Thursday, 31 December 2009

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

I have been away for the last 3 weeks in Jamaica (I know, lucky me) and have been meaning to get to the allotment since I came back earlier this week.

However due to the very wet & cold weather (rain not snow), and my mud phobia, I have been unable to visit so far.

As soon as I do, I will give you all an update.

Until then.....

Hope you have a great 2010

Sunday, 15 November 2009

My lovely greenhouse!



As you can see, I was shocked on my arrival at the allotement for shop duty today!  My Greenhouse got attacked by the winds over the weekend.  6 panels in all were missing.  All found bar one - that was until Arthur the Deliver Boy (who celebrated his 74th Birthday this week) spotted it on a small grass verge outside the allotment fencing.



The mess inside as awful, but the main job was to get the panels back on and to find all the "W" clips that had obviously NOT done their job!!

Luckily Nigel was on hand to help with the roof panels as I would never have reached up there.  I coped with the lower panels, however my nails didn't!!

So after a good hour, my lovely greenhouse, with the help of Nigel, Derek, his dog Laddy & Arthur (Derek, Laddy & Arthur formed the search party for panels) is now back to a more secure one.  I have been to the local Garden Centre and purchased a pack of 25 "W's" which I will go and distribute around the greenhouse panels later.


This is the shed on plot 119.  We called them to let them know that it would need their attention!


Lucky my Broad Beans have flourished under the protection of the mini poly tunnel, which the wind removed, and I found a few raised beds down! I have now removed the other poly tunnel, so as to harden them off before the frost well and truly come along.



The onions and garlic on 121 are both doing really well as you can see from these photo's!!


Sunday, 25 October 2009

Another Hour & a half down the plot.....



I was in the right place at the right time - some left over turf were going spare yesterday, so I asked if they were going to be chucked on the compost heap, whether I could have them?  Low & behold, this morning they were on plot 144!  All I had to do was lay them out and water them in!





A very sad looking greenhouse, inside and out!
I pulled the pin from the auto closer on the roof vent and put a piece of wood on top to hold it shut, as I don't want a strong wind to get under it and pull it clean away.



And finally the new path looking from the Shed / Greenhouse end towards the entrance end!

I also dug in two bags of horsey poo on plot 121, tied Hilda to the fence as her stake is now broken and she keeps falling over head down into the soil, and I also added a load more kitchen scraps to the compost heap!

phew!

Sunday, 18 October 2009

Horse Poo does wonders!!


Well first things first.  My first port of call was the Trading Hut where I purchased 4 large bags of Horse Poo or Stable Manure for £11 - Bargain.

These were delivered to plot 144.

However there was a more pressing task at hand.
My onions and garlic were being played with - could it be the foxes? could it be the birds?  whatever it was, it was concerning Derek & Ron who came to the rescue with netting and bamboos!
Bless them both



Between us we pulled the netting taught and staked it with the bamboo's to protect any more mis haps from taking place!



Ah, n0ow back to the horse poo - 4 bags were delivered to plot 144.  This meant a bit of hard work ahead!



So I thought I would put the kettle on to assist in quenching my thirst after some digging was done and some manure spread about on the patch by the shed (one bag), on the patch where the potatoes had grown (in the picture above)(two bags) and I dug, raked and put the final bag on Bed#2



I had to leave the wild violets in situ - they look so pretty when everything else is dying down at this time of year.  They just popped up in the summer by the peas.



Then I prepared Bed #1 by giving this a quick dig, raking the soil and .....
then I biked it down to the Trading Hut - 2 visits in one day - for a packet of Broad Beans!
In they went.
I was told that the foxes like playing with these as much as they like playing with the onions and garlic, so I put the plastic polytunnels over them until I can see some signs of growth.



And finally, I picked the remaining summer ball squash



That was me done in - 3 and a half hours of medium to hard labour in the sunshine was very invigorating and revitalising, but at the same time I needed to get home have a rest with my feet up on the sofa, so here I am now, typing away, updating this blog!

Lets hope for more nice weather next weekend!



Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Note to self....

....for next year!

1. Tomatoes - 5 x roma plants in the greenhouse will be plenty


2. Cherry tomatoes - again 5 x plants outside would be just right!




3. Sweetcorn - 24 plants will be more than enough - remember to plant through black matting to add extra warmth to the soil and possibly try  butternut squash interplanting?




4.  Only grow white onions, as we have hardly used any of the red ones (but now trying to hide them in stews etc.




5.  Only grow about 3 or 4 tubers of earlies - no 2nd earlies and Desire & Cara maincrops - we still have some earlies to eat!!  I think they may end up on the compost heap!




6.  Change location for potatoes, onions, garlic & dwarf french bean - all to be grown on 121

7.  Take the marrows, sqaushes & courgettes over to 144.

8.  Remember to successionally grow lettuces, rocket & Mizuna - a small sowing once a week (nice thought)

9.  Grow more leeks - remember to sow more seeds next year, especially later on in the year!

10.  Stick to the above !