[Diaries]

We thought this might be useful for anyone wanting to keep a diary or log of what they'd been up to in their allotment / garden / whatever.   Our thinking is that you re-edit your own post over and over, as opposed to posting new info at the end of the thread.

Not compulsory by any means but it might help others in your area to plan their own planting.  So BE SURE to include your approx location in your Profile please

There is, of course, the Month-by-Month planner in the Information section to look at for reference : http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden_month.php

AFTER you have posted your diary ... the easy way to find it again is to save it as a browser Favourite.

1. Choose the Edit button beside your diary post
2. Choose Favourites / Add to Favourites from browser menu bar
3. Name the shortcut as you please

The shortcut text itself will look something like http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=xxyyzz where xxyyzz is your posting number

[love-my-plot]

This is a great idea.


January :
27th.
Chilli seed sown today.
30th. Sweet peppers (worldbeater) sown.

February :
2nd. Sweet peppers- sown.
4th. Broad beans, french beans, peas, cauli, broc, red cabbage, summer cabbage, burgess squash,various salad leaves, spring onions, toms, leeks, sage..All in loo rolls, pots, modules & trays, indoors.
9th:- sowed  toms & mange tout.
11th Seed spuds arrived and are now chitting.
12th:-sowed Aubergine
15th : - All, except chilli, pepper, toms,aub & squash, out to mini GH.

So much for keeping this diary going last year ..... I forgot    So .....Try again for 2009.

March 2009! : 21st:   
planted 8 rows of spuds. Swift, Charlotte & Desiree.
Planted shallots and onions(Golden gourmet,red sun
& Stuttgarter Giant. Started Peas in modules (Kelvedon Wonder)


                                         
April :               
May :

June :
July :
August :
September :
October :
November :
December :

[Salkeela]

January :
Week 1 - Made a new raised bed near the tractor shed. Cardboard, sand, old hay, manure then old soil from greenhouse. South facing - hope pumpkins will like it.
Week 3 - Tidied greenhouse and sorted pots!
Week 4 - Sowed onion seeds in pots on kitchen windowsill. Bed Champ. Red Baron, and Ailsa Craig & a couple of others.  
- Repotted gooseberry cuttings from last year.  
- Pruned beech tree overhanging patio.
February :
Week 1 - Planted salvaged elderberry bushes along the bank.
- Sowed a few tomato, chilli and pepper seeds for the kitchen windowsill.
- Added a well rotted haybale under the new soil & compost in the greenhouse (experimental).
- Put a few bolthardy beetroot seeds in the greenhouse soil to see if they'll do anything before I need the space.
- Measured out an area for a POLYTUNNEL.  Very exciting.  Looking at First Tunnels as a supplier.
- Harvested last leeks.
- Put more old hay round the rasberries
Week 2
- Ordered a polytunnel from First Tunnels.  
- Bought some cobnuts, sea buckthorn and spanish chestnut saplings to plant
- Cleared beds (and girls made stew with the surprise parsnips, spuds and stuff found!)
- Made a paver path to link beds to lane behind greenhouse
Week 3 - Sowed toms and peppers and more onions
- Planted Sea Buckthorn in between hawthorn plants at top of garden.  (Hawthorn was patchy, if this lot grows I'll have a proper hedge, with edible berries.)
- First Tunnels e-mailed to say Polytunnel is on the way.  Gotta hurry and get organised!
March :
April :
May :
June :
July :
August :
September :
October :
November :
December :

[Trillium]

January :Order heirloom veg seeds. Fasten windows against the snowstorms roaring through.

February : 8th - did some late pelargonium cuttings, started hollyhock, delphinium and lupin seeds.
 
March : 18th - Started 11 varieties of tom seeds, a yellow pepper, petunias and other slow flower seeds in damp paper towels.
    23rd Tom seeds have sprouted and will go into individual tall cell trays, along with hollyhocks now large enough to move and some lupins
April :11 Tom and pepper seedlings doing well. Planted up more sprouted seeds, mostly flowers. Sowed cosmos, marigolds and poppy seeds into flats.
 :19th Weather at 24C so direct seeded gold and red beets, bright lights chard, Champion of England peas, Hutterite soup beans, 4 pkts barlotto beans, true Italian parsley, dwarf french beans, shallots and red onions. All fall planted garlic is up. Indoors, started white spanish onions.
  :24 Direct seeded White Lady and Polestar runners, Bull's blood beets, purple dragon carrots, atomic carrots, nantes carrots, basil, French radish, romaine, misticanza lettuces, more chard, Bedford Champ. onions, Beurre de Rocquencourt beans. Pot seeded leeks, English dahlias and chinese cabbage.
  :27 Planted out 25 more strawberries, some fennel and leeks. Radishes up already. Also chinese cabbage. Tomorrow I plant 20 new hybrid raspberry canes and new rhubarb plant.


2010:
February: early, started spanish, white and red onion seeds, bleu de solaize leeks
Feb: mid month most onions up, same with leeks. Started prizetaker leeks as well as variety of cabbages, dianthus, lupins, poppies
March: early in month I started a variety of toms, red and yellow sweet peppers and white, lilac and asian aubergines. Cabbages up now, leeks are up as are most onions. Seeded trays of zinnias and marigolds, pots of dianthus are all up, same with one poppy (Checkers). Under damp paper towels I started a few more sweet peppers and 2 more varieties of toms.
March 20: All blueberry plants have fat buds and happy. Planted out a new blueberry (Colville) and seedless grape (Somerset), cleared dead material off asparagus bed and weeded. Dug a few deep weeds out of raspberry bed, cleared out broken branches.
March 17: pruned peach trees a bit, just dead bits and crossed branches
March 21: potted new dahlias, hostas and lily bulbs and put all outside against sunny brick wall. None sprouted yet so they'll harden by themselves.
March 22: seeded toms are finally up, a few aubergines and sweet peppers poking through at last. Put outside a small rigid greenhouse type cover on sunny (open) back porch and under it I put the seedlings of cabbage, leeks, onions, dianthus and new jade dragon peony. Nights are frosty but the side air vents keeping things nice underneath. Fall garlic finally has 1" sprouts on all bulbs (very late showing this year).
Checked the orchard and all seems well except 2 lower apple tree branches nibbled by rabbits. Have some black knot to clear from plums.
March 24: shifted some snowdrops from new rainbarrel area to be set up soon, and cleared out half the patch of old irises for slab base. Cleared new asparagus area of couch for plants due soon. Wanted to turn old compost but it's still a block of ice. Filled new compost bin with yard cleanings and topped it with chicken manure.

April 1/10 Sweet peppers and eggplants finally up. Very slow this year. Pruned most roses, fertilized with time release. Had to hard prune the rhodos which had a lot of winter dieback.

April 3/10  Raked up more fall leaves from front flower beds, dumped them and other plant cleanings and old straw into veg beds and rotovated the works. Lovely tilth now. Cleaned out manure from below pigeon coops ready to spread in raspberry beds. Checked blueberries - lots of buds coming.

[Nikkithefoot]

