From Glasgow I think we can tentatively say that spring has sprung. That's not to say winter won't sneak back and bite us in the *rse one more time, but we can hope...
Not planted anything this weekend (because I'm a PhD student I prefer weekdays when it's quieter up at the site) but at home:
- basil has been germinating and now surging ahead with little shoots. We sowed them a few weeks ago in pots with rubber bands holding clear plastic bags (from our greengrocer) over them.
- celery and mint germinating and showing some signs of life
- our ever optimistic capsicums still in the propagators, but don't expect much from them for another week or two
Our on the allotment, our biggest achievement of the past week was finishing el shed. We have a half plot, and the shed now sits at the north end, fully clad and secure. The north and east 'façades' are made of doors found on Freecycle, upright on the back and angled about 80º on the east façade ('cos I'm an architect, that's why). That defines the single pitch of the roof (eventually the water butt will move up here). The south and west sides are clad in reclaimed plastic from old bus shelters (very kindly donated by a fellow plotholder). It sits on a base frame of pallets lifted from the streets of Govanhill, has a frame made of about £10 of timber from Glasgow Wood Recycling and has a roof made of conservatory plastic found on Freecycle...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbrownontheroad/3356656597/The biggest expense therefore has been screws, nails and bolts (maybe £20) and a day's rental of a van (£25) to get the materials together.
We've been told by longer standing plot holders (we got this one in January) that seed potatoes
always go in on St. Patrick's Day... a tradition apparently set by generations of Irish gardeners in our site. However I've got to go to Belfast on Tuesday so we might take our chances and sneak them in a day early :happy: We've chitted 3kg of Lady Balfour (second earlies) and Vales Everest (maincrop) for a few weeks now, and they're all showing healthy sprouts, some with a beautiful purple tinge. They'll go in on Monday.
Garlic (Sultop) and shallots (Golden Gourmet) will go into the ground along with onion sets of an unknown variety. They came from a most generous Freecycle source who took away our fridge a few months ago. We also have spring onion seeds (Lilia) and onion seeds (mailed to me by mum who couldn't resist a Lidl impulse buy) which we are probably going to grow in containers: either in our new greenshed or outside in window boxes in our apartment.
Tomorrow, therefore, will be our first day of planting.