More surprises & some new planting out!

I found my 1st courgette on plot 144 yesterday

 I also found my 1st tomato in the greenhouse!!

I planted out some Gherkins (I love them pickled)

I also got around to finding a small free space for some cos lettuces!  I have put fizzy pop bottles over these to act as mini cloches, as the temperatures at night are still not that fantastic!

And due to the fast occuring lack of space, I put 3 courgette plants in between the fruit trees  The wood wigwams are purely there to remind me not to step on them!!  They do however look a little like cucumbers at the moment but who cares!

And finally, I have said time and time again that I don't lke to wear gardening gloves, well this is what happens after the first 10 minutes at the plot! oh er!!

More from 144

Can you make out the flowers on my Tomato plants?

 A view of my plot looking East - I have the greenhouse door wide open and a piece of trellis acts as a cat guard!

The Sweetcorn is sunbathing

& I planted out the lettuce that Derek gave me.

 Watering the Onions and Garlic on 121

They are doing really well and I can't wait to harvest the garlic as they look big and fat and full of flavour

And watering my potatoes too, because I have seen the old boys watering theirs!

My courgette was about to flower, and the next day it did!

Watering the peas and parsnips

Over the weekend

 In no particular order, these are my pictures of this weekend and Allotment Ali's Allotment.  The Tomatoes are doing will in the GH with the Pak Choi newly sown just to the front.

Arthurs' lettuces are doing REALLY well as are the leeks behind

The Sweetcorn is strong and are now on the floor to free up room on the bench.

I transplanted the courgettes that were in the GH to Raised Bed #3 as they were A) ready and B) taking up a lot of valuable bench space

The 1st sowing of peas, where were again taking up space in the GH were also put outside - just next door to the parsnips which are a "no show" as yet.

Kohl Rabi - these were left in the Trading Hut on Sunday, so I pricked out a few - two pots like this one here - and popped them in the GH.  I have never grown them before so will be interesting as I have never eaten the before either.

Transporting water from the tap to the GH was overcome by using my bike trailer

 I have just returned from a little watering the greenhouse session and I also bought and replaced a dead strawberry plant - only lost one, and REALLY looking forward to this years crop!

More Jobs done....

Hello blog readers! Nice to have you back again.

I started with plot 121 today as it needed weeding.  I hoed away to my hearts content between the onions and the garlic, chatting to Brian on the other half of 121 at the same time (he's already dug his half all over and is putting in peas!!) when I hear this voice calling me, so I looked up and there was the lovely Ron asking me if I would like a cup of tea! Bless his cotton socks!

After a lovely cup of tea, I had to get on, things to do, people to see, plants to pot on etc, you know how it is, so I toodled on up to 144 and made a start in the Green House.

I potted on the Dwarf French Beans as I was advised that as we could still get a frost not to put them outside just yet.

Watered the peas which are all looking healthy

Noticed that Arthurs Cos Lettuces are making an appearance

Potted on the Courgettes which have really grown so they are in nice big pots

The Chilli plants are now in their new homes &

The Green House Leeks are getting there!!

I then decided to plant out the Broad Beans that I put into Root Trainers on the 4th March, so they are 3 weeks old tomorrow.  Starting life in my utility room, progressing to my Greenhouse whilst its not been heated they have done well, as you can see from the good root growth in these photos.

I then completed the job by filling in all the gaps in the Broad Bean Bed - the BBB!

So it's all looking rather splendid!

I hope you don't miss me and my blog whilst I am incapacitated.  I will be going to the allotment, but only when my husband can drive me down there and only when he agrees to doing a few jobs for me, so please send good vibes his way e.g. "take her to the allotment & do the jobs she needs, take her to the allotment and do the jobs she needs, take her to....."  ok you get the drift!

Until my next blog, take care of you!

Read all about it! My 1st Radishes

How exciting - not only did I get my 1st radishes yesterday but also my new book arrived.

It's really "down to earth" and non of this flowery stuff, so its an easy read.

It's called Vegetable Growing Month by Month Take a look at the link - you can easily order it online and it arrive pretty much the next day. I ordered one for Susan next door (my fellow lotty person).

