Too Busy to Blog

It has been well over a week since i last updated my blog. As you can imagine its quite a busy time of year getting things started, sowing seed, potting on, pricking out, hardening off, too frosty, too sunny, not much rain. As well as those things to think about the allotment is still being finished off with fencing, top soil for beds, cuting grass etc. Hopefully next year will be a little easier. The garden plot is much easier with just a little maintenance and moving plants around.

Wednesday was the start of work for a guy called Richard, a neighbour of a gardning customer who wanted some raised beds building. Unfortunatly the timber suppliers had no suitable timber in but i got seven pallets for free. Thursday was spent making fence panels and another hour at Richards digging over the beds ready for the timber surrounds. On Friday i planted out the leeks and onions grow from seed into a bed prepared for them. The other two photos show the early potatoes and onions growing well but could do with some rain on them as could everything else. The sunny weather means everything is drying out and slowing down, but rain is forecast for next week.

Leeks and onions planted out

Onion sets

Early potatoes

Saturday looked like being poor weather so i stayed at home and tidied up the front garden. Is amazing how much material comes from cutting back and pruning. Later the weather turned reasonable so i was able to finish off the fencing down the pathway, tidied up some beds and took some fuscia cuttings. Sunday i planted out some sweet peas in the border and topped up some beds with seived soil. Later i got some plants from a friend Judith. I got some grasses, huechera and hosta and swapped for some geranium seedlings but i have some other plants to dig up for her later

On Monday it finally rained so into the greenhouse to sort through seedlings and plants. I pricked out the early sowing of brassicas into pots ready to harden off and plant in seed bed for later. Tuesday was more rain but Wednesday picked up and was quite hot and sunny. I finished off the raised beds for Richard and continued seiving top soil to top up borders and got some manure from the farm to mulch the hedging and plants.

Richards raised beds

Salad potatoes in bags now outside

Next are a couple of views, one of the fruit border which has space along the front edge for peas and beans. The tulips are just starting to fade now but have been a welcome addition to brighten up the plot. I have some hardy annuals to put in between hedges and plants to attract bees etc

Asparagus and Strawberries

What another glorious week. The weather has been very sunny and warm yet a little cool at nights, a couple of nights there was a slight frost. No damage to any plants but a reminder that there could still be frosts well into May.

Thursday i planted out the spring onions from modules down the side of a strawberry bed, any spare soil will get used up with catchcrops to make good use of space. So far they have settled in ok. Some one was getting rid of some top soil from a project at home so i now have a couple of ton's of soil to sift through. There are lots of stones in but it will do for topping up beds and the stone will come in for gravel paths, nothing is wasted here.

I have widened out the fruit bed to make space for peas and beans. I then dug a trench and filled it with garden compost from the wooden bin, not as good a quality as bought compost but still useful for improving soil.

Saturday was a big day because the asparagus and strawberries were delivered. I thought i had prepared the bed ready for them but it took a while to get it just right. They are all in now, 10 Backlim and 10 Ginjlim, but it will be a couple of years before any can be picked. I still have some growing on in pots and some still in modules, but it is where to put them as they take up so much space.

These photo's show the crowns as they arrived, the trench dug out and the crowns laid on a mound at the bottom of the trench and finally the crowns covered over












Here the strawberries 'aromel' have been planted next to the rhubarb, this frees up the bed i had planned for them for a three sisters experiment (sweetcorn, bean and squash)



The children have sent off for som Dig In seeds from the the tv. Gardeners world and other programs are getting people started growing thier own with free seeds so on Sunday i finished off some raised beds for the kids to sow the seeds when they arrive.