January :
20th Jan Sowed onion seed (Bunton Showstopper)
20th Jan Sowed carrot seed (Parmex) in greenhouse as experiment.
27th Jan Sowed some peas (Twinkle) in greenhouse as experiment
February :
2nd Feb Planted Jerusalem Artichokes in pots (9inch), as no room in garden due to redesign!
2nd Feb Planted garlic in greenhouse (10 cloves), and in border alongside greenhouse (where will I put my sunflowers now?)
2nd Feb Moved about 1 ton of gravel ready for redesign, assisted by children.
2nd Feb Charlotte potatoes chitting
3rd Feb Garden redesign well under way.
10th Feb Sowed carrot (Early Nantes 2, and Amsterdam Forcing) outside under cloche
10th Feb Planted onion sets (Sturon) outside under cloche
10th Feb Sowed peas (Twinkle) outside
10th Feb Garden redesign continuing. Compost added to 'pea' bed prior to sowing seeds. Bagged ready compost, turned 2dalek bins of compost for further rotting.
10th Feb Planted 3 chitted Charlotte potatoes in bag in greenhouse
17th Feb Garden redesign continuing, finished making larger bed, relaid stoned area for pots
17th Feb Planted odd onion sets in pots ready to replace gaps in main bed
17th Feb Sowed leek seed (Mussleburgh) in large pot in greenhouse for early development
17th Feb Carrot (Parmex), Onion (Bunton Showstopper), geminated in greenhouse. Garlic growing well both indoors and out. No sign yet of peas.
24th Feb Sowed Cauliflower (Avalanche F1), Cauliflower (Snowball A), Brussels Sprout (Bedford), Broccoli (Crown and Sceptres), Celery (Lathom Self Blanching), Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) all indoors until germinated then into propagator in greenhouse.
24th Feb Sowed Radish (Cherry Belle) in greenhouse
24th Feb Sowed Leek (Lyon Prizetaker) in large pot in greenhouse.
24th Feb Planted onion sets (Red Baron) outside under cloche.
24th Feb Planted broad bean plants (Aquadulce) outside, under cloche to protect from cats. (Cheated and bought plants from garden centre on impulse as hadn't sown any seed)
24th Feb Pricked out Rocket (Sky Rocket) into rootrainers, bought seedlings from garden centre as I seem unable to grow it myself from seed :oops:
24th Feb Garden redesign going well.
24th Feb Started digging next doors garden as I need more space!
24th Feb Planted 3 more Charlotte potatoes in a bag in greenhouse.
24th Feb Sturon onions begining to sprout.
24th Feb Jerusalem Artichokes sprouting in greenhouse. Will plant outside soon, when unlikely to be damaged by garden redesign.
28th Feb First sign of potatoes germinating from planting on 10th Feb
29th Feb Cauliflower (Avalanche F1), Cauliflower (Snowball A), Brussels Sprout (Bedford), Broccoli (Crown and Sceptres), have all made an appearance . Will put into mini greenhouse inside main greenhouse tomorrow to grow on before pricking out.
March
1st Mar Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) is greminating verrrry slowly.
1st Mar Sowed Beetroot (Bolthardy and Alto F1) outside under cloche due to cats.
1st Mar Peas (Twinkle) in greenhouse (see 27th Jan) total disaster, had a look couldn't find any seeds. No sign of rodents so presume have all rotted  :evil: Planted Peas (2nd Early Jaguar) in large tray in greenhouse.
1st Mar Put germinated brassicas in mini greenhouse inside main green house
1st Mar Continued digging next doors garden. I HATE couch grass and convolvulus roots :evil:
1st Mar Garden redesign continues.
1st Mar Sowed Spinach (Long Standing, Oriento, Mediania) in greenhouse as experiment. Will transplant outside when big enough.
2nd Mar Sowed tomatoes (Gartenperle, Balcony Yellow, Sub Arctic Plenty, Ildi, Golden Sunrise, Supersteak F1), Pepper (Gourmet), Chilli (Sweet Aji), Asparagus Peas, cucumber (Burpless Tasty Green F1) all indoors until germinated
2nd Mar Sowed Radish (Rainbow Mixed) and Corn Salad (Lambs Lettuce) outdoors under cloche due to cats.
2nd Mar Radish (Cherry Belle) in greenhouse germinating
2nd Mar Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) moved into mini greenhouse inside main greenhouse
2nd Mar Carrot (Amsterdam Forcing) germinating under cloche)
9th March Sowed beetroot (Bolthardy & Alto F1) & carrot (Amsterdam Forcing) in neighbours garden under cloche to protect from cats
9th March Sowed 2 rows carrot (Parmex), Radish (Cherry Belle), & 3 rows Corn Salad (Lambs Lettuce) in greenhouse.
9th March Sowed parsnip (White Gem & Avonresister) in garden under cloche to protect from cats
9th March Sowed fennel (Victoria F1), & nasturtium (Tom Thumb Mixed & Jewel of Africa) in propagator
9th March Sowed sweet pea (Sugar 'n' Spice) in pots in minigreenhouse inside greenhouse
9th March Sowed poppy (Taffeta Mixture), Love-in-a-mist (Damascena Mixed) aster (Spider Chrysanthemum Mixed), Cottage Garden Mixture (Colourful Nostalgia) in pots in mini greenhouse inside greenhouse
9th March Sowed sunflower seeds in post in minigreenhouse inside greenhouse
9th March Sowed Salad Leaves (Saladisi) in seed tray in mini greenhouse inside greenhouse
9th March Planted 3 more Charlotte potatoes in a bag in greenhouse
9th March Sowed Cress in kitchen
9th March Asparagus peas  & Cucumber beginning to germinate
9th March Onions (Sturon & Red Baron), & carrot (Amsterdam forcing & Early Nantes) beginning to shoot outside under cloche
9th March Leek (Prizetaker) and onion (Bunton Showstopper) germinating in greenhouse. No sign of mussleburgh (seeds were a few years old though), and onion very sporadic. Glad I've got sets already out.
9th March Covered shoots of potatoes from the planting on 10th Feb, shoots from the 24th Feb planting just breaking the soil surface
9th March Rocket (Sky Rocket) growing away well, put outside under cloche, in rootrainers
9th March Spinach beginning to germinate in greenhouse (Oriento)9th March Garden redesign at temporary halt. OH fell from ladder and broke left wrist, and now looks like a panda with jaundice! (The black eyes are changing colour):shock:
10th March All spinach now germinating, and a tomato (will check variety)
10th March Lost one pane of glass in greenhouse, and two cloches destroyed by high winds and torrential rain.
15th March Several tomatoes now germinating (Supersteak, Ildi,)
15th March Kitchen Cress nearly ready for munching
15th March Sweet peas beginning to germinate, Asparagus peas germinating sporadically
15th March Potatoes covered again, and also the second planting beginning to break through the soil
16th March Sowed salsify (Giant) in cells in greenhouse, leek (Blue Green Autumn Neptune) in a large pot in greenhouse
16th March Pricked out Geranium (F1 Bouquet mixed, Black Velvet mixed), Impatiens (F1 Wedgewood mixed), Cabbage (Greyhound) [all bought as plug sized plants
16th March Planted outside 3 Jerusalem artichokes, the other three aren't quite ready
16th March Saladsi, celery and cucumbers all germinating
16th March Pricked out spinach (Oriento and Mediania) into cells kept in greenhouse.
16th March Viola (Purple babyface, F1 Magnifico, Lavender Shades) planted into large pots ready to go out front of house when a bit bigger
16th March Planted Shallots into pots in greenhouse as outside too wet at present. Once growing will put outside in ground.
21st March Pricked out a friends Cabbage, Cauliflower, broccoli and swede (don't know varieties)
21st March Sowed salad onions into space in greenhouse where Spinach had been
21st March Repotted small rose tree
21st March Grapevine beginning to bud in greenhouse, apple tree, cherry tree, plum tree all showing signs of budding outdoors
21st March Fennel and nasturtiums beginning to germinate
21st March 3 more Charlotte potatoes planted in bag in greenhouse, remaining three bags covered as needed. Ist bag now full of compost. Will need fleecing once shoots sprout.
21st March Asparagus peas sowed due to sporadic germination of first lot.
21st March 6 peas plants germinated from second planting :evil: Must be rodents although no sign of them. Will resort to open warfarenow :twisted:
21st March Poppy, nasturtium and fennel all germinating.
April :
April :
May :
June :
July :
August :
September :
October :
November :
December :

[GreenOwl]