It's by this chap called John Harrison who has been growing veg for 30 years! It's only got a few pictures, so the rest is great information and covers all your niggly little questions from Pests to gardening jargon! Well don John. My book looks like I have had it 30 years already although I have only had it the one night!

My radishes have finally made it and looked ready to be picked. I knew this because it was in "the book"

Don't they look yummy! Boy are the HOT!

The poly tunnel gets it - I had to cut this one in half so that each half sat nicely across my newly planted tomatoes - I planted Marmande & Cerise, so one extreme to the other size wise. All the plants were raised from seed.

A picture especially for my lovely Mother in Law - aka - the armchair gardener. These are the "Vivaldi" potato plants so far.

Now that the radishes have gone, I have put some cos lettuces down each side of the parsnips and I have put some more radish seed in the middle of the parsnips to see if they will come up again. fingers crossed.

And finally (for plot 142......)

George one of the laughing Jamaicans gave me some runner bean's to plant out on 144! He said that all I need to do is pot them on at home, bring them on, and by the time they are big enough I would have cleared a suitable space on 144 to put them in - that is after building a wigwam using 8ft canes ( he made it sound so easy ) so I will have to go and see Nigel in the shop for some canes and probably a heap load of advice.

This is Nigel - another Lotty Hero / Mr. Chainsaw / shop entrepreneur

Plot 144 - UPDATE

Progress on 144 - You have seen the top picture before on a previous post. With a little more digging, swearing, numerous cups of tea & stopping for breaks, this is the progress so far.....

Can you just make out the string to the right of the picture? I realised that I had to mark out my plot end as I was straying onto Paul's plot (which I must say is as overgrown as 144 so he has his work cut out too!) I don't mind straying you understand, but when I have 125 sq.ft. to tackle, and I have only done about 2.5 sq.ft. so far, I would rather not stray at this stage.

Now talking of Paul, he kindly mentioned to me that he will be putting his shed on the end of his plot that ends on to mine, and as it was decided that the shed of character was going to meet it's maker on the bonfire that Kermit nearly jumped into (sorry if you are losing the plot at this stage read my early post - Kermit is rescued and Rain Rain go away) I am going to have to get a new shed (probably the more sensible option really) and he said that whilst he is putting down his base (he is getting an 8' x 4') he will put a base down for me at the same time! How thoughtful is that!!! So we are going to have back to back sheds (mine might not be an 8' x 4') which is why I am clearing my plot where I am. There is a method to my madness you know!

SCARECROW NEWS

Unnamed lady scarecrow is in the making, but I cannot reveal anything about her apart from the fact that she is going to look fab.

I have had a few name suggestions so far, but keep them coming in via the comments please. All will be seriously considered.

p.s. our local council is organising a Sutton in Bloom competition - and the catagories are

• best front garden
• best allotment garden
• best community garden
• best business frontage
• best wildlife garden
• best school garden

What about best SCARECROW - poor Tatty Boggie Gump

Anyways if you would like to enter - click HERE for an online applcation form & Good Luck

Today is Thursday 22nd May, the sun is shining and I will be off down the lotty for the afternoon - all afternoon in fact!

Bank Holiday Monday 5th - What Lovely Weather!

The sun has got his hat on - hip, hip, hip, hooray

I was singing that song all day today.

After a quick drive into the office this morning, I decided that an hour down the lotty would do me good. With the week I have got ahead of me, I deserved an hour in my favourite place. I spent the time chatting (ha, ha - you should have guessed that by now)

I started off with Olga, who was working hard once again. I told her about my sunflower dilema - oh! I haven't told you yet - I forgot to close up my cold frame last night because of the humidity, and when I went to inspect things this morning, some toerag slug or snail had eaten one of my sunflower babies in half and the other totally, leaving only a stump! so kind Olga brought me over 2 brand new home raised sunflower babies, which I put into the corners of bed 3.

