! Thanks for the links. :)
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Brilliant bits of kit :) Very interesting clips :) Thanks :)
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Took down the bean poles.
Harvested last of courgettes, cucumber and patty pan squash.
Dug up remaining beetroot.
Harvested 2 huge red cabbage, 1 just started being got at by slugs.
Picked last of the peas.
Harvested 2 fennel and put fleece around remaining 2, due to frost forecast later in the week.
Planted the garlic - 3 varieties this year, Music, Purple Wight and Albigensian Wight
Picked some 'extra' cabbage growing from the stalks of earlier harvested Precoce de Louviers, cut with a knife - 4 new small cabbage as an extra.
Added some leaves from the garden to the leaf mould bin.
Other half digging over area where the fruit cage is going to go.
Lots of talking to neighbours.
A good day.
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yesterday picked up two walk-behind tractors with rotarys. very cheap for local prices, but both not going. one is kinda parts(no belts, some levers and pull-start missing) and another complete machine. so today will play around. both have 5 or 5.5hp 4-stroke engines, gearbox 3+1 and PTO for rotary. what i already noticed, Iseki have much better quality of painting - almost no rust. other machines i saw not bad, but more rusty
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Painted the surrounds for my veg beds, dug over one of the beds (was part dug but mostly hard, weed laden ground), planted out spring cabbage, and put in some garlic, elephant garlic and onions (three varieties), and covered these and the salad with fleece.
The last of these was done by torch light as it got dark sooner than I thought, and as always the jobs took longer....
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The last of these was done by torch light as it got dark sooner than I thought, and as always the jobs took longer....
sad, but true :blush:
Most of the day played around new toy, engine looks ok ,but had heavy oil leakage, so been covered by thick coat of dust-sand-oil mix :blink: ah, should make photos "before" and "after" for Equipment shed, too late - it's almost clean now :D
Requested quote from local seed supplier for wheat, barley and oat. Also requested info about linseed
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painted the newly made compost bin and had a really big moan about the foxes - who had unearthed many of my onion sets :mad:
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As I only took over the tenancy for my plot 5 days ago, and I inherited a jungle, yesterday afternoon and this morning was spent clearing 3 of 7 8x4 raised beds, strimming the overgrown grass and measuring the plot.
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harvested chillies rotavated on Tom hoed dick and checked on harry
then went to the pub to go over seed order for next year
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As I only took over the tenancy for my plot 5 days ago, and I inherited a jungle, yesterday afternoon and this morning was spent clearing 3 of 7 8x4 raised beds, strimming the overgrown grass and measuring the plot.
Good for you. I bet you were pleased to see the changes. :)
Take some photos so you can look back on your progress and achievements.
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Closed the last two vents on the side of the poly tunnel ahead of the forecast frosts later in the week, rescued the headphones I lost in the shed yesterday, and spread a few slug pellets under fleece I put down yesterday.
Then saw my beetroot, panicked about the frost, and harvested the lot...
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With frost about, harvested the last of the red and green "Gardener's Delight" and cleared the plants. Harvested the last of my bell-peppers "California Wonder". Watered the recently transplanted Purple Sprouting - Mole has been through them already! I think his name is Allain Rolland!
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Assembled engine on my new mini tractor and started it. Working well :D, will fix back fuel tank and replace fuel lines, than check gearbox and rotary
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ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! >:(
Drove down to the allotment (10mins) in which time the sun disappeared and a very large black cloud had appeared and promptly the heaven's opened.
Discretion being the better part of valour, decided nothing too pressing, so went home to mull over next year's seed orders again with a mug of coffee and a pasty.
Just dodged the showers at home and pulled the first parsnip from the raised veg plot in the back garden :)
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Not on the plot, but found another interesting video
oDr8VF2QIPMand one more
SZ3aVJKvhX8and even more
zaV6oYCEHNI
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Cleared and dug over 2 more raised bed. I've only been an allotmenteer for a week but at last the plot is now starting to look like an allotment instead of the overgrown jungle I took on. Took the tarpauline of a very wet area and forked it over to aid drainage. Previous encumbent had covered half the plot with tarpauline's and carpet. Not a bad afternoons work.
Jenny
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Retrieved some double glazed windows from glazing firms skip,then a large slatted wooden crate from fireplace shop,which they receive the fireplaces in,then painted it with wood preservative.
Now ready to make a coldframe with other double glazed glass,also from skip.
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Planted 235 Aquadulce Claudia broad bean seeds, bought loose for £2.59, and a pack of T & M`s First Early onion sets, which cost me £1.99 as opposed to their catalogue price of £4.49!
Harvested the very last runner beans, just enough for a meal, and more purple sprouting, which just keeps coming.
Very jealous of another plotholder, who was picking strawberries.
The new lady, near to me, has cut off all the summer raspberries on her plot, oh dear!
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Day started nicely and quietly - replaced wheels on the mini tractor, mounted engine, finished cleaning, did test-drive :D Gearbox looks ok, now need new driving belt and can fix and adjust rotary.
Dug out some satoimo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoimo , picked some piman(similar to paprika, but smaller). Tried some persimmons - they are getting sweet and soft, but this variety is very sticky :tongue2: And found lost >:( sweet potatoes - wild pigs shared them with me in not very polite way - took the best ones. Want catch that bustards and make some bacon :D Also today one neiborough visited my place, short chat and he confirmed, that wild rabbits are eatable - no parasites or diseases. Food coming to my door :D And don't tell me, that rabbits are so cute, they are tasty as well :D
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Cleared away the masses of slimy nastutiums after last night's frost, plus the sad looking courgette plants.
Planted three different sorts of garlic, two kinds of shallots and three types of autumn onions.
Watered the minitunnel as the lettuces and cucumbers are in there and I shan't be back to the plot until 30th October.
Harvested the last turks' turban squash, the only two (rather small ) butternuts and a small pumpkin that somehow had appeared in amongst the runner beans :lol:
Put a layer of debris netting over the florence fennel as didn't have time to harvest it. Let's hope it doesn't freeze before I'm back :unsure:
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yesterday I took the rotovator up one plot, it died of a sooted up plug just as I finished, tonight I was going to do the other plot, but after an hour of moving just a couple of hundred yards in the right direction I gave up as it was starting to get dark, tweaked the mixture and got the rotovator running before I left so at least I know its running.
Grendel
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yesterday I took the rotovator up one plot, it died of a sooted up plug just as I finished, tonight I was going to do the other plot, but after an hour of moving just a couple of hundred yards in the right direction I gave up as it was starting to get dark, tweaked the mixture and got the rotovator running before I left so at least I know its running.
Grendel
I bet that was a relief!! :) I worry about my poor little old Howard 200 conking out. It's almost grandma age but still doing its bit to help much to everyones amazement.
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mine dates from the early 70's I think.
Grendel
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mine dates from the early 70's I think.
Grendel
Mine was 2nd hand when my dad bought it in 1967. Amazing how the old ones just keep on going. ;)
(http://www.freesmileys.org/custom/image/yellow%5E_%5Earial%5E_%5E3%5E_%5E0%5E_%5EOff Topic - Sorry.%5E_%5E.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/custom)
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i hadn't been down the Lottie for several days last week in-fact when i harvested my potato crop which incidentally was the best i have grown for some years so i ventured down yesterday with a load of horse dung :D
the autumn frost had polished off the runner beans on all the plots including ours also most tender plants looked very sad :(
i was lucky that i had my tractor and not the car as the grass track on the Lottie is getting impassable for cars now until the spring and the incline from the Lottie to the road is definitely a no no for cars :unsure:
so i unloaded my dung and surveyed whats to be done today a clear up of the runner beans spead the dung in preparation for ploughing the ground next week still busy fetching tender plants into the greenhouse at home so must dash weathers looking fine the Lottie is waiting for me hopefully resume back to site latter TTNF :D :D :D
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The nearest I'm getting to an allotment, at the moment, is nipping into allotment forums. I'm hoping for a free week-end. :unsure:
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went to the other plot today, frost had got the remaining squash plants so I picked what I could then pulled up what was left, rotovated the plot, just a quick once over, used a whole tank of fuel. that should keep things going for a few days.
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Planted strawberry's into a raised bed. Strimmed around 7 raised beds.
Jenny
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Popped down at lunch time and watered in the poly tunnel.
Found the fleece I laid over the onions and garlic to keep the birds off ripped to shreds and with distinct, cat shaped, muddy foot prints in it. Need to go back tonight and put more fleece over it raised up on canes so that it's not lying on the floor and making a tempting looking bed for Mr Moggie.
Found the biggest of the spring cabbages I put in last week has the top half of each leaf missing. Used salvageable offcuts of the ripped fleece from the onions over the remains of it and the three smaller, untouched cabbages. I hope there is a pigeon around here with a bad case of indigestion.
Ate a French bean and a radish as I still hadn't eaten my lunch and was getting peckish. Made sure to nibble around the slug hole in the radish.
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Recycled some pallets and blocks from a builders skip to make the base for my GH in the new lottie.
Unscrewed the shed from the base frame and planned the move of the shed I bought from a neighbour lottie..
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Same as I have been doing for the last 7 days, clearing nettles / old carpets / old lino and tons of slate from my new allotment. I have completed one bed though, my neighbour was so impressed she went and fetched some onions for me to plant,,I was so excited about planting my first crop in the allotment I forgot to remember what the onions were called :blink:
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mine dates from the early 70's I think.
Grendel
Mine was 2nd hand when my dad bought it in 1967. Amazing how the old ones just keep on going. ;)
They been built to work, not to buy-and-dump :wub:
Yesterday went to the plot, tried to till some weeds, but soil was wet, so did just little bit. Had a chat with neigborough. He confirmed my guess about soil acidity, so i took some samples for test. Also found out place, where i can get FREE fresh horse manure, just have to pick up by myself. Finished day at home&garden centre - got some lime to correct pH level. Last night rain started and keep going now :blush: Looks like autumn, but maples are still green :D
daybreak :D
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Sounds like some very busy people on the plot. :)
I'm off to tackle the huge hedge along one side of a place we've just acquired for my elderly parents. Nice big garden but too much shade.
There's a patch of lawn at the far end and I'm hoping that will become a new veg garden as it's just across the road from where I live.
All I need is another Sunday in the week. ::)
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My sister wanted to see my newly acquired allotment, so I said 'bring your wellies and spade, I've a job for you!'. (I had a deep raised bed in the wrong place for the plans I've made.) So we cleared an 8 x 4 raised bed, all the soil (at least a ton) removed into another raised bed and then moved the existing raised bed into the correct position. Don't think she will be back any time soon. :)
Jenny
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Dug, dug, dug then dug some more... :)
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Brilliant day :D my lad jack came down with his strimmer and other big tools..I can walk right to the end of my allotment now and survey all that is mine!!! I have got loads of photo's but can't upload cus I've lost my card reader but will find soon hopefully. All the near neighbours brought their unwanted stuff round so now have chairs, camp cooker, more tools and a sandpit for little Ruby my granddaughter. Heaven :D
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Dug holes for the corner posts and placed the second two raised beds on the plot, cleared the lumps and weeds out of half a path, and dug over half of the bed I used to grow things in this summer now that it's vacant.
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I've been really busy today. moved the shed from another lottie and started to get the ground leveled for the greenhouse. Tomorrow raise the fence a couple of feet, do the base blocks for the GH to sit on then tidy all the pallets etc and get the all the piles of cut greenery ready for a bonfire!!
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jmc1949 what if not? :D
Everything is wet after last night rain :blush: so have time to work on rotary :D
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We spent the day
attacking tidying the new garden intending to plant some spring bulbs.
A low hedge along the front path was trimmed (I suggested we remove it). Then we decided to dig it out. ::) This was followed by trimming (?) another mixed hedge on the edge of the front garden and digging two new flower borders.
"Do you know where the pick axe is?" Guess what someone thinks I'm doing tomorrow!
I'm off to the plot to lift carrots, me!! ;)
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3 hrs of digging - extended the size of the main veg bed and forked some lime into the 'to be' brassica bed. Harvested half a carrier bag of sloes.
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3 hrs of digging - extended the size of the main veg bed and forked some lime into the 'to be' brassica bed. Harvested half a carrier bag of sloes.
I bet it's looking good. ;)
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Carried on winter digging on both plots which I must say are looking rather empty now.
There is something beautiful about a freshly dug plot, all nice and tidy. Or is it just me?
The Greenhouse on plot 6B is also now empty awaiting it's Sulphur Candle!
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In August I took down a wall,today I've been using the bricks to make pathways around my veg plot.
Also took down runner bean plants,and put on compost heap along with courgette plants.
Cleaned out greenhouse and removed aubergines(not very successful)
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Finally started to burn the woodpile left from winter damage to plum trees. Covered yesterday's plantings of garlic and onions .... Seems my nocturnal visitors enjoy garlic !?! I think I might lose this battle :(
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So much for lifting carrots and having a little dig. ???