2009
January
23rd.  Bought a dozen Accent seed potatoes.  Stored in shed for now to be set to chit in a couple of weeks.  Bought land cress and sweet pea seeds.
February
21st. Planted willow cuttings by fence (thanks amc).  Sowed sweet peas in toilet rolls.  Set seed potatoes to chit on bedroom windowsill.
23rd. Pruned gooseberry bushes.  Sent cuttings to amc and planted half a dozen for Mum.
March
garlic is showing but no sign of broad beans.  Spinach under cloches starting to look better. Took sweet peas indoors as no doors on plant house. 
7th. Mum pointed out that the sweet peas have germinated (hadn't noticed.)
11th.  Followed the Pea King's tip and put silver foil behind the sweet peas to increase light levels.  Must sort new doors for plant house.  John's book arrived with seeds.
12th.  Getting really itchy fingers, need to get peppers, salad leaves and more sweet peas planted.  Will leave toms for now as planted them too early last year.
13th.  Put soil in propagator to warm up for 24 hours.  Pruned raspberries (bit late.)
14th.  Planted sweet peppers, more sweetpeas and salad leaves (Jekka's Choice).  Sweet peppers over heated bit, rest not.  Started weeding, tidying up and hoeing garden.  Planted up trough with anemone bulbs and nigella damscena seeds.
16th.  Salad leaves showing already!  Cloches off spinach.  Still no sign of broad beans.
22nd.  Only 3 pepper seeds have germinated.  OH and I sorted new plant house doors.  Weather's been misleadingly warm during the day but cold at night.
28th.  Planted tomato seeds (Garten Pearl), the last of the Sweet Orange Baby pepper seeds and OH's chilli seeds in the heated propagator.
29th.  Finally planted seed potatoes, still earlier than last year.  Planted the last of the bought Petit Pois seeds, next sowing will be saved seeds.  Will be interesting which germinates better.  Removed the dead perpetual strawberry plants and some other unhappy ones and replaced them with newer ones from runners (not perpetual.)  Moved some variegated periwinkle runners to the front footpath border.
April
Really not convinced about this heated propagator (am using old wine-making heated tray under ordinary propagator).  Germination definitely less than expected.  Have started some more tomato seeds off in poly bag.  Germinated in about a week.  Guess I'd better do some of OH's chilli seeds in the boiler cupboard.
14th.  Sweet peas and lettuces now outside, ready for planting.
20th.  Resowed OH's chili seeds and put in boiler cupboard in poly bag.  Potatoes and peas showing.  Begonias into plant house.
22nd. Sowed 3 elephant garlic given to me at weekend.  Its way too late but I can always leave in to harvest next year if they don't split and what else do you do with them?
23rd. Sowed another row of peas and planted out the sweet peas.
May
2nd. Turned compost heaps and earthed up potoates.  Added compost along fence for beans.
3rd. Finally sorted some strings for sweet pea supports.  Sowed cucumber and courgettes inside.  Set sweetcorn kernels to chit.
10th. Finally planted out lettuce.  Sowed some onion sets (way late but will only go to waste otherwise).  Sowed purple climbing beans.  Potted up 10 out 15 sweetcorn kernels.  Cucumbers have germinated but not courgettes.
12th.  Pulled some rhubarb.  Will try making rhubarb and custard ice cream (update: gorgeous)
24th. Planted left-over pea seeds at friends.
30th. Finally sowed the runner beans and sorted out pea supports.  Have realised I let DD plant carrots and beetroot where I was going to put the tomatoes 
31st.  Potted up the courgettes and cucumbers.
June
1st.  Had some salad leaves with tea.  Very tasty.
10th.  Dug up first potato plant.  Decent sized and enough for a meal and a half. First strawberries as well (eaten by DS's friend and DS)
11th. Sowed some more purple climbing beans inside (as insurance.)  Resowed pumpkin for DD.
15th. Dug up another potato plant.  Defininately lost 2 seed spuds to blackleg but remaining crop looking good.  Again a meal and half's worth dug up.  Planted courgette plant in its place.  Planted out 3 Garten Pearl tomato plants.  Decided not to plant out rest as childrens' Gardener's Delight looking much healthier.  Inside purple climbing beans have germinated.
23rd. OH dug up 2 more potato p :mad:lants (amazing crop).  Have planted out a cucumber plant and the purple climbing beans.
28th. Dug up rest of potatoes.  Loads of spuds.  Lots of baking size ones too.
29th. Strawberries fruiting now and cherries ripening.  Must beat the birds!  Peas now have pods forming. 
July
Ruddy birds have had my cherries.  I did manage to pick 8 or so the day before but 
4th. Pulled up salad leaves and harvested garlic (which had rust)
7th. Planted childrens tomatoes and pumpkins out
9th. Picked gooseberries - 2lb 12oz.  Harvesting peas and strawberries daily now.  Mini courgettes have appeared, not ready for harvesting yet.
14th.  Harvesting small courgettes now.  Not yet overrun.
24th.  Last picking of peas.  Will leave remaining pods to dry on plant (when it stops raining) then cut of halms and plant spinach, landcress and rocket I think.  Might try cooking radishes.  Raspberries beginning.  Flowers on beans but no pods yet.  Sweet peas are fantastic.  Tomatoes still green.

2008
January :
13th. Planted sweet peas.  1st germination 23rd  
27th. Put Charlotte potatoes to chit under skylight in loft.  Still waiting for Vales Emerald to arrive  :roll:
30th. Pruned raspberries and gooseberries
February :
3rd. Turned compost heap and added ready stuff to potato bed and along fence where runner beans and tomatoes will go.
9th. Daugher sowed Delphiniums - prob. overwatered them   .  Repotted camelia and top-dressed Pieris.  Gave both some fertiliser.  Amended plan.
12th. Moved last summer's forgotten garlic (with plenty of soil around) and shifted compost as per new plan.
16th. Vales Emerald pots finally arrived.  Set to chit.
18th. Sowed peppers and more sweet peas.  Put peppers in boiler cupboard to germinate.
25th. Delphiniums  :shock: and sweet peas germinating
26th. Sowed cape gooseberries.  Potatoes chitting nicely.
March :
2nd. Forked over veg patch.  Peppers starting to germinate.  
9th. Sowed lettuce in tray in cold frame, sowed more peppers, covered with cling film and put in the airing cupboard.
14th. Cape gooseberries germinating
15th. Sowed Santa F1 tomatoes.
17th. Lettuce germinating
21st. Peppers in airing cupboard germinating.  Marginally quicker than boiler cupboard.  Both quicker than windowsill germination.
22nd. Tomatoes germinating
April :
2nd. Planted Vales Emerald potatoes outside (using bulb-planter).  Potted on surviving Delphiniums.
5th. Planted Charlotte potatoes in dustbin.  Sowed spinach and salad leaves outside.  Sowed carrots in bucket.  Potted on peppers and tomatoes.
6th. Snow
13th. Planted out sweet peas (DD preferred to watch telly ).  Sowed half a row of peas.
16th. Frost last night.
23rd. Husband planted lettuce plants (from neighbour L) where peas sown.
24th. Potatoes starting to show.
25th. Sowed basil, parsley, courgettes, sweetcorn, cucumber, melons and runner beans inside
May :
3rd. Spinach and salad leaves planted outside disappeared (eaten?) so planted 5 broad bean plants given to me by neighbour M in their place.  Lettuce plants planted by DH also being eaten (2 down, 3 to go   )
4th. Went to herb farm open day.  Bought Moroccan Mint and Golden Lemon Thyme.
5th. BH.  Dug out pink jasmine, moved peony (cross fingers it copes) and made a herb bed in their place.
9th. Erected pea supports.  Germination of sweetcorn disappointing (4 out of 12), trying chitting method.  Sowed more salad leaves in tray but not mesclun, only seem to like the rocket so might as well just grow rocket.  Potted on tomatoes into big pots.  Starting to get too big for plant house.  Start them later next year?
12th. Filled in gaps in pea rows.  Potted on cucumbers, courgettes and melon.  Sowed another large pot with carrots as doing much better this way.  Potted on surviving Delphiniums and Cape Gooseberries.
14th. Potted up chitted sweetcorn.  Much better germination, 10 out of 12 germinated.  Earthed up potatoes.
22nd. Moved tomatoes to harden off.  Planted albutum megapotanicum against neighbour's shed.
22nd-26th.  DH built deck.
29th. Planted out tomatoes.  Started to harden off cucumbers, delphiniums, cape gooseberries and basil.  Second pot of carrots germinating nicely.
31st. DH sprayed grass, caught first pot of carrots in cross-fire  :evil:  - carrots survived just.  
June :
1st. Planted out peony "Sorbet" root (arrived 31st.)
4th. Planted out runner beans.  Son planted more runner bean seed (v. sweet).  Potatoes flowering.
6th. Sowed carrots in trough.
7th. Dug up flowering Vales Emerald - need longer.  Potted on 24 basil seedlings.  Sowed peas in pot and garlic chives.
8th. Planted 1 Delphinium and 2 Cape Gooseberries in flower bed and 2 cucumbers against fence.
9th. Potted on courgettes into big pots with help from son.
13th.  Harvested more spuds.  Just a few days and got a better crop.
14th.  Harvested yet more.  Vales Emerald taste lovely.  Also ate first carrot thinnings.  Planted out 12 surviving sweetcorn plants - with help from son.
15th.  Cold potato salad - yum.  Pea seedlings in pot.  Went shopping and bought another rose, an Acer Palmatum and some bedding for the trough.  Giving up on carrots in it this year.  Too late in the year for them to germinate because trough drys out so quickly.  Saw frog/toad and dragonfly.
16th. Pea seedlings disturbed - cat? mice? Disturbed a mouse yesterday when watering....
20th. Dug up more Vales Emerald.  Planted out yellowest courgette plant.  Replanted courgette pot with more carrots.  Runner bean seedlings showing - bar one.  Move pea seedlings onto BBQ - out of reach of mice.
23rd. Potted on parsley seedlings.  Delphinium now totally eaten by slugs.
24th. Raided next door (with permission) and came away with strawberries, lettuce leaves and new peas.  ummm.  My peas are flowering (not the seedlings obviously.)
26th. OH and kids dug up the remaining Vales Emeralds
27th. Planted the second courgette plant.
29th. Planted 2 delphiniums (in pop bottle collars this time) and 3rd Cape Gooseberry in daughters plot.  Connected and laid out new soaker hose from Lidl, excellent.  3rd pot of carrots germinating.  Pots definitely way to go for carrots.
July :
1st. Finally pruned minarette cherry tree - currently about a dozen fruits.
2nd. For some reason one of the autumn fruiting raspberries is fruiting.  Very tasty.
3rd. Neighbour G gave me some leeks.  Have planted them where OH's lettuce were - that went to seed because he didn't eat them.  
4th. Picked more strawberries.  Only getting a few but still tasty as a snack.
5th. Picked gooseberries, 1lb off 2 plants, lovely big uns.  Turned compost heaps.  
20th? Pulled out broad bean plants (small crop but only OH likes them so no prob.)  DD dug up garlic, Peas doing lovely.  Picked first peppers - sweet orange baby, still green.
27th. Picked first tomatoes.  Lovely flavour but homegrown alway is.
August :
1st. Courgettes finally starting.  Peas still going.  Picked sweet banana pepper.  Red chillies showing - why do I grow these? children don't eat them.  Raspberries definitely starting.
7th. Peas finished.  Remaining pods left to form seed.  Tomatoes going strong.  Sweet Banana peppers reaching usable size.  1st courgette almost ready....
9th. Ate first courgette, v.small (but tasty). Rain.
10th. Ate first runner beans and last of first pot of carrots with Sunday dinner. More rain.
11th. Picked loads of raspberries.  Added more seed compost to used carrot pot and sowed lettuce (mixed green leaves) and rocket. And yet more rain.
17th. Picked first cucumber.  Lettuce/rocket germinating!
18th. Picked nearly a pound of raspberries and froze them.
20th. Picked 2nd cucumber to give to sis
21st. Picked and froze runners.  Picked raspberries and half of them made it to the house, half ended up inside small child (who came out in his socks so as not to miss them).
22nd. Finished 1st cucumber, just as well, there's another one ready.
24th. Tomato plants showing signs of blight.  Loads of toms so if necessary I'll pick them green.  Picked cucumber, raspberries and runner beans.
25th. Picked and froze more runner beans.
27th. Definitely blight on the toms.  Started picking them green.  Will make chutney.  Picked more raspberries.  Courgettes finally starting to take off.
31st. Gave cucumber to neighbours (M&G)
September :
1st. Removed dried peapods and dismantled pea supports.  Added plants to compost, leaving roots in the ground.
2nd. Picked another cucumber for us (that makes 5 so far, maybe another 3 on the plant).  Suspect sweetcorn won't ripen.  Tassells seem to have rotted with the rain.  Runners and raspberries still going strong.  Courgettes OK but not as prolific as expected.
9th. Picked 2 cucumbers and first sweetcorn (lovely).  Gave 1 cucumber away.
14th. Sweetcorn for tea  
18th. Have been picking runner beans, raspberries, courgettes and cucumbers fairly continuously but raspberries are going mouldy on the canes because its been so wet.  Finally brutted cobnut tree (little late.)
21st. Cucumber eaten hollow  Probably not going to get anymore.  More sweetcorn - lovely. Obviously wrong about it not ripening.  Made gooseberry crumble with gooseberries from freezer.  mmm.
23rd.  Results so far:
-garlic
-early spuds
-peas - must grow more
-runner beans
-tomatoes  - got blight
-sweet peppers - not fantastic
-courgettes - ok but not as prolific as usual
-sweetcorn - excellent
-runner beans - good
-cucumbers - excellent
-salad leaves - terrible apart from the rocket
-broad beans
-leeks - doing well so far
-carrots in tubs - best results so far
-spinach - seedlings all eaten
-rhubarb
-strawberries - poor
-raspberries - excellent
-gooseberries - excellent
-cherries - poor
-cobnuts - poor
This is the month of the apples from M.  I have so far made 10+ apple cakes, 1 portion of apple puree (frozen), 4 portions of blanched sliced apple (frozen) and 2 apple crumbles.
October :
1st. DH into hospital.  Sowed spinach into 30 modules in plant house - with door open.
10th. DH home
22nd. Spinach seedlings showing 1st true leaves.  Moved parsley into plant house preparatory to bringing indoors.
Still harvesting courgettes, leaving runner beans to set seed
28th First frost last night.  No damage, picked probably the last raspberries and gave them to Mum.  Picked 2 small courgettes as more frost forecast.
29th. Hard frost last night.  Courgettes now done.
November :
22nd. planted out the spinach under cloches.  Sowed garlic and broad beans.
December :
30th. Spinach is surviving but being eaten.