I then went to see Nigel at the shop, but he wasn't there - however he had left a kindly note on the board to say that if anyone wanted anything, to go and see him at plot 47, so off I went as I needed some horse poo - ooops - sorry manure. After a little chat, I arranged to meet him at 1245 to collect 4 bags full. As I started to walk back towards 142 and whilst texting Hubby Ian with the news and to mak arrangements for him to come and collect me and horses manure in my car ( he wans't going to get that lot in the Porsche, so better to use the dump run vehicle) I then bumped into the lovely Perry & George, my Jamaician boys with the green shed just down the way. They are both so lovely and happy all the time. If I am ever going to feel down, I won't go to the docs, I will go and find one of them, or both and have a good laugh. You can hear them laughing all the way back to my plot sometimes!

Just after leaving them, Paul, the man with the greenhouse and the wonky shed that is going to be donated to me and Susan, came by. He commented on my Tattie and how his little girl always came by to say "hello" to him. He then gave me advice on my potatoes, which I was very grateful for, as I have had mixed opinions, so his sealed my mind in a particular direction.

Paul mentioned to me that I had a "web" thing going on, to which I blushed slightly, and as I did not have a pen and paper I told him to get the address off my by from Nigel as they had eachothers emails - another possible fan then!! I mentioned to Paul that I would be taking pictures of my seedlings for identification purposes, as none of the books seemed to have these, so here they are.......

Radish

Beetroot

Parsnips & Radishes

Rocket

It was then 1245 and I had to go and meet Hubby Ian and my car at the far gate. He backed the car in, and loaded her up with the 4 bags. With permission from Nigel, we left the car by the shop as I had to go and get my bag and stuff. On the way I introduced Ian to Olga (the sunflower lady from Russia) and her husband Julian, who incidently is putting together a shed out of pallets, and after that Ian went on to be introduced to Perry & George, who up until that point, I am sure, were not convinced I had a husband. We all stood there chatting with Carl for a long time. Incidently - this is Carl, who had started to chop down the trees on my new plot 144.....

How very kind of him to make a start. I was worried at one stage though as before letting him loose with his saw on my new plot, he was taking some "shading" branches from the tree next door. This in itself didn't concern me - the fact that he was climbing on unbalanced and unstable looking pallets of wood did! Can I also add, that I am intent on getting this pigstye of a plot cleaned up and I have booked in Derek the Bramble Fairy, Bonfire fairy and digging fairy (Sorry Derek but that was not my nickname for you but I believe Julians!!) for as soon as he has a moment free - probably around September then - I am in no rush!

And finally. I fininshed off my afternoon by aeriating and putting the 4 bags of manure down underneath the holly bushes which are situated at the front of the house. It took Ian and I around 2 hours to do altogether, but a job well done. I then went onto pottering around the garden, especially the decking, which incidently is up for sale on EbaY at the moment, all 330 sq.ft. of it, and watering the pots. I then made a lovely cup of Lady Grey and dozed in a garden chair before returning to the Lotty to water all my hard work so far.

And finally - this is a picture of the wheelbarrow graveyard which I came across today.

and finaly, finally.......

This week is forecast to be "lovely" so hopefully a few more trips down to my lotty in the next few days......

Toodle Pip for now

Is SPRING finally here?????

What a lovely afternoon we had here in Carshalton in Surrey. Mind you I do say afternoon as a matter of fact, because the morning was cold and overcast and very gloomy. Still, at around 1pm the sun start to push its way through the clouds, so I decided to fill up my wheelbarrow and go down to Plot 142.

The first thing I did was to make a cup of tea with my brand new Campingaz stove and 1ltr kettle that Hubby Ian bought me from a camping shop on Friday. What a treat to have a steaming hot mug of tea, instead of a half luke warm one from a flask! As you can see, I drink my tea black because I have a lactose intolerance, but I still took a small bottle of milk with me just in case a fellow allotmenteer took me up on the offer of a cuppa!

I then had the strength to carry on. That was of course after a chit chat with my neighbour who has a plot 2 away from me - her name is Olga and she is from Russia, a lovely lady who is very enthusiastic - yes she has to be as she and her husband have taken on 2.5 plots! Then my neighbour Susan popped down to check on her beds and again I stayed chatting for another while! I finally go on with sowing my lettuces in between my sprouts and my rocket seeds in between the brocolli - or that could be the other way around!

I then planted Nasturtiums - 20 0f them, around the outside edge as you can see in this picture, so when the bed is more matured in a few weeks time it's going to look FAB!