We spent much of the day planting daffs and tulips again. :( Well that was how the idea started off yesterday. Today I shredded a massive heap of prunings, dug out another flower-bed and wheeled heavier twigs and branches to the end of the garden for a bonfire. The daffs and tulips are still in their bags. :blink: At least the old, unsightly overgrown hedging has gone. The light streamed in without it. :happy:
Carrots? I'll try again in my break time tomorrow.
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Fitted hooks and tool rack in the shed. Extended and made good the outer fenced entrance area. Stripped pallets - made and fitted a gate and some steps into my new lottie... there was quite a slippery slide into the plot.. :D
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Monday was quite good. Transplanted(!!!) beetroot and swiss chard - not so many plants appeared, so had to do that :blush: Spread some limestone powder(a day before i checked pH, so have to go down about 1 point) and tilled place after beetroot :wub: tomorrow is time for spi- spina- spi-nach(i don't like the names of some plants :D) also have to spread couple more bags of limestone powder and till again. It's not that hot now, so tiller keep going without overheating, even soil is wet after saturday rain. And the best news - i found rice reaper-binder. It's only for 1 row, but price is so sweet to reject, also looks like been used recently.
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Finished planting the strawberry bed. Also planted garlic. Then marked out the area where a new bed is going to be, then sat with a cup of coffee and admired my work!!
Jenny
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Finished planting the strawberry bed. Also planted garlic. Then marked out the area where a new bed is going to be, then sat with a cup of coffee and admired my work!!
Jenny
That's the way to do it!! :)
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Finished planting the strawberry bed. Also planted garlic. Then marked out the area where a new bed is going to be, then sat with a cup of coffee and admired my work!!
Jenny
That's the way to do it!! :)
I've only had my allotment for 2 weeks and I've spent much of the time clearing the raised beds, digging etc, but yesterday was the first time I sat back and looked at what I had achieved. I was so pleased with it. :)
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'I've only had my allotment for 2 weeks and I've spent much of the time clearing the raised beds, digging etc, but yesterday was the first time I sat back and looked at what I had achieved. I was so pleased with it. :)'
It's a great feeling, isn't it, Jenny. :)
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Hell yeah! Got both machines with quarter price to compare with other shop :D And they both working :blink: Just filled up and both engines start from second pull :D Tomorrow another day - swiss chard and some more beetroot will go into the soil
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Hell yeah! Got both machines with quarter price to compare with other shop And they both working Just filled up and both engines start from second pull
Great news Vit.
Any chance of a few pics of your land?
I bet it looks different to our allotments :)
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Yeah, can do some pics, but not today - already dark here :D Ummm place, where i living, placed in mountains, so definately different and leased land is... i would say similar, but size is about 2000sq m, same as most "farms" around. Absolutely flat, sandy soil without stones. pH little bit low(5.5-5.8), but it's normal here.
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What time is it there?
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Watered the poly tunnel, picked some salad, and discovered going to the allotment at lunch time in your work shoes after heavy rain is not a good idea.
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Piled all the odd planks from the pallets I've not used, raked up all the shrubbery I've cleared out, raked the weeds I've dug up, got some paraffin and poured it all over. Then had a bonfire... my new plot is looking a lot tidier now!! :D
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What time is it there?
GMT+9
Fresh morning here, weather forcast reported, that temperature is like end of november. Something like +12 or so :D Sun shining, sky is clear. Picked up few late tomatoes, some peppers, broccoli and basil. Time to go to another plot, so see you later :D
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Picked the last handful of runner beans and the last sweetcorn cob (been a funny year!) - hoiked out both sets of plants, chopped them up, and put them in the compost bin (there's gratitude for you!) ::)
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picked four giant savoys chopped and bagged and froze 23lb in weight :D then discovered that ive lost my wedding ring up the lotty :wub:
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Found a few Japonica Quince bushes with fruit on and some free apples on my rounds today. Busy making jelly right now!!
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Continued to lay manure over the new bed I have recently dug over. Helped OH put up fencing at the back of the plot.
Jenny
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Picked some more cavolo nero and leeks and believe it or not some peas still just about going. Added the remains of the courgettes to the compost heap. Planted the overwintering onions. Had a bonfire that was reluctant to get going and we are now quite smoked... Decided where to put a poly tunnel and to build that instead of having a greenhouse. Had a chat with other plot holders.
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cleared the manky brassica leaves to the compost bin, and picked a big swede and a parsnip to go with the Sunday roast ;) and a small celeriac for soups this week.
Weeded a bit of the onion bed.
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fitted some home-made plumbing on my greenhouse roof gutters for harvesting rainwater into my big 1000 lt IBC tank... still waiting for the tank from a friend :(
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I went there...that was a good start! :)
Lifted 90 wallflowers (Scarlet Bedder), dug over the patch they were in adding compost as I went... so that's one space sorted.
Pulled some beetroot, cut some kale and carefully collected a cute bunch of chrysanths. :)
At home... dug two new beds over at the bungalow, piled up the s*o*ds (bet this word gets zapped or intercepted..It did. I'm not using naughty words!! Honnest!) next to the new compost heap and plonked some stepping stones across the middle lawn.
We're getting there. Wallflowers in tomorrow!
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I cleared out my compost bin as it was jumping about - I think it was 2 mice in there that were about 3-4 inches long, with a tail, about 1 inch thick body. Just spead it staight on top of some ground I've cleared for planting rasberry bushes arriving soon. I'm now having a dilemma whether to have a bin or not?
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Fitted the second gutter to my shed - it only had a gutter on one side fitted by the previous owner. Also put some end plates on my steps (made of pallets) Re-positioned some Rasp plants..
Filled all the many holes with quick setting putty that were drilled in a water butt by a previous owner (don't people know water comes out of holes!!) :(
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today we sowed garlic, onions and rye grass.
Tried to make an old water tank water proof but it defeated me >:( so i turned it into a deep raised bed to be used in the spring and ended up buying a water butt as our water on our allotment gets turned off tomorrow. ::)
Sealed some gaps in the shed and left at lunchtime and went and had a drink at the local pub and felt satisfied about the weekend work. :D
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Doing nothing - relaxing monday. Everythig wet after last night rain :D
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Full 8 hours of clearing (Again) yesterday, mine is one of the largest plots on site and it is entirely covered in carpet, under the carpet is lino? and on top of the carpet is a couple of inches of soil with sturdy weed growth. I never ever want to see a carpet again!!
Got a nice space now for shelter and tea breaks though and as I was say yesterday admiring all my hard work a pheasant wandered onto the plot, not noticing me she spent sometime a short distance from me just picking over the freshly dug areas.
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Full 8 hours of clearing (Again) yesterday, mine is one of the largest plots on site and it is entirely covered in carpet, under the carpet is lino? and on top of the carpet is a couple of inches of soil with sturdy weed growth. I never ever want to see a carpet again!!
Got a nice space now for shelter and tea breaks though and as I was say yesterday admiring all my hard work a pheasant wandered onto the plot, not noticing me she spent sometime a short distance from me just picking over the freshly dug areas.
One question - how do you do rubbish removal?
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Concentrated on the bottom end of the garden and raised bed today, clearing weeds.
Also had to make an emergency repair on the shed, pinning down the roofing felt and whilst there, I took the opportunity to remove some of the ivy that has encroached around the shed.
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Not alot!! Went to lottie with the intention of painting fencing with wood preserver. Just about to start and the rain came down. :( Plot is very wet, all pathways are muddy - don't think I'll get much more done this year unless we have a very dry spell.
Jenny
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Collected a few more pallets on my rounds today and dropped them off... I still need to make my composter with pallets and make a centre divide path way with strips of plank as edging.
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dark on the way to work, dark on the way home from work - not going to be able to work on the lortty apart from weekends for a bit, my seed garlic should arrive this week though.
Grendel
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Full 8 hours of clearing (Again) yesterday, mine is one of the largest plots on site and it is entirely covered in carpet, under the carpet is lino? and on top of the carpet is a couple of inches of soil with sturdy weed growth. I never ever want to see a carpet again!!
Got a nice space now for shelter and tea breaks though and as I was say yesterday admiring all my hard work a pheasant wandered onto the plot, not noticing me she spent sometime a short distance from me just picking over the freshly dug areas.
One question - how do you do rubbish removal?
No idea to be honest! I have a huge pile now in one corner, it is the allotment society meet in a couple of weeks so I am going to ask if they get a skip on site for general use. If I have to pay for a skip I am going to really struggle (I am a carer for my disabled son). If all else fails I will have to take it bit by bit to the local dumpit site.
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Full 8 hours of clearing (Again) yesterday, mine is one of the largest plots on site and it is entirely covered in carpet, under the carpet is lino? and on top of the carpet is a couple of inches of soil with sturdy weed growth. I never ever want to see a carpet again!!
Got a nice space now for shelter and tea breaks though and as I was say yesterday admiring all my hard work a pheasant wandered onto the plot, not noticing me she spent sometime a short distance from me just picking over the freshly dug areas.
One question - how do you do rubbish removal?
No idea to be honest! I have a huge pile now in one corner, it is the allotment society meet in a couple of weeks so I am going to ask if they get a skip on site for general use. If I have to pay for a skip I am going to really struggle (I am a carer for my disabled son). If all else fails I will have to take it bit by bit to the local dumpit site.
I wish you luck with the skip.
(£55 a week carer allowance doesn't go far does it!)
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Today I built a compost heap, mainly for my horse manure to rot down. I get loads from my sons horse.. I will be growing a patch of comfrey as well to add to it along with other greens from home and byproducts of the plot. Basically 2 pallets long and 1 pallet wide. I've got to start somewhere to let the HM start to rot down. Added 6 bags of manure and still have to empty my temp Dalek full of manure into the new structure.. :D :D
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Well its been a gorgeous day in Cornwall, mild and sunny. 8)
So a further attack took place on the back garden, which is now looking like somebody actually owns it. :)
Picked a few sloes off the bushes that form part of the cornish hedge at the bottom of the garden and cut back nettles, brambles et al.
Now got to work out what to do with the sloes. Sloe gin?
Then had a quick trip to the allotment and lifted the last of the spuds (these I think were 'Vanessa').
Also lifted a few leeks.
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Very wet on the plot after a night of continual rain, but I did manage to put a raised bed in place while OH built a composter. I had started digging a bed 20ft x 10ft and laying manure on top (about half of it is done). Forked over the other half of the bed to try to aid drainage. Not sure I'll be able to dig thoroughly due to being wet. This half needs a thorough digging and removal of all the couch grass and other perenial weeds. Also re-organised the storage area. Busy afternoon.
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Lovely day today sunny and calm. Did another bed on the plot and planted Japanese onions. Continued the war against the dreaded couch grass, and at last i think i'm winning, or perhaps it's just lulling me into a false sense of security :unsure:
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Pulled a muscle :( sorting the last potato bag - removing spuds and soil for a refit.... harvested carrots, beetroot and useless turnips >:( Planted spring cabbages out and protected with new mesh :) lovely weather though!
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Full 8 hours of clearing (Again) yesterday, mine is one of the largest plots on site and it is entirely covered in carpet, under the carpet is lino? and on top of the carpet is a couple of inches of soil with sturdy weed growth. I never ever want to see a carpet again!!
Got a nice space now for shelter and tea breaks though and as I was say yesterday admiring all my hard work a pheasant wandered onto the plot, not noticing me she spent sometime a short distance from me just picking over the freshly dug areas.
One question - how do you do rubbish removal?
No idea to be honest! I have a huge pile now in one corner, it is the allotment society meet in a couple of weeks so I am going to ask if they get a skip on site for general use. If I have to pay for a skip I am going to really struggle (I am a carer for my disabled son). If all else fails I will have to take it bit by bit to the local dumpit site.
I wish you luck with the skip.
(£55 a week carer allowance doesn't go far does it!)
You a carer as well? no it doesn't go far, it is only Tuesday and I've got £10 left :D I hoping the allotment can feed us next year!!
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I didn't get there again!! :(
(£55 before tax don't forget daybreak!)
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Just sprayed my whole plot with extra strong Roundup weedkiller... it was left in a heck of a state and not used for a few years!! Now to watch the weeds die whilst I continue to remove the dogwood and other hedging plants..
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Put down some small flags to use as stepping stones until I sort out the paths. It's extremely wet on my plot.
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ditto - mine too so i put a few scattered from the gate to the shed so i can get my wellies on!!
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I've moved the dalek and I've started to dig over the unused corner that it was in. It will give me another bed about 6 x 5ft - eventually.
The ground there is full of bindweed roots, so will take a lot of clearing :(
We had a couple of hours of sun, so it was quite nice to be up the plot and have a chat as well ;)
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Too dark to do anything now after work :(
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Popped along for an hour & a half on my first ever day on an allotment & cleared a 3m sq patch. Back tomorrow to extend the cleared patch to 4.5x3m in the hope of getting something in the ground before I have to start preparing the rest for spring.
Feeling inordinately pleased with myself :D
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Well done bodmas... keep at it a little at a time and you will soon get it all done.
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Based on the forecast, yesterday was glasshouse day.
So it was cleared and cleaned and looks in tip top condition.
the halo is now pinching. ;)
Also, split and repotted the French Tarragon, I now have 8 plants instead of 3. :)
Also potted on a sage plant (recently purchased) with a view to planting it out next spring now.
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Went down before work to water the poly tunnel (salad growing well) and checked the onions and garlic (onions are sprouting well, still no sign of the garlic).
Kosh
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Popped along for an hour & a half on my first ever day on an allotment & cleared a 3m sq patch. Back tomorrow to extend the cleared patch to 4.5x3m in the hope of getting something in the ground before I have to start preparing the rest for spring.
Feeling inordinately pleased with myself :D
A great feeling!
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Garlic arrived today -ready for planting up at the weekend.
Grendel
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Garlic arrived today -ready for planting up at the weekend.
Grendel
:D 10 kilo already in, another 10 will go on weekend
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Garlic arrived today -ready for planting up at the weekend.
Grendel
:D 10 kilo already in, another 10 will go on weekend
You must have a large plot for 10kilo + more garlic!!
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Put a roof on the new manure/compost bin... well shed really looking at the size of it!!
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Really busy day at the school plot --
4 barrows of weeds barrowed away to the big dump at the end of the field
cut the grass on the paths round the beds
moved the nine dwarf fruit trees that had over-summered in one of the beds out into the new orchard area. Forgot to get any stakes so will have the add them later :tongue2: Hope the roots won't get damaged though :unsure:
Pulled out the poisonous plants from around the new pond banks (self sown) and considered where to best plant all the tenby daffs next week :D
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Popped along for an hour & a half on my first ever day on an allotment & cleared a 3m sq patch. Back tomorrow to extend the cleared patch to 4.5x3m in the hope of getting something in the ground before I have to start preparing the rest for spring.
Feeling inordinately pleased with myself :D
Finished the bed as planned, but are my thighs supposed to hurt this blooming much? :wacko:
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Garlic arrived today -ready for planting up at the weekend.
Grendel
:D 10 kilo already in, another 10 will go on weekend
You must have a large plot for 10kilo + more garlic!!
yeah, it's about 1800sq m.
Sun shining, birds singing, it's time to do some work at tea farm :D by some reasons one corner have lots of warabi(sort of furn)
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Garlic arrived today -ready for planting up at the weekend.
Grendel
:D 10 kilo already in, another 10 will go on weekend
You must have a large plot for 10kilo + more garlic!!
yeah, it's about 1800sq m.
Sun shining, birds singing, it's time to do some work at tea farm :D by some reasons one corner have lots of warabi(sort of furn)
Just a bit bigger than our UK allotments !! must be great..
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Finished clearing an 8x4 raised bed that I started clearing 2 days ago. Continued digging the main non raised bed (20 x 12 ft). Half now dug and manured. Other full of couch and docks. Will continue to dig a little at a time and clear it before spring (weather permitting).
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Spent half an hour up there, spreading last years leaf mulch around in between the rain.
It's so wet now compared to last week.
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Yesterday, I hoed and weeded the whole veg plot! It was like a miracle to be walking about with my two new knees, getting something done. Felt 20yrs younger!! :D
Today I have help, a fit young man, cleaning out a building and heaving planks of wood around. Wonderful to be sorting out the muddle at last!
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Hi Thrift - so glad that you are fit enough to work in you garden again.
To-day I stripped the greenhouse chilli and tomato plants and disposed of the plants in the compost. Then uprooted the last of the courgettes - had been frosted after the very cold night.
Cannot do any digging on the new veggie plot - it is so wet - will have to consider digging drainage ditches for the winter months.
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Thanks Springlands!
You have certainly had your share of rain lately ...... no wonder your new plot is a bit soggy. I hope it isn't an ongoing problem. The building clearance is complete, all neat and tidy now; a great feeling of satisfaction.
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Getting to grips with the Dogwood hedge that someone in the past has grown!! really cant think why this on an veg plot!! ??? before and after pics...
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A lovely day on the plot
Finally got the latest garlic planted var Music
Also planted the broad beans.
Did a bit of clearing up where the calabrese had been. 8)
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DigIt...
That reminds me I really must get just a few elephant garlic planted to keep the stock going for another year.
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DigIt...
That reminds me I really must get just a few elephant garlic planted to keep the stock going for another year.
Hope it's a bit drier than here Paul. It was quite wet digging, borderline really.
Daryl
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drizzling all day yesterday - still drizzling - I dont think the garlic will be getting planted today.
Grendel
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miserable isn't it :( and there's so much to do!
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Glorious day in the Peak District. Dug over planting holes for my top fruit which should arrive at the end of the month, harvested sloes and general tidying up.
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After a frosty night it's become a beautiful day. I've been in the garden, raking up the leaves. Trimming the pyracantha hedge which due to the warmth is still growing. Dead headed the dahlias. The summer bedding I put in is still in full flower and the Shasta Daisies and Campanula have put on a second display. :)
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Spent the morning making Geoff Hamilton inspired cloches/cages. 8x4 made from reclaimed 2"x2" timber. They're for my raised beds which are also 8x4. Raised beds are reclaimed scaffolding boards. What I'm going to do is line one or two cages with enviro-mesh and a couple with standard netting. Then I'm going to connect them to the boards with a couple of hinges. Should work a treat. Easy access and won't blow away.
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Nice day in Brighton so up to the allotment and planted some out of date rocket ... you never know... and the remaining onion sets.
>:(Pesky birds have pulled my broad beans out and had a go at some of the garlics!!! So spent several hours covering my broad beans and Garlic with makeshift fleeces and then stuck up a whole load of up turned milk bottles etc as scarers.
Never see any birds up there, they must come out at night... ??? Anyway sitting at home now with a cup of tea and feeling please with another day of fresh air.
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Ohhhhhh my body aches today..
Continuing on from yesterday I dug out the remaining Dogwood hedge roots and then 4 large Laurel bushes. (2 still remain) Then I dug up 5 x 3mt with a pick and painstakingly removed every root, mares tail, couch grass and weed I could find.. Then fertilised etc and re-planted out 30 Raspberry canes. The ground on my new plot looks so good so I'm preparing it as thoroughly as I can..
Like my compost / manure shed.. :D
Note the large pile of cleared debris... now just need some paraffin and a match..
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Getting to grips with the Dogwood hedge that someone in the past has grown!! really cant think why this on an veg plot!! ??? before and after pics...
one question - do you allowed to burn organic rubbish on the allotment?
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Getting to grips with the Dogwood hedge that someone in the past has grown!! really cant think why this on an veg plot!! ??? before and after pics...
one question - do you allowed to burn organic rubbish on the allotment?
Vit I think if you try a "search" on this forum you will find lots of discussion about bonfires and buring unwanted organic materials. ;)
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A litlle bit of digging and tidying up on one of my sister's raised beds and planted garlic.
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[/quote] one question - do you allowed to burn organic rubbish on the allotment?
[/quote]
No problem with burning at all on our site..
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More digging this morning. Then re-organised the storage area, again.
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Further digging , clearing the new plot on a very grey but reasonably mild afternoon.
Very nearly completed now. :D
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Not a sausage! I'm still clearing bushes and prunings at the little pink bungalow across the road. ::)
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Put my spring cabbage in and covered with mesh to keep pigiens off, pulled a cabbage for the family and pulled a little one for the rabbit.
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visited in the rain today to drop off some sleepers and noted the big paw prints on my newly laid white fleeces over my broad beans and garlic.... well if the birds don't get em.... the foxes will !! :(
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quick trip to dump 3 more pallets and do some measuring to start planning the centre pathway.. tomorrow going there for a few long hours with my son to diggggggggggggg..
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What plot? Where? :blink: :ohmy: Really must go and see if it's still there!!
An hour (between the rain) in my parents garden removing summer bedding.
Loads to do!
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Put in a raised bed ready for the asparagus. Most of the plot is now ready for the spring. Just have to sort out what I'm going to do with the paths between the raised beds.
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Put in a raised bed ready for the asparagus. Most of the plot is now ready for the spring. Just have to sort out what I'm going to do with the paths between the raised beds.
There's athread about that called grass paths I think :lol:
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Put in a raised bed ready for the asparagus. Most of the plot is now ready for the spring. Just have to sort out what I'm going to do with the paths between the raised beds.
There's athread about that called grass paths I think :lol:
Think I will probably use weed supressant and bark chippings. It seems like to much work cutting grass paths!! :D
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I don't even bother with the bark, easier to move paths as I want...cos I'm forever changing my mind ;)
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Had my son helping me today for a few hours in the morning.. Got more digging done - now dug 50 sq mt and have another 150 to go. Also more rasps planted... now officially planted too many.. 50 canes - so I'll see how they do and remove some at a later stage..
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You are right gavin that 50 is a lot :D
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Finished work early so had a couple of hours on the plot this afternoon got 10 comfrey root cuttings planted and potted up a further 13 until I decide where they are going, netted some onion sets as the flying rats had lifted a couple and put some fresh chippings on the main path managed to get half the path done will finish it off on Sunday.
Nearly forgot also put 8 barrows loads of manure over half of next years brassica bed another 8 on Sunday and that's that bed sorted until it's time to lime.
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You are right gavin that 50 is a lot :D
Sunny - I grew up an a farm in sunny Rhodesia / Zimbabwe where we grew hundreds of acres of various crops... so it's how I was brought up - do everything big...
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Today - nothing - whole day rainig. Autumn finally came here.
Yesterday almost finished weeds at tea farm. Shaped some plants with trimmer, but have to do some leveling. Also need to cover soil with thin sugi branches to stop weed growing. Hope that weather will be ok
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Haven't done alot today, as the plot and the site are quite wet, but I managed to put a wood edging to one half of the path.
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Bagged up all the bindweed and couch roots that I'd left on the path to dry out ::)
Guess what?..........they were still growing with the weather we've had, so they've gone in the dustbin now!
Picked a cabbage for coleslaw :)
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wet grey afternoon in Brighton. I spent an hour checking my broad beans (coming along) onions and shallots (getting there) and noticing the garlics showing as well.
Fixed the anti bird fleeces over them all - tidied the shed and said night night and went home for a cup of tea.
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did some weeding, washed one of my greenhouse out do the other tomorrow, weather lovely here hope it is where you are :)
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just did a quick visit to both my half plots to plant up the garlic - eventually, what with the weather and mine and the wifes feeling unwell the last few weeks have meant that the plot has been neglected.
Grendel
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some hoeing, a lot of sitting in the sun whilst chatting and then some harvesting...cabbage, leeks swede and parsnips :)
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Two beds dug and top dressed with manure at long last. Emptied several tattie bags onto next years carrot bed ....... And found half a dozen tatties :lol:
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hi ya :)i just dug over the roughfest bit of ground ever first with a pick axe then forked it through to get the weeds out i have a nice 3mtr square bed, i gonna cover it with muck then leave till the springanother 4 beds to go :)..............pete
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Checked over the stored potatoes - the mice have found them :( and dug a planting hole for a quince
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It was the first Manure run of this Winter today. I filled twenty old compost bags with lovely well rotted horse muck. All crumbly and smelling sweet. I then drove to the plots to spread it.
Next Sunday I will repeat the proccess and then the following week too!
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Just returned from visiting in-laws in Scotland... returned with 30 strawberry plants and 40 main crop spud seed.. :D
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Sunny sunny sunny 8) ... went up and checked progress on our nicely growing broad beans and onions. All going well. Garlics slow to show but will recheck next weekend.
Enjoyed the view over Brighton......
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Been busy with my daughter today constructing a 3 bay compost bin on the new plot I'm swapping to. Then when she'd gone home I began filling them. Then dug all the parsnips from the plot I'm giving up & heeled them in the plot next to the new one so that I didn't lose them once 1st Dec comes & my tenancy is up on the old plot.
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My first day working our new (and first) allotment today after getting the keys on Wednesday.
Today was about clearing the area around the shed and compost heaps so that we have a base to work from to clear the rest of the plot. Sorted out the two established heaps by aerating one that will be ready for use I would have thought pretty soon, and rebuilding the other completely. We also set about preparing the area for a new compost bin, which I had obtained via the local Freegle group, and put this in place, although at the moment it is empty.
We have re-established one of the boundary walls, which was heavily overgrown with ivy, bramble, and what I think is an Elderberry tree. Cleared last year's dead rhubarb away from the dormant crowns ready for mulching next week, dug up a bramble in the middle of the plot, and filled an old (I hope!) rabbit hole. Oh yes, and emptied a bath tub full of stagnant water, that I will plumb into the shed's guttering downpipe next week, as apparently the water supply does not come on until April, so is invaluable.
