January Snow

These photos are a few weeks late,and were taken by a fellow plot-holder for me, but here is 54 in this January's snow.

Bean Trench Completed

Another very busy few hours has seen another large area cleared, the bean trench dug, filled with leaves, home made compost and soil, and then the poles put up. Note the arch in the middle...

Two by Two

Two of us working over two days for a total of 13 (wo)man hours has had a big impact on 54a. It is starting to look like one plot at long last.

Looking from the shed you can see that most beds are clear and ready for the new season, even if the path needs tidy up. What used to be the end of the plot is now only half way!

At half way are piles of roots and nasty weeds that need disposing of. The piles are pretty high! We will make a seating area here.

 Two thirds of 54a are now clear, with potato trenches now ready, and the bean trench started.

Looking from the road. Just a few hours work to finish clearing, then the hard work starts!

Mean whilst at home sowing has started in the propogator and the greenhouse. 

Bertie

I cannot believe it has been so long since the last post.

What a contrast to last year when we had a very cold winter then a hot dry spring. This year we had a few very warm days in early March, then almost non stop rain, with cool temperatures. Everything is much later than expected, but at least the water butts are full and the ground is damp.

Here's a brief round up: most of the news is missing because I've forgotten it!

Say "hello" to Bertie. He is championing plot 54b in the allotment Jubilympics. 

Mind you, he has some stiff competition:

They are very much needed: over a few days the peskie pigeons flattened the mesh and ate all the over wintered cauliflowers:

Meanwhile, after two winters we were able to sample our first asparagus yesterday.

Yum Yum.

A video tour of the greenhouse.

Exciting stuff eh?



On your tour you may have seen begonias, peppers, more peppers, aubergines, melons potatoes, various strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and other assorted salads.

Temporary Spring

Yesterday we took advantage of a beautiful day to spend around 3 hours on the plot. Inevitably on what was the first proper session of the year, much time was spent clearing up.

Quite a few of the overwintering vegetables hadn't survived (e.g. some cabbages, and the broccoli), so these were removed or consolidated into one area.

The Autumn planted broad beans and peas are a bit patchy, but I have some replacements doing very well in the greenhouse.

The first bean trench was dug and part filled with compost and cardboard.

The Autumn planted raspberries, asparagus and rhubarb is still dormant (or dead). I hope there will be signs of life there soon.

Meanwhile, in the greenhouse, the start of the massive spring sow has started, and the potatoes (from a Woodborough Garden Centre, Wilts) are chitting in the shed.

Pink Soup

Earlier in the week I made some lovely soup. It was the usual recipe... bung everything in with an onion and a stock cube. It also had a whole leek, a whole celeriac, a load of celery, a couple of small potatoes, a carrots, some beetroot that were too small to cook, and the juice of one orange.

The effect of beetroot and the orange juice was impressive, but it tasted great.

Progress on a sunny afternoon.

This afternoon was a beautifully sunny and warm spring outing to the plot. There were quite a few allotmenteers present, which resulted in me taking home three cabbages and a bag full of leeks from kind neighbours (no produce from us yet).

Most of the time was spend weeding, but I also managed to layout the "pottager" bed and plant some onion sets in it, another row of "Jaguar" peas were sown, and a short row of salad leaves in the sweetcorn bed.

Having cleared the weeds, the emerging crops are more evident. Exciting!

Autumn sown broad beans:



Spring sown broad beans:



Rhubarb:



Strawberries:



Garlic:



Peas:

Easter Effort

On Bank Holiday Monday, and today (Tuesday), we have spent two log mornings on the plot. Monday involved three of us. There was a lot of digging and shifting, but unless you know the plot, you wouldn't know. Specifically, yet another barrow full of bindweed roots were removed from near the shed, bed 2 was dug again, and the pile of soil in front of the shed was sieved and added to bed 6, where there was a noticeable hollow.

By my self today, I carried on in front of the shed, and created two beds, one of which now has strawberries in it, courtesy of Richard and Jo, a few plots up.

Both days have been great weather, even if windy at times.

The strawberry bed:



New beds near the shed:

Longer Days

On Thursday, I was able to get to the allotment around 4.00pm and had a full hour digging, and still got home in the light. The last full bed to be dug (bed 6) was finished, and beds 6 and 3 were limed.

Today I spent around 3 hours there. I cleared the space next to the shed and made a small bed in which I've sown some lettuce (Little Gem). I intend this be be a decorative bed with sweet peas and other flowers and herbs next to where we can sit. Being a little impatient, I've just bunged the lettuce in!

On the other side of the shed I've built a compost out of three pallets. I really need a fourth to make the front, but until I find one I've just placed a broken trellis in front of it. All the ground underneath the shed is still full of bindweed roots, so I had to dig down 18 inches under the compost to remove what I could.

I've sown some sweet peas in pots and tomatoes (Outdoor Girl)in a tray.
On bed 1 I sowed a short double row of broad beans and added a few extra seeds to the autumn ones sown in bed 9 where gaps had developed over winter (the spares planted last week didn't survive the first frost. I'll learn.).

On bed 7 a sowed a single row of red onions.

