[teamspotty]

Got some ericaceous compost to repot a blueberry, and some clout nails.

9/10 kale have sprouted in the greenhouse.

Afternoon was rainy so took a day off...

[beesrus]

Paid my allotment association dues. Then dug just half a spit depth and prepared a few beds before the mizzle came for a few hours. Made good use of the limited time I've had at the plot this weekend.
Planted out my Spring broad beans, to accompany the Autumn plants now starting to flower. The aquadulce (pic below) have survived the Winter far better than they did last year with the wet chocolate spot and pestilence, and also far better than the rest of the Masterpiece variety that were originally planted as a green manure, and will almost certainly be dug in this week. So good to see veg showing their flowers again.

[Robster]

I harvested the last of my leeks and kale (spent the afternoon processing them), cleared and cleaned the beds and prepared them for the following crops potato where the kale was and brassicas where the leeks were.  Sowed sorrel, radish, lettuce spring, onions and spinach.

[wneva]

I've been fighting a war with couch grass for all the 6 years we've had the plot - usually losing, so several snotty letters from the PC's weed police.  So last summer (or was it the summer before?) I bought some weed fabric and by last autumn a lot of the patch was covered. 

Yesterday I uncovered the future runner bean bed and dug over the soil.  Quite a few long very pale couch roots were on the surface.  I picked out what I could, then dug in some old manure delivered a few years ago.  Then I replaced the cover for another 3 months.  I now have to repeat this performance on other beds, so I'll be ready for planting come May.

Do you think this is a good idea?

[Yana]

I've been fighting a war with couch grass for all the 6 years we've had the plot - usually losing, so several snotty letters from the PC's weed police.  So last summer (or was it the summer before?) I bought some weed fabric and by last autumn a lot of the patch was covered. 

Yesterday I uncovered the future runner bean bed and dug over the soil.  Quite a few long very pale couch roots were on the surface.  I picked out what I could, then dug in some old manure delivered a few years ago.  Then I replaced the cover for another 3 months.  I now have to repeat this performance on other beds, so I'll be ready for planting come May.

Do you think this is a good idea?

I use the weed membrane a lot and it works for me. It has taken between 3 and 4 years to practically de-weed the plot that started off covered in brambles, couch grass and bindweed. The odd bit pops up now and again but it is quite weak and easily removed. The 'more experienced' guys (don't want to call them older) on the site tut tut me all the time and say a good digging is what it needs. Not in my book, and my back is all the stronger for it!!

[Kristen]

I used woven weed suppressing membrane extensively, for the first time, last season (i.e. planted-through).  Almost zero weeding, far less irrigation, more time available to do other times.  I cut holes for plants at exact spacing etc. (which took some time), and now I will move the membrane around the beds each season or my crop rotation (I'm perhaps lucky that all my crop rotation beds are the same size).

[jmc1949]

Got to the plot at 9.30, put my wellies on and then it started raining. So off came the wellies and I went home

[ptarmigan]

Gorgeous afternoon so spent a  couple of hours collecting seaweed, lined potato trenches with it and did a little bit of clearing.   Still not planted anything yet though...

[surbie100]

Swapped my day off and it's a horrid grey day and I can't be bothered to leave the house...

Sowed my leeks, onions, celeriac, little gem lettuce, resowed peas, potted on far too many cornflowers, marigolds and cosmos. My chillies and peppers look like they have stalled so hopefully the grey days will brighten soon.

Am looking into getting a bulk delivery of topsoil for the current & new plots for speedy raising of the soil levels.

[mjg000]

Finished off the paths along the edges of the plot - Hurrah!.

Weeded around Autumn onion sets, spread chicken pellets I found in the shed around the fruit bushes, watered in the new strawberries.  Bit worried that I might have used too dense a weed suppressing fabric - how does any water get through except through the basic slits the plants are growing through?  Also planted Broad Beans in the bed that has been warming up under long plastic tunnels.  Watered those too ( watering can, as allotment water not on yet ) and recovered with the plastic hoops until they germinate. 

It seems to be quite dry on the top surface of the soil and can't remember when we had our last real rain, often forecast but not often fallen in the past week or two.

Sat outside the shed in the sunshine and ate my sandwiches and drank some Orangina. Exhausted and home by 2.30

[Eblana]

Dug and weeded a 16 x 8 ft bed.  Tidied up all the bits and pieces that had been blown around the plot.  Beautiful day feeling sore but happy.

[teamspotty]

Bit worried that I might have used too dense a weed suppressing fabric - how does any water get through except through the basic slits the plants are growing through?

The rain should just soak through no matter how thick. I use 70/75g stuff and double layer it.

[mjg000]

Thanks for that re-assurance team spotty!

[Ema]

Popped down after work its was quite warm and sunny still. Dug over a bed and put my shallots and onions in (better late than never), netted where the broadbeans are sown to keep the birds off. Had a quick walk around the site as I was the only one left, good to see what everyone's up to.

[teamspotty]

Digging and picked up yet more carpet...