Not bad for two hours graft!!!! :tongue2:
Below are 'Before' and 'After' photos of the shed and compost area, with the boundary wall running between. Can't really see the work we've done on the compost heaps as they are under the tarp. The final picture gives an idea of the work to come before we can start thinking about planting!
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/13112011315.jpg)
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/13112011317.jpg)
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Great pics Hesse - enjoy :)
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Great photos Hesse.
I spent 5 hours on the plot and (I think) achieved quite a lot. ;)
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it's amazing how a few hours can transform the plot... keep taking a good load of photos..
My plot - before from a few weeks ago and to date is..
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well done to all on that hard work but its very satisfying :D
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Great effort there Hesse -- like the shed :D
We managed to finish weeding the last bed (pumpkins this year), and I took down half of the runner bean canes.
Took up the enormous amout of annual lavatera, saved some of the seeds for next year and Mr Sunny barrowed all the debris to the tip ---- to much to cut up for the compost bin and mostly woody stems now too
Watered the minitunnel and filled the remaining water butts up at the top end of the plot a long way from the rainwater butts, ready for the drought that seems to come every year in the cold weather -- and the water will be turned off :lol:
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My first day working our new (and first) allotment today after getting the keys on Wednesday.
Today was about clearing the area around the shed and compost heaps so that we have a base to work from to clear the rest of the plot. Sorted out the two established heaps by aerating one that will be ready for use I would have thought pretty soon, and rebuilding the other completely. We also set about preparing the area for a new compost bin, which I had obtained via the local Freegle group, and put this in place, although at the moment it is empty.
We have re-established one of the boundary walls, which was heavily overgrown with ivy, bramble, and what I think is an Elderberry tree. Cleared last year's dead rhubarb away from the dormant crowns ready for mulching next week, dug up a bramble in the middle of the plot, and filled an old (I hope!) rabbit hole. Oh yes, and emptied a bath tub full of stagnant water, that I will plumb into the shed's guttering downpipe next week, as apparently the water supply does not come on until April, so is invaluable.
Not bad for two hours graft!!!! :tongue2:
Below are 'Before' and 'After' photos of the shed and compost area, with the boundary wall running between. Can't really see the work we've done on the compost heaps as they are under the tarp. The final picture gives an idea of the work to come before we can start thinking about planting!
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/13112011315.jpg)
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/13112011317.jpg)
I can't quite tell from the photo but that could be bindweed in the before picture, if it is may be worth trying to control it a bit come the spring.
I've got it in one corner of the plot luckily it's found a host in an old apple tree so isn't spreading just be careful if you see any white roots in the compost as you could spread it around.
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Spent three hours with hubby at the allotment yesterday. Planted out some broccoli and lettuce plants I had started off quite a while ago.
Also managed to plant the garlic and shallots, just got the onions to do now.
I had a bizarre harvesting session yesterday where I picked two cabbages, three leeks, turnips, radishes, a couple of kilos of brussel sprouts, raspberries, tomatoes, chillis and aubergines! Seemed so odd looking at the bounty - I would never think I would be picking brussel sprouts and tomatoes at the same time!
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Continued digging out the couch grass from the recently dug area. Keep thinking I'm making progress but a couple of days later more seems to have sprouted!!
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I can't quite tell from the photo but that could be bindweed in the before picture, if it is may be worth trying to control it a bit come the spring.
I've got it in one corner of the plot luckily it's found a host in an old apple tree so isn't spreading just be careful if you see any white roots in the compost as you could spread it around.
Cheers for the advice Bazh; I think you're right it is bindweed, and it was well rooted in the compost heap. I'm hoping as long as I manage to keep it out of the compost I can keep it off of the plot, as there is about three foot of matting between the compost heap and the first bed (Raspberry canes). Fingers crossed!
Out of interest, I've already picked out a fair few of those white roots from the compost heap. What's the best way to dispose of them safely without a trip to landfill/burning?
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I can't quite tell from the photo but that could be bindweed in the before picture, if it is may be worth trying to control it a bit come the spring.
I've got it in one corner of the plot luckily it's found a host in an old apple tree so isn't spreading just be careful if you see any white roots in the compost as you could spread it around.
Cheers for the advice Bazh; I think you're right it is bindweed, and it was well rooted in the compost heap. I'm hoping as long as I manage to keep it out of the compost I can keep it off of the plot, as there is about three foot of matting between the compost heap and the first bed (Raspberry canes). Fingers crossed!
Out of interest, I've already picked out a fair few of those white roots from the compost heap. What's the best way to dispose of them safely without a trip to landfill/burning?
I thought it was from the pic, as for the roots either put them in a bucket of water for month or bag em and take them off site.
I took my plot over about a month ago my bindweed is bad but because it happily climbs the apple tree it's not spread, I have 2 compost bins like yours right underneath the apple tree so the roots have got in I emptied it yesterday and put the compost on the plot and bagged the roots I took out you can't miss them. The compost was fantastic so wasn't going to waste it.
I plan on building a bean teepee next to the tree next year and train the bindweed up it, once it is established spraying it to try and kill it off or at least make it more managable.
You can tell from the photo your down south mine pretty much died off now and yours still looks fairly green.
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That sounds like a pretty cool way of getting rid of it permanently. Like yourself I have an old tree to keep mine happy, in my case an elderberry I think. I'm inclined to pretty much let mine be though as long as I just keep an eye on it, as it doesn't appear be doing any harm (for now at least!)
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Spent 3 hours digging over the raised beds again and removing more couch grass which was starting to sprout again. Then started laying 400mm sq flags on pathway. A very enjoyable morning.
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Put two posts and linked one wire as a beginning of a fan for the second plum tree. At least it now has some support like it's mate which was done sunday.
Also had a quick tidy of some weeds and raspberry runners.
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Stripped 5 pallets and delivered them to the plot for making my raised centre pathway..
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Haven't been to the allotment today. Decided to concentrate on the garden. So I've taken up a lot of the summer bedding from the front garden. There is still a lot of bedding that is flowering beautifully, so have left it. Why remove the colour before I have too. :)
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Not the plot, not even the garden, but still felt the need to rake and pick up 3 bagfulls of leaves from around my street tree.
It's not a job I've had to do for a few years as they're normally whisked away by autumn winds, but I'm not complaining as I'll have some nice leaf mould after they've been hiding behind the shed for a couple of years. :)
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Got given a White Currant so put it in a pot till my plot is ready for it...
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Long time no see. Glad, you doing well. :D Done with garlic(thinking to plant 20kg more, but maybe next season). Today started to plant grains - some wheat, rye and oat. Lucky no rain during the week, but weather forcast promising some on coming weekend.
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Since we had some sun today and it was dry, I took the opportunity to weed the paths between the apples/raspberries and currants. It now looks tidy for winter. Also cleared a flush of weeds again from this years onion and tatty patch.
Made a start removing the dead asparagus ferns, though not all have finished yet.
Picked an eyeful of calabrese.
Had a quick dig on Mays acquisition (Plot 97) and cleared more of the dreaded docks though this last corner actually now seems to have more buttercups than anything else.
:) :) :)
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Even if I didn't get to the plot.......Another lot of hedge prunings through the shredder, another flower bed planted up and mulched.
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I've spent all day in the allotment today,first of all using a Stihl saw then 3 hrs bricklaying.
I've nearly got my building finished now ,I'm putting the final roof on tomorrow :).
I've just got the doors and windows to do then and I can actually make a start on the garden.
I haven't got a clue where to start :blink:
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Sorted out the guttering on my shed to run into the bath that we emptied of it's pond scum contents on Sunday, as we don't have running water until April. Spent about three quarters of an hour sieving compost off one of our heaps which will be used as potting compost come the spring.
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Not on the Lottie but........
Today I eased open the door of the greenhouse in the new garden. Out sprang some very thick, sharply barbed brambles. They had completely filled the greenhouse forcing their way out through the roof vent and even between the frame and the glazing in places.
After a while I had cut and removed enough to be able to step right inside.
A lovely old greenhouse! Three hanging baskets hiding on the floor waiting to be used, pots and pricking out tools, home-made staging, a decent watering can as well as a path and a blanket of ground-cover weeds ::)
Obviously the previous owner had worked hard in there over the years. I'm looking forward to getting it back into action again just as soon as I have time.
PS What does Mare's Tail look like and would it enjoy growing undisturbed in an old greenhouse and nowhere outside? :blink: :( :lol:
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Been up to the allotment for an hour or so and everything is growing nicely - watching our first attempts at planting actually working to plan is lovely.
Not sure what else I should be doing now - mmmmm probably digging over the vast amounts of ground under tarpaulin... maybe next weekend.
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Best of luck with that digging Brightgirls... weather's nice for it. ;)
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not got to the allotment yet, but have trimmed the hedge in the garden down by 2 foot to bring it back to top of window height, and repaired the lead flashing on the porch that had slipped.
Grendel
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Laid two thirds of narrow flag pathway between two beds. I've almost got the plot how I want it ready for next season.
BUT I'm beginning to wonder if there are any other plot holders on our allotment (26 plots). I go 3 or 4 times a week for up to 3 hours at a time and I never see a another person. The plots aren't being tended. Perhaps I'm doing things at the wrong time of year!!!
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Laid two thirds of narrow flag pathway between two beds. I've almost got the plot how I want it ready for next season.
BUT I'm beginning to wonder if there are any other plot holders on our allotment (26 plots). I go 3 or 4 times a week for up to 3 hours at a time and I never see a another person. The plots aren't being tended. Perhaps I'm doing things at the wrong time of year!!!
I often think the same, I very rarely see many people on the allotments.
That said, today's lovely autumn morning has brought out quite a few. 8)
I don't think there's anything wrong working on the plot at this time of year. there are always jobs to do of some sort.
D
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After today's visit to the allotment :
It's time to get the celebrations going, fireworks and have a drinky :D :D :D
Finally cleared the weeds from the plots acquired in April/May. YAYYYY!!!!
Taken longer than anticipated after injuring both elbows early summer but its done now. Just need to level the site out a bit and spread some manure around.
Lifted a couple of Austrian Cooking Radish and 1lb of leeks.
Then headed home satisfied :nowink:
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Raking up leaves, leaves and more leaves. I had hoped I might have been able to take the mower over them, but the ground is too wet
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Cleared away the last of the runner bean stems, and put the canes away for next year.
Cut up the old jerusalem artichoke stems and added to the compost
Mr Sunny dug out 3m sq of our front verge so that we can plant the rose bushes our friend is giving us from her garden, as she is clearing space to grow veggies :D
Weeded the whole plot length of one path, where a dandelion had generously shared its seeds a feww eeks agao and they thought they could gro in the woodchip mulch --- wrong!!!!!
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Lovely sunny day today... Made another step from a pallet and collected ups all the broken flags scattered around the plot and made a pathway to the shed..
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Lovely sunny day today... Made another step from a pallet and collected ups all the broken flags scattered around the plot and made a pathway to the shed..
It's coming on very well Gavin. :)
Rgds
D
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Spent the day making a frame on a south facing wall,so that I can grow a fig tree and a kiwi.
Cut down a large overgrown bush,planted some wallflowers
The weather here was really grey and damp,when I put my fleece coat back on it was wet.
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A trip down to the plot for us today involved no work, just chin scratching. But we did some meeting and greeting of the other plot holders, a couple of them seem as batty as me so that's a good sign :D
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Lovely sunny day today... Made another step from a pallet and collected ups all the broken flags scattered around the plot and made a pathway to the shed..
It's coming on very well Gavin. :)
Rgds
D
Thanks Digit... - doing as and when I can... getting all the infrastructure done first and my sons are helping with digging when they can.
Getting the ibc 1000 lt tank and greenhouse onto a trailer on Tuesday to deliver to the plot.. :D
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Some lost after yesterday storm :( it was something like 200mm rain in a one day plus wind. On good side - all garlic came out and no broken trees at mountain side :D
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Helped myself to three builder merchant bags of leaves from a very large pile delivered to the allotment site. It was easier to transport them to the plots doing this.
Started to modernise the Blackberry frame with old 'for sale board' posts and split some Rhubarb up.
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Must be the day for leaves Nige :D
Took two car trips with plastic tubs full of rotting leaves from where the council had twipped them over to my plot to mluhc the whole of the fruit bed (not lazy -- our site is at least half a mile across and I am at the far end, plus I am walking with a stick right now :tongue2:) Cut down the autumn raspberries and took the dead leves off the kale and winter cabbages.
Mr Sunny finished digging out the space on our front verge and planted the five rose bushes a friend wanted relocated from her garden.
Looks great :D
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Lifted what was left of a row of Autumn Kings - at some point during the week something has raided the patch. I'm guessing voles :mad:
They kindly left me some puzzling carrot top carcasses which had been perfectly gouged out - and a few bottom ends. The same odd sculpting took place on the beetroot a few weeks ago.