[SkipRat]

JANUARY
1st..First visit of new year picked a savoy, stayed a few hours and finished off painting inside of shed.

2nd..Stripped and denailed 4 pallets, burnt a little more rubbish. Broad beans through, garlic pushing through.

4th..Burnt remains of old cold frame.  Limed RB3 (raised bed) .5kg PSM. Manured new strawberry patch.

8th..Cut down old sweetpeas & pruned brambles at back of shed. Scraped and cleaned main paved path. Ordered seed potatoes.

11th..Heavy Limed RB,s 1&2 .9kg PSM.

12th..Emptied compost bin, 5 barrows each on RB,s3&4, rest went on front lottie flower beds.

19th..Stripped an odd pallet, sown some lettuce in G/H. Planted comfry on Allotment 2.

20th..Stripped another 2 pallets. Dug out excess soil for new cold frame, put excess soil on RB4.

22nd..Dug out and laid concrete foundations to new cold frame.

23rd..Moved all rubbish & bricks from behind old C/Frame and restacked on new pallet. Laid 1st course bricks for new C/F.

24th..Finished off brickwork to C/F, dug over and levelled soil and compacted. Put down weed barrier and then 2 inches of gravel, could do with another couple of bags.

25th..Put down another two bags gravel in new C/F base. Put up wooden C/F that I made at home, feeling quite pleased as it fits brick base like a glove. Put on 1 coat of creosote.

27th..Installed removable glazing bars to C/F, and put on another coat of creosote. Put in 3 posts for 2nd row of rasps, and concreted in an odd post for Tayberry row. Applied Round up to all paths, also Roundup on allotment 2 paths.

28th..Built three dutch lights for new C/F, used plastic mesh and covered in polythene to keep the weight down.

29th..Installed some vine eyes to C/F so that I can lash dutch lights down in windy/stormy weather. Installed bubble wrap to G/House 2. Installed some vine eyes and wire supports to Rasp row. Burnt 3 old pallets.

30th..Finished off bubble wrap G/H2.Installed vine eyes and wire supports to Tayberry row. Limed RB,s 5&6 0.5kg PSMtr.
................................................................................................... .......
FEBRUARY

4th..Burnt a bit of rubbish. Installed shuttering at rear of G/H2 ready for concrete base (new potting shed) filled base with all old bricks off the plot. Planted out some bulbs that OH bought last year and never put out.

5th..Sown Broad beans (Aquadulce) to fill in gaps in bed sown in Oct 07. Laid 6 concrete blocks in G/H2 right hand border. Levelled up R/B4. Mixed up some potting compost and pearlite to take home for seed sowing. Sown tomatoes, peppers, onions, leeks, and 40 parsnips in full toilet tubes as an experiment, some in electric propagator and some on windowsill.

6th..Mixed 18 bags all in ballast (by hand) for concrete base for new potting shed. Locked myself out of van and had to dismantle lock barrel to get back in, what a day.....not.

7th..Laid 6 concrete blocks to G/H2 RH border, also laid 6 pavers and cemented in.

8th..Built two trestles for temp staging in G/H2, still got another two to build.

9th..Built another two trestles, all temp staging now in G/H2. Pricked a dozen lettuce out into 3" pots. Checked Dahlias for rotting. Composted some spent sprouts.

11th..Dressed Spring cabbage with Sulpher of ammonia (4oz PSM) also put some new slug pellets down. Took shuttering of concrete slab (new potting shed). Tidied up shed.

12th..Swept/tided up paths. Potted up 20 tomato seedlings (Sweet olive and Shirley). Rotovated RB,s 2 & 4. Fed spring cauli,s with amonium sulphate 4oz PSM and a fresh dose of slug pellets.

13th..Put 1st and 2nd early potatoes into egg trays for chitting. Planted out Shallots and a few japanese onion seedlings that have been in the C/Frame since last year, they may make something.  

16th..Pricked out onions, leeks, into deep trays, pricked out toms into 3" pots.

21st..Layed 1 course of concrete blocks ready to takes new potting shed (not yet built). Lost 20 Tomato seedlings due to cold nights, -3 degrees. Onions and leeks ok.

23rd..Potted up some Trailing Begonia corms which arrived through the post. Potted up 12 Dahlia tubers bought locally. Moved Parsnips sown in Toilet rolls to cold frame. Had present Allotment one year today.

25th..Started clearing back of shed, still loads to do. sawn a 45 gallon barrel longways to make into a planter, still need to make stand.

26th..built two side panals and two roof panels for new potting shed.

27th..Put up new P/Shed, still needs door making/fitting.

28th..Installed door and painted full P/S. Removed glass from end of G/H to enable walk through replaced some glass with sheet timber for safety. onions seedlings starting to wilt, maybe too warm in G/H, so moved to C/F. Leeks seem ok.
................................................................................................... .......
MARCH

2nd..Strong winds blown G/H1 door off smashing all glass. Replaced glass and rehung door. Pricked out and potted up 20 sweet/chilli peppers into 3 " pots.

4th..Installed bench into new potting shed (P/S), modified a wheelie bin for storing compost. used Mantis on parsnip, strawberry and front bed. Planted out 32 parsnips that were sown in toilet rolls.

