Busy Bees & Sunflowers

I planted some Dwarf Sunflowers to "pretty" up the plot a little

 Within 5 minutes of putting them in, I had a little visitor who was quite happy for the next 10 minutes or so.

I pulled out what was left of the 1st batch of Broad Beans and raked it all over - ready for a few more tomato plants, so I can free up a little more space in my greenhouse

I then planted some more cos lettuces around the Gherkin Wigwam so I now have a Cos Circle!

Sweet potato news - Well as you can see most of them are ok, apart from the one to the front right - it's lost all it's leaves, but still has a nice healthy stem!

A day of sunshine and lots to do!

 As you can see from my trailer, I had lots to bring to the allotment!  3 bags of grass cutting, two bags of kitchen scraps, an unwanted wigwam thingy & last but not least my sweet potato slips!

I started by mulching the fruit trees with grass cuttings.

I then mulched the courgettes with some left over straw that I found in the shed from last year.

 Then in went the baby cucumbers "cucino" - I put these at the front of the brassica bedroom.  They look like they are standing on guard!

 Next I put in 4 "bedfordshire" cucumbers around the metal wigwam thingy, and planted a few Cherry & Roma tomatoes, as I didn't have room for all my tomatoes in the greenhouse.

 Of course, I labelled them all up!

I also sunk a small potting pot next to each tomato plant and companion planted with marigolds.

Then came the fun bit.  I had to crawl into the Sweet Potato Suite to plant the slips!

It was extremely hot in there and I was glad to get out once all 10 slips had been planted.  I had made the polytunnel just the right size as all 10 slips were planted 18inches apart as per the instrucutions!

I was glad to get out of there I can tell you!!

The Suite Potato Sweet - (Now Updated!!!)

Actually that should be the Sweet Potato Suite!  Yes, I am building a suite for the Sweet potatoes, to go with the Brassica Bedroom!  Sounds like a Hotel for Vegetables doesn't it!! haha.

So I read the instructions and did what it said to have more of a chance of getting a good crop. 

First of all I dug in a couple of bags fo manure.....

Instead of buying an expensive polytunnel, I decided I would do it in true allotment style, beg & swap!  I managed to get the plastic sheeting from Ron for the main body and George gave me another odd piece he had left over for the ends (these are still to be done - it was toooooo hot over the weekend so the ends will be done today now that it's cooler)  I then duck taped the two pieces together so that I had the body well covered with a bit of overlap each side.

Derek our allotment angel lent me 4 hoops that are made from plumbing pipes - I just had to simply push them into the ground - simply she says - some went in like a hot knife cutting through butter and others were like trying to push a square peg in a round hole!  As Gertie & her family walked up the path from their plot, I asked if I could borrow her husband for a bit of brut strength!

Then I covered the dug in manure with black plastic.  Again these were free, as I used manure and compost bags that I had saved and I had some galvinsed pegs to keep them in place! FREE!!!

I then had the task of covering the hoops and using little cable ties that Arthur gave me, I eventually got there in the end!  So just the ends to go now!

I have just realised that to plant the 10 Sweet Potato Slips I will have to climb into the Sweet Potato Suite to do so!!  I am also wondering if I could interplant with Aubergines and Sweet Peppers as the Sweet Potatoes will grow down and they grow upwards, and also like the heat that the Suite will provide - I wonder?????

Update!

As promised I have been back to the allotment to finish of the ends of the Sweet Potato Suite....

This is the Front End - I made this in 2 pieces so I have a "door" so that I can water - you can just make out the duck tape to keep it together in the middle

I also had the idea of adding a backbone to make it all more stable so I used bamboo and cable ties and it did the trick!

To finish it off I put bottles on the sticking out bamboo ends so I wouldn't have an accident &

I made a sign

"The Sweet Potato Suite"

Greenhouses and Sweet Potatoes......

I did it!

Yes I took the plunge, and after asking alot of advice, I bought a greenhouse from a chap on eBaY.

It arrives on Friday - yes, so it's Friday 13th - so what!

It's brand new - 6 x 6 with polycarbonate sheeting (which helps with the prevention of scorching plants) and a few extras like staging/shelving and drainpipes (which will be important for the preservation of rain water, louvre windows, and an automatic window opening thingy ma jig which will stop the plants from getting too hot!

If you want one yourself - give this guy a try

~SummerGardenBuilidings~

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/summergardenbuildings/

I will let you know how easy it was to erect once I know myself!

I am already planning to grow, in my greenhouse that is:

• Tomatoes
• Aubergines
• cucumbers
• sweet potatoes and
• I can't think of anything else but I am sure there is something that needs the extra protection of a greenhouse!

Also - I am experimening with an organic sweet potato. I have cut it in half and submerged both cut ends into individual jam jars filled with water. As the WWW advises, i should wait for the "chits" to sprout - oh sorry they are in fact "slips" which you can then pick off, submerge this into water and once they form a good root, pop into compost. It's worth a go!