Cleared up some netting, earthed up the leeks.
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Only spent an hour today as recovering from a nasty flu like virus, so first visit in 2 weeks, with other half.
Harvested some cabbage, kale, leeks and red celery. Added the sweetcorn to the compost bin. Dug over a bed and inspected the garlic and over-wintering onions, hoping they will be established enough for winter. Spotted one neighbour through the fog.
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Cleared all the loose bricks.. broken greenhouse glass, used magnet to remove nails and screws from an old burn dump - I really dont know what the previous tenent used to burn - I got a bucket of nails etc.. Also made 8mt of centre pathway with planks either side.
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Cleared all the loose bricks.. broken greenhouse glass, used magnet to remove nails and screws from an old burn dump - I really dont know what the previous tenent used to burn - I got a bucket of nails etc.. Also made 8mt of centre pathway with planks either side.
Probably burnt pallets :lol:
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Did some clearing up move my comfrey barrel away from my shed should never have put there :lol: dug over some more of the empty plot for next year about time i ordered my manure :) :)
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Finished digging where the raspberries are going to be moved too,then forked in 3 barrow loads of manure that Mr S barrowed up to the new plot for me from the old plot. Mr S then brought up the old dalek bins,the rest of the slabs & then we got up the weed membrane paths up & dumped it on the top plots.
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Our second weekend session today of three hours resulted in us cutting back what we believe to be our Autumn Raspberries, and re-establishing their frame. Also the rhubarb bed has been completely reclaimed from weeds, re-established, temporarily edged and mulched with the compost that we finished sieving today. Also dug up six Sycamore saplings. Am thinking that a garden incinerator is going to be needed. Pics below show Raspberry bed before and after (it will be weeded and given a good hoeing next week), and the finished Rhubarb bed, which will hopefully give us our first crop in the Spring.
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/13112011316.jpg)
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/20112011319.jpg)
(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/hesse1/20112011320.jpg)
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Went to plot for the first time in six weeks!!! (newborn baby in house...), surveyed my green compost coming along nicley, and dropped off bags of council compost. Need to cutback blackberry bushes, weed plot and get winter broad beans in ASAP!!!!
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Cleared all the loose bricks.. broken greenhouse glass, used magnet to remove nails and screws from an old burn dump - I really dont know what the previous tenent used to burn - I got a bucket of nails etc.. Also made 8mt of centre pathway with planks either side.
Probably burnt pallets :lol:
Noooooo Sunny... my pallets are burnt on another patch... also the pile I collected are mostly screws... the ex tenant was a sparky so probably dumped all his waste and burnt it!!
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We have a wee one in our house too. It's been a quiet summer on our plot but she is now getting used to being on the plot. Didn't get up this weekend as chris has been working on our chicken house to be.
After a few issues the start has been firmly made.
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Took down the supports in the greenhouse and forked over the GH bed - swept the benches and stored the garden furniture in the GH for the winter. Then helped OH to clean out the hens and ducks.
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Removed my greenhouse from the roof and got out all the planks and poly-carb roofing I've been collecting ready to transport to the plot tomorrow with my sons big trailer.
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went on this afternoon for an hour had a brew and just sat there in the peace and quite lotty bliss :lol: :lol:
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went on this afternoon for an hour had a brew and just sat there in the peace and quite lotty bliss :lol: :lol:
That's sounds a very good use of both the allotment and the hour! ;)
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Busy morning today.... Phew...
Borrowed my son and his car transporter trailer.. Blagged / collected 15 building site fencing panels and some concrete fence posts. Then loaded my greenhouse and to the plot we wented. He also brought a 1 tonne bag of horse poo for my compost heap.
Happy bunny today. :D :D ( but... I forgot to take photos of the loaded trailer!!)
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yesterday I was given a whole bundle of old seeds by a work colleague, he had a whole big cardboard box full - all due to go out of dat at the end of this year, well I am willing to give them a try - £100 worth at the prices shown on the packets.
Grendel
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yesterday I was given a whole bundle of old seeds by a work colleague, he had a whole big cardboard box full - all due to go out of dat at the end of this year, well I am willing to give them a try - £100 worth at the prices shown on the packets.
Grendel
Nothing to lose. All to gain, I think.
A nice little present.
Hope it goes well.
DigIt
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Temperature dropped quite a lot here, so it's time to tidy up beds and plant winter cabbage. Was little bit sad to pull and chop self-planted tomatoes, but i don't have green house at moment :( Another lost - strawberry - 4 out of 40 survived :( No idea - was it very hot or high acidity of soil or something else. ??? Removed old basil plants and picked some of their leaves - will make them dry. Transplanted chilli peppers into 20l plastic bucket. Tomorrow will try to transplant 2 piman(local variety of capsicum). They still have lots of flowers, so have good chanes to have them fresh over the winter, if keep them in the house :blush: Dug little bit compost pile, which i made in the spring(shredded thin branches, leaves, weeds) - perfectly decomposed and have dark chocolate color :)
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Dug a little bit, hoed a little bit, covered the globe artichoke with some hedge prunings, picked a few bits for soup, had a walk around and a chat..then came home :)
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Dug a little bit, hoed a little bit, covered the globe artichoke with some hedge prunings, picked a few bits for soup, had a walk around and a chat..then came home :)
The joy of an allotment.
It's what I like when I'm there, master of you're own world. :tongue2:
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Planted 150 winter pansies!
Did some weeding,
Had a sit down and a few cups of tea
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Yesterday, I finished laying the flag pathway. Finished digging and removing as much couch grass as I could. Nothing left to do except keep an eye on the place and remove any weed that dare to show up!! I can now concentrate on the upcoming winter festival season.
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Sun shining, birds singing. It's time to do some landscaping :D
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Went yesterday, not been on a regular basis since Dad took ill in September and now on the spiral of hospital, Dr, clinics etc.
I have missed the latest delivery of manure so looks like my beds wont get their manure this year. Stated on the greenhouse interior clean out :wacko:
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Cleared the remains of the bean plants and a few weeds.
Looked around the flower beds. All rather confused really ..... the wallflowers are in bloom and the aubretia is fresh and green and abundant after it's haircut. I'm sure they all think spring has arrived.
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Dismantled a large cold-frame and transported it to the new garden.
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Ah the joys of digging. Pulled back some of tarpaulin and dug over a new section of ground.
I found a massive "thing" which took us about 15 minutes to dig and scope out. Can anyone tell me what it is... see photo.
Garlic is very disappointing and slow with hardly any sprouting... and yet I am reading other posts saying other peoples garlic is growing a treat... have i done something wrong !! :(
An ejoyable morning.... but would love some help on the issues above. :)
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It looks like it could be dock roots or horseradish have you any leaves to show us?
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took a trailer load of horse dung down the Lottie left over from the other day when i got soaking wet on my return home as my tractor has no cab and i didn't take a mack or coat no fool like an old fool comes to mind :mad:
the ground is getting quite wet now and ime making deep ruts driving on it will need to spread the dung another day can't complain 2 good loads and free :)
hopefully if the weathers not to bad i can plough the other Lottie ready for my potato crop next season fingers crossed :unsure:
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Hi Snowdrop - sorry no leaves....
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Busy afternoon today... erected 10 building site fence panels. I have blagged enough to almost fence my whole plot.. more coming next year when the building site raps up.. Tomorrow do another 6 panels along with getting more raised pathway done...
My "construction site" is slowly taking shape.. As previously said I'm doing all the big work first then will concentrate on the digging..
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Ah the joys of digging. Pulled back some of tarpaulin and dug over a new section of ground.
I found a massive "thing" which took us about 15 minutes to dig and scope out. Can anyone tell me what it is... see photo.
Garlic is very disappointing and slow with hardly any sprouting... and yet I am reading other posts saying other peoples garlic is growing a treat... have i done something wrong !! :(
An ejoyable morning.... but would love some help on the issues above. :)
Re : Garlic. How long has it been in?
Mine planted 2/10 are well on
Those planted 5/11 only just showing.
Hope that helps
DigIt
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Had an hour late muck spreading.
I think most of it is now done apart from areas where crops are still in situ.
Also mulched the asparagus bed.
Was 1645 when I finished and despite being quite overcast, it was still quite light enough to work. 8)
Came home with a Savoy and a bunch of spring onions for tea tonight. :)
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Garlic is very disappointing and slow with hardly any sprouting... and yet I am reading other posts saying other peoples garlic is growing a treat... have i done something wrong !! :(
Some of mine I planted about 6 weeks ago is up and growing really well in their pots. :D Other that were planted 2 weeks later are only just starting to poke thru. :(
So don't worry It will grow... garlic prefer to grow than die!! :D
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We had yet another bonfire (3rd this year) to rid ourselves of another huge heap of prunings.
We are now two-thirds of the way down the garden and ready to tackle the trees that obscure the light from, what I hope will become, the new veg patch.
I just need to drop next-door and talk to Norman about his forest landscape and establish where the garden boundary is. ::)
Sometime soon I really must go and visit my plot. :wub:
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Ah the joys of digging. Pulled back some of tarpaulin and dug over a new section of ground.
I found a massive "thing" which took us about 15 minutes to dig and scope out. Can anyone tell me what it is... see photo.
Garlic is very disappointing and slow with hardly any sprouting... and yet I am reading other posts saying other peoples garlic is growing a treat... have i done something wrong !! :(
An ejoyable morning.... but would love some help on the issues above. :)
Re : Garlic. How long has it been in?
Mine planted 2/10 are well on
Those planted 5/11 only just showing.
Hope that helps
DigIt
Planted Lautrec Garlic and Albigensianwight garlic 29th Oct. The lautrec have only just started to show some growth (tiny bit) whilst the Albigensian has sighly more growth but hardly any really... :(
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After lifting the last cabbage, cleared away the netting round the plot. General tidy up outside and in the greenhouse.
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Planted Lautrec Garlic and Albigensianwight garlic 29th Oct. The lautrec have only just started to show some growth (tiny bit) whilst the Albigensian has sighly more growth but hardly any really...
They'll be fine, they spend a lot of time making roots ;)
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Did absolutely nothing all weekend down to three and eleven twelfths year old who seems to have forgotten how to behave. Wifey wanted nothing to do with him, and as he sees a trip down the allotment (where I had planned for a bonfire and toasted marshmallows) as a treat I ended up getting punished for his misdemeanours too. :(
Am currently studying the rules on my tenancy for bonfires after dark as I need to urgently get one of my compost bays cleared of dried bramble, old roots etc in time for a delivery of 40 sacks of the finest black gold next weekend.
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Finished erecting the fence panels, removed and disposed of all the broken bricks, finished the raised centre pathway, sorted out the left over pallets for burning.. Now for a big bonfire!!
A long day was had but it looks like a plot now and not a construction site!! :D
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After a breezy wet night (bucket and some plastic plant pots went flying), morning has brought a warm pleasant day. So onto the allotment.
Lightly forked in the manure that was spread yesterday evening, taking out another flush of dock seedlings in the process.
Had a quick tidy up of old leaves around the overwinter cauli and winter cabbage.
Came home with several sprigs of rosemary for infusing some olive oil, 2 small red cabbage, 1 winter cabbage and a beetroot.
:)
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My first week on my new plot and my first day nursing a hangover there! ::)
It had rained heavily in the night, puddles everywhere on my journey so when I got to the site I realised today wasn't a day to continue with my massive dig project. I pottered about and tried to work out what is what and what changes I can make in the future.
Found lots of Rhubarb crowns (leaving everything this year and will split next year if too big) and also that the runner bean plants are laden with jewels!! Alas not diamonds but purple and black magic beans. So we collect some to save for next years sowing.
Harvested:
Swiss Chard 'bright lights'
Leeks
Beetroot
Apples and pears (windfalls but perfect)
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Not on the plot, but we went to the allotment AGM, didn't quite come to blows, but there were certainly some stirrers there! ::) :D :ohmy: :lol:
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Finally got around to clearing out the green house :tongue2: and glad i left it because i got an extra crop of late but gorgeous cherry toms!! Cut back the raspberries both autumn and summer (think i got all the right canes :D. spread some old compost, spread some sand, picked up and composted the last of the apples.... Genrally tidied up and pottered about.... basked in a glorious blood red sunset which faded to a spectaular purple, i was quite sad to leave.
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Another beautiful day here on the South Coast. We got down to the plot at approximately 11.30 and the wind had died down. It was blue sky and sunshine here - quite warm in the sun so a fleece was all that was needed - no coats here!
We got the onions in at last, put in some chard and spinach plants we had started off in one bed and put in some broad bean plants in the legume bed. Currently we have some cabbages maturing in this bed which will be out by Christmas ready for the new beans and peas to be sown in spring.
We also covered out peach trees to protect the foliage and put grease bands on our fruit trees.
I also picked raspberries again! Cropped leeks, brussel sprouts and chard.
Hubby extended the herb bed and we moved a few herbs from the existing bed to give them more room. We planted some small herb plants I had started from cuttings ready for next summer.
I fed the chinese gooseberry in the greenhouse which has 20+ fruits on it as it was looking a little hungry.
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I spent part of the day hunting for paving slabs in the new garden, lifting them and moving them to make a new path through the lawns.
I planted several clumps of Lily of the Valley and one or two other things hoping they will survive the move.
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Not been there much since my Dad took ill in September, so think I will be paying catchup next season as there are not enough daylight hours in my day spare at the moment :( but my Dad is my priority
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Not been there much since my Dad took ill in September, so think I will be paying catchup next season as there are not enough daylight hours in my day spare at the moment :( but my Dad is my priority
Good to see you have your priorities right.... not everyone does.
I sympathise... life can be a balancing act at times. I too have a plot that is missing me but it must wait for now.
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Not been there much since my Dad took ill in September, so think I will be paying catchup next season as there are not enough daylight hours in my day spare at the moment :( but my Dad is my priority
Sorry to hear your Dad's not well, but family come before allotments.
Today I spent a couple of hours putting the compost bin in it's new place in the garden. I moved it to a better site. so I don't have to look at it when I'm sitting out on the patio next summer (weather and time permitting).
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woke up to a very frosty morning and thought i must plough up my Lottie where ime going to set my spuds next year so the frost can do its job :)
so got the no cab tractor started put a warm coat and wellies on went down the Lottie fixed up the plough away we go ::)
then disaster struck it jammed in gear and stopped o my god!! what do i do now stuck in the middle of the Lottie panic stations :ohmy: please god let me fix it took the oil cap off wriggled a bar in the gear box that released what ever was jammed thank god :D
competed all the ploughing needed now let nature do its work returned home tractor running OK and back in shed :D :D :D
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woke up to a very frosty morning and thought i must plough up my Lottie where ime going to set my spuds next year so the frost can do its job :)
so got the no cab tractor started put a warm coat and wellies on went down the Lottie fixed up the plough away we go ::)
then disaster struck it jammed in gear and stopped o my god!! what do i do now stuck in the middle of the Lottie panic stations :ohmy: please god let me fix it took the oil cap off wriggled a bar in the gear box that released what ever was jammed thank god :D
competed all the ploughing needed now let nature do its work returned home tractor running OK and back in shed :D :D :D
Crikey how big is your plot? Surely a small holding more than a lottie?
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I too have not managed to get to the plot for the last few weekends, an illness in the family has meant I have been too busy, fortunately theres not much to be done as its quite wet at the plots.
Grendel
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After a foul day of high winds and rain, there was a window of opportunity this afternoon to get up to the allotment. No damage done to mine or the other plots, phew!
Came away with a handful of leeks and some rosemary.
(7pm yesterday it was 8C, at 1am it was 10C, at 3pm only 6C, what a place we live in :mellow:)
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Landscaping in progress :blink:
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Left work earlier enough for it still to be light so popped down to the plot to make sure it had withstood the winds... all OK thank goodness.
Brought some sage home for tomorrow's chicken and areally big winter radish, which 'd knock yer socks of it's that hot.
Noticed a new pile of woodchip been delivered nearby - good, not so far to walk - so will have some at the weekend to top up the paths.
Also got some leaves so just two big binfuls needed to cover over the rhubarb, so will be pretty busy if the weather is dry :unsure:
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Sounds good Sunshineband!
I managed a whole hour on the plot today - the 1st for ages!
Cut some kale and did a little digging before rushing off again. Boy did it feel good and the soil turned beautifully. Peace and quiet - not a soul around. :happy:
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Lovely when it so quiet and peaceful like that isn't it Paul? :D
This time of the year I really miss those moments earlier in the morning before most of the world is awake :closedeyes:
Roll on the day again........
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Not down at the plot but whilst out doing my business deliveries I chatted to a chap about some broken flags on a building pile of rubble next door and in doing so asked If I needed some... yes i replied and put 8 in my car straight away.. still more to be collected.. now for the planning of the shed surround plinth!!
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Not been down to the plot either due to extreme rain and wind (and they say there is going to be a drought next year!!). But while at my golf club yesterday noticed they were shredding the branches they have had to cut down. Came home with 10 bags of wood chippings to use on the path at the lottie. That will save me some money.
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Not been down to the plot either due to extreme rain and wind (and they say there is going to be a drought next year!!). But while at my golf club yesterday noticed they were shredding the branches they have had to cut down. Came home with 10 bags of wood chippings to use on the path at the lottie. That will save me some money.
That's the way to do it, went on for an hour to clear a space for manure due tomorrow if it turns up very cold wind today think i will have to put my thermals on :lol:
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Dressed the blueberry bed for the year: blood fish & bone, flowers of sulphur (keeps the pH low and lead mould, replaced the weed membrane and topped with chipped bark.
Looks fantastic and you could alsomost see the plants snuggle in :lol:
Topped up the bark on the paths near the shed that have taken a bit of beating
It was great --- the only person on the whole of the site :D
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Delivered 4 off 2x2 flags and 4 off 18" x 18" today... they are heavy .. my rear axles took strain!!
But never fear I collected another 4 biggies today... and located more but still have to ask the house owner if they are going a beggin...
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Crappy weather last three days :wub: however went to the farm. Not much to do in the rain, just picked some veges. Weeds appearing, so need to play around my small tiller, to make it ready. This machine narrow enough to work between lines. On the good side - wheat appeared and garlic doing very well :D Not like me, beetroot and swiss chard happy with this weather. Need couple dry days to plant winter cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
In total - more good than bad
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Just collected twenty-four 18" limestone paving stones from a kind lady on Freecycle and transported them onto the lotty. Have aching muscles where I didn't realise I had any! Have another 15 or so to pick up tomorrow as my suspension was running very low, and that will be my paths all sorted (once the whole plot has been rotivated next weekedn hopefully, and I get round to laying them :wub:)
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even a volvo takes 2 loads to carry 21 2' x 2' 2" thick slabs. managed to visit the 2 plots this morning, picked leeks, broccoli, chard, and kale, only had an hour but managed to make use of some time tidying a few bits up too.
Grendel
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Collected and delivered 4 more 2x2 paving slabs.. had a HUGE bonfire today to rid the plot of all the cut hedges etc.. Also nailed some chicken wire on my steps made from pallets to stop any slipping in the wet..
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Not at the plot but in the new garden:
We moved a very long pile of material and made three big compost heaps on the other side of the garden. Then we discovered the fence hidden at the back. Quite a relief as that's a few new fence panels we won't need to buy.
Now we can get at the line of overly tall pine trees and layers of ivy that our new neighbour said we could "chop down".
Another big bonfire. ::)
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Yes the manure turned up all spread now rained on and off but it had to done i actually enjoyed it now it down to nature to do the rest :)
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I laid the 11 2x2 paving slabs that I have collected and then dug a few mt of the plot removing all the nasty weeds and couch grass.. then the rain and hail cane and chased me away..
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Spent 2 hours yesterday at the allotment digging more ground that had been "resting" under tarpaulin and then another half an hour today digging again.
Arms, wrists, back all aching now as the battle with couch grass continues - hate it !! >:(
Broad beans and shallotts are growing well. Onions look a little bedraggled (must be the wind) but at long last the garlic is popping up to say hello. :D
Picking up wood next weekend to build some raised beds but not sure when we will get back there this side of Christmas - we will see....
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Apple trees pruned and 4 winter hanging baskets up awaiting my parents move into the Little Pink Bungalow across the road.
(Count down started... I must remind the plumber.) ::)
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More digging. The couch grass will not get the better of me!! Preparing a space for more raspberries as they've been such a success. Peaceful at the plot but I do love listening to my i-pod whilst digging. The singing and dancing takes the pain away!
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Picked more salad from the poly tunnel, and dug out the chard outside (I know it overwinters, but I only like the baby leaves in salads, not the big leaves cooked) so I know have a completely clear bed. Now to dig some manure in ready for potatoes next year and cover it over.
Also got the worst of the weeds out from between the onions and garlic.
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I have a day off work today, so I'm going up for a hour just to potter on the plots :D :D
I must remember to put the posters up for the Christmas dinner that I produced last night :blink:
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Had a couple of hours up the plot yesterday just to do a couple of tip runs to get rid of the previous owners build up of rubbish, and to take some pallets home to start building fence panels.
Also noticed some bindweed roots that are in the top 6 inch of one of the compost bins are starting to sprout, might pot them on and give them as Christmas presents 8)
Also noticed my comfrey root cuttings I put in a few weeks ago have started to grow noticed something sending up small half inch shoots where my 2 comfreys areas are and looked a bit to uniform in the spacing so had to google comfrey seedlings images when I got home, pleased with that.
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Very successful day today... found another 20 or so flag stones for my pathways... It pays to keep on the look-out and knock on to ask if they are to be tipped!! The worst answer can only be no...
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Another busy day - burining organic rubbish, cutting firewood(oh,hell,i have to pile it) etc etc etc :D
By the end of the day planted some winter cabbage, then rain started.
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Just checked the plot today. Garlick and onions doing OK. Everywhere is looking waterlogged. Nothing to do at present until the weather improves. That could be some time due to the amount of rain, sleet, hailstones we have had.
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My back is aching... collected another 25 flags that I found yesterday and delivered to the plot... It's looking like a garden lanscape business yard at the mo...
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cleared the racking for the new bamboo canes 50X8foot long canes from ebay :lol: then mowed my paths :) followed by making some tea then i dug up some bulgarian leeks followed by 3 hours of hoeing
now im having a beer :blink:
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Tuesday and Wednesday saw two mad dashes to the plot and back for a trailer load of wallflowers - scarlet bedder now sat sitting looking pretty in the Little Pink Bungalow's new beds.
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Popped down for 20 minutes before work. Took the compost bin from home, had a poke about, watered the tunnel, etc.
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Delivered the last 4 flags today... then found another 8 later on... still to be collected and delivered..
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Not down the allotment, but I've found the time to sort through the stored spuds. None going rotten but a few have been busy sprouting, so cleaned these off and off back to store for them.
Just realised it is now 6 months that we have been dining on our own spuds. Lifted the first on the 8th June! ;)
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Took the kitchen caddy up to empty it, had a nose around picked some stuff for the weekend. There was no-one about to chat with so came back home, too cold to linger long :(
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Not down the allotment, but I've found the time to sort through the stored spuds. None going rotten but a few have been busy sprouting, so cleaned these off and off back to store for them.
Just realised it is now 6 months that we have been dining on our own spuds. Lifted the first on the 8th June! ;)
20 June was my first digging so almost 6 months as well... nearing the end of them now with giving some away to family and friends..
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Not down the allotment, but I've found the time to sort through the stored spuds. None going rotten but a few have been busy sprouting, so cleaned these off and off back to store for them.
Just realised it is now 6 months that we have been dining on our own spuds. Lifted the first on the 8th June! ;)
20 June was my first digging so almost 6 months as well... nearing the end of them now with giving some away to family and friends..
Still got quite a lot to go at yet here....
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Delivered the last 4 flags today... then found another 8 later on... still to be collected and delivered..
It sound like you've got a collection to rival mine,I keep being told they'll be no room to grow anything soon :unsure:
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Finally got to the allotment today, it is decidedly wet under foot but I'm guessing a couple of dry days (LOL) would have the ground dry enough to work.
The currants (black, red and white) all got a prune today and I finished off cutting down the asparagus ferns.
The pear cordon and some of the apples are going to need a winter prune too.
Came home with a nice haul of :
Beetroot
A Savoy
Bunch of Spring Onions
Austrian Cooking Radish
a handful of Landcress
and Leeks
I am getting quite a few leeks running to seed, which I haven't had in the past (certainly not at this time of year, usually much later in the season, March/April).
Just wondering, is anyone else experiencing this?
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Have now delivered all the flags I've found recently and this last lot had to leave car outside the site and cart in by wheelbarrow due to a new sign "no cars in the site when wet" .... ?? don't we live in England where it does rain quite a lot...I asked myself.. anyway then my son helped finish laying the centre path.. well almost - still 4 more 2x2 to find for the path. I now also have enough other sizes to do the shed and greenhouse surrounds.
Pity it's raining hard today so will do some home chores instead..
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With me it is a case of "What plot? Where?"
So very busy I've been there no more than a very few hours in the last two months. Hoping the waether allows me catch-up time later in the winter. :(
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We had a working party today.
Several plot holders got together to clear up the mess from the large Leafmould delivery of a couple of weeks ago!
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Managed to get to the plot for an hour this afternoon, just had 10 raspberry canes delivered yesterday along with white, red and black currant bushes so got them all in, the ground has been prepared for ages but the nursery in Scotland I got them off couldn't lift them as them had no frosts.
This morning went to a local nursery to get our Christmas tree and couldn't resist buying some more garlic, wanted to get that in today but had my 3 yr old in tow on the plot and after an hour in the drizzle planting the fruit bushes and canes he was ready for home so they got dumped in the shed for another day.
