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.

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: