What a To Do I had at the Allotment

Just in case it appears to have vanished into thin air, I'm posting a short update on last year's adventures at the allotment. I kept visiting the plot regularly until around May, by which time I'd finished all the major weeding and tidying which pulled it back to looking like a reasonably well managed plot. Technically it wasn't actually my allotment, but I was using the larger part of it in return for keeping it in a good state, thus saving it's 80 plus year old owner from getting untidy notices. So it was the end of May when I inadvertently crossed the invisible line and oops I dared to plant stuff. It quickly became clear that this was unacceptable. I received a stern talking to from the steward who let me know that as I wasn't an official allotment keeper I could weed and tidy but not plant. He'd been asked to tell me that the other allotment holders would all be keeping a close eye on me from now on. Being watched was one thing, but on my next visit it became apparent that other regulars had ceased to speak to me, and instead of an Hello I got lots of cold icy stares. It worked. I left and decided to concentrate my efforts in my garden for now. I've been on a waiting list for one of those allotments for three years, though now I wouldn't want one. Last summer there were still nine in front of me on the list and no one had given up a plot for the last two years, with most of the longstanding plot-holders having two or three plots each. Hopefully the new Landshare initiative will free up some space elsewhere in the locality. Happy Gardening!

Make Your Own Strawberry Planter Part 2

Some further ideas and more detail, due to lots of interest:
The structure of a strawberry planter is basic – it’s a container with holes in the sides as well as room to plant at least a few plants in the top. I had a look around the shed and found I already had a container that was perfect for the job. It was a pop-up bin made out of (plastic) tarpaulin with metal supports. I had bought two of them in a pack for a pound in a sale. I’ve since seen them for sale in bargain shops at two to three pounds each or two for a fiver. As long as you can cut holes in the sides without too much effort any type of container will do. Many types of plastic bin can be cut with a Stanley knife and a hacksaw, or a wooden barrel or planter is fine if you are handy with a drill and a jig saw (drill a few holes next to each other, then you can use the jig saw to cut the rest.) If you like a project, make the planter from old palette wood. You could even build a brick or stone one (like a barbeque but leave holes in the sides as you build up.)
Make the holes about three inches in diameter and space them six to eight inches apart in all directions. Make a couple of small drainage holes around the base so it doesn’t get waterlogged (if you live in the UK!)
So once you have got a container with holes in the sides, it’s time to fill it. There’s no need to buy large quantities of compost for this – you can use soil as long as you add some extra nutrients to it (strawberries are hungry plants).
Aim to end up with a fine crumbly mixture to fill the bin. If your garden soil is light and dusty, you’ll need to add something nutritious like manure or well rotted compost. If you’re using dried chicken manure, take care not to overdo it, a few generous handfuls will be plenty. Or collect some horse or cow manure from a nearby farm, it’s usually free. If you do this, try to get some that’s been standing a while, rather than fresh, as it will break down into the soil quicker, plus fresh manure will kill the worms in the soil if the horses or cattle have been wormed recently.
If your soil is heavy and lumpy, you need something to break it up a bit. Sand is a good quick fix, and calcified seaweed works well too. You can still add a bit of manure or compost, but go easy on it, the soil will already be quite rich.
So start filling your container and plant the sides as the soil level rises – it’s easier to put the plants in through the inside of the holes and then add more soil to fill. Finish up with the plants on the top, remembering to space them so they have room to grow. Finally water the plants (not too much), make yourself a cuppa and sit back and admire your creation!

