[Elm street]

Down to the plot this morning for a few hours, planted the leeks in the old pea/broad bean bed then pruned the raspberries and tied this years canes into the wires. Harvested runner beans, cobra beans, blackberries, plums, tomatoes, chillies, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage and cauliflower phew!

Got home to find my new 5 in 1 strimmer/hedge cutter thingy had arrived so it was off to the DIY store for two stroke oil and chain saw oil ready for the next plot visit

[grendel]

A quick 2 hours at the plot this morning, paths strimmed, and unplanted ground rotovated, this is extending a good 1/4 of the way into the new half plot now, the soil is good, once to top surface of weeds has been removed, the rotovator sinks easily to its full depth in the soil.
Grendel

[Thrutchington]

Not on the plot but onions from it have made several jars of caramelised red onion chutney today.

[oakridge]

More of what I have been doing recently.

The Photos;

'Some of the New Fruit Trees'  We already had 4 trees 2/3 years old, but, being gluttons for punishment we have added 15 new whips this year.

'The Woodpile' This an adaptation of something I saw at the Alternative Technology Centre some years ago.  There are 4 piles and each generates about a cubic yard of compost after 4/5 years.  They are also a winter refuge for hedgehogs, toads etc.

'The Compost Process' The newest is nearest which is being moved at the moment.  Under the old red carpet is what is being used at the moment which is a mix of the new, the old pile beyond, finished compost from the green bins and some from the woodpile.  One of the green bins is being filled and the other is finishing.  On the right the large stock tunnel used to have up to about 60 fattening pigs so the ground is pretty rich, but very shaded by the surrounding trees so it is difficult to find anything to take advantage of it.

'The Veggie patch'  with weeds I see.  Speaks for itself really.  This was where the goat stock tunnel was so this ground is quite good too.

Malcolm

[Mattgregory27]

I saw the weather forecast for today so I popped up last night and gave everything a good feed of chicken manure pellets. Hopefully the rain is washing it all in now!! I tied in all my raspberry canes too. A very productive hour 

[New shoot]

I tied in all my raspberry canes too.

I've just come back from doing the same to my tayberry and loganberry.  A satisfying job and they look all neat now with the old canes pruned out and the new ones gathered in from everywhere they were wandering to.

The plot robin was most interested and sat on one of the posts watching throughout.  I guess that me crashing around in the undergrowth was disturbing all sorts of goodies for him 

[Elm street]

Just had four hours down at the plot, the new brush cutter, hedge trimmer and pruning saw have all been tested and work brilliantly!
Trimmed the hedge and topped it off so it is now only 5 foot high instead of 10 foot 😀 that should reduce the shadow on the end of the plot.
Also did the plot neighbours hedge as he hasn't touched it in 18 months and brush cuttered his second plot (he has both plots either side of ours!) because the weeds were taller than me!! I'm 6'2" 😦

[chillimummy]

Been away for 2 weeks so didn't know what to expect today!
Strawberry bed full of weeds so started pulling biggest but will save that bed for another visit!
Dug up a few charlotte potato plants and the potatoes are enormous. Three more plants left then kestrel are next to dig up. Loads of broad beans now ready so picked lots of them.
Sugar snap peas are covered with pods now so picked lots of them too. Iceberg lettuce have now turned to mush so dug them up and weeded and dug over area.
Can't believe how quickly squash and courgettes have spread and picked four yellow courgettes.
Have lots of beetroot, turnip, radish, spinach and chard ready but rain stopped me picking them!
Plot has turned from lots of bare soil so totally green in 2 weeks!
 
 

[Mattgregory27]

Had my shed delivered to the plot this evening. Just need to get the ground prepared for the base then put it up!!

[rosiecider]

Don't seem to be doing much in the past week apart from drinking a mug of coffee and watching the wildlife weather is sun and showers noticed today must do some weeding, I am stuck till the maincrop pots die back, so I can plant up cabbages and all year round caulis plants

[gypsy]

Netted the sweetcorn against the birds who got more than their fair share last yr.

[Eblana]

I was up at the plot yesterday for the first time in a week and wow how things have changed.  At long last everything is looking really lush.  The main crop spuds are looking great and starting to flower, this is the first year that I have gotten this far without blight getting them so hopefully I will get a good crop.  I harvested a Cauliflower, a head of broccoli, some peas, two large beetroots, lettuce and from the Polytunnel I finally harvested my first Tomaoes yipee! and I also got 6 cucs and 4 lovely gherkins.

On the flower front my sweet pea have started going great guns (only 2 months later than normal!).  The Dahlias have also started flowering.

I am going to spend most of the day tomorrow up there weeding and tidying up the polytunnel as it was too hot to do anything yesterday.

[Mattgregory27]

Sweated in the sun digging out nettle and bramble roots trying to prepare the patch of ground my shed is going on. Next job is levelling it and laying slabs then I can get it erected next weekend. I also cleared loads of weeds and harvested everything that looked ready!! 😀

[Elm street]

Harvested a Cabbage (for coleslaw), courgettes, little Gem Rolet squash, sweet peppers, chillies and tomatoes.

[miggs]

As I am afternoons for the next 2 weeks (2pm-11pm) I will be doing at least an hour a day in the morning before work. So this morning I popped down and finished digging over my new 10ft x 10ft section of my plot. This will give me an expansion for next year. I will keep digging it and weeding it because I will probably put my Onion sets in it in a couple of months.