7th..Felted P/S roof and installed fascia,s/trim etc. Sown another 20 toilet rolls with Parsnip. Double dug new Rhubarb bed and replanted Rhubarb crowns that were dug up and split in Dec.

10th..Installed vine eyes and wire frame to back of P/S, and planted an apple tree (greensleeves) to hopefully train as an espalier. Built 1 stand for planter made out of a 45gall barrel.

12th..Installed three tree posts, supporting wires and planted out two winberry plants. Cleaned small back shed out.

14th..Built 2nd planter stand. Punched two holes in 2 G/House bases. Planted out two grapevines. Moved strawb plants to C/F. Checked potato, dahlia tubers for rotting etc.

18th..Resown tomato,s (shirley). Potted up 20 chrysanths into 3" pots.

25th..Built a three bay compost bin out of pallets.

26th..Creosoted compost bin.

APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER

[donald.cape]

Plot 14 B 2007/8 Diary
2007
DECEMBER
Week 1,
Order Seeds from Kings Seeds online.
Plant Strawberries

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008
JANUARY:
Week 1
Sow Sweet Peas in loo rolls in heated frame.
Prepare beds for Garlic
Week 2
Finish paths between beds.
Buy Potatoes from Aero Nursery, Home Guard and Premier (1st earlies I think)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEBRUARY:
Week1,
Plant Garlic, 40 cloves of Christo Red from Kings Seeds.
Week 2,
Sow more Sweet Peas in propogator in airing cupboard, ( first sowings in frame haven't shown yet?)
Chit potatoes on window-sill
Week 3
Top up all beds except Leeks
Install seat and test, works OK
Set leeks seeds to chit in airing cupboard
Sow chitted Leek seeds
Sow bedding Dahlias in newspaper pots
Week 4
Pot up Dahlia tubers, Gysophilia and Echinacea in mini greenhouse
Pot up spare Strawberry plants in mini greenhouse
Turn over compost in Daleks
Move bedding Dahlis into plastic pots in mini greenhouse
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARCH:
Week 1
Clear rest of Leeks and top up raised bed with compost
Sow Lettuce in propogator, Webbs Wonderfull, Salad Bowl and Salad Bowl Red.
Buy Pentland Javelin potatoes and set to chit
Compost bottom bed
Week 2
Sow rest of Sweet Peas in 9"pots in airing cupboard
Sow beetroot in propogator Boltardy
Week 3
Move strawberry plants into open frame to harden off,
Manure fruit and rhubarb bed
Move sweet peas out of airing cupboard
Week 4
Plant Strawberries in bed 8
Sow Swea Peas for pots in trays in bedroom dwarf and standard

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APRIL:
Week 1
Plant potatoes, Home Guard, Pentland Javelin and Premier in bed 1
Sow pot of peas, Waverex, in airing cupboard (wrinkled variety)
Plant onion sets, Early Fenn in raised bed 7
Sow more lettuce in heated propogator, Salad Bowl Red, Salad Bowl and Webs Wonderful

Week 2
Pot up Dahlias in trays
Plant out Sweetpeas
Plant Pea Waverex, wigwam

Week 3
Sow Turnip Snowball, broadcast
Sow Perpetual Spinach, 2 rows
Sow Spring Onions 1 row Ishikura
Plant two Rasberry cane from Barry's plot

Week 4
Plant last of strawberries
Sow Zinnia in flower bed 1row
Plant lettuce plants 1 row each of Salad Bowl and Salad Bowl Rossi
Sow carrots broadcast Flyaway F1
Sow Calabrese in seed bed botom bed
Sow Rocket and Wild Rocket 1 row each
Sow peas 1/3rd row block pattern, Greenshaft (9)
Plant beetroot Bolthardy sow seeds in between plants
Sow lettuce seeds in grobags in open frame WW and SB
Sow Carrots in mini-pots Flyaway F1
Sow peas Greenshaft in paper pots



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAY:
Week 1
Sow 1 row spring onoins
Sow peas, Runner Beans and Dwarf French Beans in closed frame

Week 2
Plant sprouts,
Plant 1 row of Webs Wonderful lettuce
Plant out leeks in clamps
Plant Dahlias

Week 3
Sow Swede Marion 2 rows
Sow main crop Carrots station sown 3 rows
Sow beetroot Detriot 3 rows station sown
Sow Spinach Beet 2 rows station sown
Sow courgettes in 6in pots
Sow Asters 1 row behind sweet peas.
Plant out Runner Beans and seeds
Plant out Dwarf French Beans
Sow Peas on wigwam.
Sow Calabrese and Spinach Beet in 6in Pots
Sow 1 row Spring Onions
Plant Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Week4
Plant out Calebrese
Thin out and plant Rocket
Plant out Peas on A frame
Plant out Cucumber, Courgettes and Pumpkin
Sow Runner beans on wigwam
Sow two  new rows of Spinach Beet and plant out seedlings.
Sow last of carrots and spring onions
Plant two more courgettes (from market)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUNE:
Week 1
Busy this week because I'm standing in a bye-election next week, however have sown turnip, swede, carrots and rocket broadcast.
Everything seems OK apart from something nipping off 1 courgette and 1 calabrese plant, could be rabbits.

Week 2 & 3

Plant out Savoy Cabbage from Stanley
Keep weeding,
Started harvesting potatoes,
Beetroot (sow in modules again next year),
Sweet Peas (not so many next year)
Plant out Leeks that were in clamps ( same way again next year)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JULY:
Week1
Start harvest Potatoes
Home Guard (good)
Premier (Good)
Pentland Javelin (good but low cropper, not chitted may be the reason)
Peg down Strawberry runners into pots and into ground
start liquid feed (MiracleGrow), Sweet peas and rest of flowers, Courgettes and Cucumber.
Still cutting Salad Bowl Lettuce and Rocket

Week 2
Sow more Lettuce all three types
Trim all strawberry runers that aren't wanted. Pot up four for spare plants, transplant five already rooted runners to fill gaps
Hand weed, Strawberry Bed, Fruit Bed, Garlic, Onions, Leeks.
Cut Down Rocket and Wild Rocket to 2ins (Same way again next year but not as close, Wild Rocket is supposed to be perrenial, possibly to split after summer)

To busy to fill in diary, how do I delete it

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER:
OCTOBER:
NOVEMBER:
DECEMBER:

[crackedflowerpots]

Jan: Sat and looked, looked and sat,Tidied greenhouse,dug over soil,cleaned seed trays, bought potatoes to chit.
PLOT GARDEN : tidied flowerbeds, eggshell around young tulip shoots. removed unwanted hollyhocks from flowerbed (they grow everywhere!)

Feb: checked what seeds we have and what seeds we need, started chitting potatoes, planted red onions and white onions outside, gardeners delight and moneymaker tomatoes in trays in greenhouse, peas in cells in greenhouse, removed string from bean pole.
PLOT GARDEN : planted :gypsophelia, love lies bleeding, took cuttings from doris pinks (put in greenhouse), took dead foliage from plants

March - another row red onions. In greenhouse: sweetcorn, golden pear tomatoes, marmande tomatoes, tigrella tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, cabbage,dill,lettuce.
PLOT GARDEN : IN COLDFRAME : hollyhock, sunflower, marigold, canterbury bells, stocks, alysum, anemone.

MANURE TRIP!!!!

April - FIRST STRIM OF THE YEAR! Planted out 1 row charlotte potatoes 1 row pentland javelin potatoes. 1 blueberry plant.
Prepared bed for radish,beetroot, carrot and parsnip.
IN GREENHOUSE - sowed sweetcorn, golden pear tomatoes, marmande tomatoes, tigrella tomatoes, cucumber,gardeners delight and moneymaker tomatoes, lettuce, coriander , sugar snap peas... potted up - cauli, redcabbage, savoy cabbage, white cabbage, sprouts, dill.
Planted out mint (from asda! :oops: )
nasturiums (5 varieties), marigolds and 'fluffy'hollyhock.

planted out - king Edward, desiree, Aaron pilot potatoes, carrot, parsnip, beetroot. Moved strawberries to neighbouring patch ( making fruit corner)
In Greenhouse - Sowed butternut squash

Moved cranberry, gooseberry,strawberry and blueberry tub to fruit corner
moved garden mint, spearmint,dill to herb patch
sowed sweetpeas and petunia, made a little trellis fence (for sweetpeas)
(spotted the very first visitor (that we have seen) to my home made bird house/table .. A robin)
dug up unwanted/spent plants

May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Nov
Dec

[wurzelrob70]