I also met my immediate Southern Neighbour (Irish Maurice) for the first time.

Back at home I erected my temporary greenhouse (6x4, £40 from Wilkinsons)

More snow... and potatoes

On Thursday there was yet more snow: quite a lot of it, which put pay to the planned day on the allotment for Friday. I've just looked at MetCheck, which gives a loner range forecast, and there looks like little let up for another two or three weeks. This means my planned preparation has gone out of the window.

Meanwhile I have sown a few things in doors:

• A few more broadbeans, as replacements for those lost since November, in peat pots
• African Marigolds
• Hollyhocks
• A few peas ("Twinkle")
• Three sorts of pepper (free on the cover of KG Magazine)
• Cabbage (F1 Tundra)
• Basil

I might walk round to the plot later, just to see how deep the snow still is. There was a big thaw yesterday, but a deep frost last night.

Here we are, I walked round in 25 minutes and took a series of photos to make a panorama:

Click to download a bigger size.

Whilst there, I found that the seed potato orders had arrived and at the allotment hut, so for £5.00 I now have the following chitting at home (I also have longer arms from carrying them home on foot):

• Javelin 7lb (Early)
• Kestrel 3lb (Second Early)
• Romano 3lb (Main)
  

The Weather Forecast

Constantly looking at the forecasts, it now looks as if the cold winter will extend well into March. If it's true, it will mean manic sowing at the end of March onwards. I suppose it's good for keeping weeds down, and will reduce soil bourne diseases.

Meanwhile, I've sown a few more broad beans and some early peas in peat pots, so give them a head start. Holyhocks have also been sown in a tray.

The Shed

Every allotment should have a shed, ideally an old shack built from skip salvage.

Mine is brand new and built to order. Most sheds on our allotments are similarly purchased.

Today, after a couple of weeks of preparation and anticipation, it arrived. In about 10 minutes it was assembled and paid for. Now it looks like an allotment!







That's rather a lot of photos of a shed, but it makes a change from photos of dug earth!

I spent about 3 hours on the plot in total, and dug bed 8 (peas) twice. Once again a barrow full of bindweed and bramble roots were removed.

Number 7

It's not a scene from the prisoner, but today I've been working on bed number 7, which will be roots. The trouble is that although I thought it was already cleared, once I started digging, I realised it was still full of bramble and some bindweed roots.

The weather was great for lots of digging... cold and sunny, with the bitter north wind being sheltered: I assume by trees and houses.

In just over two hours I managed to completely dig the bed ( approx 3x3m) and clear the major roots. After leveling and tamping down, I placed a row of old large water bottles over a row. They're not doing anything, but it looks as if there is something happening. I also marked out beds 6 and 8.


In my extensive reading I've just found out that onions and legumes don't go well together: only three months late. The onions are doing so badly, I might move them any way!

Tomorrow is the big day........ the shed comes.

Taking shape

The plot is now taking shape, and there is a plan. I've based it roughly round 12 3x3 metre beds. I say roughly, because 3m depth would make it 18 meters long not allowing for paths, the shed space and compost. It is only 19 metres in total. Beds 9 to 12 are probably nearer 2m depth, as are 4 and 5.
Bed 9/12a have the broad beans in. I guess about half have survived the winter, so I might in fill with some new sowings. 9/12b have onions in. Similarly, less than half have survived winter, birds etc.

Bed 11 has the tree in it, as well as rhubarb. It will be interesting to see if the tree re-grows after its severe pruning.

Today, after a hard frost I still managed a few hours digging. I broke the surface of plot 1, and marked out plots 2 and 3. Plots 4/5 are joined to make the potato patch.





This is the overall plan for the year: it will be interesting to see how it evolves.

• Bed 1: Beans
• Bed 2: Sprouts, Cauliflowers, Chard
• Bed 3: A pottager plot
• Bed 4/5: Potatoes
• Bed 6: Cabbages
• Bed 7: Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot
• Bed 8: Peas
• Bed9/12b: Onions
• Bed 9/12a: Broad Beans
• Bed 10: Sweetcorn/Sunflowers
• Bed: 11: Rhubarb.

I also want to find space for a few herbs, stawberries, borrage, comfrey and holyhocks. Possibly a few complementary flowers as well!

January Dig.

Today, having booked a day off work, I managed to spend three hours just digging!

I've nearly finished preparing what I now call the potato plot, but then I've said that before.

Vitamin D levels are suitably boosted. :-)



I'm looking forward to posting photos that look as if there really is progress.

Catching the weather.

In a season of very short days, late mornings after Christmas festivities, and general cold, snowy or wet weather, it was good to snatch a few hours over the weekend to continue the dig.

Apart from disposing of the piles of dock roots and couch grass turfs, the surface clearance is now complete, and the double digging to clear the potato area has begun, prior to preparing the trenches.

Yesterday it was great to see rainbow as the sleet started to fall.


Today as we were digging, a fox strolled right up to us without bothering about us. We didn't get its photo, but found evidence it has been raiding sheds!





Meanwhile back at home, the parsnips from the original patch that started all this off are now being consumed.