Onion Planting and Making a New Path

Spent a great afternoon in the garden today. First day this year that it's been mild enough to stay out all afternoon, so I got lots done and worked up a bit of an ache.
I put the onions in, though it's a little early really,as my nan set the pace by planting her's last week. Dug over the bed for the peas, and am pleased to note that the soil is looking really good with it's texture finally starting to look crumbly and much lighter than previous years. All that trenching and composting is finally starting to pay off. It was also pleasing to see that systematic weeding has cleared the ground of well established root systems so there were only surface weeds to pull out and they didn't take long.
I took the opportunity to dig in some half rotted compost, while the bed was freshly dug. To be honest I just needed somewhere to dispose of it, as I'd discovered a half sack of semi rotten green waste left in a bin since last autumn. I can date it to last autumn as the whole contents were a distinctive pumpkin colour and I can remember gathering up all the pumpkin pieces from a mass pumpkin carving session. I probably don't need to mention that it stank, absolutely and completely. And that was before I disturbed it.
So I had to bury it, and fast! As I put it in the ground, I wondered exactly how many gardens this smell could taint. I kept expecting windows to be suddenly pulled shut and children to be called indooors. And of course I spilled some on myself, not just a wee bit either. Still such a mucky child, I managed to get it on every bit of clothing. I swear, that smell was worse than pigs for sticking relentlessly to you. I put everything in the wash, scrubbed and bathed and I could still smell it. Still can actually, I think it's lodged in my nose! Or my imagination!
Just for the record, I pruned back and mulched the raspberry cane before leaving the garden, and yes, I did put in a new path at the side of the pea bed.

Has it really been almost a year?

It's hard to believe I haven't posted for so long. The rain rain and more rain of last summer meant long absences from the garden until again I started to question was it all worth it. Did get a decent harvest of a few things though - the peas, which were done before the onslaught of water from the sky, were steady in their abundance for a month or so, the courgettes did OK, though finished early, waterlogged, beans were less prolific than usual, but still worth the effort, though they finished early too. And I grew spagetti squash for the first time : )
Mini corn cobs did well but the bigger variety didn't finish growing before the storms came in and all other squashes, butternut and pumkin failed after a promising start - they stopped growing but the giant snails and slugs didn't!
Oh yes, lettuce and tomatoes did well and at last I managed to grow an outdoor cucumber and a few parsnips, a couple of which are still in the ground. Also got some swiss chard still coming up and only recently pulled out the last of the turnips which turned out to be an easy and fast growing crop.
So fast forward back to the present; I've spent a couple of hours each day preparing the ground for this year - digging in manure, weeding and generally turning the earth over. It's great to have that outdoor time back again! Today the first of the planting - shallots and garlic sets. I'm holding back the onions for another couple of weeks, and starting to think about sowing toms and lettuces. Oh and the peas won't be far away either.

Steady Progress at the Plot

I spent a couple of productive hours at the allotment today. I sowed three rows of lettuce (Little Gem and Tom Thumb) in the large cold frame, dug in some chicken manure and planted the rest of the onions. Also pulled up quite a bit of couch grass from around the paths and did some general tidying up. The patch is finally losing its unkempt look and no longer stands out as the messiest plot on site.
The garlic I planted in early March has sprouted to about two inches, but none of the shallots or earlier planted onions are growing yet.
This evening I spotted a fox in our street. I've heard foxes many times at night but never seen one around here before. I was driving into the street when a young fox appeared (coming from the adjacent common ground). It crossed in front of my car and then dashed into someone's front garden . I'll be keeping a keen eye out from now on.

Onion Planting

I managed a dash to the allotment after work today, determined to get a few things in the ground. It was pretty chilly so late in the day but a long to do list kept me warm!

I sowed rows of sunflower seeds, perpetual spinach and spring onions and planted 15 each of shallots, garlic and onion sets. There's loads more onions to put in - I simply ran out of time.

Back To The Garden

I spent a couple of hours this week starting to dig over the vegetable patch. One pleasant surprise was finding that last year’s garlic which didn’t grow has sprung to life over the winter and is looking fine and dandy. I began by weeding around said garlic, and then got carried away into the next bed and the one after. It was great to be digging the earth again – I’ve really missed the fresh air and exercise these last couple of months.
The weeding was surprisingly easy, partly because the earth is moist and the weeds haven’t really got a foothold yet, but also because I’m reaping the benefit of having done a lot of deep digging last year, to rid the garden of Japanese Knot Weed. I found myself thinking about how gardening is so much like life – digging deep is hard work, but definitely worth it in the end. It seems that I’ve swapped one problem for another though (so like life!). Where the Knot Weed has gone, Fat Hen has now run wild. Still it’s a lot easier to get out of the ground as it doesn’t root deeply. (For some strange reason I always want to call it Fat Chick. Best not go there!) I guess in the end, if the new weed is less tricky than the previous one, you at least can say that things are moving in the right direction!

