What is the news?

Not a lot happens this time of year.

It seems a long time ago that the greenhouse was put up, but it was only two weeks ago. The new staging should arrive tomorrow, so more construction fun is in store.

I spend a few hours on the allotment yesterday, and and hour or so mid week. The vandals have been back: a few sheds burnt down and others turned over. Some cold frames were smashed and water butts over-turned or punctured. Our shed was entered, but no damage done, apart from footprints over the freshly dug beds and a the compost side pushed down. Hopefully the silliness will stop.

In the garden the start of the tidy up has started,trying to make it ready for spring after the mess of putting up the greenhouse and the shed.

Inside, there are a few seedlings started, but most will still be a few weeks away... I'm waiting for T&M to deliver the main order. It was good to see how many seeds we still have from last year that should be OK. A good chunk of the order was for Captain Custard, using his free voucher that came with his RHS membership.

The Greenhouse Part 3

Fortunately it was good weather today, the last day when Captain Custard is around before returning to Uni. The Botanical Gardens didn't realise it was a good day, so CC wasn't required there. This meant we could sort the glazing out, and generally finish of the greenhouse.

Roof and side glazed. CC couldn't escape:

Me trying to sort out the louvre:

The finished product:

Still a few things to sort out, and landscaping to do, but we transferred some strawberries in as a token of things to come.

The Greenhouse Part 2

It took from dawn to dusk, but the greenhouse frame has been assembled with the help of my trusty side-kick, Captain Custard.

First the sides:

Then the gable ends:

Put it all together:

Move it to the base, add a door and vent, and tighten it all up:

Easy (!!!)

Now for the glass....

The Greenhouse Part 1

At the end of last week the greenhouse arrived. Eight boxes of bits and a pile of glass. Yesterday, as soon as next door's tree and hedge had been felled/trimmed we set to work preparing the base: membrane, sand and slabs. The middle will be gravel as it will provide drainage and isn't slippy.

Stage 1 - bare level-ish ground:


Stage 2 - membrane, sand and slabs:


Stage 3 - foundations finished (and covered over):


Stage 4 - (day 2) base assembled:


Rain stopped play.

Sunny Saturday

Hello reader.

After the snow and ice, the weekend was brilliant. Sunshine all weekend. Fortunately I managed to find a few hours to visit the allotment. All was well.

There was still some clearing to do, and some digging, and I took the opportunity to pile more leaves up on the dug areas.

The peas under the fleece are all OK:


There isn't too much winter damage on the broad beans (yet!)


Meanwhile at home, the greenhouse has arrived. I'm waiting for some trees to be cut before I finish the base and start assembling.

New Year Tasks

Happy New Year. May 2011 feed us as well as 2010 did. In fact we are still eating frozen beans and courgettes, potatoes, carrots parsnips, celeriac, leeks, and cabbage. Still to come we have purple sprouting broccoli, spring cabbages, and possibly some late developing sprouts.

We had a very short visit to the plot today and dug up the remaining parsnips, leeks and carrots, before we have yet another freeze. Most of the cabbages have rotted as they thawed, so they have been removed, but there are still a few Killaton that may survive a week or two.

Back home, in a cold shed I have sown Onions (Bedford), Leeks (Mussleburgh), Cauliflower (All the year round), peas (Jaguar) and sweet peas. I've also sown some replacement Sutton broad beans in a pot as those planted in early November seem to have disappeared.

I'm now waiting in excitement for my Christmas present to arrive: a new greenhouse. Then I'll have to spend weeks assembling it!