February 2008
2nd:- sowed onion seeds Bedfordshire Champion & Red Baron and placed on south facing window sill.
9th:- Finished digging over our new plot, all ready to go now . Onions are starting to show, 3-4 per module, not sure whether to plant them out as they are or seperate them. Will decide when we take them over to the lottie. Sowed leeks in deep pots.
14th:- Went over to lottie today to spread out some fleece on the ground to warm it up ready for parsnips,early carrots & early spuds which I may put in at the start of next month depending on weather. Also turned over compost heap and added a load of manure that had been left spare,- should rot down quite nicely.
Onion seedlings seem to be wilting a bit, think it may be too hot for them where they are so have moved them into the porch where it is a bit cooler.
16th:- Sowed tomatoes Sub Arctic Plenty (free packet with magazine) and aubergine seeds I got off of ebay.
20th:-Bought 4 tomato plug plants (Moneymaker) and potted them up and also sowed a few red cabbage seeds as it said on the back to sow under glass in late winter for a July harvest. Have only used half the seeds in case it doesn't work out.
Onions have picked up although did lose a few but not too bad. Have moved them into the plastic greenhouse now that the weather at night is going to be warmer.
21st:- Just got back from a run to the dump, while there someone was chucking out 2 plastic garden chairs, so asked if I could have them. Once they are cleaned up we'll have something to sit on over the plot in the summer
24th:- Went over plot with the wife this morning & noticed a few people had put in their onion sets, so we decided to give it a go with the ones we bought from Wilkinson's.
Planted 5 rows (2 red, 3 white), just wait now to see how they do.
25th:-TYPICAL!! Raining when I went to work last night,(hmmm good for the onions) but by the morning temp down to 0 and everything frozen, so don't know if it would have damaged the sets we put in yesterday.
Oh well wait and see, there's always the seedlings as backup.
29th:- Went over to plot today and planted some comfrey roots next to the compost heap that were very kindly sent to me by Wortle.

March 2008
1st:- Potted on tomato seedlings that were sown on the 16th Feb
7th:- Planted first early potatos "Foremost" 2 rows. Also got hold of 5 bags of mushroom compost.

[wellybabe]

Walked past allotments regularly with Oscar regularly during December.  Very cold; wet and uninspiring.

January: 19/20th Went to local allotment association shed (huge) which I had joined back in October after taking on my plot. Great value for a couple of quid per year.  Bought seed potatoes Early; Lady Christl, 2nd Early Charlotte and Desiree for the main crop.  Also bought peas, runner beans, onions, garlic, 6`+ 4` canes, compost, seeds: herbs,etc; borrowed a wheelbarrow to cart it all to the car.
      Went to farm shop a couple of days later to buy some veg (not for much longer I hope) and picked up some egg trays for chitting my potatoes.  Now all done.  

February:  9th & 16th spent completing my path ( anything to eradicate the constant thick mud on everything)  I had put the shuttering up back in November when the weather was still reasonable; and in my inexperience had laid a bed of sand for my slabs to go on.  First heavy downpour and the lower end of the intended path was under inches of water and most of the sand had been washed away. This time I got some ballast to lay the slabs on, Fandabidozy - path completed at last! I had enough slabs left to lay outside the shed only roughly as long as they were flat just for something dry to walk on.

Off work this week so spent 2-3 hours every other day sorting out shed and also my plot; treated myself to a single gas burner and kettle; reason being that I had taken a flask of tea with me initially; but fellow allotmenteers had been so encouraging and helpful (one chap helped me lift half of `carpet city` from under the weeds on my plot when I started) so a small flask of tea was`nt going to go far! Hence my newly aquired facilities.  I also got a few mugs and all the usual necessaries from home - and I know I `ll probably end up chief tea/coffee maker; but it is a small price to pay for the friendships I have already formed.
 A useful place I found on a local industrial estate is a recycle centre; which proved very handy for a small 3 drawer filing cabinet on wheels no less - somewhere to store all my bits in shed. It cost £10 but good value as half proceeds help the aged and needy.

Part of this week was spent cutting back the hedge which borders the plot; the other side is a small car park, hedge was very overgrown and obviously had`nt been cut back in years.  Got onto Parish Council - did`nt want to know, so decided job was`nt going to do itself; especially as it blocked off quite a bit of light on my side, and the other upside was it helped enlarge the car park.  Used my loppers and cut it into manageable chuncks which I layered back into the bottom of the hedge to thicken it out and give me a bit of a windbreak from the car park.  At least taking out the top of it has made a vast improvement - even though it was a bit dicey on the stepladders.

Another job this week was tidying up a small flower border I put in next to shed;  when I first planted bulbs in it; cats were using it for you know what!  so I cleaned up, put in some new compost and a dozen or more pea sticks to poke them up the bum if they tried it again.
Looks lovely now daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses have been opening up a treat.  Mick opposite gave me a few winter hardy broad beans which I planted in with the bulbs; surprise they have come through, but I think the slugs like them as they are full of holes, so will have to put some pellets down; thought winter might be too cold for them too surface; obviously not. Not a great lover of broad beans; but thought I would give them a try as they were going begging.

Planted Dahlia tubers in a big rubber bin with layers of compost and put bin in shed for protection with layers of newspaper on top. Don`t know if its right thing to do; but thought they would be better than stuck in plastic bags until the spring planting.  Hopefully they will be fat and healthy to plant (not sure whether I should water them; but decided against as I did`nt want them to rot).

Probably too much info - but it`s for my benefit also - sorry about rambling!

Back to real world tomorrow.  4 letter word - W O R K   Yawn!

[agapanthus]

27th FEBRUARY:

Tomato seeds sown.....


Viva Italia....8Grushovka....10
Brandywine...7
Marmande...11
Paul Robeson....6
Carolina Gold...6
German Red Strawberry...5
Green Zebra...2
Rose de Berne...6
Principe Borghese...6


Yellow Pear...6
German Gold...5
Mortgage Lifter...9
Vintage Wine...4
Banana Cream...3
Lemon Tree...4


3rd MARCH

Chilli seeds sown:

Scotch Bonnet....16
Cayenne Pepper 16
Datil...8
Pretty in Purple...8
Pinnochio's Nose...8
Californian Wonder (sweet pepper)....8

7th MARCH

Brassica seeds sown:


Cabbage Brunswick...10
Cabbage Early Golden Acre...10
Cabbage Greyhound...10
Jersey Giant...10
Cauliflower All Yera Round...10
Brussells Sprouts Evesham Special...10
Calabrese Parthenon...10
Spinach Samish...10

Chilli seeds sown:


corno di toro giallo sweet pepper....5
Holy Moly...5
Orchid...5
Tepin...5
Habanero...5
Black Pearl...5
Guajillo...5
Cherry Bomb...5
Cubanelle Sweet Pepper...5


Tomato:

St. Pierre...5


Parsley:

Italian Giant...loads!!+


18th March:


Leek:

Giant Winter
Bleu Solais

Lettuce:

Forellenschloss
Triumph
Marvel of 4 Seasons
Pablo
Flame
Red and Green Salad Bowl
Crisp Mint
Red Fire
Catalona
Suzan
Webbs Wonderful
Parella Red
Great Lakes
Lollo Biondi
Lolla Rossa
Little Leprechaun
Australian Yellowleaf
Rouge de Greno
Valmaine
Balloon


week 5th april


potatoes:-

arran pilot...2 rows

mixed row:-  6 arran pilot    10 belle de fontenay 8 orkney rogue

12th april

potatoes:-

picasso...3 rows

onion sets:-

stuttgarter giant... 4 rows

Red Baron...4 rows

shallots

basil mammoth...whole tray

13th April

Brassic bed:-

Nero de Toscana Borecole
Purple sprouting broccoli early
Brussells sprouts - Evesham special
Calabrese - Chevalier f1
Broccoli - Romanesco
Savoy - best of all
Cauliflower - Autumn Giant
Cauliflower - Dominant
Cauliflower - Ottobrino autumn romanesco
Cauliflower - All the year round
Winter cabbage - Quintal de alsace
Cabbage - flower of spring offenham 2
cabbage - brunswick
Cabbage - January king
Cabbage - Candissa f1

10th May

Turnip Greens- Rapa senza testa....3 rows
Orach-Magenta magic...3 rows
Card-Sibilla...3 rows
Coriander...3 rows + container in greenhouse


16th May

Groundcherry-Giant gutemalan...greenhouse
Tomatillo-Verde pueblo..greenhouse
Pumpkin-Big Max...2
Pumpkin-Quensland Blue...2
Gourd-Turks Turban...6
Squash-Butternut...6
Cucumber-Telegraph Improved...6
                 La Diva...6
                 Burpless...6
Courgette-Drak green stripey one!!...10
Winter Squash-Blue Banana...6
Summer Squash-Summer Crookneck...6
Winter Squash-Thelma Sanders...6
Courgette-Jemmer...10
Okra-Clemsons Spineless...Greenhouse

22nd July

Big Garden

Turnips
Parsnips...white gem
Beetroot...Crimson King
Spinach...Samish
Carrot...Autumn King 2
Perpetual Spinach
Chinese Cabbage
Cavolo Nero
Lettuce...Mixed
Runner Beans...Lady Di
Climbing Bean...Cobra
White Mustard
Swede


2009

13th January

Seeds sown:

Cauliflower.....All the year round
Cabbage....Capricorn f1
Onion.....Kelsae Exhibition
Spinach.....Barbados f1

All the above came up 4 days later.