On Sunday I finally painted the archway into the allotment and fixed the honeysuckle to it. Sowed some seeds in the salad bed under fleece, carrot 'tendersnax', beetroot 'boltardy' and radish 'sparkler/french breakfast'

In the garden plot i moved the huchera and gunnera near to the pond which will suit these moisture lovers. I divided up a red priumla that was looking past its best and potted up a couple and some hostas for home

Today I planted potatoes 'pink fir apple' in two sets of tyres

Elisabeth, Millie and Ziggy come for a visit


Seedlings and plants in the greenhouse

Potatoes in bags can go out now but need cover if frosty

Garden Plot in April

These photo's are from the garden plot, they give an idea af what is growing where

Busy Bank Holiday

The forecast for easter and bank holiday weekend was supposed to be quite poor but was really pleasant and sunny. Earlier in the week on Thursday i did a couple of hours for Margaret and planted up some of her snowdrops at home and in the allotment. Saturday morning was blue skies and sunshine so was able to get quiote a bit done on both plots. Made a new raised bed from some pallet wood next to the shed for salad crops because it does get a little shade from the shed and conifer. The salad potatoes that were planted under the polythene have broken through the surface of the soil so the polythene has been removed and i will just have to be careful of any frost and cover the shoots with fleece. The other potato beds show no sign of growth so the polythene warming up the soil seems to have worked.

New raised bed ready for sowing

Homemade soil improver

Matthieu, Millie and Ziggy come to visit

Sunday was a busy day so i didn't spend too long working on the allotments. Topped up the soil in the potato bags which can go outside now the weather is much better. Planted 3 jersey royal s into tyres and moved the flower seedlings and plants to the garden allotment greenhouse. We all had tea together in the evening with a small bbq and a fire to keep us warm until i went dark.


Bank Holiday Monday was a perfect day. Blue skies, sunshine and a little warmer than the past couple of days. Spent all day up the allotments with Sarah and the kids comming up at dinnertime with some food for a hungry worker. Started the day off by digging an overflow pipe for the pond which had overfilled and was not draining away. Saw a couple of small frogs in the pond which is good news. Moved the golden rod and gunnera into better places and finished digging over extended border. Had a look at the Heys allotment site which is having improvements to drainage and tidying up existing plots and creating new ones to meet demand. It was good to relax a little in the sun with most of the bigger jobs out of the way. Next year will be so much easier and i can consentrate on growing fuit and veg.

Little frog in the pond

Seed Sowing

Sunday was nice weather in the afternoon. Brought up spring onions and flower seedlings from home. Delphiniums, sweet peas and asparagus into cold frame to harden off. Built 3 raised beds and covered with fleece to warm up the soil. Finished nursery/seed bed with flag stepping stones and edging. Planted the aqualegias in and moved redcurrants out and into fruit border. Mulched all the fruit bushes and canes with manure to keep weeds down and preserve moisture.

Started sowing seeds in earnest Monday and Tuesday. Hardy annuals, biennials, peas, beans, carrots and onions were all sown in the greenhouse at the allotment. Planted 3 'nicola' tubers in tyres to make use of spare ground and spare potatoes. At home sowed next batch of salad and leaf seeds and potted up courgettes, one of each variety (six varieties inc butternut). Still have
plenty left to pot up. Second sowing of tomatoes are doing well. There is always the tendancy to sow too many seeds and end up with a glut of plants but with slugs, disease etc its always good to have a few in reserve. The problem is i dont like to throw any seedlings!

Grasses and aqualegias in the nursery bed

April

The end of march brings promise of better weather and the sowing season can begin in earnest. Still working on allotment finishing off beds and fencing. Hopefully when all these jobs are done then a little more time for plants and enjoying a more relaxed pace. Picked first crop of forced rhubarb which was a great success, very tender and almost sweet. All the seedlings at home are coming on well and will soon move to the greenhouse in the allotment.

At the allotments the garden plot (49d) was given a good sort out on wednesday, the lighter nights mean longer time to work. The kids came with me and we didn't get home til after 7:30. Planted the 'jacobs ladder' and dug up and moved self seeded 'poached egg' plants. Most of the work is done now with most plants established and not too much preparation work.

Made another cold frame during the week from old pallets and some window openers. This is bigger than the others and can accomodate larger plants. The asparagus are in now ready to harden off along with the sweet peas. To make room for the coldframes i have put down some flags that were given to me to create a hard surface.

Firstfruits of rhubarb!

Windowcill herbs in cans

Salad seedlings coming along nicely

Courgettes and squash seedlings


A full windowcill of tomatoes