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Very envious of those plot holders in the drier south of the country who are still managing to work their plots. Went to the allotment this morning to see if was still OK after the fierce winds and rain last week. Couldn't do anything. The whole allotment site is waterlogged. Thought my plot was wet but some of the other plots now have ponds!!
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delivered lots of wood today to the plot for building raised beds in the new year...put most of it in the shed to anchor it against the strong predicted winds :D
No one up at the allotment but it was sunny so I stayed an hour and did a bit of tidying, checking winter crops and battling the resident rat under the old water tank!
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Whilst the wind lashes the rain against the windows 8) , taken the time to read up ready for my delivery of a gage and 3 blackberries canes later this week.
Shame the forecast ain't brilliant.
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dig it where abouts in st austell are you ?and ist the weather terrible to day.
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Hi Brown Thumb,
Foul weather here in Penwithick.
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Spent all day at the plot and finally got around to digging the roots, stones, plastic and glass shards out of the right half of the poly tunnel, and build the raised beds and frames for the detachable staging:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SEHCJfXNrCM/TuYoWJY-mFI/AAAAAAAACd4/ROJ5cbp7EQw/h301/IMG_20111212_154115.jpg)
Outside was too wet to work...
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It looks a lovely job.
(I hope the wind leaves it all safely alone)
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Just been out to burn a cardboard box and paper packing which were getting in the way and wouldn't fit in the recycling box.
Nowhere near the enviromesh covering the carrots of course but then a gust of wind................... >:(
For an encore I went out to put some kitchen veg waste into my nearest dalek bin - 'twas dark and didn't notice that the recesses in the lid were full of water.........
.........and of course I just happened to tip the lid towards me................ >:( >:(
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:wacko:
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I checked to see the potting shed was still snug under the huge blue tarpaulin after last nights winds.
To my surprise it was. Dry inside too for a change.
(Another job for later)
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Not the plot exactly, but I did collect a very large seed order from our allotment secretary ready for the new year...
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Very productive day whilst out around on my deliverys... was given 3 big 3x2 flags, 20 smaller flags 2x2 and a security fencing panel... now to organise my son to help me collect them all at the weekend..
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Went down to another plot. Green beans are dead now - beaten by frost. Lost, but not a big one - i've got enough for this season. Cabbage, which i planted about a week ago loos bad - too dry weather, so gave some water. No idea, will it survive or not, but hey, it is what it is. Rest of the veges looks ok, next week need to till weeds little bit. Busy at mountain side - keep burning organic rubbish and collecting ash. Today got another problem - water stopped. Went up the river, but not sure is the pipe blocked somewhere or just water level too low :nowink: However i will check it again by the end of the day.
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Took this afternoon off and went up to my lotty and de-nailed approx 300ft of used 3"x2".
Good therapy after the week I've had. Classic FM on the radio and no thinking involved! :tongue2:
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Took this afternoon off and went up to my lotty and de-nailed approx 300ft of used 3"x2".
Good therapy after the week I've had. Classic FM on the radio and no thinking involved! :tongue2:
I love the "no thinking" and your radio choice is spot on!! ;)
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Busy psyching myself up to go out in the snow to collect all the flags and security fence screen that I have located during the week at customers houses.. Then I have to wheelbarrow them to my plot from the gate due to cars being banned when its wet.. :wacko: is this England where it occasionally does rain and snow!!
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Most of the day spent with spade, but now water is running :blink: - intake was blocked with sand and thin scoria.
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Swapped the debris netting cover on our walk in brassic cage, for pigeon netting --- that should help it stand up the the weight of snow.
Staked the PSBs -- they almost looked grateful
Pruned the gooseberry bushes to try to create that 'perfect goblet shape' you hear about. So proud that one out of four is lookin' goooood.
Found I actually have six bushes -- two small gifts hiding at the edge from branches that touched the ground all summer.
Tidied out the shed and put all the canes away in the dry too.
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stood and glared at the empty patch where the manure should have been delivered, but wasn't ....grrrrrrrr >:(
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stood and glared at the empty patch where the manure should have been delivered, but wasn't ....grrrrrrrr >:(
:( :( :(
How frustrating
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Just come home dripping wet and cold... collected and delivered all the flags and 2 security fence panels... finished placing flags on the pathway.. snow looks good on the site.
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Just come home dripping wet and cold... collected and delivered all the flags and 2 security fence panels... finished placing flags on the pathway.. snow looks good on the site.
I have visions of lots of colourful flags waving in the breeze at your plot, Gavin :) :)
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There will be banners and all sorts... :D :D
This is how I transport my fence panels... also take note of the low suspension... there are 20 450 x 450 thick flags in the boot!!
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Looks typical Macc weather, Gavin. Snow everywhere.....
No doubt an interesting drive on the 'Cat and Fiddle' road.
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A week has gone by, and here I am back at the allotment today.
It's very wet now at the bottom of the field, you can actually see the water flowing out of the first row of plots. Glad I'm higher up on row 5!
The Gage, Blackberries and Strawberries arrived this week, so today, I have done a bit of prep work spreading and mixing in a general fertiliser plus bonemeal for the Gage in between hail showers. Also top dressed the rhubarb with a general fertiliser.
Completed marking out the central pathway across plots 96&97 and marked out where the strawberry bed will be.
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Looks typical Macc weather, Gavin. Snow everywhere.....
No doubt an interesting drive on the 'Cat and Fiddle' road.
Cat n Fiddle road was closed today for a while.. but not too much around the town area now... had rain and sleet today which has melted a lot.
I have updated my lottie website so my progress can be seen by clicking my profile web-link..
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Keep at it Gavin!! It's great to hear and see how you're getting on even if I'm not right now. ::)
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Delivered 10 poly carb roof sheets from a friends conservatory... will make a huge cold frame one day!!
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Today i went to the plot at 10.30am.
The sun was shining but the floor was slippy with ice.
I got to my allotment and was shocked at what I found.
My greenhouse was in pieces and the frame was twisted and attached to my next door neighbours greenhouse :(
I have/had a poly-carbonate greenhouse, it was a 6x8. I managed to unattach it from next doors' greenhouse, and managed to pile up the panels.
The frame is beyond repair, but the panels are ok so i'm either going to sell them on ebay, or keep them and try and build my own shed/greenhouse combo.
The ground was too hard to dig, but my hot vimto tasted good
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Just looked at your website gavinjconway,brilliant :blink: It made me want to rush up to mine.
A bit late today though :wacko:
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:lol: :D :blink:
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Delivered 10 poly carb roof sheets from a friends conservatory... will make a huge cold frame one day!!
I have planned the very same thing with our old ones............one fine day ;)
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I'm in 2 minds... I could make a roofed storage shed / area or some cold frames... I also have some clear roof corrugated sheeting so do have a few options. I've never used a cold frame or clotches so will have to read up and see how and when etc to use them.. then decide what to use where. I also inherited a few folded over steel mesh frames about 2' long x 18" high that I assume if I cover with the corry sheeting I can make them into clotches. Just have to think what can do what and where.. The 10 poly carb sheets are large - about 10' x 4' so have a lot to work with. off to Google clotches and cold frames now!!
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Had a look at your web site gavin you have done really well good luck for next year. :)
lizzie1982, sorry to hear your bad news about your green house :ohmy:, went on my lottie yesterday to check things out everthing ok
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Today i went to the plot at 10.30am.
The sun was shining but the floor was slippy with ice.
I got to my allotment and was shocked at what I found.
My greenhouse was in pieces and the frame was twisted and attached to my next door neighbours greenhouse :(
I have/had a poly-carbonate greenhouse, it was a 6x8. I managed to unattach it from next doors' greenhouse, and managed to pile up the panels.
The frame is beyond repair, but the panels are ok so i'm either going to sell them on ebay, or keep them and try and build my own shed/greenhouse combo.
The ground was too hard to dig, but my hot vimto tasted good
That is a shame Lizzie must be a big blow for you. :ohmy: :ohmy:
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A week has gone by, and here I am back at the allotment today.
It's very wet now at the bottom of the field, you can actually see the water flowing out of the first row of plots. Glad I'm higher up on row 5!
The Gage, Blackberries and Strawberries arrived this week, so today, I have done a bit of prep work spreading and mixing in a general fertiliser plus bonemeal for the Gage in between hail showers. Also top dressed the rhubarb with a general fertiliser.
Completed marking out the central pathway across plots 96&97 and marked out where the strawberry bed will be.
Gage, blackberries and strawberries planted. Not ideal conditions by any stretch of the imagination but the forecast was less than impressive, so after the showers (which weren't mentioned on the forecast), I managed to get out and plant them. ;)
Strawberry bed laid out and covered with mypex sheeting and strawberries planted through it.
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Today i went to the plot at 10.30am.
The sun was shining but the floor was slippy with ice.
I got to my allotment and was shocked at what I found.
My greenhouse was in pieces and the frame was twisted and attached to my next door neighbours greenhouse :(
I have/had a poly-carbonate greenhouse, it was a 6x8. I managed to unattach it from next doors' greenhouse, and managed to pile up the panels.
The frame is beyond repair, but the panels are ok so i'm either going to sell them on ebay, or keep them and try and build my own shed/greenhouse combo.
The ground was too hard to dig, but my hot vimto tasted good
That is a shame Lizzie must be a big blow for you. :ohmy: :ohmy:
Not good at all Lizzie :(
We really seem to have got away lightly down here in Cornwall
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Really sorry to hear of the damage Lizzie. So disheartening. :(
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Today i went to the plot at 10.30am.
The sun was shining but the floor was slippy with ice.
I got to my allotment and was shocked at what I found.
My greenhouse was in pieces and the frame was twisted and attached to my next door neighbours greenhouse :(
I have/had a poly-carbonate greenhouse, it was a 6x8. I managed to unattach it from next doors' greenhouse, and managed to pile up the panels.
The frame is beyond repair, but the panels are ok so i'm either going to sell them on ebay, or keep them and try and build my own shed/greenhouse combo.
The ground was too hard to dig, but my hot vimto tasted good
Sorry to hear about your plot problems, Lizzie. Your only about 8 miles from me, and after the fierce winds we had last week, went to check my plot. Fortunately, the only problem I have is the water barrel that I emptied is now down in the stream which runs behind the allotment site. The barrel itself is OK, so I've come of lightly compared with you Lizzie.
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Shame Lizzie - what bad luck. I will make sure mine is roped down!! Hope you can sort something out.
Not been to the plot today but spent some time last night designing a vertical standing cold frame... it will be great once finished and will give me extra roof space to collect water for my 1000 lt IBC raiwater tank..
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Checked the leeks and that everything was still in the green house/shed.
Apparently there's someone who has a key to the allotment that is stealing other peoples veg/plants/equipment etc
Grounds to wet to dig, it like trying to dig into clay at the moment, when in actual fact its meant to be light soil :wub:
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Apparently there's someone who has a key to the allotment that is stealing other peoples veg/plants/equipment etc
Can you not change the locks
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Apparently there's someone who has a key to the allotment that is stealing other peoples veg/plants/equipment etc
Can you not change the locks
The lock isn't usually the problem, it's getting all the keys cut for everyone at £2-£3 per key, it soon adds up.
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Had a great day with collecting jam jars from responses in the local freecycle.. More to collect tomorrow! .... getting prepared for my first berries on my new plot. next year.. I'm going to have loads of jam and jelly sessions :D
ps. Santa found me a maslin jam pan from ebay the other day. :blink:
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Apparently there's someone who has a key to the allotment that is stealing other peoples veg/plants/equipment etc
Can you not change the locks
The lock isn't usually the problem, it's getting all the keys cut for everyone at £2-£3 per key, it soon adds up.
Same on our site but we have about three different sets of locks. Every once in a while the locks are changed and we swap old keys for "new". A year or two down the line another of the locks is fitted and we go back to an older key.
(Hush though... most people think we use new locks each time. Far too expensive an option. As you say its the 200+ keys that cost the money!!)
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Apparently there's someone who has a key to the allotment that is stealing other peoples veg/plants/equipment etc
Can you not change the locks
The lock isn't usually the problem, it's getting all the keys cut for everyone at £2-£3 per key, it soon adds up.
Same on our site but we have about three different sets of locks. Every once in a while the locks are changed and we swap old keys for "new". A year or two down the line another of the locks is fitted and we go back to an older key.
(Hush though... most people think we use new locks each time. Far too expensive an option. As you say its the 200+ keys that cost the money!!)
Wouldn't a number combination lock be better? It would save the cost of keys although it does then mean having to contact everybody with the new number which I suppose could be a problem.
Our communal shed has one of these, although the last break in we had, they took out the screws in the hinges :wub:
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it needs to be a strong deterrent then. I bet we could all come up with something if we tried hard lol. :blink: :blink:
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The locks are meant to be changing to the same ones that are currently on the water taps. That should solve the problem as the water tap keys are given out separately by one lady and she has a record of who's got what. If that doesn't work then I suppose that the locks will have to be change fully, and that is a real problem, getting new keys for everyone etc.
Our site raised funds to put up a new fence right around the whole site, since the fence has gone up the only break ins we've had are the ones from the person who owns a key. :blink:
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It sounds like you know who it is can you not catch them at it & get the police involved. If they get caught they might not be tempted to try stealing elsewhere.
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Been to the lotty today and measured up . I've got to work out some kind of growing strategy now :unsure:
This should give me a nice headache :tongue2: I'm looking forward to growing,now then,where to start? :D
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Been to the lotty today and measured up . I've got to work out some kind of growing strategy now :unsure:
This should give me a nice headache :tongue2: I'm looking forward to growing,now then,where to start? :D
Paper and a pencil might be the place to start, as you an try all sorts of things out from the warmth of your sofa over the festive season :D :D
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I'm on it Sunshine :blink:,on my 3rd shet of A4 already :nowink:
I do like the look of Growveg,I might give it a go
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Got a new plot on an allotment closer to home, so lots of digging and clearing over the next few weeks. Nice to be preparing a new site.
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Got a new plot on an allotment closer to home, so lots of digging and clearing over the next few weeks. Nice to be preparing a new site.
That sounds brilliant. Walking distance?
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That sounds good.. hope it is very productive for you Christo.
Merry Christmas :)
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Not quite on the plot today, but I've been out and got some tanalised timber ready to make the structures for the blackberries and another fan, this time for the gage.
Vine eyes ordered off ebay and en route, so hopefully, weather permitting I can crack on between Christmas and New Year ;)
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Bought the screws and hinges etc to make my cold frame and bean frames from my pallet wood... not been to the plot for a few days - hope its still there and not floated away with all the rain and snow.
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wiring holly for Christmas decorations its to wet on the Lottie to do or think about doing anything maybe pick some brussels tomorrow for Christmas if the weather holds :unsure:
greenhouse heater to be removed for repair tomorrow delay my welders has injured his arm unable to repair for several weeks >:(
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I've done too much, as usual. One of my lotty neighbours ordered a load of manure, thinking it was about 2 tons.................. wrong. Big agricultural tractor turns up with an 8ton capacity trailer full of manure. 3 of us decided to share it and split the cost, £20. ;)
Yesterday I moved about 30 barrow loads but with rain forecast for the weekend I decided to finish the job today............... about 50 barrow loads. I reckon I'll sleep a bit tonight. It's a sort of happy tired. :blink:
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That sounds a great haul... :D :D
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It feels a lot worse................ :unsure: :happy:
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;) ;)
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What plot? Where?
Thank heavens for days with colder weather and reduced daylight (although I hate both).
Fewer weeds growing and no one else doing wonderful things on our site so maybe my absence hasn't been noticed too much for now.
::)
Dry sunny days requested for when I have time in the New Year (here's hoping).
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its rained here all day non stop got cracking on removing the stove/ heater out the potting shed not raining to bad then :)
pulled the chimney out of the stove forgot to detach the roof chimney section bang crash it fell onto the greenhouse breaking four panes of glass lucky i had some spare panes but got wet replacing new glass as it started raining faster >:(
removed stove/heater successfully at least i did one thing rite today :blink:
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:lol: Somedays nothing seems to go well!
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:lol: Somedays nothing seems to go well!
I know the feeling far too well. :wacko:
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A quick harvest in between showers.
It is now quite a mud bath!! :(
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Dug up my TWO parsnips ready for Christmas dinner! I was late planting and then only had five out of two rows, but hey, I am determined to enjoy them :blink:
(http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/12marg/c1ab6d40.jpg)
A neighbouring plotholder gave us some sprouts too.
;)
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picked a good bag of sprouts of the Lottie there not to big but plentiful and it wasn't cold picking them not like last year ;)
had a pleasant surprise I've got swede i thought they hadn't done any-good but yes not huge but a decent size and next to the swede we have parsnip a real bonus :blink:
they should all go well with the turkey lovely grub :D
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Dug up my TWO parsnips ready for Christmas dinner! I was late planting and then only had five out of two rows, but hey, I am determined to enjoy them :blink:
(http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/12marg/c1ab6d40.jpg)
A neighbouring plotholder gave us some sprouts too.
;)
They will taste all the better for having grown them yourself. Enjoy!! ;)
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I can honestly say.........................."Nothing"
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I can honestly say.........................."Nothing"
But you'll be trying your new rotovator soon, I should think. :D
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Weeded the onions and garlic, and harvested some salad and a (tiny) cabbage that I cooked with Christmas dinner...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h_0jbXC8yic/TvcZ8YTLoBI/AAAAAAAAClk/qpWQmW-i1KY/s640/IMG_20111225_112132.jpg)
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This morning found out, that tea bush covered with snow, but all melted by lunch time. Not much to do outside, so tried :D to tidy up garage little bit.
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Had a walk to the plot to show a relative the new plot & gave her a cabbage,she was well pleased. Also sowed Kelsae onion seeds as per tradition.Last year sowed some in Feb i think & came 2nd place in local show & a couple weighed in around 3lb mark so will try to better this this year by putting more effort in.
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Withdrawal symptoms from lack of digging, sowing and planting finally got to me today. So as the day was mild, I have removed the bedding plants that finally stopped flowering last week. Then I just had to get the garden fork out and lightly fork over a 9 foot round bed in the back garden. Feel much better now. :lol:
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Nothing on mine, but I had a guided tour of Snowdrops impressive site. It's nice to meet other forum members.
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Nothing on mine, but I had a guided tour of Snowdrops impressive site. It's nice to meet other forum members.
It is good isn't it? :)
Cleaned off a long long section of grape vine stems of old bark just riddled with mealy bug :tongue2: :tongue2: :tongue2:
Wanted to sow onions but now too tired
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Went to the plot to collect planks and measure my shed roof. I'm making a vertical coldframe. The roof will dip rearwards into the shed gutter then into my collection tank..
I made the outer frame in my garage and fitted the door hinges. Now to transport it back to the plot and fit the poly carb doors and sides (from a conservatory roof). Finished size will be 1mt square x 6' high with 4 shelves.
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Lovely sunny day here, but last night was freezing cold
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Christmas eve I went over the whole plot with the Mantis, then weeded around the onions & garlic & picked quite a few sprouts before I left.
Wanted to strim around the fruit trees but couldn't get the strimmer to work properly :(
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Yesterday I built and painted the new raised bed around the right hand side of my poly tunnel.
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Took the kitchen waste up today, moved some soil around to stop the weeds, dug up the last of the manky parsnips :( weeded around the onion sets and tidied up some bits of wood that 'may come in handy' one day ::)
Had a sit in a quick burst of sunshine 8) picked some leeks and swede and came home.
I noticed that all the gooseberry buds are starting to break already...........such confusing weather!
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Took my 'right hand man' Mr Sunny with me so while I cut down and chopped the asparagus stems, and carefully folded up the cloche covers to put in the shed, he dug over the area - about 2 x 1m - where the cloches had been (much to the joy of a little robin :lol: )
Then we collected about a cubic metre of wood chips from the pile dumped at the end of our roadway to top up paths towards the front of the plot, which looks rather good now. Will be making a flower bed all the way along one edge next season, only about a foot wide, so had to stand and think about that for ages.
Weeded the bed with spinach and celery, got rid of all the giant radishes into the compost bin
and came home for lunch
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Will be making a flower bed all the way along one edge next season, only about a foot wide, so had to stand and think about that for ages.
Not just me that spends part of my visit to the plot starring at a bare patch of ground as I work through ideas in my head, then?
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Will be making a flower bed all the way along one edge next season, only about a foot wide, so had to stand and think about that for ages.
Not just me that spends part of my visit to the plot starring at a bare patch of ground as I work through ideas in my head, then?
I guess most of us do :lol:
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Ever so busy today... built my rather large upright cold-frame. Paved the spot and plonked it on.. then drove some stakes into the ground and screwed it on to protect from being blown away. Here is the finished product....
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Will be making a flower bed all the way along one edge next season, only about a foot wide, so had to stand and think about that for ages.
Not just me that spends part of my visit to the plot starring at a bare patch of ground as I work through ideas in my head, then?
I guess most of us do :lol:
I definitely do :blink:
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Took up a big bag of kitchen waste from Christmas dinner, along with about 6 black sacks full of well rotted grass clippings that I found when clearing our house's side passage.
Then proceeded to fill the car with all the junk that I couldn't compost or burn when taking over the plot and took it off to the local council tip. The last item to go into the compactor was an old wheelbarrow with no wheel and a massive hole rusted into the base. Had to laugh when a council jobsworth came running up to me shouting that wheelbarrows weren't allowed on the walkway to the scrap metal compactor. I pointed out that it didn't have a wheel so therefore was only a barrow and a scrap metal one at that. He went an interesting shade of red before stomping off back to his hut!
P.S. I also spent a good 20 minutes on time sitting on the plot just sitting visualising my next trip, and what I was going to do.
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In the zone then Hesse :lol: :lol:
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Your cold frame looks great Gavinconway.
Mr S(not the same one as you Sunny,at least I don't think so) & I went up to the plots & he assembled my new manure storage area from 4 hard wood doors we've replaced in the house,now we just need another delivery of manure to finish it off.I moved the compost from the dalek bins that I'm getting rid of to make room for the construction.It's starting to take shape now.
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Went to the plot on Christmas Day and picked a LOT of Brussels, enough for the 12 of us who were coming for dinner, glad to say EVERYBODY enjoyed them.
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Collected about ten sheets of twin wall polycarb measuring 2 metres by about 70cm each, which will be more than sufficient to fix my small coldframe which I bought from Aldi last year, as the polycarb that came with it was very flimsy and I think probably not UV coated as it seems to have rotted after only one season! I was really chuffed with the new polycarb, as even though it is a bit manky (some Windowlene should sort that) it is very, very strong; and I suspect was previously from a conservatory roof.
Tomorrow I am picking up about a dozen pallets from the local 'art gallery', so am quite tempted to go down the same route as Gavin and build an uber frame. I still suspect I'll have plenty left after that too, so maybe cut the sheets in half lengthways, hinge them together down the long edge and made some cloches?
Also covered the four beds that I have already dug over with the weed control fabric I bought from eBay a little while back. I must say I was pretty disappointed with it once I opened it, as it was very thin (pretty much see through) and tore very easily in every direction bar the one I was trying to cut in. Still, it should do a job for me in the very short term, and I'll just have to come up with a better solution next year!
Finally, I made a temporary fence at the top of the plot so that I have something visual to work towards when the hard weeding, clearing and digging starts to feel like too much!
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Planted some plants that I didn't really need that I bought in a sale.9 strawberry plants,3 fleabane's,1 hebe(last winter killed them all off ) and 1 cotton lavender.
Then cleaned ,oiled/varnished and sharpend all my tools.
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finally got up to the allotment yesterday and found windows smashed on the shed - not sure if it was wind or vandals - nothing missing from shed except an old rain coat. >:(
Made a temporary repair and then checked on progress of winter crops - covered over newly dug areas with tarpaulin and checked on rat progress.
Intended to do more digging but the cold and the window issue set me back a bit.
My onions planted in october look at bit sad !!
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Took delivery of timber to build myself 4 lovely new raised beds :)
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Filled the inside and outside raised beds with compost, then planted the outside beds with spring flower bulbs that were bought this morning with the supervision of Mrs Kosh to ensure I picked matching colours that went well in the lounge...
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Brought a flagstone home to try out my new angle grinder with a diamond cutter... works like a treat .. now to find a small generator set to take to the plot.. or failing that I'll mark and bring the flags home to cut - but thats the pits :(
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Brought a flagstone home to try out my new angle grinder with a diamond cutter... works like a treat .. now to find a small generator set to take to the plot.. or failing that I'll mark and bring the flags home to cut - but thats the pits :(
Get an invertor for the car then you can do all the cutting you like at the allotment :blink: cheaper than a generator too ... however if using a 9 inch grinder you will need a mimimum 2000w invertor.
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Tidied my manure bins up. Discarded some spent sprout plants onto new compost heap. and dug over bed.
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Been raining pretty much non-stop all week - quite frustrating as am off work and could be doing stuff on the allotment. Have a small project to do at home though (reconstructing a small cold frame) so hopefully if the rain lets up I'll make a start trying to put that together.
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This will be my last post on the 2011 thread...
Been busy again today removing the temporary old broken flags from the main pathway into the plot and replaced them with good ones.. brought home a few offcuts to cut with the diamond disc to suit some of the spaces..
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31st December I belted down to the plot and dug a little until it got dark (only my 2nd trip this month!!!)
Brought home: leeks, Autumn King carrots and psb (so early this year by comparison with last year's).