Essential Wormery Maintenance

Emptying the wormery went to the top of my list this week - with the decomposing matter only inches away from the lid, I kept finding worms making an escape bid. Tecnically it should have been a simple job. . .

Legend; Remove the top few inches of rot, to be put back in later, as this is where the worms are supposed to all hang out, then empty the rest (what the pros call 'black gold") into the garden or to mix for potting compost. It's supposed to be a rich crumbly, earthy substance.

Reality; Remove top few inches - worms everywhere, so remove next few inches. Keep going; more worms than anticipated, get over a foot down into the composty stuff - still endless worms. Continue (what else to do?) Storage box now full (see above) so start using sack. Keep going. Yet more worms. Start to wonder if worms can suffer from overcrowding. Sack now half full and still no sign of the black crumbly stuff. Am looking at slimy potatoes and tea bags, and a large worm community. Finally strike a fine vein of black gold before establishing that the worms have also populated the bottom of the bin.
So, end result - two bags of worms and tea bags to go back in, and half a bag of almost compost.

Anyway, the job got done and I added lots of ripped up newspaper to the slimy worm mix as it went back in, to dry it out and stop it getting water-logged. As you can see, it's a dirty job, but quite frankly I didn't mind!

Best of all, I got to spend about two hours outdoors - that's the longest it's stopped raining so far this year. Consequently I am feeling a much saner person this evening. As yesterday was officially Blue Monday, I am calling today Turnaround Tuesday, the first day of the garden calendar '08.

Guilt Free Pot Grown Christmas Tree

I managed to heave the christmas tree indoors today. It's looking a little straggly this year - it's seven feet tall now and will have to be planted out after christmas. I've repotted it several times in the five years I've had it and it's roughly doubed in size since then. It's in the largest pot I could find for it, and it was difficult to get it through the doorways because it's so tall. I'm pleased it's lasted so well, and it'll be nice to see it in the ground next year.
Before this one, I'd bought several potted trees but they always died after being planted out in the new year. The difference is that this one was grown in it's pot (I bought it from a garden centre) instead of being dug up and stuck in one. I'm slightly worried that it might grow huge when it's planted out, so it's gonna have to go a long way from the house.

Wormery moved into the Warm

I should have done it about a month ago, but at last I've managed to move the wormery into the shed before it gets any colder out there. I hauled it over by adding some shredded newspaper and giving it a good stir up. The worms seem to be thriving - there are hundreds of 'em, young and old, all eating and presumably breeding like rabbits. They're still producing plenty of liquid feed too - I don't really know what to to with it at this time of year (it only keeps a few months) so have been adding it to the garden, though watering is the last thing the garden needs right now.

Happy Halloween!

I was hoping to be carving an own grown pumpkin this year - never mind, I'm still pleased with the look of this one. I chose the design as a reference to the Harry Potter books, which of course concluded this year. Farewell Harry!

Here's proof it really is a pumpkin..

The Lost Summer

A part of me is still loooking for it on fine days.

The garden has been well and truly waterlogged this year, leaving the earth compacted and keeping pretty much everything looking straggly. As for garden, so for blog, which also came to an abrupt halt as the miserable weather set in.

Here then is a brief, sad history, after which we'll be definitely and determinedly moving on.

Runner beans - failed to manage even a stroll

Onions -1 (out of 20)

Potatoes - small and NOT perfectly formed

Butternut squash - quashed

Pumpkins - nothing plump about 'em

Sweetcorn - not sweet and quite frankly not funny either

Peas - not pleased, also got showered regularly by the kitties, so refused to grow.

Leeks - leeked conviction

Garlic - well hardly

Broad beans - narrow yield

Overall best crop and winner of most persistent plants this year - definitely the Tomatoes which were slow to start but hung on in there until the rain stopped (end of September, wasn't it?) and then grew like the survival of their genus depended on it.

So it was all rather grim in the garden. Luckily though, there is some good news - In the hope of better results next year, I've taken over an allotment
As you can see it's a bit ramshackle and overgrown (perfect!) but not too far gone, so the weeds are coming up quite easily, along with the large number of half grown potatoes I keep finding every time I stick my fork in the ground.
There's a good water system set up - a large vat and a number of butts, some roofed storage (Who needs walls?) and four long raised beds plus a topless (Oh!) - Calm down, it's a cold frame.