11th February

Seeds sown:

tomatoes:  10 of each

Amish Paste
Black Master
Big Boy
Chelsea Mini
Garden Pearl
Golden Sunrise
Grushovka
Marmande
Minibel
Rose de Berne
Paul Robeson
Cour di Bue
St. Pierre
Tumbling Tom Yellow
Tumbling Tom Red

Broad Beans   10 of each

Witkiem
Witkiem Manita
Dwarf Sutton
Bunyards Exhibition
Aguadulce

21st January 2010

Bought seed potatoes:-

Accord 1st Early.......8

Arran Pilot 1st Early......22

Belle de Fontenay Main....12

Colleen 1st Early.....8

Dobbies Asset 2nd Early....8

Maris Bard 1st Early.....8
Markies Main.....20
Melody Early Main.....16

Orla 1st Early or leave for main.....20

Osprey 2nd Early.....8

Pentland Lustre 1st Early.....8

Pink Fir Apple Main.....10

Remarka Early Main.....15

Rooster Late Main.....12

Sante Main.....12

Sarpo Mira Main.....12

Tuskar 1st Early.....15

Winston 1st Early .....8


Witchill 1st Early .....8


All chitting.
Potato beds being dug as I type.



26th January 2010

Sowed approximately 340 seeds of Kelsae onions

Above seeds germinated on 31st!!

11th February

Tomato seeds sown....8 of each variety:-

Moneymaker
St Pierre
Marmande
Cuor di Bue
Carolina Gold
Teardrop
Paul Robeson
Rose de Berne
Grushovka
Purple Ukraine
Garten Perle
Big Boy
Black Master
Sungold
Sweet Million
Tumbling Tom...yellow
Tumbling Tom...red
Costoluto Fiorentino
Red Cherry

Started germinating 18th February!!

Same date...chillis sown:-   12 of each

Lantern
Pinnochio's Nose
Albertos Locoto
Jalapeno

12th February

85 broad bean seeds planted........
Masterpiece Green Longpod
Witkiem
Scorpia

19th February 2010

Cabbage seeds sown......

Capricorn f1
Greyhound
Langedijk
Kilaton f1
Offenham 2..flower of spring



Calabrese seeds sown....

Green Sprouting


Brussels Sprout.....

Evesham Special


Cauliflower seeds sown...
All Year Round
Andes


Broccoli seeds sown...
(sprouting) Early Purple


22nd February 2010

Brassicas are all germinating!!!

Celariac (monarch) seeds sown

[WhippetMaster]

Bed 1 Runner beans, broad beans, sprouts.(mostly sunny)
Bed 2 Peans and beans, broccoli beetroot.(very sunny)
Bed 3 Onions, Garlic row of carrots.(mostly sunny)
Bed 4 Potatoes, rhubarb some broccoli. then plant leeks after earlies.(very sunny)
Bed 5 Parsnips,carrots, chives. (partial shade)
Bed 6 (new) Comfrey, wild flower seed (full sun)

Pot 1 Perp Spinach plus radish around edge
Pot 2 Early peas plus lettuce.
Pot 3 Radish
Pot 4
Pot 5 Garlic and rocket
Large Pot 6 rocket

18/01/08 Broad beans leaks and early carrots leaks in large pots.Compost

30/01/08 Lettuce in compost indoors.

05/02/08 Bed 1 (cloche) 2 rows  garlic 2.5 rows onions 1.5 rows nantes early carrots.
Radish in large pots-compost Broccoli F1 Arcadia compost-small trays

08/02/08 Sprouting broccoli in trays.Tomato plants in pots indoors. Peas in large pot and in Plot 2.

11/02/08 Aubergine plants indoors window sill.

12/02/08 Broad beans out sow rocket,swiss chard, lettuce in tubs.

15/02/08 P.S.B sown indoors lettuce plants to small fruit bed. Uncovered Broad beans in cloche.

17/02/08 Lettuce in tubs on patio with few garlic/onion.
With one lot of radish. 2 rows of spring onions in small fruit bed

18/02/08 Raspberry, blackberry and rhubarb put in.

25/02/08 Broad bean plant cut leaf-weevills???-cure with Derris. Planted Basil (indoors and next to rasp plants).
Transplant PSB/Broccoli tomato plant into 3 inch pots. Fed fuit trees with. Rhubarb growing well.

26/02/08 Derris applied.

27/02/08 Dug bed 5. Growmore applied

28/02/08 Sown Radish in pot 1 with Perp spinach Green grape tomatoes in tray. Transplant broccoli to small pots.
Sown three rows of peas in nearside edge of Bed 2. No new damage to broad beans.

29/02/08 Soaked peas in toilet roll tubes in min GH.

01/03/08 6 more Broad beans in pots. Lost tray of PSB.New sown in tray indoors. Transplant other broccoli to larger pots

02/03/08 Sown two rows of parsnips, one row of fast grow carrots.

13/03/08 Sow 15 Beetroot in mid bed 2 15 in LHS bed 3. Uncovered broad beans.
Planted 6 Broccolli plants in bed 2 next to broad beans under mini cloches.

14/03/08 Planted 6 Broccoli plants in bed 2 one plant from yesterday has sustained damage. Not cloched.
Three good rows of peas emerging plus more in bell pot. Broad beans growing strongly now uncovered.
 Spring onions coming up. Early potatoes in.

17/03/08 Sowed 6 swiss chard in pots on window sill. Plus 8 more pepper plants. Tray of leeks in mini greenhouse.
All three rows of peas emerging .Have covered bed 2 frost imminent.

18/03/08 Sowed one row of carrots in bed 3 other row seems to have sprouted and disappeared.

19/03/08 Sowed chives in small pot, lettuce in large pot on patio.Spring onions all coming up well.
Sowed more PSB in small pots and experimental carrots in toilet roll tubes all in mini greenhouse.
Also one tray of marigolds. Rhubarb with 4 big leaves on each plant.

25/03/08 Repaired mini greenhouse, potted 4 tomato plants in flower buckets ready for final.
Planted 4 curly kale 4 red cabbage in greenhouse 6 broccoli plants on nearside edge of bed 5.
Broccoli plants are 6 inches tall garlic/onion still growing strong. Cut grass used as mulch for bed 4 and rhubarb.
Rocket growing well first radish pot forming small bulbs. Peas in bed 2 (still covered) 2-3 inches high same as pot.
Broad beans now 8 inches tall and beetroot surfacing. Re-potted 5 plants Little gems into larger pot.

30/03/08 Sowed 15 carrots and 15 runner beans in paper pots. First radishes nearly ready.
Planted 6 broccoli plants in bed 5. Repotted 6 rocket plants in small pots in greenhouse.
Fed onions and garlic and slug pellets on all bed

01/04/08 Planted Comfrey blackberry and more raspberry in top garden next to fence. Uncovered onions/garlic and bed 3.
Neighbour has given me 15x10 bean frame and.....................An 8X10 ALUMINIUM GREENHOUSE!!!!!!!!

02/04/08 Built frame for peas, transplanted lettuces into pots for growing on. Planted out remainder of broccoli.
PSB germinated and growing well.

11/04/08 Completed greenhouse. Moved entire coldframe into GH. Planted parsnips in tubes, new lettuce to replace thoses eaten by slugs on patio. Planted swiss chard, green cabbages in trays plus 12 beetroot in large pot.
Cropped first radishes many more ready for eating. All raspberries coming up. Comfrey being eaten by slugs. Two rows of parsnips and carrots sprouting in bed 5. Most early potatoes sprouting.

12/04/08 Made nettle tea for plants, planted 13 sweetcorn and 3 courgettes on window sill.

17/04/08 Fed all beds with growmore. Sowed Radish-French Breakfast and Carrots-purple haze in paper pots in GH. Transplanted more tomato plant into larger pots and rocket into two pots. Now cropping lettuce and rocket.

21/04/08 Sowed Mesembryantheums. Planted swiss chard and perpertual spinach into ground. Planted 16 strawberry plants and 3 surfinias in pots. 2 Psb planted in bed 2.

29/04/08 Sowed 4 corgettes in airing cupboard.Banking up potatoes.

03/05/08 Planted more sweetcorn,corgettes in airing cupboard. Placed all tomato plants in final growing position in greenhouse.Set up watering kit. Built new 12x3 raised bed for comfrey and wild flowers. Broad beans flowering carrots forming in two pots. Sowed another row of peas in long pot and 20 radish.

05/05/08 Sowed swiss chard perpetual spinach more radish, clarion lettuce, purple haze carrots, new row of parsnips to replace the one that failed to germinate. Planted 2 comfrey plants and two packs of wild flower seeds in new bed 6.  Bought tomatos in at night showing signs of yellowing on leaf possibly due to mosaic virus or extremes in temperature/possible overwatering .Fed tomatos to try and boost them.

06/05/08 Lost 3 plants to WIREWORMS before finding two of them wrapped up in the roots of a lettuce plant.They destroyed a plant every two days before moving on, they are attracted to potatos cut in half and placed in the soil. Watered everything except tomatos after very hot day.

12/05/08 Second sowing of perp spinach, swiss chard lettuces, second lot of broad beans put in bed. Sprouts planted out, peas and broad beans flowering, cucumber planted in large pots. Fed beds with chicken manure. Tomatoes have seemed to recovered after feed and less watering, first flowers on bush varieties.

[Yorkie]

2008
Feb:  
9th - start Charlotte spuds chitting indoors
24th - sow peas in mini g'hse - Meteor & Hurst G Shaft (15/40 & 26/48 germ at 1 Apr - too cold? multi-purp compost in paper pots dried out?)

March:
24th - sow leeks in mini g'hse - Musselburgh (in 3 x 5" pots)
29th - sow red cabbage in indoor prop - Red Jewel; sow peas in mini g'hse - Meteor & Hurst G Sh
all in JI-based seed compost

April:
3rd - cabbage germinated, remove from prop. & leave on table [Next year put outside]
11th - rotavate part of plot
13th - plant out 1st set of peas - Meteor (17/40) (under cloche) & H G Shaft (27/40) [NB must protect with cloche or wire]; plant Charlotte spuds (18 tubers, 3 rows)
13th - sow Parsnip Javelin (2 rows, 1 mainly under cloche); sow Parsnip White Gem (1 row)
16th - 2nd batch peas germinated (about 80%)
21st - leeks germinated
26th - sow fennel on plot (2 rows)
27th - sow Blauhilde beans (15 plants, indoor under cover); sow Cobra beans (15 plants, indoor under cover);  sow Goldfield beans (15 plants, indoor propagator) [Next year, delay by 2 weeks.]
27th - sow sweetcorn Lark (16 plants, indoor under cover)
27th - sow sunflower Ginger Nut (10 plants, yard); sow sunflower Sunburst Panache (10 plants, yard)
27th - put cabbage seedlings out to harden off
27th - couch grass already 9" high & it's only April!!

May:
1st - Goldfield beans germ (12/15, removed from indoor propagator); red cabbage has all died (watering, too weak, should have been outdoors ??)
2nd - placed sweetcorn into indoor propagator
4th - sweetcorn germ (12/19, removed from propagator)
6th - Cobra & Blauhilde beans germ (9/15 & 12/15 respectively today)
10th - sunflower sunburst germ; put Goldfield beans into mini g'hse
14th - sunflower ginger starts germ (v.few so far)
17/18th - Plot: planted out peas 2nd batch; sowed 1 row each of Meteor and HGS direct; parsnip germinating
18th - Indoors: sow 3 Golden Crookneck & 3 patty pan squash; sow 3 Jenner & 3 Venus courgettes;
18th - Yard / Mini g'hse:  sow 6 more red jewel cabbages in pots in yard outside; moved Cobra & Blauhilde beans to mini g'hse; also sweetcorn (only 3 or 4 looking healthy); NB. 4 of orig red cabbage reviving
28th - plant out Blauhilde, Cobra & Goldfield beans; sow some peas in situ

June:
8th - plant out sweet peas & black eyed susan; petrol strimmed. first pea pods ready
20th - plant out squash (mine & BoN), courgette, sweetcorn (few and small) & BoN plants, sunflowers (v weak)
29th - plant out leeks; sow more pea seeds in gaps; sow Slenderette dwarf beans in situ; sow more fennel seeds in gaps; sow more bean seeds in situ as backup

Incomplete harvesting notes (peas not weighed):
26 July:
first courgettes (3 green)

3 Aug:
7 green courgettes (most of them large)
5 yellow courgettes

10 Aug:
4 fennel
first goldfield and cobra beans
last few peas (both varieties)
squash green scallop: 4 oz
squash yellow scallop: 10 oz
7 green courgettes (some v large)
4 yellow courgettes

15 Aug:
fennel: 1 lb, 1-4, 1-15, 2-0, -13oz, -14, 1-0, -13, -11, -15 (10 veg, total 11 lb 5 oz)
peas: 8 1/2 oz
beans cobra: 3 oz
beans goldfield: 11oz
squash green scallop: 3 oz, 4 oz
squash yellow scallop: 3 oz, 6 oz
squash ichi kuri(?): 1 lb 8oz
courgette green: 1-6, -5, -13, -7, -10 (5 veg, total 3lb 9oz)
courgette yellow: 5oz

23 Aug:
beans cobra: 13 oz
beans goldfield: 13 oz
beans blauhilde: 12 oz
squash green scallop: 11 oz
courgette green: 2-10, -5, -3, -4, -3 (5 veg, total 3lb 9oz)
courgette yellow: 1-9, -4 (2, total 1-13)

30 Aug:
beans not weighed
squash green scallop: -12, -6
squash yellow scallop: -4
squash ichi kuri: 2-3
squash crookneck: 1-8
courgette green: 1-4, -9, -11, -4, -4, -7 (6, total 3-7)
courgette yellow: 1-2, 1-7 (2, total 2-9)

14 Sept:
beans cobra: 2lb 6oz
beans goldfield: 9lb 6oz
beans blauhilde: 4lb 6oz
squash green scallop: 1-7, 1-5, 1-2 (3, total 3lb 14oz)
squash yellow scallop: -6, -4, -10 (3, total 1-4)
squash ichi kuri: 1-7
squash crookneck: 1-8
courgette green: 3-11, 2-10, -10, 2-2 (4, total 9-1)
courgette yellow: 3-1

2009

29th March:
sowed leeks (Musselburgh) in tray in yard
sowed spuds (Wilja) (21 spuds, 3 rows)

16th April:
sowed sunflowers, sweet peas and red cabbage in paper pots / seed tray in yard

18th April:
sowed 2 rows Hurst Green Shaft, 1 row Boltardy beetroot, 2 rows parsnip, 1 row carrots at plot

19th April:
sowed toms, climbing beans, dwarf french beans, indoors at home

26 April:
started chitting sweetcorn, courg, squash

2 May:
sowed 1 row HGS, 1 row Stokesley, 1 row Parsley - all peas at plot

[nothinghasdiedyet]

January : Went to have a look - it was cold - went home

February : Tidy up site and check shed

March :
2nd
Sow
Broad Beans - Dreadnought (In cells in Conservatory)
9th
Sow
Leeks - Musselburgh (In tray in Conservatory)
Onions - Furio Red Spring (In tray in Conservatory)
Onions - Red Mammoth (In tray in Conservatory)
Chit Potatoes
16th
Sow
Sweetcorn - Early Sweet (In tray in Conservatory)
Pumpkins - Tom Fox and Big Max (In tray in Conservatory)
Pot On
Broad Beans - Dreadnought
23rd
Sow
Broad Beans - Dreadnought (2nd Batch)
Plant Out
Onion - Stuttgart
Onion - Forget
Broad Beans - Dreadnought
30th
Sow
Carrots - Flyaway (In newspaper pots in Conservatory)
Peas - Hurst Greenshaft (In newspaper pots in Conservatory)
Leek - Lyon Prizetaker (In Bucket Pots in Coldframe)
Plant Out
Garlic (Left over from neighbours allotment)
Potato - Desiree
Potato - Maris Piper or Rocket (I not remember)
Move to Coldframe
Leeks - Musselburgh
Onions - Furio Red Spring

April :
2nd
Sow
Parsnips - Tender and True (In newspaper pots in Conservatory)
Cabbage - In Ground
Plant Out
Shallots
April :
27th
Plant Out
Cabbage (Minicole)
Peas
May :
3rd
Plant Out
Runner Beans
10TH
Sow
Sprouts (Evesham)
Colly
Sweetcorn
Pumpkins (Tom and Big)
Carrots
Plant Out
Sweetcorn (Fiesta)
Sweetcorn (Early Sweet)
Pumpkin (Big Max)
Pumpkin (Tom Fox)
Spring Onions (Red Furio)
Courgette (Defender)
10TH
Plant Out
Sprouts
Cauli
Red Cabbage
All from Blisworth GC
June :
Sow
14th
Purple Carrots in raised bed
Re sow Evesham sprouts

16th Picked the Maris Piper or Rocket they were boiled and awful so I am led to believe they were the Maris Piper (Next year be more careful marking them up you Plonker)
July :
August :

Sow - Winter Spring Onions
September :
Sow
Winter Spring Onions
Japanese Overwintering Onions
October :
November :
December :